My Activity Tracking
31
kms
My target 30 kms
This is for women and girls everywhere....
Hi family and friends, from November 26th, I’m going to be walking for a cause that is close to my heart.
Every woman and girl around the world, deserves to feel Safe. Everywhere. Always. – at home, at the gym, even online - and that is why I’m joining UN Women Australia in the walk to end violence against women and girls.
Help me reach my fundraising goal and we can help to build a better future for women and girls around the world.
My Updates
Advent to Christmas Advocacy Walk 10: Safety for Women with God
Thursday 25th Dec
"In the beginning was the Word. The Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. All things were made through Him, and apart from Him nothing was made that has come into being.
In Him was life, and the life was the light of mankind. The life-light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overpowered it.
There came a man sent from God, whose name was John. He came as a witness to testify about the light, so that through him everyone might believe. He was not the light, but he came to bear witness concerning the light. The true light, coming into the world, gives light to every human.
He was in the world, and the world was made through Him; but the world did not know Him. He came to His own, but his own did not receive Him. But whoever did receive Him, those trusting in His name, to these He gave the right to become children of God; born not of a bloodline, nor of human desire, nor of man’s will, but of God.
And the Word became flesh and tabernacled among us. We looked upon His glory, the glory of the one and only from the Father, full of grace and truth.
John (the Baptising prophet) testified about Him. He cried out to Israel, saying, “This is He of whom I said, ‘The One who comes after me is above me, because He existed before me.'
Out of His fullness, we have all received grace on top of grace. The grace of Torah was given through Moses; and ever more grace and truth have come through Yeshua (Jesus) the Messiah!
No one has ever seen God.... but the one and only God by the Father’s embrace, has, Himself, made Him known."- John 1
In the last week or so of advent I have walked into one of Australia's oldest churches (St. John the Baptist's in Canberra- built by my husband’s many great grandfather) to pray on my knees for peace on earth between us all. Women are not the answer to what ails the world any more than men.... but we can follow the One who is.
I also walked with a friend to the rocky cliffside of Loddon Falls (another cathedral) taking in a gorge filled to the brim with sunlight and movement; rippling grasses, gold bearing water cascading like life's endless torrent, rock pillars reaching upward, giving back the suns rare heat; bees humming toward honey laden cliff hives.....everything alive with the presence of the living God.
It felt like the wild kind of powerful place you might meet or become a skin cloaked honey-or-locust eating type, so awed by what is discovered of God that you are willing to sacrifice even safety ( like John the Baptist did) to tell about it....calling the world back to stability from self- directed waywardness; to take our proper place....not as mini gods, but as creatures, beloved and at one with our Creator; at rest before Him who made us, our souls re-introduced and re-connected with the real thing: The Great Untame Safety.
We stood somewhat precariously, as so many women do, out on the very edge.... to be as much a part of it all, this wide world God has made. A little scared, but listening.....enjoying....and prepared to follow wherever the Spirit leads.
We prayed together for blessing over every woman walking a fine edge or path less travelled; the ones called to the frontiers of life's fullest participation, hidden work, service or ministry, to prophetic proclamation, and unseen or unpopular contribution at home or in public, going into all these places boldly, pushing the boundaries, willingly, voluntarily stepping out, stepping up, stepping down.....whatever is needed even when well beyond safety.... maybe for the safety of others or simply for the joy of watching God at work blazing trails.... committed to being wherever He invites us.... right in the thick of it.
The message of Christmas is simple. God rules this world. He does so by a higher method than base power through violence. He rules authoritatively by LOVE.
No woman is alone. We are each so deeply loved. Each of our contexts are fully known, each nuanced narrative is written in His book as He keeps a truer record and promises an ultimate justice as well as an infinite mercy. And no matter what we face, God has faced it before us.
This Christmas, 2025, many of you have turned to listen to the challenges we face as women in Australia and have shown support, shared your strength and resource, donations, and love. Thank you! This solidarity is what we need more of......to come together and build alliance.
May God be with us all as we follow Him out to the margins, the heights or the edges...way beyond comfort zones or old patterns. May he Holy Spirit and the "Word Embodied"; the Divine Incarnate, be our Wise Guide on such a journey.
May every woman know peace within is possible no matter our circumstances because God has proved trustworthy; His ways and paths are pure golden light, AND they are earthily practically fabulously sacredly real. His "heaven and earth" words sweeter than honey because they are true and they hold us and others to account. It matters to Him about us.
Come Holy Spirit to our longing hearts. Give every family, every individual, every community the courage and strength to love like You love; to set and defend the boundaries required by actual love; to walk with honour and integrity like You do no matter what; to seek and find the wisdom we need to help restore peace and a right order in humble relationship with You and our fellow man.
Blessed Christ Jesus, we welcome you. This Christmas send your Holy Spirit afresh to be with us.
Today, we rejoice, because what has been promised is assured!
"For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counsellor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.”- Isaiah 9:6
Share
Advent Advocacy Walk 9: Safety for Women Within and Established by the Australian Government: Top Down and Ground Up, Formal Governance and Informal Responsible Self-Governance
Thursday 18th Dec
Bondi....our sunny heart breaks, but a collective spirit is alive and rising from every quarter to meet this moment with courage and the true values of the people.
Those who died this week from our Jewish community are precious and beloved; each one worthy of respect rather than vendetta. Their defence must be comprehensive.
Many will ask "where were you" when you heard.
Incredibly, I was in Canberra, the seat of the Australian government after a full day of walking and prayer on behalf of women's safety through our halls of power.
We had travelled interstate for our godsons wedding and then with some of my young people, decided to take an extra day to visit places of significance and talk together as a family about what public service and leadership are, what limitations or obstacles our elected leaders face, what strategic supports for healthy governance might be introduced, and how they can effect change for the better.
Parliament House.
It has been a notoriously unsafe workplace for women.....but that is changing.
Many valiant hearts have entered to wield true statesmanship, raising standards within a formerly debauched and demoralized environment. Corruption, corporations, and crime syndicates have pulled strings, groomed and terrorized for far too long, holding our people captive....talons in every party.....exploiting almost .60 cents out of every dollar from the average working Australian (https://www.agr.org.au/gambling-data)......but that is changing.
The nefarious who plunder our people are being exposed, curbed, and evicted from politics.
I prayed boldly with the lens of faith: May God bind false power in the name of Jesus and loose redemption, wholeness, and a will of steel to implement what is good for our nation.
A freer people and entrepreneurial enterprise are arriving who will not be cowed, committed to establish and uphold the rights of all Australians not only a powerful few. A democracy legislated...not only implied. A democracy defended with the unique style of collective Australian leadership that has emerged within great paradox here in "the lucky country".
( Here is an excellent book on the subject and hope for our times: https://www.allenandunwin.com/browse/book/Geoff-Aigner-and-Liz-Skelton-Australian-Leadership-Paradox-9781743310304.)
This is not easy when toxic power rises elsewhere or resides insidious within, threatening our national security.....but Australians, though mercifully unused to massacre, do know how to navigate and survive toxicity from long experience. We have got what it takes. Let's trust our savvy instincts but also, for God's sake, refrain from partisan politics at such a time! It will not work out in favour of those who try old methods of division. It is time. We need members who will speak hard truths that cut through unhelpful rhetoric to remember, embody, and deliver what true honour is; to raise a banner on a hill in the midst of the flood for all to rally to.
I pray, our leaders will start with an immediate honourable bi-partisan support for the Special Envoys Plan to Combat Anti-Semitism.
But, I advocate for a rejection of the idea of some opportunistic political factions that "saving western civilisation" includes any subjugation, stress, and unsafety of women into hierarchies of supposed evolutionarily engineered return of the Roman Empire....or merit based worth only. It is a worldview entirely devoid of revelation; a false dichotomy or paradigm. We can uphold our civil institutions and ensure their trustworthy integrity well enough without such a base worldview whose muddy flood waters use tropes of religion blasphemously. Don't fall for it. Let us rise above!
Defence of rights for every Jew from antisemitic attack is closely linked with protection for every Australian to live here peaceably and within the law. I believe that the guarantee of rights, however, depends ( as it does for all of us) on a widespread recognition of a higher concept. Call it whatever you like from your own background but in Judeo-Christian tradition it is referred to as "the Imago Dei": that they are/we are each made in the image of God; all women; all men; all genders; all persons co-regents of creation, each one holders of an inviable and inherent dignity; connected creation, itself also imbued with dignity, and its service best implemented by a symbiotic generosity. This is the basis of human as well as non-human rights, and an equitable, safe society.
The Jewish community have come here for a better and safer life. The fallen were OUR women, defending Aussie children, and these were OUR brave men who defended all......fellow Australian human beings having just ventured out for a happy evening to celebrate the coming of the revelation of Light and to pass on the hope of blessing for all nations to their children! Carriers and guardians of revelation.
We grieve and stand in solidarity across Australia against violence toward Jews.....not by Revolution ( which is not the Australian way....apart from that of Truth in an era of deceit.) Instead, we are a nation who will embrace Revelation!
Canberra Notes: There were a few things I noticed with awe and reflection while visiting Parliament House just before the attack....and these are my prayer responses:
* The Crown is seen everywhere in the depictions (portraits, statues) of a remarkable woman whose legacy continues- Elizabeth the 2nd. We must not forget or ignore this reality while we remain part of and a key contributor to the Commonwealth; she who represented the best of top down leadership and accountability to higher standards.
I was grateful for the reminder of an honoured life and prayed for her son, His Majesty- the King, and their grandchildren who take up this mantel of responsibility. May they be held by God, guided and protected; allowing nothing but true practical holiness: where the Law meets Love, to define their monarchic era of service; ably supported by advisors and friends who are also true and trustworthy, committed to the inherent worth and dignity of all persons. May they bring expansive vision, stability, and progress to forge new and best paths forward.....justice and mercy all the way to the ends of the earth.
*I was surprised to discover, also, that Australia holds an original (c. 1297) copy of the Magna Carta- a document that first introduced accountability to power in Britain and its colonies (demanded by the Barons to curb absolute monarchy and give rights also to the people.)
May the people ( all of us, ordinary Australians) bring valuable perspective and effective balance from every walk of life; an essential powerful, accountable, and responsible leadership to everything within our jurisdiction. For the people from every level of Australian self or formal governance, and for the monarch, this truth holds: "There is no such thing as freedom without responsibility."
I join many ( such as KC Geoffrey Robertson- Barrister) to call for a Bill of Rights, so that a practical furthering of the idea of the Magna Carta is soon introduced in Australia.
( See his book: Statute of Liberty- https://www.penguin.com.au/books/the-statute-of-liberty-9781742745428)
We need this now in order to arm and strengthen our spirit going forward in a complex world by clearly defining our values....the ones we are willing to defend...not only for ourselves but for every Australian.
*I noticed that the War Memorial is within constant and prominent view from many parts of the building but that there is particularly poignant framing of it upon entry to the Queens Terrace café.....with window bars forming a cross superimposed over the memorial in the distance.... and three small children's high chairs underneath. Again, a visceral reminder of the cost of warfare upon the innocent.
I prayed that every military decision is made with gravity and care, in the best interests of real people. Negative peacekeeping is sometimes the only deterrent to evil, but I ask God to reign in further illicit trade or arms industry interests that might perpetuate conflict....and to curb indiscriminate, illegitimate, or autocratic power.... for the sake of all Gods children.
May Parliament strengthen our national defence and diplomacy corp morally as well as physically as this is our surest solid footing. Rather than shoring up power via markets of death may the international community now bend toward and defend industries, global markets, partnerships, and collaborations of integrity that support life. What better place to model and implement new global paradigms than from the "Garden City".
* As I walked and prayed for Gods blessing, intervention, and mercy throughout the House and Senate, I was struck by the rare peace of visiting out of session.....vast rooms in gum leaf tones, dim, nuanced, and contemplative, like an Australian forest. Sudden shafts of sunlight poured into the Senate and I felt an unexpected emotion: great joy! (Perhaps a rare experience there where the air has hung heavy with debate, conflict and frustration.) I praised God in advance for whatever breakthrough of Light this joy represented and left with hope in my heart.
