We thank you for your condolences and prayers for our beautiful son Michael Miller who unexpectedly passed away on 27 Jan while we were commemorating International Holocaust Remembrance Day. He went to Israel with us in 2006, was baptised in the Jordan river, and loved Israel with a passion. We are grateful that the Never Again is Now team in Sydney has planted trees in his name in Israel. We thank the many people in Australia and Israel who have reached out to us including Rabbi Riesenberg and the Southern Cross Alliance for Israel, Lena Goldstein’s family, and many more. We felt the comfort of your prayers and we know Michael is with the Lord which is the greatest comfort of all. His service was live streamed and can be found here
He loved fishing and we are grateful that Awesome Anglers are going to make a fishing shirt in his memory with a mangrove jack and an Aboriginal design on it. His mates and cousins will arrange fishing trips in memory of him as well. May his life be used as a fisher of men for the Lord’s glory.
Left – 1999 Portsmouth, Australians welcomed by British at re-enactment of the departure of the First Fleet from England. Norman and Barbara there as part of the Australian team under the leadership of Brian Pickering and Ben Gray Right – 1998 Norman with a child at Almolonga, Guatemala where we saw the large vegetables that resulted from the revival.
Prayer Pioneers Thanksgiving Dinner
We are blessed to attend a Prayer Pioneers Thanksgiving Dinner in Sydney on 17 Feb hosted by the Canberra Declaration to honour the following prayer pioneers:
Barbara Bell – Intercessors for Australia 1973 – 1994
Jenny & Brian Hagger – Australian House of Prayer
Ps Tim & Di Edwards – Prayer Leader & Indigenous Elder
Ps Peter & Maria Walker – Prayer Leader & Indigenous Elder
Ben & Liz Gray – Founder of the Australian Prayer Network & Apostolic Oversight for the APN
Matthew & Kathryn Bolte – Fellow Leader in the Australian Prayer Network
Ken & Yvonne Kilah – Fellow Leader in the Australian Prayer Network
Brian & Robyn Pickering – Leaders & Coordinators of prayer in the nation 1984 – 2024.
This event was occasioned by the retirement of Brian and Robyn Pickering from 40 years’ service to the Australian Prayer Network (APN). We would also like to honour Pastor Noel and Dianne Mann who worked with them for many years, Noel having gone on to be with the Lord some years ago as has Noel Bell of Intercessors for Australia.
Norman and Barbara have been blessed to join prayer teams led by Brian, Robyn and Ben in England, Guatemala, Ephesus and Uluru. Brian was a speaker at our Reconciliation Conference in Cairns in 1998 when we hosted the British on their prayer tour of Australia and Brian spoke at our Ship Shaping History into Place 24/7 conference at the Sydney Opera House in 2006. We stayed with Brian and Robyn when the Lord led us to come from Cairns to Sydney to pray on the Sydney Harbour Bridge after the rainbow serpent had been flashed over it in fireworks on New Year’s Eve in 2000. We also joined the Sydney Belongs to Jesus event the APN organised. We worked with Brian, Robyn and Ben when their ministry was called Spirit Alive before it became APN. We were happy to introduce the city transformation movement to pastors in Cairns, inviting Brian to come and speak.
We were blessed to attend the Out There conferences in Brisbane hosted by Ben in 2000 and 2001 and to have worked with Jenny Haggar over the years as well. We were blessed to take Peter and Maria Walker on a tour of Israel and have them speak at conferences we hosted at Uluru and Canberra. Thanks also to Brian Pickering for speaking at a Redigging the Wells and Transformation conference we organised in Cairns in 2003 and for the wonderful ministry of Tim and Di Edwards.
We bless all these mighty men and women of valour.
