Is Matt Flanagan too “Hot” to Handle for Kiwi Christian Higher Educational Institutions?

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Now there’s a provocative question to get your head wagging, with your tongue, no doubt, sure to follow… Yes , blabber mouth!

Maybe we should ask his wife Madeline, although she may offer some thoughts that should only be seen or heard by the individuals in question [if you know what I mean, wink, wink, nudge, nudge]… anyway, I would not dare besmirch the character of such an individual with such a ridiculous assassination of the sort without at first asking the pertinent question… does Matt Flanagan have some kind of internal thermostat problems?

Pa-lease, goes the exasperated respondent exclaiming, “who would offer such fodder for unsuspecting readers to ingest” [sounds uncomfortable, almost painful... Oh, and we have only just begun].

In my defense, I am only the messenger… Bring back Buck, cause I’m passing that one!

Okay, so I am taking the Michael, but He, or for you gender neurotic types, “the said being in question,” is an angel of some authority!

I am Jonny King has just returned to his Lair, back to the delights of a broadband connection to pontificate with all those inflicted with the strangest of diseases… feet in mouth, just one foot would be oh so lonely.

On second thoughts, maybe I owe the Flanagans an apology, fancy being pigeon-holed by one slightly off-kilter blogger… but please keep your powder dry, the night is about to pass and all will be made clear, as the hero of the plot line has just entered the building and he is looking rather dashing [strangely similar to one blogging behemoth]!

On the other hand, as I have tried to make clear, the inspiration [I use this term very loosely] for this offering has been a recent email that Jonny King am I has received relating to the Flanagan’s circumstances and the worthy call [I might add] to financially support them in their pursuit to serve Christ in a practically commensurate way, where the incriminating words were uttered [how could they?].

The email being from what may be described as a pseudo-come-scrupulous-come-dubious source, which may not initially be worthy of retort, but context is king and the crown that he is adorned with is both worthy and honorable [in an imputed sense].

I realise that there may be some unsuspecting world travellers at these them shores, wondering what the blue blazers is happening…

If you also are sensing the need to interject with, “who the Gehenna is Matt Flanagan?”… combining this with an overhand right of a re-joiner of, “why post on a person who has the Gaul to take on Asterix and shorten his Protestant name to Matt?”… “Surely such a tactic is worthy of a brotherly rebuke that such jiggery-pokery should not be tolerated. Why be so arbitrary with one’s name shortening”… and, “what does this say about the man and his message?”… after all, “one could accuse him of being merely academic.” ”Why not shorten one’s name to ‘Hew?!’” ”Surely such a name is more reflective of the standing of a publishing thinker… such a weak philosophy… lightweight!”

Well, in the dulcet tones of one Carson, D. A. style, “what can I say,” rather you than me… after all, such questions could indicate the intelligence of the one in questioning, far be it from me to suggest the future context of career choices for the novice questioner, but a spell-checker in an M and M factory [I can accept no credit for this] could be your destiny… At the very least, such a rookie mistake must be indicative of a limited dial-up connection, lest we suggest anything more incriminating!

Oh, Please, dear reader, the grapes are ripening, and this could be another fine vintage of the Jonny King I am. You may only have to give it another 30 years for the full plumage, but, good things come to those who wait… or so I’m told… still waiting on that one.

It may surprise you that I have never met the Man Flanagan, or it may make perfect sense as you read this, why would he be partial to such a happening [except maybe if its Martial, I hear he's quite proficient Jackie Chan style]?… but knowledge of one “M” of that dynamic “blogging” duo that is being viewed from multiple seas unto shining seas, is a prerequisite for any self-respecting bloggie, particularly from Aotearoa. In the Kiwi Christian Blogging community, they would be the blogger in the wilderness, blazing a trail for us Jonny come latelies [if you don't believe me, go here].

Matt, or can I call you “Hew” Flanagan is a young…ish academic, with a CV to prove it, wanting to go places, and as a good fundamentalist, I mean Calvinist… I know what you’re thinking, you thought that outdated theoryology [I just made that up] went out with the Diplodocus!… But, we’re back!!! No need to be afraid, nothing a-mish here [and you thought you would have to wait 30 years... [if one day=a thousand years, you only had to wait a few mere minutes for that Gold].

Focus, we are to hit the eye of the storm, where the silence will be deafening……..

In the good providence of the always good God, who is always on time, Matt is waiting for his academic train to arrive. In the Rhode Island of our God [that may be a bit obscure... let me help, a city in the state of Rhode Island... No?... Providence], Madeline is also coming through unusual days, with recovery from an accident impacting her present-future… such is the motivation for a clarion call of the faithful to stand with their comrades, and from the aforementioned correspondence, it seems people are supporting the Flanagans, but I am sure we can do more.