Although, this week, all of our truer, higher values were tested...…there is a future and a hope if we are prepared to do what it takes to wrest it from tragedy, to seize it with two hands and not let go.... on behalf of all.
God be with our Parliamentarians, our Prime minister, our Governor General....and most especially with every legal and policy advisor, young intern, or public servant at every level, working behind the scenes for a better Australia. (I have learned to respect these young ones, some of our unsung heroes on the ground. Your work is important. Bring it! Bring it now!)
* As we were about to leave, there was an event unfolding in the Great Hall. I joined for long enough to realize it was a commemoration by Australia's Afghan community, venerating the work of a woman in their midst who stood for human rights and safety for women. Tears filled my eyes at the sight of Afghan fathers, brother, husbands, faces beaming with such joy and hope, supporting their women, mothers, sister, wives.....and lifting their daughters ( little ones all dressed up, free to be girls, free to be free, dancing through the crowd) onto their shoulders to see and honour someone who had led their community to a safer place and a better future. It was a profound and powerful moment.
Only a few hours later, this hope, all of our hope, was targeted. But also remarkably defended by a recent Syrian migrant coming to our shores for a safer, better life; respectful of all humanity and willing to risk his life for it. May he be an example to all of what is required of every one of us ahead.
And all of this points to the obvious....safety for women in Australia means safety for ALL women: Jewish and Afghan women, Syrian women, Indigenous women, European Settler women, Urban or Rural women, women of heritage and legacy, women of obscurity, Abled/Disabled, poor or privileged, diverse/LGBTQ, educated/credentialled or not, childbearing and childless women, married/defacto/single; community, corporate, and national leaders; domestic matriarchs of the home, volunteers, allies and warriors from "the top down and the ground up".
It is clear. Only courageous and radical love will hold the centre of connection in these lands....and connection is our greatest national strength. If we want a strong democracy we will have to labour, birth, and defend it and one another via new standards of care, connection, and life across religion, ethnicity, and politics.
To every Jewish member of our community, friends and neighbours.... and to all others......this is our commitment.
Advent Walk 8: Safety for Women in the Courts, Law Enforcement, and Defence. Peace Rather Than Warfare.
Friday 12th Dec
I recommend the work and wisdom of trauma expert Diane Langberg for a thorough understanding of the subject. Her classic book Trauma Recovery can be read for free here: https://ia803207.us.archive.org/14/items/radfem-books/Trauma and Recovery_ The Afterm - Judith L. Herman.pdf
Also please see website with many articles and deeply informed resources here:
https://www.dianelangberg.com/
My next walk was a tremendous act of mind over matter, as I forced movement through enormous pain....too many days on my feet ( plus stormy weather within and without) has triggered a whole body rheumatoid arthritic flare. I am, however, determined to battle to the finish, albeit with an extra day or two.
There is always a terrible dilemma with flares: whether to wrap in weighted blanket and seclude to manage the fire in every joint; or push through, as movement, and the peace of nature, can soothe and still many a storm?
I went for it by slow steps of agony, to first walk around one of Australia's oldest courtrooms (built by my children's great-great Grandfather James Thomson, and presided over by a first Judge, their Grandfather Palmer.) Then, I also walked the local law enforcement district....asking Gods blessing over it.
May God strengthen the many incredible detectives, and police officers risking their lives on behalf of our community, attempting tirelessly, with often inadequate resource, or recourse to enough law, to implement justice and protect what is good.
God bless our local and federal police force....and national surveillance community. May they listen to the combat veteran wisdom of women in this nation. And, PLEASE GOD, raise up lawyers and judges with awareness of real conditions on the ground and the absolutely uncompromising commitment to integrity; organized and mobilised to overturn any kangaroo court, or unholy closed rank bro-hood among the legal fraternity, and expose corruption in the midst.
I particularly call for a Royal Commission into the situation, (seemingly supported by too many lawyers and judges), that may falsely convict women on framed charges when they have dared to speak truth to power. Over incarceration is already an Australian endemic issue for First Nations persons....but the innocent women in our prisons remain hidden and undiscussed.
May God pave the way through our court system for all persons, but particularly for women who have so often found themselves caught in the jaws of a system weaponised against them, delivering only injustice via an antiquated maritime penal colony law structure designed to uphold the authority of officers over convicts....a system since taken over by those who believe themselves to be above the law, used to shield perpetrators and sustain illegitimate forms of toxic power. Au law is currently under revision, but with much foundational and constitutional work yet to be done to ensure an equitable society we can be proud of.
We can do better than this. It is time for consequence to fall on criminals, no matter how high, mighty, or wealthy.
Let justice roll like a mighty river, and sweep away all that is base or false.
I then drove straight up to the heart of our region, Mount Macedon; the place that determines much of our weather. Rain clouds are caught by its towering side as they roll in from the sea, rain shadows form in pockets beyond their reach.....reversing in season, and creating micro climates at various altitudes that foster unique flora and fauna. It is a good place to take our own dark clouds.....to see the end result of right and legitimate natural (though sometimes tumultuous) processes- ones that often result in beneficial life....and so be comforted.
I walked out to the memorial cross to contemplate a tumult no one can justify....attempts to seize power by violence.....and the real cost of warfare, both the seen and unseen, in its bleak legacy for so many women and children left behind in a murky wake. This is the kind of artificial and illegitimate storm that is preventable and many resulting deaths avoidable.
I pray for all of our diplomats and servicemen and women who are courageously representing and defending Australia's and our regions best interests toward peace and life . May they be protected as they serve, and protect one another, also, calling out any untoward violence among themselves: that they may be known as ones who go above and beyond, creating safety for us all and delivering true honour toward our women warriors and citizens......whose contribution, experience, and perspective is so essential.
On the way to the veteran memorial cross I paused at Major Mitchells Lookout to pray with gratitude for recent peacekeeping endeavours in Victoria. Major Mitchell was the first European explorer here and claimed these lands for the crown. It is an amazing place to pray for a continuation of the recently successful treaty with First Nations Peoples of Victoria. May their voices of dignity, experience, and wisdom be increasingly heard and their invaluable leadership provide solid accountability, a greater balance of power, and the grounded forward thinking toward peacekeeping and defence by those who care the most for these lands and peoples.
Interestingly, my way to the cross was prevented due to refurbishments currently underway. I could see it through the fence, representing great sacrifice, and the thought arose suddenly in relation to women's safety of how often we are expected to sacrifice ourselves....even to the point of self-sabotage; to become the scapegoat for others errors.
Though I am convinced we should never underestimate the powerful role women can play in peacekeeping, I was struck by the barrier before me to reconsider the need for further identification of women with sacrifice in my own prayers. Christs sacrifice was once for all and sufficient. Gods own blood adequate to assuage the demands of justice. God Himself became the scapegoat on all of our behalf, and then overturned violence by a dramatic resurgence of victorious life and the offer of radical love and forgiveness toward the undeserving.
So, I changed tack and walked several Kms to the peak of the mountain, traditionally a place for women. It is a most gorgeous Spring, and the mountain is dressed in white blossom. The immersion in such abundance of life and health is always restorative there where the air is like champagne and graceful tree limbs seem to dance to a gentle music almost heard! This is what women have been associated with in these lands for thousands of years! Life! It was beautiful and hopeful to follow ancient well worn paths and pray for this overlooking such a vast view of our State from above.
The blessing of the Creator of heaven and earth, of all of nature, of man and woman and all persons be over and in us here with His own divine protection and intervention.
As the EMPTY cross reminds us, there is a resurrection of new life that always flourishes where truth and justice meet grace. There is an eternal renewal and great redemption possible out of what is seemingly impossible. Look for it! It is everywhere. Let's declare it, bring it, and defend it together.
Advent Walk 7: Safety for Marginalised Women ( including the Disabled, Migrants, Single Moms, Rural, and Refugees)
Thursday 11th Dec
It was so nice to speak woman to woman with someone who truly knows aspects of life and the human spirit that are often yet untapped within the abled community. Everything from how profound music becomes to how life changing it is to find a good physio ( which can be rare as gold in the countryside).
Share
There is much light that we, in the disabled community, are privileged to see and experience daily....a quiet, joyful, confident knowing that develops through overcoming great hardship. But there is also a hidden darkness many of us carry; a mutual horror at the dangers we have encountered while navigating the medical world and the sad fact of criminal predators who dare to abuse positions of trust, or exploit their clients via misuse of our wonderful NDIS support systems.
My blood boiled to witness the bruise on my new friends arm, and hear of exorbitant fee charges etc. Thank God, this woman has valiant family members to stand to her defence and we were also able to discuss the common deterrents to the reporting process that many of us have faced (with chronic underreporting the result.)
In my own experience over the last 14 years since the car accident from which I sustained crippling injuries, I have been assaulted 5 times by medical, radiology, or physio staff...discovering the hard way that there are persons who will take advantage of us when we are at our most vulnerable and in greatest pain. As I learned to walk again, I have also had to learn street wise wariness fast. But even taking a companion into appointments has not always proved sufficient deterrent; nor is it practicable.
There continues to exist an absolutely unacceptable level of risk posed to our disability community, particularly toward women. In my situation I am also a migrant from a nation upon which many justify unprovoked attack. I was informed by the police that not only are foreign female patients viewed as soft targets in our hospital system ( with assumption that they will shortly be leaving the country) but that, as I hail from a particularly hated background, they suspect I may have been politically targeted.
Sadly, although I am encouraged by the well meaning, and have been profoundly supported by trauma informed services in the past, overall, my experience is one of a complete failure of justice... and even an encounter of systemic racism or silencing when seeking it. (The experience of racism is certainly not one I had foreseen but has given me harsh valuable insight into what is experienced daily and to much greater degree by many others.)
These experiences are incredibly traumatic, and often in addition to other pressures such as, in my case, the sudden acquiring of a lifetime disability while continuing in the full throws of life, business, and motherhood ( my youngest child was only 4 at the time). I was fortunate to have solid support from some quarters but shocked to my deepest soul at the outright denial from others.
(This, I soon learned, is the heaviest barb in the trauma load.... dismissal or disbelief! Also, being required to "be the strong one".... feeling as if you have to carry a whole community through your own experience...receiving whispered support only.....as if it has triggered their own.)
Which raises the issue of how such things can continue!?
Whole systemic levels of abuse are upheld when women are not believed and support collapses when it is far more convenient for communities to remain "silent and complicit" with abuse. True justice, it seems, is also regularly and utterly curtailed when crime is organised.....particularly the coordinated trafficking of body or image.
Again, I call for a national database of sexual predators to be made public....as public shaming may be the fastest way to at least clean out known perpetrators from the ranks, and allow full consequence to fall upon their own heads, preventing their ongoing presence in positions and industries in which they are not fit to work.
Also, the creative and coordinated will to address coordinated crime....and the spiritual leadership to address the moral spiritual and physical wounds that may be holding us captive via fear, corrupt compromise, and "power through violence.".
May God have mercy on women who find themselves on the margins for whatever reason, and raise empowered voices of integrity ( particularly of bystanders, CASA counsellors, medical boards, strengthened law enforcement, and family) to implement actual solutions, ensure and restore the inherent dignity and rights of every woman to safety in these challenging contexts.
In the meantime, women of Australia, you are made of steely stuff. Many are saying NO MORE to any continuation of the old tropes we have heard for far too long such as: " It has happened to almost all of us....but we don't talk about it here."...."Women pretend in order to survive.".....or the appalling and inexplicable perpetuation of 18th century Freudian lies: "You must have wanted it."
Awareness toward prevention, the strengthening of law enforcement, and greater consequence as deterrent is crucial, but so also is a focus on men's moral character development and mental health as they are raised, trained and hired....before they are unleashed into any ego driven, male pre-dominate medical environment, civic society or social community context.
