Mosaic Perth

at the heart of what we do

2010-06-11T16:56:00.002+08:00

A note from Adam

When I talk about Mosaic to my grandma, she thinks I am a part of pottery class. As I try to talk to her about what MosaicPerth really is, she responds by saying, "How do you have the fine-motor skills to do pottery?" So I go on the internet to show her our blog, and unfortunately a pottery site came up. She once again looks baffled.

MosaicPerth is simply a community of followers of Jesus who attempt to live by faith, be known by love and be a voice of hope to those around them. We are a church, constantly changing what we do, based on who is in our community. If there are artists in our community we seek to connect with people through art, if there are kids in our community we seek to serve them.

We look for opportunities to connect and engage with people in the community and reveal God's kingdom (love, compassion, justice, mercy, kindness, truthfulness etc.) through our actions. We believe that no matter how dark a place may seem, there is always hope.

Practically we have people in our community being a voice of hope, in love, and with faith all across Perth. Some people go to university, others work with children, and others are self-employed. We believe God has called us to unleash those in our community to awaken humanity, so that people live their lives to the full, understanding that God's idea of what this world can be is so starkly different to what we hear on the news.

Since Mosaic is a community of people, how we engage the world around us changes as our community grows and brings new people. We believe that God wants to use all to change this world...

So in the upcoming weeks at Mosaic we are going to explore in more detail what are the core values of Mosaic, what is the type of clay that makes up our community (Dammit, I should get away from the pottery analogy, no wonder I confused my Grandma).

So please come along on Sunday as we continue to dream of what this world could be...

"Draconian" yeah that's a word for it

2010-06-11T15:55:00.002+08:00

Next Sunday (June 20 - World Refugee Day) Refugee Rights Action Network (RRAN) with Amnesty International Australia are holding a rally in response to the government's new immigration policy, which "freezes" visa applications from people arriving from Sri Lanka and Afghanistan.

Check out this video below from GetUp:

The ARTillery crew will be down there, getting creative to raise awareness about the issues. They'll be providing all the rally-ers with shipping tags that are personalised to asylum seekers and say "I AM NOT ILLEGAL". If you're keen to help make the tags, then shoot an email to artillery@amnesty.com.au.

Or just come down to Wesley Church cnr of Hay St and William St at 1PM.

P.S. Check out the header link. It's an article from the west online about the reopening of Curtin Detention Centre.

Adam, Sean and Jeff's Indo adventures cont.

2010-04-21T09:58:00.003+08:00

The illustrious Adam, Sean and Jeff spent some time with Paul Richardson, the man being interviewed in the video below. Pretty amazing guy, we could learn a lot from his faith.

The Peace of Wild Things

2010-04-14T10:15:00.001+08:00

When despair for the world grows in me
and I wake in the night at the least sound
in fear of what my life and my children’s lives may be,
I go and lie down where the wood drake
rests in his beauty on the water, and the great heron feeds.
I come into the peace of wild things
who do not tax their lives with forethought
of grief. I come into the presence of still water.
And I feel above me the day-blind stars
waiting with their light. For a time
I rest in the grace of the world, and am free.
- Wendell Berry

How can we find the peace of wild things in our lives?

A thought for Easter

2010-04-06T17:30:00.005+08:00

A post from Adam Martin.

I once met a man who was a hospital chaplain and he uttered these wise words: "God simply wants us to stay with people during their pain, the type of pain that only God can fix or heal." As I contemplate these words I cannot help but think about the pain that I have endured in my life thus far. But when this pain comes to mind I am strangely filled with hope, because of the loving actions of those around me.

For example one and half years ago my mother sadly passed away. However, what overwhelmed me was the response of the Mosaic community. Instead of trying comfort me with a catchy saying like, "It will pass" they took time off work to attend her funeral. Instead of simply saying, "Let me know if you need me, I am here for you" they stayed with me and grieved with me. In fact, my family were amazed that so many of my friends attended my mum's funeral.

Staying with people in their pain is awkward and hard because we cannot fix their pain, only God can. If he chooses to.

As Easter has just passed it reminds me of how God endured so much for us, how Jesus became a man, and stayed with humanity in its pain and brokenness. I hope that because of this we too as a community (of love, faith and hope) can stay when painful circumstances hit those around us. That we can be known for our love in a crisis, that we shower others in patience and grace when they hit rock bottom. That we do not expect those around us to finish grieving for lost ones in two weeks, and that we love people regardless of whether they change or not.

How can we simply stay with others in their pain this week?

