Introducing to the Streets?

Forty years ago I was introduced to the streets of the city by a group of Young Christian Workers. It was in the days of the hippies and people were used to talking with strangers on the city streets on a Friday night. This group of young people would simply walk around the streets aware of the people around them and without proselytizing would chat with people and help out where they could.


Over the years attitudes on the street have changed and people are more suspicious of motives. So I have taken to wearing a fairly inconspicuous looking cross around my neck.

Anyway, I was carrying on the tradition in earthquake-affected Christchurch (NZ) last night when I got off the bus at the central hub. I turned to a youngish middle-aged woman with two young women in tow. They had obviously been talking quietly about me on the bus. I asked where they came from since their accents intrigued me. They told me the country and explained why I had not picked it.

Next, she asked me where I came from and I answered. Then she asked me if I had children. I told her that I hadn’t. Then she asked me about my wife. I was starting to get suspicious where this line of very friendly conversation was going. I thought that this is time to pull out.

Remembering the little wooden cross around my neck, I pulled it clear of my shirt and blurted out, “The People of God, they are all my children.” This was a rather odd thing to say. The woman suddenly said, ‘Lets go’ and the group disappeared in the opposite direction.

I wondered afterwards if this rather engaging woman was introducing two pretty young women to the streets, but for a different purpose than mine. Thank God for that little cross, whichever way.

The Same or Different?

"All religions are the same; people just say the same thing in different ways." This statement came from a martial arts practitioner as we were striking and avoiding each other's strikes. This guy talks about 'chi', 'chakras', 'yin and yang' and he uses the Lord's name in vain; so he is a fairly religious bloke.

While trying to maintain my balance (physically) I was thinking 'How do I maintain the bonding between two religious people going on here, while suggesting that they are not the same.' So during our strikes and evasions I said that the way we express our search for God may sound similar. The difference comes when God reveals himself to us.

He gave me that "I hadn't thought of that" look and we carried on belting the stuffing out of each other.

Systema

An amazing thing happened to me this morning. The 90-year-old member of our household offered to assist me in learning the Russian Martial Art called Systema.
The picture on the left shows you are never too old.

This all started because I was around at the home of some friends last weekend. Their 21-year-old son told me of a new form of martial arts that he was learning. He liked it because it was Christian-based. Before I left he had given three DVDs of the Russian Martial Art called Systema.

Having been in a few physical confrontations during my life, I was impressed by the instructor's desire not to harm his opponent because he recognized him as a human being like himself. Well, that is a based principle of Gospel-in-Action blog site.

Then he spoke of being relaxed when under attack. If we are not relaxed, it is because we are not humble. Well, that hooked into my Christian conscience.

After watching the DVDs, I delved a little deeper on the Internet and found that Systema’s breathing exercise was from the ‘Jesus Prayer’ of the Orthodox Faith. The Jesus Prayer has been used for centuries by Russian Orthodox Monks to experience the presence of the Blessed Trinity.

I have been to a couple training sessions during the week. Learning to relax while someone is punching you is a humbling experience. It may do good to my spiritual life.