In fact I would venture to suggest major research could be helpful into this Freud phenomena as a missing key to men's mental health; addressing the male tendency to deny the epidemic and systemic combat levels of violence women face (even when confronted with the evidence) as too overwhelming for many men to cope with emotionally, resulting in mental avoidance, and unnecessary perpetuation of violence including a twisted projection of their own lusts upon hearing of it, with resulting "blame the survivor" mentality. Also, their own undealt with shame, first from their perceived helplessness in face of situations they feel inadequate to control ( indicating their own childhood trauma from abuse, or witness of abuse, neglect, or indulgence.....as well as a lack of law to back them) and their too frequent choice to join in with the violence or bullying in order to make themselves feel in control of it.
To women, I also plead....especially mothers.....PLEASE.STOP.ENABLING.THIS. (There were a number of women involved participating or facilitating the abuse I survived. ) I know you may have been trying to protect your son or friend or self from abuse but to shield a man from healthy accountability throughout his life is to raise, aid or facilitate an abuser.
THIS is part of what has contributed to such a widespread cultural issue in AU. Lies, secrets, misaligned power and a mishandling of shame.
The truth, however, is what sets us free. Freedom and safety require responsibility. Adulthood is only ever reached as a person or a society when we learn to take responsibility for our choices!
And so we primarily need parents, schools and churches, to solidly invest in their kids....to invest in their character as well as sport.... modelling excellent moral, ethically firm will and courage... raising Aussie kids to maturity as persons who have experienced consequence and learned responsibility. Let's teach them to stand up; to show up for others because they themselves know their own inherent worth and so value this in others.
I actually have a lot of hope in this regard. The next generation are seriously impressive. We need to join forces, persons of all genders who will use their formidable strength and powerful roles and work to defend what is good and sacred.
In advocacy today, I request of you: Be that kind of person! To every man: Be that kind of man! We need you at our side as women, now, more than ever before, to stand for our honour. I assure you, when you do this, we will also stand in your honour. .
I saw "that kind of man", later in the day, when attending a "Walk through Bethlehem" re-enactment.
A young guy from a poor community; a hard working "tradie"; someone who stepped up in spite of public censure to take on the care of a single mom (shamed by her community) as she came to birth. He used his formidable strength and wits and even his own name to shield her reputation, and proceeded to navigate huge personal risk for them all, outrunning/outsmarting the corrupt authorities who hunted them; successfully hiding, supporting, and defending the woman and her child as refugees until it was safe enough to return home. Then he raised the lad, loved the woman, and passed on life skills, his trade and expertise. What a man!
When Mary was at her most vulnerable, she encountered an unexpected calibre and fineness of spirit...and an unlikely true friend....a man of honour, in Joseph. He didn't expose her to save his own face or honour, he didn't take advantage or exploit her. He wasn't cruel or vindictive; didn't steal from her or abuse her son, but was generous from meagre resource for the whole of his life. He overcame doubt and chose to believe her story.....he rose to the occasion magnificently.
(You can read about him here: Mathew 1-2
https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Matthew 1-2&version=NIV
and here: Luke 1-2
https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Luke 1-2&version=NIV)
Victim advocacy and reporting in situations of violence and abuse or persecution can only go so far....as many courageous and unflagging marginalised surviving women have found out. Women also need real friends..... courageous allies. It is time to come together and build alliance.
Be that kind of friend to someone on the edge today. Be an ally!
Advent Walk 6: Safety for Women in the Workplace
Monday 8th Dec
In recent years, due to disability and family commitments, my roles have shifted. I have had the joy of supporting our children, our flocks, and an entire environmental market to growth and have taken a quiet stand to shield each as they now launch into a new era of independence, with healthy standards, self-governance and management in trustworthy hands.
The last few years have been difficult and dangerous as I have attempted to hold safe space for nature markets to develop with integrity...for workable actually replicable solutions to the climate crisis.....to connect field practice with finance thinkers...to raise an alarm to organized undermining of the vital contributions of women (including heinous attempts to blackmail, coerce, corrupt, frame or remove them as key stakeholders via deep fake defamation and even the perpetration of technological sexual violence as an act of warfare....a horrific tsunami of online trafficking, undermining national security as a direct assault upon societal morale, trust, and personal character.... happening also across new arenas of economic warfare).
We must outlaw it and increase severe international sanctions on nations or individuals who attempt it. Why not utilize tech for good? We could develop tech to track every source to its rotten root, lighting every corner, driving away all such darkness.
In the meantime, I will carry on with dignity, in life and online presence, as the person I truly am..... while villains go on digging their own shame graves. I have confidence that "though the arc of justice may be long.....justice will prevail."
I will continue to encourage and support truly sound, transparent, and visionary outcomes for those most effected or vulnerable to climate change and know beyond a shadow of a doubt that nature markets of life will play an incredibly beneficial role here. I urge nations to rapidly develop transition and philanthropic frameworks of integrity to create trustworthy new financial and poverty alleviation paths.
This will require great leadership and sacrifice from all of us.......but I specifically advocate for the timely and essential contribution and leadership of women to be protected if we want to save the planet and one another.
Though there are floods of filth incoming, eugenic notions of racial self interest, banal undermining by fossil fuel energy, oil, or arms interests, or a return of elitism based on ill gained wealth or corrupt seizure of autocratic power, I encourage every nation to hold it at bay BY defending and empowering women at this time for the sake of all.
Women know what is at stake. Women know how to implement healthy comprehensive and strategic alternatives that will uphold civil society and our institutions, while connecting nature care with community care, without ethical compromise or any resort to such selfish violence.
I continue to believe we can save many lives and livelihoods via the rapid healing of the planet through new models of radical generosity, hospitality, and respectful First Nation and other broad collaboration; through innovative solutions, incredible reconciled partnerships across old divides, healthy incentive and non-predatory competition within the rule of law and cross border commitment.
Personally, I will continue with ongoing interest in all that has been built from the first wild ideas through all the implementation, risk, and investment by the mutual effort of many good hearted persons; by whole teams that have been built around such shared value and a dream of more balanced ways of being for community, agriculture and well managed conservation.
However, as I move from years of motherhood into those of matriarchy, and embark upon my own new era; there must also be time and focus on personal growth and safety. This has involved a process of recognition that it is now time for me to step back for awhile to let each of our young things fly.
So, as I have been wrapping up some aspects of my formal involvement I have also been honouring all that has been attempted, accomplished, and achieved. This weeks celebration was especially important to me to facilitate in order to honour those in our company who have made it a reality for so long. I am so incredibly grateful to each of them. I have walked my feet off, beyond actual capacity, and hit the outer limits in order to serve and encourage them onward with a work now well beyond what we could ever have done on our own.
This walking was on task, in event prep, but I dedicate it to this campaign to draw attention to the vast daily efforts so often unseen, gifted by women all over the world in support of a better future for all God's children.
I will spend the rest of my life fully behind similar arenas of work in ongoing advocacy in particular for women's safety in all areas of environmental leadership, equal finance, economy, business, and in our workplaces.
May we rise to meet this moment in history, and fly with the blessing of God who never forsakes His world; who ALWAYS intervenes to rescue and redeem.....and sometimes invites us to take part in what He is doing in unexpected ways that will require great courage and sacrifice.
As women we can follow in the sure steps of Jesus whose unconditional freely gifted love gives us confidence in who we are, no matter what we face, who continues to restore us and extend the work of our hands wherever great love is most needed.
https://www.commongrace.org.au/advent_love_breaks_through_day_6
I have been blessed this week by the Advent Series from Common Grace: Love Breaks Through
In a reflection titled Charred Trunks and New Shoots, Jono Ingram contributes to this theme with a timely reminder of the reason for our hope:
"Sometimes it feels like the whole forest is on fire and there is no way out. But nearing the top of the 2.5 kilometre climb, I see it: soft, delicate red-green eucalyptus shoots swaying gently in the breeze. Life. Renewal. Hope. A sign that underneath all this blackness and charring, the life-blood of the forest remains. And maybe, just maybe, things will be okay.
Ancient prophets such as Isaiah saw this hope also. In Isaiah 11, we are told the Spirit will rest on a new kind of ruler—not an ego fuelled tyrant but one who stands alongside the poor, advocates for the vulnerable, and brings about a justice that restores instead of destroys. This ruler will usher in a world where even the most unlikely of creatures live together in peace.
During Advent, we remember how Jesus has fulfilled this in part by coming - God in flesh to walk among us - showing us the path of Love that leads to peace. Gazing out on the raging bushfires of our world, we wait once more in expectation for his return, and for the renewal of all things."
A shoot shall come out from the stock of Jesse, and a branch shall grow out of his roots.
The spirit of
the Lord shall rest on him,
the spirit of wisdom and understanding,
the spirit of counsel and might,
the spirit of knowledge and the fear (wise reverence) of the Lord.
His delight shall be in the fear (wise reverence) of the Lord.
He shall not judge by
what his eyes see, or decide by what his ears hear;
but with righteousness he shall judge the poor,
and decide with equity for the meek of the earth;
he shall strike the earth with the rod of his mouth,
and with the breath of his lips he shall kill the wicked.
Righteousness shall be the belt around his waist,
and faithfulness the belt around his loins.
The wolf shall live
with the lamb,
the leopard shall lie down with the kid,
the calf and the lion and the fatling together,
and a little child shall lead them.
The cow and the bear shall graze,
their young shall lie down together;
and the lion shall eat straw like the ox.
The nursing child shall play over the hole of the asp,
and the weaned child shall put its hand on the adder’s den.
They will not hurt or destroy
on all my holy mountain;
for the earth will be full of the knowledge of the Lord
as the waters cover the sea.
On that day the root of Jesse shall stand as a signal to the peoples; the nations shall inquire of him,
and his resting place shall be glorious.
Isaiah 11:1-10
Advent Walk 5: Safety for Women in the Church
Wednesday 3rd Dec
Together we walked prayerfully around the entire church precinct of our town (about 1.5 kms) to ask God for greater safety for all women who enter and are part of religious communities and ministry; those institutions that claim to follow Christ Jesus who honoured all persons, and established forever the dignity of women. Also that Christian witness would be a safe support for all women beyond their walls in advocacy, practical innovative ministry, and prayer.
Share
Too often women can encounter something else entirely in such sacred places....especially if saving face or maintaining social cohesion takes precedence over genuine character and integrity of lived faith. They are simply not believed or there is the all too common issue that women's voices are marginalised even when it is known they are sincere.
Whether naïve or complicit....too often faith leaders have sent women away.....or even participated in collective gaslighting to scapegoat a woman for their own sins.....to undermine their character ( an issue that extends well back in church history and had set a false precedent such as what occurred to Katherine of Aragon or Mary Queen of Scots) in capitulation to trade or power interests, and political agendas.
Some women have been told to submit or go back to abusers in the name of self- sacrifice, forgiveness, or just for social cohesion and their own benefit (ignoring the need to hold the perpetrator to account and call them to repentance). Any twisted perversion of the concept of grace ( the undeserved love of God toward us sinners) to keep women captive in unhealthy relationships has been particularly grievous as it misuse misrepresents the very heart of Christian hope....which is based entirely on justice upheld and satisfied by God Himself!
Some women have also been spiritually abused within our faith institutions ....as it has sometimes been a trellis, that, although meant for a true vine, was instead crawling also with snakes....or as whole denominations or spiritual movements have aligned in the past with heresy, false mistaught theology, a wrong spirit, or false power...have become oppressive. When this happens there is no need to burn down or throw off the trellis.....but rather fumigate it by collective repentance and prayer.
Redemptive paths toward healthy reconciliation always begin with time to listen, to demonstrate humble contrition, and for truth telling confession. This has begun in AU and the UK! There is also a return to core Christ centric everything....and the ministration of the regular reading of Holy Scripture/Divine Words to educate/convict/teach as well as the regular offer of spiritual "rhythms of freedom"; calling people to mutual confession and reparation, calling them back to the table as a part of Gods family, modelling radical love, generosity, and hospitality, able to receive what He offers (newness of life) via the restorative theologically sound teaching of a more complete way of being led by our Lord. These are the wonderful functions of a healthy church.