Sojourners April Fool's

2010-04-04T14:07:00.007+08:00

Recently in America, Glenn Beck, a Morman TV and radio host, has claimed that preaching social justice as a part of the gospel is a perversion. Rev. Jim Wallis, famous social justice advocate and Christian, has condemned the accusations, saying that social justice is at the heart of the gospel, and has invited Glenn Beck to discuss his views. Go here to check out a news article with some more background of the situation, and a video too. Very interesting!

Sojourners: faith, politics, culture is a great website/resource/community/all-round hub of awesomeness for learning and understanding the relationship between the gospel and justice. Below is a video they made on April Fool's Day to highlight the hilarity of the Jim Wallis v. Glenn Beck debate. FUN!

HAPPY WATCHING AND HAPPY EASTER!

Living Easter

2010-03-28T14:47:00.005+08:00

The ethereal Sarah McLachlan took the Prayer of St Francis of Assisi and turned it into an amazing song of reflection and hope. This is the prayer:

Lord, make me an instrument of your peace:
where there is hatred, let me sow love
where there is injury, pardon
where there is doubt, faith
where there is despair, hope
where there is darkness, light
where there is sadness, joy

O divine Master,
grant that I may not so much seek to be consoled as to console
to be understood, as to understand
to be loved, as to love.

For it is in giving that we receive
it is in pardoning that we are pardoned,
and it is in dying that we are born to Eternal Life.

Amen

It is a prayer that I think is a fitting meditation for the time of Easter. The death, burial and ressurection of Jesus is the cornerstone of our faith and its reality in our lives has enormous repercussions. St Francis describes a life that reflects the image of Jesus we find in the Scriptures and is an encouragement to continue to follow Him as He asked us to do.

One practical thing you can do at Easter time to be an instrument of peace is to think about the chocolate you are buying for your friends and family. This may seem a little left of centre as Easter is often portrayed for Christians as a time to think of Jesus' sacrifice and it's importance in our lives. This is true but these reflections are almost useless if they aren't transformed into the outpouring of love and hope that Jesus showed in His resurrection.

A simple choice regarding what chocolate you buy really does have a massive impact. Watch the video below to hear about the benefits of fair trading in Ghana.

You can buy Fair Trade Certified Chocolate in most supermarkets now and Oxfam have a great selection of festive chocolate delights. Your decision has a person at the end of it, so it's kind of a big deal. Plus, fair trade chocolate tastes way better, with none of that nasty guilt!

ALSO!
A cool art video:

Indo trip with Adam, Sean & Jeff

2010-03-15T22:17:00.003+08:00

Indonesian Adventures!
By Adam Martin

On January 8th 2010 Jeff, Sean and I left Perth to a school in East Java for a strange experience. When we arrived in Indonesia we were welcomed by the thick warm air, congested traffic, and people selling whatever they could. I thought that often Westerners are frustrated by how aggressively those from Bali sell, but if I was faced with poverty how aggressively would I sell?

After flying into Subaraya we were welcomed by true Indonesian hospitality by the Richardson's and Charis National Academy; its amazing how community and belonging feels the same where ever you are in the world. The following days included teaching students and simply learning about the culture and the area. The poverty in Indonesia was not as visible as we anticipated, but the teachers were only on $150 a month, which is what a WA teacher earns in half a day.

Charis National Academy provided a school for students in the area, but was also involved in training and equipping teachers across Indonesia. I think overall the most challenging part of the the trip for me was the way the people I met lived their lives. I will introduce of few of these heroes:

Paul and Faith After retiring in the US both Paul and Faith had this feeling that they could do more than sip tea in a condo all day. At 70 both of the took a risk and went to Indonesia to serve, and have been known to hoon around on motorbikes from time to time.

Samuel Is training to go and help start schools in the jungle; this is a very difficult and lonely task... I admire his courage in going.
Wenny. Even after discovering that she is dying Wenny continues to provide after-school care for at-risk kids.

I hope this blog gives you an overview of our experience; we look forward to going back and serving in the future.

Much love

Adam

Let's get together...

2010-03-15T21:46:00.002+08:00

and feel alright.

Here's some words that pop up in this how-to guide on being a human:

PEACE. LOVE. DEVOTED. SAME MIND. ACCEPT. ADMONISH. WAIT. CARE. BEAR. FORBEAR. TRUTH. TENDER. FORGIVE. COMFORT. ENCOURAGE. SEEK. PRAY. CONFESS. HOSPITABLE. HUMBLE. FELLOWSHIP.

We share this planet with other humans. The only way to make it work is to be like Jesus, lay it all down.

Perth Fringe

2010-02-25T16:46:00.002+08:00

ARTRAGE are wanting to start a Fringe Festival in Perth. Yes, please!