As another rabbit trail to the focus in on this post, we Christians in NZ need the Gospel to grasp us better so that we view our money as His money… are we not mere stewards of this resource?… yeah, as long as we control its use!… just maybe, we could do something really significant if we would put all our chips in His hands and go all in, not merely with our words, but with the expression of our existence. We too easily affirm that Acts 2:42-47 is merely historically descriptive, without asking the question as to what would happen if we grasped the spirit of what happened then and practice it now… in our time and in our place!

Can I say that I am becoming more and more convinced that if we could only fix and gaze at His bigger picture and remove our personal parochial positioning that is so often privately motivated, we would be more willingly to give what we have, and give it to something bigger than ourselves, something that is doing a job that we do not and can not, remembering it is not all about us!

What Matt [and Madeline] can do for the Kingdom is not available to all, nor should this be expected [body analogy, anyone]… Yes, you could spend the years of committed diligence and replicate his journey, however, this also assumes that one is spiritually gifted in kind [body analogy... with the Creators providentially purposeful plan], and this will be an exception to any rule, which is why we should be supporting this couple in our New Zealand context and use this opportunity as a catalyst for the Flanagans to be better resourced, better supported and better used for the glory of our Creator…DO YOU FEEL ME!!!

This is about the Priesthood of all believers taking on this reality, passionately in pursuit of Christ, His mission… and to use some recent-ish lingo, help the Flanagans continue to minister “missionally” in a New Zealand context.

Another way that this could happen is to confront and ask the right questions to the Christian community in New Zealand, which was the motivation for the inclusion of the above header, which is this… why is Matt Flanagan, academically qualified, intellectually proven, publishing in the appropriate contexts [even as I write] still waiting for a New Zealand Christian educational institute to view such an individual, as being worthy of employment?

What say you?

We all have perceptions, but these can be so unreliable if they are more uninformed, than informed.

Therefore, let this piece of heretical humour be a catalyst for much blogging, discussion, prayer and practice as we seriously think through why such has happened, seeking to rectify such a reality… but more than this… come with me a little on this winding road, let the wind blow through your hair a little, and see the sights that one can behold… One may call this dreaming, which it will be if it dies on the conceptual blog-fields of bluff and blister, but if it is a vision of what can be, it will get a life of its own, and it just may be that such is a context, such is a time, such is the moment when Esther’s God wins again.

In other words, it’s time to step up and be a plaayer!

Note: The Flanagans do not have any idea about this post or what I am about to write forth… In other words, blame me… Nah, that sounds too biblical, I will blame it on someone/ thing else… you can put that one down to my bad experience a a young boy with Balloons, arghh, my eye is beginning to twitch again [moving quickly on]…. drum roll please…

Just imagine as a witness to our belief that we believe the Flanagans serve an important and vital part in the body of Christ, if we the people did something about this. Yes, we could wait for something to turn up, but what if in the providence of God we stood and were counted because we believed it was the right thing to do, and because it is the right thing to do, it will be done!

Imagine, for example, if we could get 100 contributors each giving $5 a week to support the Flanagans to continue to pursue, even more intently, the important niche where they are both gifted that would also give them the needed resource with which to provide for their family, for a time period of His choosing… be it short or even long!

Seriously, I see this as a practical way of affirming that we are apart of something bigger than our own picket fence, with such possibly even being the catalyst for a greater unity where a groundswell of the common folk pick up their plowshares, link arms and… walk on [U2 reverberating in the distance].

Practically, surely such an amount is not overtly prohibitive. I am personally aware, given our context, the scarcity of the monetary resource. However, for more people than not, the pertinent criteria relates to whether one believes that this is one of those things that one will commit to doing. One could also take this out of one’s giving to the local church without seriously impacting this context [assuming you are not the only giver... at your own church... Pastor], or one could be put this aside in a greater family context.

Think on this next time you supersize your 2nd combo at Macca’s… for that day!

I know, this talk comes pretty cheap… however, I am willing… are you?!

Surely such an undertaking represents how the body should be working, and how most often it does not.

It’s time to get real, we stink at supporting people in ministry, and its time to clean up our… stuff!

Time to get into the game!… after all, the Wobblies, I mean, the Wallabies are also in our shores… time to down the torpedo’s… it’s war man, war!

After that slight excursus, let me say that I am not sure if this will cause any ripples let alone any waves that signal a new swell on the way. But I hope so and pray so…

I have spent too many and may spend many more sick days pining for the “not yet” to be my “already,” with the decision to begin such an undertaking for the Flanagans, signalling more violently that what resulted subsequently to the tearing of that curtain because of the act of Calvary historically, is presently making itself more at home in our existence, affirming that while we may pine for the future, we can presently live in light of that greater day, thereby affirming that because of Jesus, this life will never be enough, so we give it away!

I apologise if you have passed through any gates, let alone any [of] fences! I am able to see the next step in this journey of question, but where it leads, He knows… however, I am willing to follow!

I am only good when God looks at me though Christ, but it is surely too late in the day to continue to do nothing… which is what made-good men [generic] will not do – nada!

Our next time together could be soon and it could be interesting…

Time will be prophetic, and it will tell!

Re: Action

Until Next Time

I am Jonny King