Reverend Porter shared a prayer resource recently developed by the Anglican church. I broke down and wept later as I read what feels so historic a confession (500 years in the making) ....an apology issued to all women who have suffered within Anglican influence or ministry....places and times where they should have been most safe. May this be an ever deepening continuation of a great reckoning in the spirit.....going right back to the roots of its founding....to repair old wounds and create more complete, well researched, and faithful English translations of the Bible ( as so much former false teaching has been based on misinterpreted, heretical, or even absent translation) so that oppression toward women is no longer facilitated or continuing to demonically perpetuate in any of its parts.
Instead, may Jesus Spirit reside in each person, leader and laity, directly supporting the multi-faceted, multi-denominational global church.....and may it exist for real worship of Him with purity, strength, nobility, sound tradition, real orthodoxy and a practical embodied faith . Like a bulwark rising above high seas, or like a restored trellis upon which the true vine, alive in Christ, can flourish.
May God grant that the church in Australia continue to lead us all back toward greener pastures and become a strong sheltering tree for women...re-introducing and representing God rightly.
This is a church that gives me hope that the mistakes of the past can be redeemed.
May God redeem what once had fallen captive, and bring about a resurrection of spiritual hunger for which His church is then equipped to facilitate, connecting all persons with their Creator. and with solid "food" for spiritual growth...to renew, restore, and reveal the true heart and soul of God to every family or member of its community...within and without.
These Liturgical Resources have really blessed me as the church begins to confess its grave sins against women, and offers prayers on our behalf .
They can be accessed here:
The Anglican Church of Australia's Ten Commitments For Prevention and Response to Domestic and Family Violence in the Anglican Church of Australia: https://www.tencommitments.org.au/ten-commitments-overview
LITURGY: https://iawn.anglicancommunion.org/media/62987/Liturgical-resources-from-Australia.pdf
Prayer resources
- 16 Days of Activism and Prayer
- By Common Grace (Australia)
- Common Grace's DFV Prayer
- Psalm 55: When I Call for Help
- By United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (US)
- Prayers for comfort
- By The Rave Project (USA)
- Prayers for hope
- By The Rave Project (USA)
- Prayers for guidance y
Safer
https://www.saferresource.org.au/
Equipping Christians and Australian churches to respond to and prevent domestic and family violence with compassion, care, and courage....because every person deserves to be safe, valued and free from violence.
Texts for Sermons on Human Relationships
Hosea 2:14-20
This passage portrays God’s intentions for covenantal relationships. Note the emphasis on loyalty (vv. 16-17), love (vv. 14-15, 19), compassion (vv. 14-15, 19), blessing (vv. 15,18), tenderness (vv. 14, 16, 18).
John 15:12-15
This passage describes God’s intentions for how we are to love one another. We are called to sacrifice (v. 13), friendship (vv. 14-15), and servanthood (vv. 15).
Philippians 2:1-7
This passage reflects on the virtue of humility for Christian living, including within the marriage relationship. Humility requires sacrifice (vv. 3-4), humbleness (vv. 6-7), love and tenderness (vv. 1-2).
Isaiah 59:1-15
This passage reflects on God’s hatred of violence and speaks of separation from God (vv. 1-2) and guilt (vv. 2-3). It describes verbal violence (vv. 3-4), treachery and oppression (v. 13), evil (vv. 6-8), darkness (vv. 9-10), unjustness (vv. 4, 8-9, 11, 14-15), and notes that violence is unstoppable (vv. 4-6).
Isaiah 59:15-21
This passage speaks to God’s call for justice and a response to violence. It emphasizes God’s righteous anger (vv. 15-19), God’s call for justice (vv. 17-18), and the response God expects from his people (vv. 19-21).
Lamentations 3:1-24
This passage pictures the misery of the oppressed and their hope in God for relief. It describes the damage done by violence and oppression (vv. 1-16), the loss of joy (vv. 2, 5, 7, 11, 14-15, 17-18, 20), and the control that violence and oppression have over a victim (vv. 2, 5-11). All that remains is hope in God (vv. 19-24), who is faithful and cares for his people (vv. 22-24)
.
Advent Advocacy Walk 3: Spiritually Safe for Women in Nature
Wednesday 3rd Dec
After a torrential rain I did go back to visit the erosion repair site and found most of the wall had held. I may need a truckload more rock, however, and a fair amount of earth embankments dug to redirect the strongest point of flow. I am going to need help with this. My injured leg hasn't pulled up as well as I had hoped from all my traipsing over uneven ground the last week ( as meagre as it has been...I seem to meet the new limit at 5kms every second day.) In pain, I took it slow and sat for awhile in the stillness noticing with joy that many animals had watered there in my temporarily crafted pool this morning. So many tracks!
I sung ancient hymns in the quietness ....in sync with the rotation of the earth and time.....and felt the magnetism of the iron in the ground beneath....the exhale and inhale of wet grass and trees slowing my own to connected calm....and knew again that we are part of a created cosmos laden with Holy Presence.
But a cloud swept over the sun.....and I suddenly felt uneasy. Something dark approached. I remembered that our natural environment is currently full of disorder...in the spirit as well as in its processes. There is need to remain alert and prepared to stand ground to guard what is good from what might seek to harm or hijack it.....as God directs and enables. Women are particularly sensitive to this and often equipped with the awareness and faith to respond.
I believe in religious freedom for every woman but will speak today from my own faith perspective. I agree with Prof. John Walton ( in his book Ancient Near Eastern Thought and the Old Testament) when he describes a Judeo-Christian eco-ethic as belief that nature to be created and beloved by the Creator of all... including all elementally seen and spiritually unseen created realities.
We believe our God is inherently comprehensively morally good and outside the system....while also closely involved, present with, and sustaining the system....the God of gods......not in dualistic competition with anything He has made......but committed to the long work of restorative wholeness whereever free choice has broken away from Him in whom we have our being.
We tend to believe that cosmic phenomena are more of an instrument of His sovereignty than a manifestation of divine attributes....but that we can learn about Him through the revelation of what He has made and loves enough to sustain. We believe that the realm of ultimate power is personal (able to be in relationship with); occupied by Yahweh alone. I think some go too far in suggesting that nature is impersonal ( not something we can be in relationship with). I disagree....but I advocate for a rightly ordered relationship with nature our fellow creation, bestowed with dignity as we are also, and joint worshiper of the One true God. This differs from the worldview of many cultures in the ancient near east when the Bible was written....as it does also today. Many other worldviews have tended more toward conclusions of an enchanted nature as the only personally relatable realm ( a realm occupied by many gods who require appeasement or pleading for arbitrary good outcomes by ritual or favour regardless of their actual inner character), and that all which may be cosmically beyond this, outside of human control and interaction, if anything, is impersonal, distant, remote, or disinterested.
Because I believe in One God above all gods, and one who is good, keenly interested, deeply invested, loving what He has made, and holding His world to standards of goodness (justice and mercy both built into the very fabric of the cosmos) I also believe that nature holds sacred dignity and longs for its Creator and right order... as deep down we do to.
Nature is not evil! It is good. God has declared it so. But it suffers.....as long as we choose disorder over right relationship with the One who is its Sovereign. We, humanity, are somehow connected to this outcome for nature....meant for a beautiful interconnected role.....to be its guardians!
I have absolute confidence in the authority given all believers in Christ Jesus to respond as needed to spiritual as well as physical world matters...and pray that they might encounter Gods fingerprints and joy in nature with calm, courageous, love .....to serve its needs, heal, restore, and evict what attempts to hurt it. When unbidden false spiritual forces are encountered ( often recognisable because of the self- interest, insecurities, or fear they generate) I meet it by prayer to God and as He directs, and in His name tell it where to go....binding all lying tongues ( spiritually)....reclaiming ground for redeemed purposes and the Holy Spirit.
Christ said his followers would do as he did....including setting creation free from captivity to dark powers. All can do this, not only a select few, remembering that it is Jesus name and representation that is effective, the God of gods who has chosen to enter His creation bodily for its healing. I urge women everywhere to consider His claims and seek Him! This is a surer way you can remain safe while in nature and participate wholistically toward its restoration.
It was as I was working with rock.....and contemplating building a nativity scene to story tell our Advent hope.... that a wave of unbidden concepts leaped up with electric force from nowhere...and before me, instead, was everything to build a powerful female figure was suddenly right before my eyes and in hand with compelling pressure to create! As I resisted, (recognising the temptation to reduce faith and art to relatable objects representing our focus, hopes or fears....physical world manifestations of things we wish to elevate.) I was next kicked in the guts by an onslaught of doubt also about all the aesthetic restoration work that I had made. Simultaneously there was also the strangest sensation of a twisted rotten fear. It was like a subtle urged command to "worship what expresses power...or else."....a classic false spirit pincer move.....trying to either corrupt my work.....or compel me to rip everything of structured beauty down, and even second guess ALL earlier handiwork.
I have learned to recognise the trap of attempting by human means to secure safety via supremacy or unholy power....but can be tripped up by fear of mans opinion....
Argh! What a banal dilemma! Although I readily reject any creation or exploitation of art for corrupt cultic purposes....was I introducing what is dangerous into nature just with attempts to create spaces to rest? I am an artist...usually proud and confidently so. Designing is a gift of the Holy Spirit after all (Exodus 31:1-6 and Exodus 35:30-35). But what if...in building astheticlly what if it all looked too much like an alternative religious shrine down here in the deep dell? Maybe I should tear it apart ! People will visit over the years.....and what will they think...regardless of my intent? More importantly what might they be led to condone, or do that might disorder their own soul! How far does each of our responsibility carry for others choices...etc etc. Maybe I should make it uglier; destroy it a little....make it look more like a rubbish tip eyesore....and less like a place to rest awhile? Maybe i should just leave it a place of ruin again "to keep others safe"....blah blah blah.....or was it: " to stay safe myself"? Ah! There it was. Self-interest.
Such fears are not without basis of course. How many strong creative truthful and courageous women have been accused falsely when they have become inconvenient to powerful men and women....or disconnected institutions.....even via the antiquated "bitch or witch' type slander ( given horrific potency of late thanks to AI)? Many. And increasingly so of late.
I have also endured this form of violence...including a very organised attempt to fabricate defamatory and unrecognisable content online.....leaving trauma scars easily triggered....and so this round of lies, like flies, can start to nip.
Today, being weary, such thoughts twisted on and on, attempting to grip......until I recognised afresh, that the onslaught against women is not only one in the physical realm.
There are powers in opposition to God that prefer a disordered universe and chaos rather than healing. They use confusion and slander and prefer us hamstrung...damned if we do and damned if we don't.
But think about it.....women constructing nature solutions that are also beautiful is what disorder does NOT want. Women or men constructing images that twist reality, claiming worship or offering illusions of secure power via connection with physical or spiritual realm entities is what disordered spirits do want...and this is forbidden by God who alone claims our loyalty.
It is the God of gods who holds my allegiance and heart. To Him alone I bow, create, and worship. So in response to this situation I took the opportunity to reaffirm that, and, (as I had been considering time as a dimension all day) to ask forgiveness for any ancestors who had ever practiced anything else. I sensed freedom in the air and breathed of it deeply before laughing out loud with my feet planted firmly on Gods good earth! What a way we humans have, when left to ourselves without Gods words/good ways/and presence to guide us......to so easily fall into error one way or the other......especially giving way to vapours of fear or pride!