Go check out the website they've started to give feedback on the idea.

oakboundlane 2010

2010-02-25T16:17:00.009+08:00

It is time again for the inaugural oakboundlane festival, Perth's most internationally acclaimed summer festival. Situated in the green pastures of Oakford, oakboundlane plays host to some of West Australia's, nay the world's, greatest talents.*

Imagine a night under the stars with world class performers, creative virtuosos, and prolific artists, set to entertain and enchant the whole night through. Followed by a hand picked feature film set to delight and surprise even the most hard to please film critics. And to conclude the evening, the festival goers wander back to their tents to sleep in the warm summer air and to awaken to a delicious cooked breakfast.**

This is an event not to pass by, oakboundlane is a life changing experince or nothing at all! Don't miss out, you will regret it.

* This can be neither confirmed nor denied.
** Warmth and delicious is not a guarantee.

2010-02-06T09:32:00.002+08:00

2009, what a year to remember. Things happened, people did stuff and a bunch of events took place. I am sure we will all look back on this year together with much fondness. But we are in a new era: the past has passed and now only the future awaits us.

In this new era some things will be required of the new era inhabitants:
#1. When referring to the year, one must say TWENTY-ten, TWENTY-eleven, TWENTY-twelve, etc. The time of two-thousand-and-whatever is over.
#2. We are rapidly approaching October 26 2015, the date Marty McFly goes back to the future. It is imperative that we all work towards inventing the self-drying jacket.
#3. Because we’re living in a technologically insane age, check out this TED video to prepare yourself for the ART and TECHNOLOGY merger http://www.ted.com/talks/golan_levin_ted2009.html
#4. One and all must attend Jeff Smith’s acoustic gig at the Rubix Bar/Cafe on Sunday 7th Feb @ 2 – 4 PM
http://www.facebook.com/home.php?#/event.php?eid=444828080156
and bring friends too.

So these are just a few of the things one must do as a inhabitant of this futuristic age. Prepare your wit and your family for the onslaught of the hover board, robot slaves and an underwater world.

NB. This image was taken from a scientist's holiday trip to 2020. So if you haven't yet seen much of London, you better book a ticket today.*
*That is a flat out lie.

Disclaimer: www.mosaicperth.blogspot.com is the place to keep updated on all the super stuff that people at Mosaic Perth are up to (gigs, shows, interpretive dance performances [that is not a joke]), and also the place to get your fix on random interesting things. It’ll be updated weekly so don’t be a stranger (apologies for how lame that sounded).

Wide Awake part 1

2009-02-14T22:55:00.010+09:00

There is a Bruce Willis movie called Unbreakable. Willis' character is a washed up football player trying to find meaning in his life. He becomes the sole survivor of a train wreck. In one scene from the movie David (Willis) is talking to a man he meets, Elijah (Samuel L Jackson).

David: This morning was the first morning I can remember, that I didn't open my eyes and feel the sadness. I thought the person who wrote that note had an answer for me.

Elijah: That little bit of sadness in the mornings you spoke of? I think I know what that is. Perhaps you're not doing what you're supposed to be doing.

We were created to dream and live lives beyond our wildest dreams... yet a lot of the time we struggle to find a dream that doesn't turn into a nightmare... or when our dreams come true it was nothing like we thought. The life we would kill for, almost kills us!

How do you know if your dream is worth following??

2600 or so years ago, the Israelites were conquered and taken captive, and were living in slavery in Babylon. Their dreams and their home had been shattered. They hung up their harps, and wept instead. They were asking “How can we sing our Lord's song in a foreign land?”

There was a man named Nehemiah who was the cup bearer for the king. He was one of the king's most trusted servants as he had to drink the wine before the king to make sure it was not poisoned. One day he went before the king and for the first time he was sad. The king asked him what had made his heart so sad. Nehemiah replied that how could he be happy when the city of his forefathers lay in ruins and the gates had been burned. The king asked what he wanted and Nehemiah prayed and replied that he wished to be sent to the city of Judah to rebuild it. The king agreed and at Nehemiah's request also sent letters with him to ensure safe passage and materials to rebuild the city. He took a few men with him and at night went out to inspect the walls. He told no one of the dream God had given him of rebuilding the walls of Jerusalem. He then told those who he was with, "You see the trouble we are in: Jerusalem lies in ruins, and its gates have been burned with fire. Come, let us rebuild the wall of Jerusalem, and we will no longer be in disgrace." (Nehemiah 2:1-18).

While Nehemiah is sitting in the palace, his home city's walls are destroyed, the town is in shambles and his people are covered in shame.