Left – 2005 Healing the Land Healing the People conference Uluru hosted by our CFIRP. Dr George Annadorai, Singapore with Millers. We have no photos of the 1999 conference in Uluru hosted by the Australian Prayer Network we attended and no photos of our time at Ephesus with Peter Wagner and APN. Right – 2004 Jewish speakers Gary Feldman and Josie Lacey with Peter Walker and Millers at our CFIRP conference called Opening the Gates to the King of Glory Ps 24/7 conference in Canberra
REGISTER NOW FOR FEB 18 EVENT SYDNEY 2-4PM CLICK HERE for a free ticket at Humanitix
Never again is a grassroots movement led by Christians and Christian leaders. We partner with Israeli and Jewish communities to stop antisemitism. Famous Australian leaders and entertainers will speak and perform. Police and security will be present.
Everyone is invited to join with thousands of others to stand with our Jewish friends and neighbours. This matters to anyone persecuted for their faith or race.
Take a stand against antisemitism. We will sing. We will pray. We will push back the darkness and the hatred.
Share this invite to 5-10 other friends to join you in solidarity
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Unite in love for peace and truth. Make Australian history.
Team NeverAgain, is Now!
Self-funded, any donations will make it bigger and better with greater impact and outcomes SAVE THE DATE! Australia’s Biggest Rally! Stand for Australian Judeo-Christian values say no to antisemitism, lies and incitement Sun 18 Feb 2024 3-4pm AEDT Sydney venue to be revealed CLICK HERE for a free ticket at Humanitix Please let others know!
Don’t miss this awesome event to bless Israel, enjoy friends and make a stand for good values..
See this reel by Barbara to promote the Never Again is Now event in Sydney. SEE IT HERE
Australia Day: Celebrate or Abolish? Pride or Shame?
Barbara Miller 26 Jan 24, Published 29 JANUARY 2024
Do First Nations people celebrate Australia Day? Yes! The vibrancy and resilience of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures is celebrated by thousands each January 26 at Victoria Park, Sydney with market stalls, sports, and bands. Called the Yabun Festival, it has been going since 2003, with this year’s theme being “Surviving, Guiding, Thriving.” Norman and I have attended it and its friendly atmosphere many times.
Melbourne has a Share the Spirit event billed as “Coming together to heal with peace and love”, presented by Songlines Aboriginal Music. It is Victoria’s largest and longest-running Indigenous festival, with performances of song and dance at the Sidney Myer Music Bowl.
However, most capital cities also have protests led by First Nations people who call it Invasion Day, Survival Day, or Day of Mourning. Aboriginal protestors like Senator Lidia Thorpe, a leader of the Blak Sovereignty movement, declared at an Invasion Day rally in 2023 that there is a war going on that was declared on her people 200 years ago. Similar claims were made on Friday.
CANVAS PAINTING TO BE BACKDROP FOR NEVER AGAIN IS NOW EVENT SYDNEY FEB 18
Story below We Stand Up For Israel: Indigenous Friends of Israel by Munganbana Norman Miller
The star of David is the centre of this painting just as Jerusalem is the centre of the world (Ezekiel 5:5). The star of David is also on Israel’s flag. It is surrounded by yellow ochre representing G-d’s glory and His calling for the Jewish people to be a light to the nations. The Magen David is encircled by blue and white dots representing Israel.
The dots that continue to circle it reflect the yellow and red ochres of the earth and of the sun. They also represent sunrises and sunsets. This speaks of the heavens touching the earth. The purple dots represent royalty as Jerusalem will be Messiah’s throne. The stars in the sky represent the stars of the southern cross over Australia and in its flag.
The dots also represent the Indigenous Friends of Israel as the Indigenous people of the earth surround, protect, and support her.
The dove of peace, also representing the spirit of G-d, alights over the star of David. As Psalm 85:10-11 (NLT) says: Unfailing love and truth have met together; righteousness and peace have kissed. Truth springs up from the earth, and righteousness smiles down from heaven.
May Australia shine like the stars in heaven to reflect God’s glory and His love for Israel (Daniel 12:3)
Never Again is Now. We stand against antisemitism. And never again will Israel be uprooted from the land G-d has given them. (Amos 9:11-15)
ISRAEL HUMANITARIAN APPEAL By Centre for International Reconciliation and Peace
Help Israel recover from Oct 7 bloodbath and its aftermath by donating to ministries run by Ps Avi and Chaya Mizrachi of Dugit Ministries Tel Aviv (left) and Ps Howard and Randi Bass of Yeshua’s Inheritance Congregation Beer Sheva.