This is where the Light of Gods revelation by His Words- ( The Jewish Torah) and by His personal incarnation (Jesus the Messiah) becomes so valuable an aid to an abundant life of wholeness. He has not left us in the dark concerning right and wrong.....and what He longs for is our freedom to walk in the Light. His laws are not burdensome as so many have heard. They are what Love looks like in action. And in day to day situations such as I found myself in today, they are a solid guide of how to walk with Him. My artistry is inspired by the Holy Spirit but to know that Spirit truly I offer it in His service knowing that His Spirit will never reveal or inspire something that outright contradicts what He has already revealed. Considering the fullness of who God is was all so banal compared to the earthy glory around me! It was humbling and refreshingly so to realize this. Reality is such a better place to live from.....with humanity acknowledging our rightful place....(not gods) but creatures beloved...and rising into our true identity. It is truth that sets us free...bringing victory to set the world free also! Truth!
I worship the Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God, who has come in the flesh. He has called us to a steady work of redemption, carrying it right into the heart of every broken place. So I stood up and rebuked the lies in His name... and they fled. Sometimes a firm resounding no is required to be spoken to all that falls short of our Creators glory! By the light of truth (even that of laughing at the ludicrous) darkness was exposed...and in that one small part of the planet, anyway....its time was done!
I pray that God's blessing and guidance will anoint the vision, beauty and creativity in the heart of every woman and they will rise in these lands...and across the world to use authority or power well. I pray, also, that women and men, every person together, would both love beyond self...and cooperate to heal the earth and the people....each in their own way with humility and honouring collaboration.
Just then I looked up to see a beautiful she-wombat, strong and immovable as a boulder in her natural habitat....in complete confident security. A creature, fearless; exactly as she was designed to be in exactly the environment designed for her; like a great Queen of the Bush....She carried such dignity!
There is no need for women to remain nervous about the ethics of a deep connection to nature. Of course there are paths we might stray but with humility, teachability, dignity and discipline there is a totally legitimate wholesome wholeness! Before the face of God our Maker we are free to fully express ourselves with this same kind of steady confidence ...in our perceptions, our contributions, our philosophy, art, work, and also in faith...in nature; both, in the private places where we have dug our burrows and in the public places where we have forged our paths.
I think women interconnect so deeply with our natural environments.....it is like coming into who we were made to be....and this feels powerful....because it is who we were made to be.
Of course we are all well aware of how often every form of our own power or skill lived in wholeness and full expression can be misinterpreted as a threat and punished by those who don't understand or recognise it as a gift for all.
It can also be contaminated by dark forces for we too are responsible for our choices and self-ishness or lust for toxic personal power. Women as often as men, whether atheist or religious, can fall for the error of making a "god" in our own image. This error is common to humanity and must be turned away from.
Power is God given to all of us, made to be wielded with steady hope WITH him! What we choose to do with it, and what we facilitate by it, and also how we lay it down when called upon for the greater good...this is what matters! Let's do so in the service of God, in correct posture before Him who bestows it, and in alignment with our faith or values!
Yes, historically, much of what comes naturally to us has made others afraid. But the Bible teaches: " It is perfect Love that casts out fear."
Imagine a world where revelation of what an incorruptible Love perceives was received beyond fear; a love that is stronger than all false power; and what if what Love freely gives and receives was welcomed instead as a gift of the Creator?!
It is good news that Jesus Christ never diminished women's unique powerful contribution, perspectives, handiwork, or insights.... and neither will I diminish my own or others ( from abandonment or by settling for any kind of compromising corruption that promises false power, self- glorification, or falls short of Love).
Jesus respected women. He honoured them by re-introducing God to women as their Creator, Lord, Hero and Restorer....their friend; safe refuge for their whole person, the One God to whom it is most appropriate to devote their strength in worship....and He, their King and Protector.
I always encounter the Living God when I am in nature or around human creativity.... in ever increasing awareness as I age. It is a wonder! And in knowing Him better I know myself better also (as I am, as we all are, made to be a reflection of Him). My faith always emerges with greater understanding or insight from time alone in nature.
This is not a matter for others to "control". But rather, we answer directly to God while also welcoming the accountability of Gods word, the witness of tradition and His community. Women should be safe everywhere always to enjoy and responsibly bestow their unique redeemed gifts of awareness, creativity, and guardianship to the world within a right spirit....and these should be welcomed, honoured even, as an essential symbiotic balance and source of wisdom alongside the gifts and contributions of others when they are bestowed. Rather than being threatened by what sounds foreign, one essential thing I would urge at this volatile time is this: With wry awareness of spiritual, human, and natural world tendency to disorder......we should actually start by assuming positive intent....and enjoy taking part in the goodness of nature.....because God is greater than all of it and nothing can thwart His will for restoration.
I concur with this reflection:
"It seems strange to say, but what can help modern man find the answers to his own mystery and the mystery of Him in whose image he is created, is silence and solitude; in a word, The Wilderness.
Modern man needs these things more than the Desert Fathers and Mothers- the hermits of old.
If we are witness to Christ in today's marketplaces, we need silence. If we are always to be socially available, not only physically, but by empathy, sympathy, friendship, understanding, and boundless "caritas", we need silence. To be able to continue giving joyous, unflagging hospitality, not only of our homes and food, but of mind, heart, bodily strength and soul....we need silence.
Some need silence to gain courage to re-enter the world....others need community to help them gain the courage to go into silence.
True silence is the search of any person for God.
True silence is the speech of lovers; for only real love knows the beauty, completeness; the utter joy of the beloved.
True silence is a garden enclosed where, alone, the soul, can meet with its God.
It is a sealed fountain that He alone can unseal to slake the soul's infinite thirst...for Him....the Creator from whom we come. Our home is found again in the silence. "
( From : The Finan Readings- Celtic Daily Prayer Guide- Lindisfarne Community- Book One- December 3rd)
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Here, also is a rambling essay reflection I wrote recently as I pondered the reasons I love the natural world and carry strong motivation, as a Christian, for its care. Not everyone will agree with these reasons....and that is ok.
I share it here so that, perhaps, it will encourage other women, no matter what your belief background, to write, think, bridge, interact, bounce ideas off each others perspectives and share with ecumenical courage at this crucial intersection of planet and politics....to interact rather than react....to come together and build alliance to do what we MUST together: discover robust solutions to both the climate crisis, our communities, and the spiritual wasteland we find ourselves in at this time for the sake of life and peace. Women have always risen in darkest times to lead and once again we will find a way to carry the world forward on our hips with grace.
*****************************************************************
REFLECTIVE ESSAY:
Shaping viewpoints and a resulting practice of eco-theological ethics may be one of
the most important matters for communities of faith to discern in our day.
A Christian viewpoint is uniquely derived in
reflection on God’s identity and relationship as Creator to His Creation. Scholars suggest
contemporary thought now places God’s care, governance, and order of creation as central to
any teaching on God’s providence, and providence central to natures care. 1
“God’s ideas underpin creation, and it is understood as the fruit of God’s infinite goodness.”2
Also, the desire of a good God for cosmic reconciliation is something we receive, align, and
participate with; following Christ to carry redemption throughout the created order; informed
by His own divine generosity, hospitality, peacekeeping and justice. We do so because we believe these things are not just human constructs but originally built into the
fabric of the universe. 3
Theologians, Douglas and Moo, propose several reasons for a robust eco-theology of
“creation care” by the church: The urgency of current climate challenges; a modern virulent
re-emergence of humanism/transhumanism that seems intent to plunder the earth; a thought
leadership vacuum inadequate in response to inadequate worldviews, which is something only our faith communities and churches can speak to.
For Christians it always starts with right positioning....a posture of humility that acknowledges the existence of an Other who is not us...and this Other utterly Sovereign, Wise, All Knowing....and Good. Where there is trouble we acknowledge and define the age old problem (i.e. man’s fall from how he was made to be.....to "do life" WITH God....and original sin: The I'll do it my way" nonsense and the breaking of holy laws designed for our benefit to teach us how to live in relationship. The church can also present afresh the gospel (God’s just mercy) in appropriate action, including rapid response to
nature’s needs. They suggest, in so doing, we discover God and our own identity again in harmony; revealed as the family of God upon which nature flourishing depends. 4
Christian concepts of creation and Creator as distinct, of worth, and within healthy
relationship, are in sharp contrast to ideas of a non-divine material
universe; views of the physical realm, creator and fleshed creatures as evil....something to be escaped from; of the material universe pre-existing Gods manipulation of it; or of the worship of lesser created spirits via a physical channel.
Creation care was integral to the very first followers of Jesus, and remained church tradition until some forms of heresy began to push it out.
Athanasius (one of the early church's leaders(c. 296–298-2 May 373),urged the church’s manifest care for
Gods good “handicraft” saying, “it is unseemly it should be done away, either because of
carelessness, or the deceitfulness of evil spirits.” He refuted false teachers who taught Christians to exploit or ignore the earth, and presented the good God’s remedy of the victorious Christ, the Divine incarnated into natural world form, as our leader in its preservation.
5
Athanasius presented the Supreme God of grace as an all encompassing “Good Father” revealed by nature (Acts 17: 16-31) who “by the divinity of His Word, and of his universal Providence and power...orders all
things; all things being moved by him; and in Him they are quickened (to life).” 7
He issued a clear
summary still resonating today of what happens when man rejects God, saying, “Death gains
on men; corruption abides; humanity perishes; rational image bearers of inherent dignity
disappear; and the handiwork of God is in process of dissolution.”
9
To establish Gods existence and goodness he recalls the church first to humility, via an awed focus on the obviousness
of an intelligent Designer or “Mind” intentionally making the vast complex diverse
environment in which we are placed. (Rom 1:20) saying that without “Mind” “all would be
uniform and without distinction,”
Catholic scholars such as O’Brien echo Athanasius saying the sheer variety of
biodiversity reveals God and must, then, be approached sacramentally. Ancient biblical prophecies such as Isaiah 45:11-12 also present as miraculous the fact of creations continued existence, despite the curse; liveable rather than a
chaos; fit for life and animal/human habitation. This, too is evidence that the Intelligent Designer is a good welcoming God who rules the cosmos. Only a benevolent divinity could sustain such a balance of life.
O Brien admits that thriving natural bio-diverse
ecosystems do, however, also seem dependant on cycles of predation and extinction but suggests even this
points to God’s good purpose as a mystery beyond our finite understanding, inducing proper
humility to worship and study as our legitimate foundation and focus; while providing caution and context to any simplistic attempts to pattern human society on such a model.
10.
With him, I believe that a fully sound ecological ethic, cannot be derived from simplistic observation of the natural world alone, which dwells temporarily under a curse of entropy, (i.e. Micro-evolution). The environment is currently “red in tooth and claw” but scripture links the fate of humankind with the fate of the created cosmos and our natural environment. Just as it affects us....our state of being affects it! The "Fall of mankind" away from healthy relationship with God has led to the subsequent curse placed on our environment. (Gen 3)
Augustine said, “Evil is (defined as separation from God) and is so contrary to nature ( which remains loving and beloved by Him) it can do
nothing but harm nature.” 11
He discusses how autonomous human vice erases Gods order or "ways"; yet God chooses to re-write His laws on repentant fleshed hearts. Augustine explained, “It is not by nature that grace is denied, but rather by grace nature is restored.” 12
(How often the church has got it wrong and failed to apply its own teaching!!!)
A healthy Christian ecological ethic will then depend on a proper Old/New Testament understanding of the atonement as God’s activity to reconcile in “at one-ment” with a universe in conflict or disorder; not by domination or subsumed sameness....but in reconnected unified relationship. 13
Athanasius, again was first to propose Trinitarian doctrine as essential to Christian eco-ethics. He spoke of a different take on natural biodiversity, stressing that its vast symbiotic unity despite chaos is clear evidence of a creative means by which it is made and remains. He identified Jesus as The Original Creative Word/or Logos who divinely
incarnated, and as member of the Trinity, is active in united diversity and mission. He taught that The
Christ, directed by His Father, and empowered by the Spirit has been implementing creativity and mercy throughout time, saying, “The renewal of creation is now wrought by the Self-
same Word who made it in the beginning.” 15 Mchall agrees that the locus classicus of the doctrine of Romans 5 :12-21 is the Word incarnate reversing death; redeeming all things, and gifting resurrection life. 16
Van der Kooi agrees God is Creator Eternal- Lord of time and space- not perishable or
transient; God does not need creation, Creation is distinct from God- different (perishable,
transient, i.e. “interesting in itself”), Creation is not a part of God but a gift from and by Him;
its purpose to reflect His “nature” as Life, and sustain Life, so as to bring Him glory. Van der Kooi says,
“according to Karl Barth, Gods purpose for creation was covenant with man, but we must rethink
anthropocentricity in light of the vastness now discovered of the non-human universe.”