Nehemiah's dream...

Was about doing something Great, not fame
Was not about making his life easier or more comfortable
Was about serving the kingdom of Heaven

Nehemiah's dream was a seemingly impossible task. Crazy, some might say. But he found what he was supposed to be doing, and went ahead and did it, even when it got really hard and he had opposition on every side... And he made his world a better place.

What are you supposed to be doing?

What is your dream?

Walls of Jerusalem

Mosaic this Christmas

2008-12-24T11:35:00.006+09:00

We wish you a Merry Christmas...
At Mosaic this Christmas we'll be celebrating the birth of Christ a couple of ways:

Christmas Eve we are meeting at Mt Hawthorn Baptist Church at 7pm for their Christmas Eve carol service. Here is a map to the church.

View Larger Map

After the service we'll come back to the foreshore for dinner. Please bring some snacks and drinks to share. Chicken and salad will be supplied

Boxing Day Gangsta SMASH (Brunch)!! That's right Hoyle is putting on a Boxing day brunch at his new house in Kensington at 10am. I don't know if you have ever seen Nate break dance, but he is really good... I am not sure if you have ever eaten Nate's cooking, but he is NOT really good, so bring some brunchy type food to share.

Remember to invite strangers/friends/nemisi (plural of nemesis?) Awesome post Christmas hang out time.

His address is 33 Gwenyfred Rd, Kensington. Here is a map.

View Larger Map

Also...VERY IMPORTANT!!!
Due to everyone being away on holidays Mosaic on Sundays will be in recess until January 11th. So come along on Sunday January 11th at South Perth Baptist...we'll keep you posted.

Hopefully we'll see some of you on Christmas Eve and Boxing Day. If not have a great Christmas and we'll see you in the new year!

Be the change you want to see in the world

2008-11-09T12:26:00.004+09:00

These people are so thankful, whether it be for the heat, for the rain, even the kids in the orphanage thank God for their toys!

Being here had made me begin to be very thankful to God for the little things again.

Adam's epic journey part deux

2007-10-14T12:08:00.000+08:00

Adam emailed an update... here it is

I arrived in Manila in the Philippines, after nearly 24 hrs in transit, unsure for what the following days held in store for a "bearded giant".

I was picked up by a friendly man named Rollie, and he had no difficult identifying a 6 foot 3 man with a beard, in a crowd which was struggling to reach 5 foot. Rollie then drove me to the children's home in Manila, where I stayed for a night.

This was my experience of Manila:

Smiling children are laughing here,

As black smoke fills my lungs,

Horns echoeing through manic traffic,

Shadowed by the concrete tonnes.

Eager hands searching rubbish for gold,

Brown water beneath the bridge,

Arms sprawled over each others shoulders,

People so ready to give.

Decaying wood afraid of rain,

Rusted tin waiting for a friend,

Beggars selling whatever they've got,

Roads longing to mend.

Plastic spoons break on ice-cream,

Arms grabbing for hope in a hand,

That someone would met them,

and begging to understand their land.

Smiling children are laughing here.

Adam's Epic Journey

2007-10-12T17:57:00.000+08:00

One of the guys involved with us here at Mosaic is going on an epic journey to the Philippines, here is some thoughts he has had so far...

Today I found myself sitting in Starbucks in Circular Quay in Sydney, sipping my addiction in silence. This silence was soon broken when a man asked if he could sit in the seat next to me. As he sat across from me, I began doing what I love, hearing people's stories.... His name was Peter, and he had been a steward for Air Canada for 30 years, had an IT business on the side and he was in Sydney for 24 hrs on a layover.

We talked about life, relationships, and he stressed to me some wisdom that he wished he had grabbed hold of in his youth and wished that he worked harder to put money away for the future. He said that he was away for about 5 months of the year, and got about 7 months off, but that his family were always complaining that he was not around, but the pay was good. Sometimes he would get back from a trip and he had missed key moments in his children's lives. He also began to explain how the company he worked for had constantly screwed him over, and that he felt it had begun to effect his attitude towards costumers.

After a while we ran out of things to say, so we both left like we had something else to do (which we did not), and I thought even a steward on a plane who might provide bad service, has a story.

After the conversation with Peter ended I jumped on bus to meet a friend at Bondi Beach. When I got on the bus, I asked the girl in the seat in front of me which stop to get off at Bondi, and at this very moment she also asked me this same question, which resulted in some awkward laughter. I asked where she was from and why she was in Sydney, because I could tell she was not a local (she was asking what colour the sand was going to be!). She said she was from Pakistan and was in Sydney for the Oxfam International Youth Conference. She began to share her heart for community development, and how she had been sponsored to come out to this conference, her face was beaming as she told me her journey of how she came to be in Sydney.