There are thousands of Jewish people displaced by the terror that occurred on Oct 7 with their homes and communities destroyed. Some of those affected were Holocaust survivors. Many just left with the clothes on their backs and are in need of help. Lives have been turned upside down. It is not safe yet to return and rebuild and probably won’t be for a long time.
For any donation from Australians over $70 AUD, you can receive a copy of Ps Munganbana Norman Miller’s painting of From Mourning into Dancing based on Psalm 30 and Ps Barbara Miller’s book William Cooper, Gentle Warrior: Standing Up for Australian Aborigines and Persecuted Jews. The flier above done for us by our friend Tim Jack, shows you how to donate
Thanks to those who have donated already. Funds have been transferred and we have posted out the books and prints promised to those who donated $70 or more. God bless you!!!
Who will listen to what you say? The share of the man who stayed with the supplies is to be the same as that of him who went down to the battle. All will share alike.” 1 Samuel 30:24
Donations to the ministry of the Centre for International Reconciliation & Peace BSB: 064804 Account no: 14069302 Swift code: ctbaau2s
Commonwealth of Australia Bank, 120 Pitt Street Sydney NSW 2000 Australia Donations to Pastors Account BSB: 064804 Account no: 14258760
THE MOST AMAZING VIDEOS ON ISRAEL, PRAYER, WORSHIP, THE APOSTOLIC AND PROPHETIC AND MUCH MORE – AT YOUR FINGERTIPS!!! BE BLESSED!!!
L – Uluru R – Flags and banners at the prayer at Mutitjulu Waterhole, Uluru at the Healing the People Healing the Land conference 2005
Bob Randall (1929-2015) was a Yankunytjatjara elder and traditional owner of Uluru who welcomed us to Uluru to host a conference there in 2005 called Healing the Land Healing the People.
Healing the Land Healing the People conference Uluru
Why revisit this now?
Australia is facing a referendum on the Voice on Oct 14 and it is a result of a convention held by First Nations people from around Australia at Uluru in 2017. It is called the Uluru Statement from the Heart.
The debate over whether to vote yes or no is dividing Australia – dividing Indigenous and non-Indigenous people and dividing Indigenous people with from one another. We held our conference at Uluru, the heart of Australia, to bring reconciliation and healing and to release repentance to God and one another and receive forgiveness and healing from God and one another. It was a powerful time appointed and anointed by God.
Repentance
Aboriginal leaders of many tribes around Australia attended and many non-Indigenous Australians as well. Uncle Bob was taken from his family at 7 years old and he sang for us one of the iconic songs about the removal of Aboriginal children from their families which he wrote – My Brown Skin Baby. You can sense the wailing of the mothers. There was repentance for this led by Ps Barbara Miller. Uncle Bob was very gracious and said the land belongs to all of us – Indigenous and others.
Dedication and covenanting Australia to God
There are a number of videos but this is a highlights video – see at 4.40min the dedication and covenanting Australia to God in a prophetic act by Ps Norman Miller and traditional owner of Uluru Bob Randall with tribal leaders standing with them. Norman had seen the hand of God come down over Uluru and he believed God wanted to unlock something in the spirit in our nation and turn the nation towards Him. It was based on Isaiah 22:22 “I will place on his shoulder the key to the house of David; what he opens no one can shut, and what he shuts no one can open” and a Joshua strategy of doing it 7 times.
Norman believed the Lord wanted the key turned in the centre of a map of Australia as a prophetic act 7 times at 10.22, and 22.22 for the 3 days and the first night at 22.22. It was very powerful with Uncle Bob being the local authority and national elder and Norman in national spiritual authority together on the first night and Norman on the remainder. Norman also had this scripture the Lord gave him – Psalm 72:9 “May desert tribes bow down before Him, and His enemies lick the dust!” (ESV)
Repentance by leaders from many Aboriginal tribes
See at 1.14hr repentance by leaders from many Aboriginal tribes. There was repentance from idol worship, bloodshed, witchcraft, broken covenants, sexual immorality and impurity, homosexuality, lust, fornication, iniquity and gambling. There was a release of forgiveness towards those who had hurt them and prayer for healing from rejection and for fathers to be restored to families.
