This is a guest post by Helen Hutchinson.
I went to hear Shane Claiborne speak on Friday evening, fully expecting to be harangued for my lack of concern for the poor, berated for my love of material things, and forcefully challenged to change my life – now, immediately, there and then. I also expected to be actively encouraged to make some visible sign of commitment, or renewal, simply because everyone else was responding in a similar way.
None of these things happened at the Perth Concert Hall on Friday evening, and yet here I am a week later, still remembering things that Shane said. I realise that I need to seriously look at my concern for the poor and homeless, that I need to question my love of material things, and that my life still has to change.
So what happened?
I’m sure that we heard the “gentle whisper” of God (1 Kings 19v12.)
Shane spoke about how he has quietly but effectively challenged authorities to change laws regarding the homeless. He described Jesus as a homeless man – I had never thought about that before. He talked about our need to get away from the patterns of the world.
The challenge for me is this: will I still be thinking about Shane Claiborne’s words next week, or will I be actually doing something about what I have heard.