17 He is careful, though, to offer balance by reminding Christians that conservation is never “passive acquiescence, but
God’s activity and struggle for life” via the Spirit that raised Christ, Giver and Restorer in
“ongoing creative means” 18 The church, ( and all people of faith) then, can expect consistency of the Word, the Spirit, and real life application to avoid extremes that dishonour human life and agency among the
wider needs of the earth. Man, unhealed is part of the problem, but not the planetary disease.
We should seek a wise interdependent balance led by mercy, not death or “culling”; neither
an Anthro-free wilderness or a clinical technocratic transcendent utopia but a well stewarded
planet. And, for Gods sake! There is absolutely no need for concerns of evolutionary "lemming cycle" collapse to be used to justify subjugation of women in order to preserve Western civilisation! ( See book titled "BioHistory).These are incomplete views based on fear and selfishness; and they totally miss the fact that there is more to the cosmos than mere material observation. There is also revelation! Divine revelation teaches that when men and women work together as co-regent caretakers of nature with God's guidance, they hold an identity, an ability, and a collaborative action together in stewardship that is powerfully effective to find best paths forward in ways that are far higher than simplistic reductionist viewpoints would have us think. They can actually beneficially reign over natural processes.
It is my firm conviction that civilisational collapse has occurred in the past at similar intersections as what we now face...because men tend to panic.....react and try to control women....scrap over last resources....and thus fall prey to entirely avoidable environmental depletion. There is no need to repeat histories mistakes. We now have the advantage of being informed via research of the past which gives a good heads up. Again, from a faith perspective, there is hope. Athanasius concludes, “It were not worthy of God's goodness that anything He has made should waste away, because of the deceit practised on men by the devil.” He presents the victorious incarnate Christ, defeating the devil who had held unredeemed earth and man captive to destruction, as the good Gods remedy for the entire cosmos. “Christos Victor” is also presented as part of Irenaeus' defence of practical faith via what some call the “ timeless Ancient Near East/Asian picture of the future reign of God on earth”.20 It is, however, a crucial doctrine worth revisiting.
Christian participation to “ransom the earth” may involve exchange via new unregulated trade markets but it is obvious these must be shaped by a truly holistic ethic of moral integrity. “Nature economies” without morality, even when modelled on nature but without
God, will not save a dying planet. Generosity based eco-theology, however, extends a vision beyond the mere transactional, skull-duggery, and predation so defining of previous markets. We would do well to explore these models more fully.
Astronaut, Ron Garan, considering earth life fragility, suggests a radical shift in our hierarchies: planet first; then society; then economy.21
Van der Kooi urges societal recognition of the checks and balances of “common grace”, greater courtesy in humble acknowledgement of others with respect of their inherent dignity and rights; as well as willingness to sacrificially share space, resource, time, and being in radical generosity on behalf of the wellbeing of others as Christ has done. 22
(Phil2:5-11)
When human and non-human creation is observed as revelation of God the revelation must be
further revealed by the whole Word. An eco-theology of generosity can be derived in part from nature, and is clearly taught through much of Scripture, but is most clear in the creation account. (Gen 1-2) when God created humanity both male and female as Imago Dei ( made in the image of God).....the ultimate expression of His Divine generosity when He made space for something else to exist.
In academia Cortez asks us to extend this thought
suggesting that nature as also image bearing, reflective of God. 23 But "image bearer" is more than a personal identity or rank.....it is a unique calling, purpose, and missional vocation. For the non-human creation I prefer the term “dignity- bearer” in discussion of our equal dignity with the earth. This is because God originally bestowed inherent non-merit based worth on both mankind and the natural earth declaring each of us equally “good”.... and we all retain this rightful dignity despite the falling away that has occurred.
When we recognise our equal dignity, Christians can know Earth as a beautiful fellow creation; a formed natural world triad, in relationship with the Divine Triad who made it. We begin to see a beautiful synchronisation in how we were designed to interact. Scripture says Adam was formed from Earth.... Eve formed from Adam.... Humanity formed from every Woman who has since birthed or nurtured....Earth then formed or shaped constructively to the extent we give toward its wellbeing.
This is why relationship between humans, with one another and the earth thrives in recognition of inherent individual dignity, while also remaining deeply interdependent on continuous selfless generosity! This is also why it is imperative the church set aside ideas of
domination to instead consider the “dignity-bearing” connected participants in God's creative
processes.
24 Humanity is responsible for the wellbeing of a jurisdiction (a dominion) not to its subjugation unto bondage. 25
As we have received, can we now lead to create space for each to gift a part of self to the other? 8
The mandate of the original image bearers was to actively reign together in various strength
and stewardship of this process (Note: The Hebrew word radah or reign has been badly
translated “subdue”); and this as joint allies with woman described as “ezer keniggdo” = an
ally; a mighty force in common cause. Free willed man, woman, and non-human nature bow
together to the authority of God, for the glory of God.26 All three were mutually commanded to participate in nature’s increase “multiplying and filling the earth “, a celebration of life, but humanity was solely ordered to do so within obedient limitation, gifting themselves in dignified reigning service.
It was a mutually gendered active tending, training, guiding of good florid abundance into balanced fruitful symbiotic well managed environments, as God showed them by planting the Garden while also declaring the wilderness good. In this situation nature and humanity could all thrive; food was effortlessly obtained as a gift of God via nature, with respectful limits set by God to teach self-limitation, building humanities trusting reliance on Him, also preventing exploitation. (It is interesting that trust was the first thing exploited in this origin story.......a tactic of evil that continues today.) (Gen 1-2). Christ and the true "church" across the world, His Bride, will lead the way to this beneficial reign in service of God and Creation.
An eco-theology of relational reciprocity rather than cold transaction or contempt coinage is found, also, in recognition of cosmic hospitality as a multi-way exchange. No part of the cosmos or humanity can thrive without dependence upon God as our Homemaker, and no human can survive without dependence on the hospitality of nature to sustain us. Van der
Kooi suggests that “preservation of the earth as a habitable house for the future will require
renewed reflection on themes like God’s providence, his concurrence and reign.” 27 This means....we can trust Him. We act in hope of a future despite suffering, knowing God has got this, as His response to Job
9 demonstrates His ongoing powerful sovereign interest to sustain life across every detail of His world.
(Job 38)
Meanwhile, Creation is not passive. It is said to groan and labour like a woman suffering childbirth, which also implies natures anticipation/ and participation (along with that of Gods Spirit, who groans in intercession on our behalf) to support a universal new birth and freedom ahead. The Spirit of Life already gives life to the mortal bodies He indwells, setting us free from slavery to sin, death, and fear; but soon we will be revealed immortal as “children and heirs of God” with the Messiah who has also suffered and was glorified. (Rom. 8) Our
complicity in natures suffering can be reversed, and good stewardship restored, with the mutual recovery of right God-Man-Nature relationships and our active participation to follow where Christ invites us; as nature and social restorers; ambassadors who embody His
kingdom in our time. 28
Ambassadors implement protocols of honour appropriate to the context in which they serve.
Mari Jooferstad proposes many texts of Hebrew scripture (Jer. 2:12, Joshua 10: 12, Deut.
4:26; 30: 19; 32:1) indicating an ancient Jewish view of the non-human creation as alive, personalistic and interconnected with human personhood; not just raw material, and not divine, but itself holding sacred inherent dignity; creaturely active to “hear and obey its
Creator”; existing in aggrieved lament of man’s abdication or mismanagement of its care; worshipping God in faith; and participating with Him to affect human history. 29
Nature is sacred but I am highly uncomfortable with any reference to “new animism”. Jooferstads rightly applies Martin Buber’s thought as a corrective: “In approaching nature relationally we neither project our self onto it or interact with a pantheistic spirit or “soul of a tree” but rather recognise that “the Thou of the tree is tree itself” (and not in a particularly mystic sense). Buber said our service of nature is inspired as we observe its dignity with awe: “Look! Bound about you beings live their life, and to whatever point you turn, you come
upon being.” 30
Accepting this requires the immediate adoption of socially courteous language and interaction with (an etiquette of gratitude, and respect) which Jooferstad urges as the appropriate response to nature’s own responsible generosity, in service of God, to sustain us.
(Gen 1:16; Lev. 25:2,19; 26:4, 34-35; Deut. 11:17; Isaiah 24:4; 33:9; Jer. 4:28; 12:4,11;
23:10; Hosea 4:3; Joel 1:10; Amos 1:2, Micah 6:1-2, Judges 5:20)
The church, rather than interacting from ego, or exploiting resource, should provide opportunity for people to engage with nature restoratively, recognising the human longing to integrate with natural beauty, the
God whose dignity is reflected there; and learning that self is in context. It should support great honour of natures need via things we can give it, such as sabbath rest via symbiotic rotational rhythms in agricultural, forestry, conservation, fire, and development
practice.
Like Jooferstad, I find Chickasaw leader, Linda Hogan’s covenantal framing to this end
compelling. She writes of destruction wrought from “broken treaties” with land and animals.
This aligns with my understanding of Lev 26:42, where God, Himself, maintains a covenant with the land; example of our original mandate to steward nature well by remaining faithful to our joint covenant with God. A nature treaty would speak truthfully of what has been
problematic and negotiate mutual needs in future balance. The subsequent creation of an
30 Martin Buber, I and Thou, trans. Ronald Gregor Smith (Edinburgh: T. & T. Clark, 1950), 7, in Joerstad, The
Hebrew Bible and Environmental Ethics: Humans, Nonhumans, and the Living Landscape, 6.
31 Edwards, L. Clifton. Creation's Beauty As Revelation: Toward a Creational Theology of Natural Beauty, Wipf &
Stock Publishers, 2014,237.
32 Edwards, L. Clifton. Creation's Beauty As Revelation: Toward a Creational Theology of Natural Beauty, Wipf &
Stock Publishers, 2014. 164-166.
11
enduring social compact or covenant with nature should then be something for which the
church advocates.33
Social courtesy toward nature, human or otherwise, will apply the wholeness of shalom
(peacekeeping) as well as of justice. Not just an individualistic approach, but a communal,
even a multi-generational ethic passed down within the family based on our Fathers character
as the giver of all gifts in non-competitive but just relation with His creatures. (Psalm 19:3;
Psalm 145: 4; Psalm 22:30-32) It requires firm protection of social capital, as well as physical
investment; and enough safe stability to foster radical generosity. Cole warns that those at
odds with God feel most comfortable in a disordered universe, and earth may need protection
from the ruinous. 34 The church should support the strengthening of legislation and
implementation of great cross-border penalty for money-laundering trafficking crime mafias;
for abuse or deceptive undermining by fossil fuel or the arms industry; it must apply firm
discipline, consequence, and restorative discipleship for domestic violators and liars. A
national database of sexual predators would also be effective deterrent in honour/shame
cultures such as Australia to clean out and re-order the legal/judiciary/ government/church
and family quickly. Rasmussen points out that “the forces which separate humanity from the
non-human world, also separate us from one another.” 35 When interpersonal human relations
break down, nature suffers, leading to more human suffering. I agree with Gunston who said:
“Care for creation does not require a crisis to be justified.” but I raise my voice with an eco-
feminist cohort, who rightfully stress the need for creation crisis preaching as a matter of
urgent social justice not only for the planet but for every marginalised group, including
women and people of colour, who are all at imminent risk from an unmitigated continuation
of patriarchal eugenic dominion tactics. 36 37 Kohak suggests “alienation sets in when
humanity loses awareness of the presence of God...(reducing all to) cosmic accident;
meaningless; mechanical.” I would add that re-emergence of gnostic heresy also threatens
nature and must be swiftly condemned. Instead, the truth, justice, and reconciliation between
persons, so foundational to justice for nature, is biblically based on Gods own desire to
reconcile.