Ps Vuniani Nakauyaca from Fiji led this session and did an act of healing the land with the soil of the land and salt and water similar to what had been done in Fiji with the revival there. Norman led the men Indigenous and nonindigenous to pray for and bless their wives and ask for forgiveness if needed. Ps Peter Walker asked the Indigenous men to wash the feet of nonindigenous men as an act of reconciliation.
Dr George Annadorai from Singapore gave a powerful message about how the Lord spoke to pastors in Singapore (Chinese and Indian) that the land did not recognize them. They realized they had left out the Malay people. He spoke on the prodigal son with Indigenous men representing the younger brother and nonindigenous men representing the elder brother. A powerful reconciliation followed in a prophetic act.
The conference gave a platform to a number of Aboriginal speakers – Ps Peter and Maria Walker, Ps Gloria Dyer (now Miller), and Ella Gordon. Ps Vuniani and Ella have gone to their heavenly reward and we were blessed to have them.
Prayer at Mutitujulu Waterhole
About 350 people attended our meeting in a large tent, owned by the Tent of Promise, including Ps Milo Siilata and his son from New Zealand, We hired a number of buses to take us to the foot of the rock Uluru to pray at Mutitjulu Waterhole where we had an amazing time of prayer.
Rainbow Serpent left Uluru
Amazingly, as we left the rock, two people, Ps Veronica Coutts and John Andrews turned around to take a photo and captured on their phones the rainbow serpent and its eggs leaving Uluru as we had prayed for. This could not be seen in the natural. We understand that New Age people and witches from around the world as well as Aboriginal people continue to invoke the rainbow serpent.
A lot of spiritual warfare came against us with a group in Brisbane holding a meeting pretending they were the ones organising the conference. Ps Noel Mann saw their ad in the paper and alerted us and Norman and I flew to Brisbane and confronted them with Ella Gordon joining us. We had to deregister them from our conference. Despite this, we had some women turn up and dance like snakes during our worship and we had to remove them. Our worship team had strange items left outside their hotel rooms.
Ps Barbara Miller’s message covers the vision for the conference and the spiritual mapping she did beforehand. Part 2 of it is here
https://youtu.be/NGttpvAM5p8
Part 1 is missing at the moment but more repentance from tribal leaders can be seen in this message which occurs on the first morning of the conference.
The conference started and ended with worship. It started with the song Kings and Nations and a parade of many waving banners and flags representing the 12 tribes of Israel and the 12 gates of Jerusalem. It ended at 1.56hr with joyful shake-a-leg dancing by Aboriginal Christians at the end.
This conference was one of 10 Psalm 24:7 conferences Welcoming the King of Glory we held around the nation between 2003 and 2012, with 4 of them in Parliament House Canberra and the others at the Sydney Opera House, Melbourne, Bendigo and Cairns.
Thanks to David Jack or making these videos available and to Sonia Harriman for the highlights video.
Welcome the King of Glory Prayer Movement from the Ends of the Earth to Israel by Ps Avi Mizrachi.
Message at Indigenous Friends of Israel and Tabernacle of David Cairns conference 18-20 Aug 23 Cairns. Ps Avi and Chaya Mizrachi are the leaders of the Messianic pastors team that is hosting this conference in Israel with the nations attending, particularly All Pacific Arise (formerly APPA) who have been walking with the Israeli team.
Norman and Barbara led a team from Australia to the 1st Welcome the King of Glory (WTKOG) convocation in Israel in 2017. The 3rd Welcome the King of Glory convocation in Jerusalem 11-13 October 2023 has the theme of “Gathering the Nations to Covenant with God!” (Zechariah 2:10-13) so it will be a special time and we encourage you to attend.