She said that there were representatives from 90 countries around the world, and it had been such an amazing experience meeting all these people who journeys in life had been so different to each other- then we were suddenly stopped at the bus stop and parted ways. As I walked down Bondi strip, wondering how people could be wearing such a small amount of clothing in such a cold wind, I asked myself how is it that I seem to meet such random people?

I saw all the people down at the beach, and all the people in the restaurants, and the people driving by in their cars. I wondered where they were going, I wondered if they were meeting a friend, or if they had suffered through a bad day at work, I wondered what their story was, and what their journey was which brought them to be a the Bondi strip in this moment. Stories explain a lot.

life in lossy format...

2007-09-01T00:25:00.002+08:00

I was reading a blog posting the other day from a guy who has a stereo system in his house that he has spent $58,000 on, and the kicker is, the whole thing is comprised of second hand equipment! This is a guy who obviously cares a lot about music, the investment he has made into listening to music begs me to listen to his opinion. Some people think I care about music, and I do, a quick glance around my living room and you will see 2 guitars, a media PC, 3 mp3 players, a record player, and sound system. Yet this guy, this "audiophile" blows me away!

His blog posting was addressing the issue of music sales falling he writes

"I'll close with a theory of mine--crappy sounding music is killing the music business. MP3s are subversive because they have apparently stopped people from really listening. Music has become a background soundtrack to other activities. It's just not important anymore. So if the music isn't moving you, maybe, just maybe, it's the sound that's turning you off."

You see songs that are saved as mp3 files have gone through a process called "compression". Compression means that up to about 90% of the original recorded sound has been removed. They deem the information not necessary and "throw away" the information in order to make the music file smaller. The logic behind this technique is, the missing information isn't audible, so lets get rid of it. Someone figures if you don't know what you are missing then you will never know the difference. These files are called "lossy file formats". These files differ from the really large files called "lossless" ie. nothing is lost in the codec.

The "audiophile" surmises that people are not buying music because people no longer really listen to music because it actually sounds crap if you really listen to it, and it sounds crap not because of what is in the music, but because of what is not in the music. I think I agree with him too. When you stop to listen to a CD on a really good sound system it is amazing what you hear, even if you have heard the song 1000 times before. A good sound system will make you stop, and "wow"...

Even if technically what is not there we couldn't hear it anyways, I think it makes a difference. I think we do notice. Somewhere in our heads we tune out a little because of it. The colour and noise left in the music doesn't have any space on which to position itself. What is more, I think our lives begin to look the same, we operate in the same lossy format. It seems that if you are not being "productive" with your time that "someone" (not sure who this someone is, perhaps Santa, or some other figure from our childhood, must ask Freud about that one!) is frowning upon us.

It seems that everything in our lives is geared towards less downtime, higher productivity, staying in contact, being productive on the go, and maintaining your email account 24h a day. A new gadget comes out every week promising to make you more productive. It seems we are slowly compressing our lives into a lossy format. A lossy format where we minimize the amount of time where we are not making noise, we cut it out of our lives.

I know in my life I often feel like there are not enough "wow"s. Perhaps i need to start living my life in a lossless codec?

BBQs coming!

2007-08-20T01:14:00.000+08:00

Ok this summer we are going to be doing our river Bbq's again... Every Sunday afternoon at 5.30pm we meet down at Sir James Montgomery Park near the surf catamaran rentals,to hang out, eat, drink, and basically wind down the weekend. We would love you to come join us, we plan on meeting soon, we will post the exact dates as soon as we know ourselves! We welcome anyone to come join us and hang out. We usually have a bit of Bocce ball going on, Ten pin bowling on the grass, cricket, footy, cards, whatever! It is a great time.

Check back soon for the dates!

We also meet every Sunday afternoon for a chance to hang out and check out the bible, at 149b coode st in como. After we hang out, get something to eat, abuse Kyle in Australian Idol all good fun!

Where the hell are you guys?!

2007-06-07T12:31:00.001+08:00

Over the last few weeks I have been asked "where do you guys meet?" a few times. It seems that people are struggling to find us on Sundays! So we have started this blog to help fill people in on what is happening in Mosaic Perth (until we get our website up and running).

Every Sunday a group of us meet on Sunday afternoon at 149b Coode st, Como for a bible study. This is a chance to explore what it means to follow Jesus. We start at 5pm so feel free to come along!

Make sure you email us if you have any questions. mosaicperth@gmail.com