38We can accept His “view of all the cosmos as created, belonging to Him, the
Creator, endowed with value in the order of being, a purpose in the order of time, and a moral
sense in the order of eternity.” 39 (Gen 1-3, Luke 1: 26-38) Northcott extends this, rightly
stating the importance of environmental management as a matter of justice for the poor who
are most affected by environmental degradation. He recommends the churches specific focus
to empower communities and families to implement biodiverse and localized generous
service to marginalized human beings, species, and land. 40
Jooferstad provides an accurate challenge to western tendency to take responsibility only for
the soul, arguing for a return to equal responsibility for our individual and collective bodies
which must also be “made and maintained”. 41 She suggests that, like the Torah which reveals
the soul’s life source found in God, nature also reveals God as life source of the physical
realm. 42 Our observation and support of scientific data, and involvement in further development of scientific theory and natural philosophy, is crucial, even when experimental. 13
At the same time, the church should not hesitate to “read” nature through the consistent lens
of biblical redemptive and proactive blessing to see a more complete natural narrative, discern what is missing or flawed in human and non-human being, thinking, and behaviour; and confidently expect to meet the true God there. Richard Bauckam establishes the central
importance of physical and spiritual worship to creation care; but, he notes, we praise YHWH in tangent with nature (Isaiah 44:23; Psalm 148, Psalm 98: 7-9; 148: 3-10) “overhearing an interchange between God and parts of his world”...... rather than receiving direct communication
from it ourselves. 43 Indigenous Christians ( and scripture) witness a broader view.......that God speaks to us all the time through everything He has made. Baukham helpfully suggests, however, that this joint worship of God provides “the strongest antidote to
anthropocentrism in the biblical and Christian tradition.” 44 Indigenous Christian theologians
concur and advocate for a regular practice of “deep listening” to inform our worship of the
One God whose Creation Song still reverberates in geographical reality...His song for that
place, and the song of the land’s response overheard and offered back, with participation.
45
I conclude with Cole that. “Ultimate fulfilment of God’s intent to reconcile, heal, and restore his
creation will be “relieved by the return of Christ, the resurrection of the body... and establishment of the new heaven and earth.” 46
Meanwhile, perhaps a reintroduction of parts of one of the very earliest Liturgies of Christian faith....the Liturgy of St Mark (mentored by St Peter), could assist to remind us that creation, by God and man blessed, is closely linked to the person and work of Jesus. 47
Our learning to care with respect for human and non-human creation is, then, vitally
important, because God cares....and respects it. (Psalm 104: 10-28) Scripture teaches that where once were
weeds and thorns, nature will ultimately flourish like a garden; rejoicing in worship as God Himself, who ever intervenes, restores humankind and the land.
And so, our thriving is also linked to nature’s thriving by
God’s grace. The garden of life and land will become an observable phenomenon bringing
fame to God as “an eternal and imperishable sign”! (Isaiah 55: 6-13) In prophetic
collaboration with God, then, we act with hope toward mutually beneficial outcomes and will discover the best practical way forward to serve its life.
1 Kelly M. Kapic, and Bruce L. McCormack ed, Mapping Modern Theology : A Thematic and Historical
Introduction (Baker Academic, 2012),161
2 Matthew Levering, Engaging the Doctrine of Creation: Cosmos, Creatures, and the Wise and Good Creator,
(Baker Academic, 2017),10-11.
3 Van der Kooi, 428.
4 D. J. Moo, & J. A. Moo, Creation care: A biblical theology of the natural world (Grand Rapids, Zondervan,
2018), 23-24.
5 Archibald Robinson, St. Athanasius on the incarnation (London: David Nutt Publisher, 1891) 11.
6 Graham Cole, God the Peacemaker, 82.
7 Robinson, A. St. Athanasius on the Incarnation, 32.
8 Robinson, A. St. Athanasius on the Incarnation, 10.
9 Robinson, A. St. Athanasius on the Incarnation, 10.
10 Kevin O Brien, An Ethics of Biodiversity: Christianity, Ecology and the Variety of Life (Washington:
Georgetown University Press, 2010) 70.
11Augustine, De ciuitate Dei, cap xi, 17 [ CLCLT 9 PL 41.3310]
12 Augustine, De spiritu et littera, cap xxvii [CLCLT (PL 44.229)]
13 Moo, D. J., & Moo, J. A. Creation care: A biblical theology of the natural world, 23-24.
14 Kelly M. Kapic, and Bruce L. McCormack Mapping Modern Theology: A Thematic and Historical Introduction,
ed. (Baker Academic, 2012), 161.
15 St. Athenasius, On the Incarnation, Craven lecture notes, Ridley Bible College, week 9
16 Thomas H. McHall, Against God and Nature: The Doctrine of Sin, (Crossway, 2019).
17 Van der Kooi, Cornelis. “Creation and Providence.” Pages 420–433 in The Oxford Handbook of Reformed
Theology. Edited by Michael Allen and Scott R. Swain. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2020. 424, 427,
18 Van der Kooi, 430.
19 Clyde and Rosemary Rigney, Ngarrindjeri in Valuing Traditional Conservation: Reconnecting Ecosystems,
video: https://www.re-tv.org/articles/reconnecting-ecosystems, 21/09/2025
20 Robert M. Grant, Irenaeus of Lyons, (Taylor & Francis Group, 1996).
21 R. Garan, Floating in Darkness: A Journey of Evolution. (Something or Other Publishing, LLC. 2021), 82.
19 Clyde and Rosemary Rigney, Ngarrindjeri in Valuing Traditional Conservation: Reconnecting Ecosystems,
video: https://www.re-tv.org/articles/reconnecting-ecosystems, 21/09/2025
20 Robert M. Grant, Irenaeus of Lyons, (Taylor & Francis Group, 1996).
21 R. Garan, Floating in Darkness: A Journey of Evolution. (Something or Other Publishing, LLC. 2021), 82.
22 Van der Kooi, 430
23 Marc Cortez, Theological Anthropology: A Guide for the Perplexed, London: T&T Clark, 2010,
24 William Leiss, The Domination of Nature, Montreal: McGill-Queens University Press 1994, pages 30-35
25 Graham Cole, God the Peacemaker, 82.
26 Van der Kooi, 431.
27 Van der Kooi, Cornelis. “Creation and Providence.” 421 in Oxford Handbook of Reformed Theology. Edited by
Michael Allen and Scott R. Swain. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2020.
28 Moo, D. J., & Moo, J. A. (2018). Creation care: A biblical theology of the natural world. Zondervan, Grand
Rapids, Michigan pg 28
29 Mari Joerstad, The Hebrew Bible and Environmental Ethics: Humans, Nonhumans, and the Living Landscape,
Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2019) 2-3.
33 Linda Hogan, Dwellings: A Spiritual History of the Living World (New York: W.W. Norton, 1995), 11. In
Joerstad, The Hebrew Bible and Environmental Ethics: Humans, Nonhumans, and the Living Landscape, 8.
34 Graham Cole, God the Peacemaker, 81.
35
36 Colin E. Gunston, Christ and Creation (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans 1992), page 105
37 Leah D. Shade, Creation-Crisis Preaching : Ecology, Theology, and the Pulpit, Chalice Press, 2015.
38 Cole, God the peacemaker, 23.
39 Erazim Kohak, The Embers and the Stars: A Philosophical Inquiry into the Moral Sense of Nature (Chicago:
University of Chicago Press, 1984), 183.
40 Micheal S. Northcott, The Environment and Christian Ethics. New York: Cambridge University Press, 1996 in
Kevin O Brien, An Ethics of Biodiversity: Christianity, Ecology, and the Variety of Life, (Washington, Georgetown
University Press, 2010), 106, 176.
41 Joerstad, The Hebrew Bible and Environmental Ethics: Humans, Nonhumans, and the Living Landscape, 23.
42 Joerstad, The Hebrew Bible and Environmental Ethics: Humans, Nonhumans, and the Living Landscape, 168.
43Joerstad, The Hebrew Bible and Environmental Ethics: Humans, Nonhumans, and the Living Landscape, 167.
44 Richard Baucham, Living with Other Creatures: Green Exegesis and Theology (Waco: Baylor University, 2011),
154. In Mari Joerstad, The Hebrew Bible and Environmental Ethics: Humans, Nonhumans, and the Living
Landscape, 4.
45 Rosemary Dewerse, ed. Location Based Theologies: First Peoples and Second-Generation Wisdom (Adelaide,
SA: ATF Press, 2024).
46 Cole, God the Peacemaker, 245.
47 New Advent, The Divine Liturgy of the Holy Apostle and Evangelist Mark, The Disciple of the Holy Peter,
Website: https://www.newadvent.org/fathers/0718.htm 21/09/2025
Advent Advocacy Walk 2: Women Safe Enough to Be In and Care For Nature
Friday 28th Nov
Today, I ventured out into some more remote corners of the land here in the Central Victoria Highlands to do something I've been longing to for years......a bit of erosion restoration via a proper clean up, and more aesthetic rock wall /weir building. In spite of a sudden brief storm or two it has been a dry winter and spring, but rain is now on the way....and I want to get ahead of it.
The traditional owners of this land are the Taungurung nation and I am grateful for their ongoing commitment to steward from time immemorial, these lands and waters. It is a beautiful and sacred country that has taught generations of our family and neighbours an awed respect of its unique environment....and what has always been required for its wellbeing. With treaty made in Victoria, as well as real reconciliation by direct relationships...our communities and families are meeting each other and learning ways of being that have long sustained life in these lands.
This patch has been in our extended families care, primarily running Merino, Aussie White sheep, and Angus cattle for some generations; a fragile landscape that had suffered from extensive government-subsidised land clearing and ringbarking through the 1800s-right up to the 1930s! The situation led to a most precious Australian commodity: rainfall (even though infrequent) becoming destructive in force....an unnatural torrent that cascades unimpeded off bare hills into gullies, stripping them out in massive ripped erosion, and raising the underground water table too rapidly until ground salt hits the surface (salinity poisoning) to become a threat to all life.
At least three generations of Victorian farmers in our region have recognised now that sustainable land management absolutely depends on a more balanced management of interconnected systems. We have been busy planting back the high ground and hill tops to a native biodiverse mix of trees and shrubs, restoring eroded areas, and replanting the wetlands, springs and soaks for more natural flow.
Such things are not a once and done task, either. They need ongoing visitation and oversight which I have been unable to give for far too long! Using a broken foot/leg to wield a shovel into dry earth has been an impossibility. But, again, due to recent remarkable healing improvement to my injuries and greater chronic pain management today was a success! ( And I will go back to gully after the next heavy rain to see if what I have built has held up...and innovate or improve as needed.)
It seems appropriate to tend to water catchment today. Water is life....but with increasing global temperatures, our already marginalised Australian landscape requires attention to water management with ever increasing care going forward. Women must be in those decision making arenas....and listened to.
I managed walking ( rather than driving ) a round trip of 5 Kms to an area set aside as a nature conservation project years ago; one that Paul and I had planted with our kids when they were very young. 20 years later and many hundreds of those seedlings now tower to 40 feet! ( In a quaint interconnection of time, I found a long lost spoon....formerly my grandmothers....that one of my sons (who now tower over 6 feet tall)....must have brought along as a tiny tot to "help" plant... and left behind.)
The particular area of erosion I was aiming for is at the valley head where the base of several steep hills converge. It feels quite nestled...and is not in bad enough shape to need an excavator to heal....while remaining accessible enough as a walking destination for family and guests to justify a little more than the typical farmer rubbish tip approach as filler.