Norman and Barbara aren’t taking a team this year but we asked Ps Avi and Chaya to pray for the team who is going who attended our Cairns conference. During the video, you’ll see some footage of the 1st and 2nd WTKOG convocations. Check out the interesting story Ps Avi tells of Abu Ghosh where the first WTKOG was held and its relationship with Obed Edom and the ark of the covenant which Barbara also shares on in relation to a dream she had prior to hosting the Bethany Gate APPA in Cairns in 2006. It all ties in.
Indigenous Friends of Israel decrees
Indigenous Friends of Israel & TOD Cairns Conference in Cairns on 18.8.2023, there was a valuable time of decreeing, by the Indigenous people and leaders present, that “the Jews are the Indigenous people of Israel” and “we align ourselves with the God of Israel.”
Indigenous Friends of Israel had a meeting after the conference of state and city coordinators so we are stretching the tent pegs as in Isaiah 54 so if you are interested, please let us know. Non-Indigenous people can be associate members as we believe in reconciliation. Email us here.
THE NEXT NEWSLETTER WILL HAVE MORE INFORMATION ON THE CHURCH & CULTURAL CHALLENGES CONFERENCE IN CANBERRA 27-29 JULY AS THERE IS SO MUCH TO SHARE. VIDEOS ARE STILL BEING PROCESSED SO STAY POSTED!!
PEOPLE KEEP ASKING US ABOUT THE VOICE
We will have more in the next newsletter but here is a reminder of what we have already posted. PRAYER POINTS
The Voice and Constitutional Recognition of First Nations People: For and Against Arguments (here)
Bad Politics or False Worship: Caterpillar Dreaming (here)
Constitutional Recognition of Indigenous People 1990s
There is much talk in recent years about the recognition of Indigenous people in the Australian constitution as it basically sets out states’ rights and commonwealth rights, Australia being a federation of sovereign states. Indigenous people were left out of the constitution at federation in 1901. With the centenary of federation coming up in 2001, the last decade of the 1990s, looks at two issues, becoming a republic rather than a constitutional monarchy and inserting a preamble to the constitution that will recognize Indigenous people and have some uplifting statements. For example, statements about hope in God, being a democracy, upholding freedom, tolerance, individual dignity, and the rule of law, recognizing those who fought for Australia’s freedom, and the nation-building contribution of immigrants etc.
Prime Minister Howard does not support a republic but supports a preamble and works on it with poet Les Murray and others but the wording is rejected for a number of reasons. The Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Commission (ATSIC), the Council for Aboriginal Reconciliation, the National Multicultural Advisory Council, and the Constitutional Centenary Foundation support a preamble. The Mabo decision of 1992 also brings a focus on recognizing Indigenous Australians in the Constitution.
Constitutional Convention 1998
The 1998 Constitutional Convention votes to support ‘in principle’ Australia becoming a republic and is to discuss what model of a republic would be put to a referendum. Four working groups are set up, one of which includes ATSIC delegates and resolves that a separate referendum question be put on a new preamble at the same time as the referendum on the republic, and that such a preamble recognize ‘Aboriginal peoples and Torres Strait Islanders as the original inhabitants of Australia who enjoy with all other Australians fundamental human rights’.
Indigenous National Constitutional Convention 1998
In March 1998, ATSIC organizes an Indigenous National Constitutional Convention and agrees on a Constitutional preamble recognizing Indigenous Australians and the fact of their original occupation. (1)
Referendum 1999
On 6th November 1999, a referendum is held on the following: whether Australian voters approve the proposal to establish Australia as a republic and the second change is whether they approve the proposal to insert a preamble in the Constitution. Both proposals are defeated. Why? The republican movement is divided on a model and Indigenous people are not properly consulted as to the wording of the preamble. An actual preamble was not put to the vote.
First Nations Australian leaders are vocal about recognition in the constitution but not many favor the preamble as a vehicle.
Expert Panel on the Constitutional Recognition of Indigenous Australians 2010
Time marches on. The political will for constitutional recognition of First Nations Peoples takes a big hit. The push resumes with Prime Minister John Howard promising on 16th October 2007 to hold a referendum on constitutional recognition. Labor Leader, Kevin Rudd agrees to give it bipartisan support.
However, there are still delays and on 8th November 2010, it is Labor Prime Minister Julia Gillard’s turn to plan a referendum during the term of her government or at the next Federal election. On 23rd December 2010, Gillard appoints an Expert Panel to undertake public consultation throughout 2011. Co-chaired by Professor Patrick Dodson and Mark Leibler AC, it includes the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Social Justice Commissioner Mick Gooda, Professor Marcia Langton AM, the Co-Chairs of the National Congress of Australia’s First Peoples, Noel Pearson Founder of Cape York Partnership and MPs including Aboriginal MP Ken Wyatt AM.
The panel delivers its report Recognising Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples in the Constitution on 19th January 2012, 45 years on from the landmark 1967 referendum which enabled Indigenous people to be counted in the census and the federal government to make laws for them. It is a surprise to me that there is still racial discrimination in the constitution. The report recommends the removal of Constitution sections 25 and 51(xxvi), and the insertion of new sections 51A, 116A and 127A. The new sections are:
Section 51A Recognition of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples
Recognizing that the continent and its islands now known as Australia were first occupied by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples; Acknowledging the continuing relationship of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples with their traditional lands and waters; Respecting the continuing cultures, languages and heritage of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples; Acknowledging the need to secure the advancement of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples; the Parliament shall, subject to this Constitution, have power to make laws for the peace, order and good government of the Commonwealth with respect to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.
Section 116A Prohibition of racial discrimination
(1) The Commonwealth, a State or a Territory shall not discriminate on the grounds of race, color or ethnic or national origin. (2) Subsection (1) does not preclude the making of laws or measures for the purpose of overcoming disadvantage, ameliorating the effects of past discrimination, or protecting the cultures, languages or heritage of any group.
Section 127A Recognition of languages
(1) The national language of the Commonwealth of Australia is English. (2) The Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander languages are the original Australian languages, a part of our national heritage.
It proposes that the referendum be preceded by a well-resourced public education and awareness program and have all-party support and that of a majority of state governments. However, the Gillard government drops the ball on a referendum and opts to pass a recognition act instead. Insufficient community awareness and lack of bipartisan support are two reasons they give for deferring the referendum
On 12th March 2013, the federal parliament passes the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples Recognition Act 2013 which recognizes the Indigenous peoples of Australia and requires the establishment of a committee to advise on a suitable date for a referendum on these proposals. The process is given two years but provision is made to make it self-repealing on the 28th March 2018 when it winds up, no significant action having been taken.
Miller Boomerang Petition 2012-2016
Munganbana Norman Miller frames a petition around the recommendations of the Expert Panel and calls it the Miller Boomerang Petition, reminiscent of the Yirrkala Bark Petition. He travels Australia, with me accompanying him, and gathers, at his own expense, over 5,100 signatures from Indigenous and non-Indigenous people. As well as getting the signatures of the Mayors for Cape York Aboriginal communities, he gathers signatures at the Yabun Festival and Redfern in Sydney, NAIDOC events in Adelaide and Perth, street corners in Cairns and Sydney, and events in Canberra, Brisbane, and the Gold and Sunshine coasts.
Munganbana Norman Miller Presenting His Boomerang Petition to MPs at Parliament House Canberra 27th November 2013 L-R Warren Entsch, Speaker Bronwyn Bishop and Ken Wyatt photo Geoff Bagnell National Indigenous Times
Norman also makes a giant boomerang with the words “No Discrimination in the Constitution” and gains 360 signatures on the back of it. He presents it to then-Speaker Bronwyn Bishop on 27th November 2013. On 12th December 2013, the Hon Mr. Entsch MP presents Miller’s on- paper petition with 2115 signatures to Parliament.