I also wanted to see if this eroded gully could possibly be a soak site... but concluded it is simply a wash that needs shoring up. Indigenous peoples say: " Nature always provides what it needs for its own healing." and I did find enough rock nearby to work with. I was able to finish at least stage 1.
As a designer who believes there is no reason for any human process to be lacking in beauty I have a further plan for rock and clay lining, and rush planting; with which all guests, perhaps, may in future lend a hand by bringing along and placing a rock with every visit to participate in the sites restoration.
My daughter, who has made herself custodian of this gully since she was fifteen, seems to have had the same idea of artistic interaction. I was delighted to randomly come across a thriving non-native fruit tree, a swathe of daffodils, and an awesome campsite.....landscaped sensitively throughout....and of course blithely ignoring a purist approach. But really, who says conservation needs to be entirely practical? We should trust women to also think about the long term sense of place as humanity and nature come back together.
The microclimate that new forest gum and box plantings have created has encouraged a natural rewilding of healthy understory, and it was a great joy to see so many acacia ( wattle) blooming among other unique local biodiverse species- even a rare, delicate native orchid or two.
The bush is coming back, and it now teems with birdlife. There were also an incredibly content mob of kangaroo who have made it home for several of their own generations. In Australia we are so used to seeing kangaroo grazing or bounding over open ( cleared) plain.....and so I had never considered the stress open space might present for them until observing them in a rewilded setting ( as would have been more prevalent pre colonization). Here they hang around, able to circle "home" in safety and hide as needed even as I pass through. They move with a great measure of calm, confidence, and even curiosity and interaction! It is wonderful to realize how safe a restored habitat feels for them.
Just as I have prayed for a restoration of home habitat for women during my last walk it was interesting to observe the same phenomena realized in nature. I pray this safe habitat reconstruction continues for all Gods creatures. This was also a natural segueway to consider how women so often crave working, walking, being, healing and connecting with nature and the outdoors (truly essential to our female health, perspective, wellbeing, and soul restoration) and yet we do not often have regular access to it, and feel unsafe in many of our parks, or reserves due to the threat of violence.
Even though my experience, today, was very safe (as I was on task in a known environment) all of my thought while working was directed entirely toward prayer for a worldwide movement to re-connect women safely to land: protected land ownership, training in local land management and platform to hear their strategic solutions for its care, as well as the crucial creation of leadership opportunity in global nature restoration.
Before I left home I did need to take stock of safety via my kit (hat, sun protection, snake boots, water, fly scarf, and tools). Upon my return I had to attend also to restorative skin care with anti-cancer products, essential to maintaining full health after a recent skin-cancer scare. These things are an important part of women's health and safety on the land and should be approached with confidence and preparedness.
I never leave home for a nature walk without strong hand clippers or shears. Recent conversations with Tony and Liz Rinaudo (developers of the FMNR: Farmer Managed Land Restoration technique and movement) have convinced me that selective pruning should be a regular part of every landowners conservation plan. We need to work with what we already have, cutting away shoots that choke growth in order ( in Tony's words) to "release a tree into its full potential....It is just waiting to be assisted to its freedom!". As the climate gets warmer, this is far more cost effective than mass plantings of new trees that may or may not survive...and grows a canopy and carbon sink quickly.
Before departure I had half a thought that our border collie might accompany me, (always a welcome protector in the bush) and, I am sure, in need of a break from nursing babies. However, she chose to stay and I was reminded of the many years I had to make a similar choice. It has got me thinking about how to assist young mums to access nature safely for both they and their bubs, and I've had a few ideas! Local Councils and Maternal and Child Health Centres or Playgroups could coordinate ( with supportive funding) to connect, say, a baby slinging mums walking group with a patch of reserve management in need of some FMNR ( a gentle way to make a contribution....even with a toddler in tow.) A small marquis (the baby tent) on site in a relatively hazard free location for shade, changing and nursing.... foodplatters/boxed sandwiches/snacks, sunscreen, medical kit, and water... should be enough to make it manageable. Connecting them also with older women as mentor companions might also work well to foster the -generational connections women need during such an isolated period of their lives.
It has also reminded me of the various life stages of every woman....and the natural rhythms ( ebbs and flows) of our various eras. There is importance in greater recognition and empowerment of the capacity of single and/or child free women, as well as our matriarchal elders to take up more physically active roles in nature care. Also, thought around how best to host older children on the land safely throughout their formative years and education.....so its care is modelled and normalized.
My personal limitations, as mentioned previously, have included mobility issues from an acquired disability ( bones crushed in a car accident.) so I would also like to see greater supported opportunity for our powerful disabled women to also connect with land care. I am convinced, along with First Nations leaders that: " Land needs people, and people need the land" and advocate at this time of great transition in our power structures/societies/ and an increasing climate crisis ,that, even more specifically, "Land needs women, and women need the land."
Many, many women are already at the forefront of this with much local knowledge of what is needed and where. So, here is a hearty shout out to every rural woman on the land, caring; to every urban woman getting out there also caring, via volunteer work to plant trees or becoming a friend or patron to local reserves; to the vast number shaping nature markets and finance with brilliant strategic solutions; to all the women running local Landcare Australia community groups restoring roadways and waterways across public and private land; and many forming our core field teams in nature businesses across the continent.
In land management your work often goes unrecognized. Today, I see you as heroes. Together, lets bring in some greater protection, training, and encouragement of your ongoing contribution and leadership toward the recovery of balance for our climate and landscapes.
Respect of Earths hospitality to us, and awareness that "home" is supported best in recognition of its wider context in this planetary home for all human and non-human life is more essential than ever before.
Women are the most affected by climate change and the best placed to rise to its immediate interconnected care as we tend to operate beyond self-interest on behalf of the group, and "from the ground up".....a broader perspective that thinks and acts in respect of the best outcomes for all.
In encouraging news, one of the few wins from a laborious and often frustrating COP 30 was the acceptance of the Belem Package -Gender Action Plan which begins to address environmental care with more holistic awareness of the essential centrality of women to all things future forward: https://www.ohchr.org/sites/default/files/documents/events/cop30-gender-action-plan-brief-cop30.pdf
Back home for an afternoon "cuppa" tea; to start the roast and serve up a table full of food to the many hard working men who poured in ( it was my night to be on dinner prep.) Though not always present, the strength of good men offered in courtesy to our service and care as women....as our strength can courteously be also offered to their service and care, is an invaluable mutual support. It takes a team to manage the land.
And it takes a team approach to create greater safety for women to be in and remain caretakers of the land.
Share
Advent Advocacy Walk 1: Women Safe at Home
Wednesday 26th Nov
Taking the time to peer closely at things I normally rush past I was touched by the primrose that persists to bloom through every barrier, and the magnolia, recently sun scorched, yet continuing beautiful alongside many many unfolding new buds. All up about 3kms worth of step advocacy today.....and prayers for justice. My newly enabled disabled leg has held up remarkably, and I may push further with the kms soon. I do carry another hidden condition, however, with a somewhat broken heart: fairly constant myopericarditis....and will proceed in ways that feel safest.
May God create safety in fact of circumstance, and of law, in these lands and beyond. For every woman caught in the crossfire of known warzones, drastically and disproportionally affected, her home and family violently lost, we ask for safe deliverance. For those experiencing warfare and combat violence in less known or hidden arenas of warfare we also ask for every effort to be made toward a just peace. For those trapped or trafficked by the powerful I ask God for their liberty, deliverance, and restoration as well as an almighty reckoning of justice as former captors find themselves now bound, publicly shamed, and held accountable. For those made homeless (and in Australia, shockingly, our highest demographic of homeless persons are women over 50!) I pray for rapid intervention. I especially honour those who have been among the first generation to push back against abuse only to find inadequate law that upheld perpetrators rather than protected those upon whom they prey. We see you, and are working to house you. We will never forget the cost and abandonment you have borne for your courage. May the law more fully catch up to this place for the sake of shelter for our matriarchs. .
In Australia, I particularly advocate for an end to the source cause /"false worldview" contributing to our shamefully high domestic violence rates. We ask for a redemption of what has been shameful, a restoration of safety for men and women at home by wider attention to their mutual contribution, with greater attention given to children's early training with real consequence for poor choices rather than indulgence that locks them into an echo chamber of ego, for their integration rather than isolation from women or intimacy (particularly our future leaders who remain so often siloed in single sex private schools), for bullying to be called out for what it is: cowardice; for men's mental health addressing traditions of toxicity, avoidance and projection, no longer supported by society in silence and complicity with their abuse, for women to also no longer choose violence or its facilitation against other women in order to survive or maintain their status but rather unite as a formidable allied force for good beyond self-interest, and for a re-introduction of proper avenues for the shriving of all souls/accountability with clear supportive redemptive paths. Also, further education to parents toward the development at a young age of emotional intelligence ( already happening), and the society wide establishment, taught, modelled, and rewarded, of all persons for more honourable paths of service for their strength.
I ask for creative safety-delivering solutions based on wholeness and balance for the rights and protection of every woman. Let us listen to them. Women know what is needed to be deeply effective in support of her closest relationships and her home. This is one of the greatest litmus tests of health in a society...…and when women are honoured and upheld it becomes a source of blessing for all!
I pray blessings of health and safety for her sacred body, mind heart and spirit; for her family, her guests, her table, her land, her garden, her history, her bed, her beliefs, for the the multi-generational facets of her life: parents, grandparents, in laws, mentors, elders; for her children and grandchildren, great grandchildren, the young friends, lives, or creatures she assumes responsibility over; for all who shelter with her escaping violence elsewhere, for the community who arrive through her door, for every area of home based work or service she navigates; for innocence, her hard won experience, her sharp awareness, safety over the politics and peace-making potential of her place-making perspective and hospitality, and for her long rooted investments, assets, and legacy of contribution. For her freedom of right choice, agency, reputation and social capital; for her educational and vocational or entrepreneurial opportunities, for her wellbeing on her own or within family and community.
May she receive a river of healing to flow into every corner, nook or cranny of undue physical or emotional pain; protection from invasion or trespass, from the criminal perpetration of any violent abuse (emotional, verbal, psychological, sexual, financial, technological, physical or the hidden hell of coercive control) either from close domestic relationships within or from the corrupt without who may attempt to enter where they have no authority, exploit, or maliciously slander what is of good intent. Give each Australian woman a voice, even from the centre of her own home, that is heard, respected, authoritative, and able to narrate her own story, contribute valuable wisdom and leadership, strategy and vision via the relational power of those who care.
May our formal power structures and civil society continue to support the public skilling and placement of women in every sector of public life while also daring to move beyond only credentialled merit and recognise the value of all our citizens with or without it....those in the public arena as well as in the private sphere. May God help rural women who navigate far more of life than could be imagined elsewhere, the hub of whole economies, the spontaneity of nature, man, and neighbors, fire flood and locust, rain or shine, agriculture and essential conservation, an unorthodox and glorious way of being.
Most of all, may God grant women a truer understanding of who they are (made co-regents, equal with all other humans, to uniquely image the Creator God) with courage, responsibility and dignity; with full force of her powerful strength to ally with worthy and honourable cause and shield what is good, with capacity to enter confession for mistakes and receive the freedom of forgiveness, to pick right back up again and continue to lead with confidence based on a far more inherent worth, able to know the difference between self-sacrifice and self-sabotage; able to seek support and find allies committed to truth and justice, and fair equitable accountability for all persons, as much as they are also committed (as she is) to the support of social cohesion.
Come Lord Jesus. Redeem women from all captivity to darkness at home or any targeting of their homes. Instead, make Your own home in every woman's heart and hearth by the indwelling of your Holy Spirit.....as You do offer to all persons also. Fortunately, one of the unexpected advantages of living on the land remotely, and in currently empty nest, is that you can sing pray shout or "cry out" as loud as you want to. :) Today, no storm could outroar me. May God Himself habitate with us! It was good and right to declare the coming of the King (God Incarnate) to all of creation on behalf of His love of justice for women and allyship with the home.....a mighty way to start an Advent pilgrimage with a focus this unwinding year of 2025 on justice!