Norman continues to gather signatures until over 5,100 have been collected and presents them to the Speaker Hon Tony Smith MP in the presence of the Clerk of the House and the Hon Warren Entsch MP on 8th February 2016. Mr. Entsch then presents the petition to the Parliament. (2)
Munganbana Norman Miller and Author Presenting Final Signatures on Petition to the Hon Warren Entsch MP and the Speaker and Clerk of the House at Parliament House Canberra February 2016 photo supplied
Norman receives a lot of press. He tells The Cairns Post on 8th January 2014,
“Miller said the purpose of his campaign, which he will continue, is to prepare people for a yes vote in a referendum to be held on these issues in the term of the current parliament.
My aim has been one of public education, raising community awareness and support, and keeping the issue before government, bolstering its political will in this matter.
While getting signatures for this petition I have met people from all walks of life, Indigenous and non-Indigenous, and found that there is little knowledge of this issue on the street and I have been able to discuss the issues and gain broad support.
“I am encouraged,” said Mr. Miller “that this nation has come to the maturity to enable it to make changes to the constitution that will benefit the whole nation. It will also be an act of reconciliation. I have a strong desire to see justice done and I believe that the Australian people, at core, have a belief in a fair go for all.”
I am pleased to assist Norman with research, press releases, and administration in relation to this project to have First Nations people recognized in our constitution and have racial discrimination removed from it.
Recognise Campaign 2012-2017
Barbara with Michael Long at Launch of Journey of Recognition Walk Melbourne 26th May 2013
Also, in response to the Expert Panel, the Gillard government funds Recognise in 2012 which is set up under Reconciliation Australia. Recognise is successful in raising awareness, but as there was no model for it to promote, the government closes Recognise in August 2017.
Reconciliation Australia website notes that in the five years of the Recognise campaign, awareness levels rose from 30% to over 75% of the population. These levels were higher amongst Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander respondents from 60% to 84%. Reconciliation Australia says,
“More than 160 community and corporate organizations partnered with Recognise to support change, and more than 18,000 Australians took part in the Journey to Recognition around the country. The Journey covered more than 38,000 km over a three-year period and held 386 community meetings as it toured across the country.” (3)
Barbara with Prime Minister Tony Abbott at Launch of Journey of Recognition Melbourne 26th May 2013 photo supplied
Norman and I attend the launch of the Journey to Recognition in Melbourne in Reconciliation Week in 2013. Michael Long, famous AFL footballer, leads the walk from Melbourne which tours the nation. I am pictured walking with Michael Long and talking to Prime Minister Tony Abbott in separate photos. I am asking PM Abbott to sign a replica of William Cooper’s 1930’s petition which he does.
Along with Uncle Boydie, Abe Schwarz and David Jack, we present the petition, on the 2014 anniversary of the 1967 referendum, to Governor General Sir Peter Cosgrove who presents it to the Queen. It was originally intended for the Queen’s grandfather but the Australian government would not forward it because Australian Aborigines were not legally citizens of Australia.
L-R Abe Schwarz Barbara Miller Alf Turner (Uncle Boydie) Presenting Replica of William Cooper Petition to Governor-General Sir Peter Cosgrove Canberra, May 2014 photo David Jack
A Joint Select Committee 2013
A Joint Select Committee on Constitutional Recognition of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples is established in 2013 to consider the recommendations of the Expert Panel report and delivers its report in June 2015.
Referendum Council 2015
The Referendum Council is jointly appointed by Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull and Leader of the Opposition Bill Shorten on 7th December 2015. Its job is to advise on the next steps towards a successful referendum to recognize Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples in the constitution. Co-Chairs are Pat Anderson and Mr. Mark Leibler AC.
The Referendum Council holds twelve Dialogues with Indigenous Australians around Australia between December 2016 and May 2017. They are by invitation only and capped at 100 persons to try to reach consensus. Feedback from these dialogues is given to a First Nations National Constitutional Convention at Uluru in May 2017.
Uluru Statement from the Heart at First Nations National Constitutional Convention 2017
Uluru, the large red rock in the center of Australia is an iconic image that often symbolizes Indigenous Australia and is a favorite spot for tourists. To the traditional owners, the Anangu, it is a sacred site. Many say it is the sacred heart of Australia. It is to Uluru, in the shadow of the rock, that the Referendum Council takes the First Nations Convention.
While there are sometimes heated discussions over whether sovereignty should be part of the outcome, they reach a consensus, and the lead constitutional lawyer for the process, Professor Megan Davis, reads out what becomes the Uluru Statement from the Heart on 26th May at the end of the Convention. The 250 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander delegates adopt it. Megan Davis is the first Indigenous Australian to sit on a United Nations (UN) body as Chair of the Permanent Forum on Indigenous Peoples, a significant achievement. Here is an excerpt from the Uluru Statement:
“… we call for the establishment of a First Nations Voice enshrined in the constitution.
Makarrata (4) is the culmination of our agenda: the coming together after a struggle. It captures our aspirations for a fair and truthful relationship with the people of Australia and a better future for our children based on justice and self-determination.
We seek a Makarrata Commission to supervise a process of agreement-making between governments and First Nations and truth-telling about our history.
In 1967 we were counted, in 2017 we seek to be heard …” (5)
So, the Indigenous cry from the heart of Australia is VOICE TREATY TRUTH. Opposition leader Bill Shorten is supportive and commits to implementing it if he wins government.
Norman and I attend a treaty conference in Sydney around Australia Day 2018 and Norman signs the large canvas with the Uluru Statement on it. Thomas Mayor and others travel Australia raising awareness of it and getting the signatures of First Nations people. We also attend the 80th anniversary of the Day of Mourning on Australia Day 2018 at Australia Hall Sydney where the original Day of Mourning was held in 1938 on the 150th anniversary of white settlement.
Munganbana Norman Miller’s Campaign for Voice Treaty Truth Cairns Festival 2019 photo Barbara Miller
Referendum Council Final Report 2017
The Referendum Council releases its Final Report on 30th June 2017 and is supportive of the Uluru Statement recommending:
That a referendum be held to provide in the Australian Constitution for a representative body that gives Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander First Nations a Voice to the Commonwealth Parliament. One of the specific functions of such a body, to be set out in legislation outside the Constitution, should include the function of monitoring the use of the heads of power in section 51 (xxvi) and section 122. The body will recognize the status of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples as the first peoples of Australia.
The second recommendation of the report is a Declaration of Recognition to unify Australians that sit outside the Constitution. This would be enacted by legislation passed by all Australian Parliaments. (6)
The establishment of a Makarrata Commission is outside its terms of reference.
On 26th October 2017, the Turnbull government rejects the voice as a third chamber of Parliament which is a misunderstanding of the proposal. So, the ball which has been kicked along for a number of years without reaching its goal is kicked along again to another Joint Select Committee.
The debate is continuing. Eminent former High Court Chief Justice, Murray Gleeson, who was on the Referendum Council, gives an address at a symposium and The Australian reports his views on 19th July 2019. He declares the voice is advisory and not a third chamber to Parliament and can be created through legislation. Its structure, function and composition can be determined through legislation with the possibility of change. At the same time, there can be minimal change to the constitution to ensure the Voice’s continued existence and essential features.
Joint Select Committee 2018
Senator Pat Dodson and Julian Leeser MP co-chair the Joint Select Committee on Constitutional Recognition relating to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples appointed in March 2018. It presents its final report on 29th November 2018. The first two recommendations are:
In order to achieve a design for The Voice that best suits the needs and aspirations of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, the Committee recommends that the Australian Government initiate a process of co-design with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.
The Committee recommends that, following a process of co-design, the Australian Government consider, in a deliberate and timely manner, legislative, executive and constitutional options to establish The Voice.
Indigenous Voice Co-design Process 2019
The Voice proposal languishes until the 18th May 2019 federal election when Prime Minister Scott Morrison says his government will support the Voice but it would be achieved through legislation rather be enshrined in the constitution. Ken Wyatt, elevated to Minister for Indigenous Australians in the Morrison government, the first Aboriginal to hold this position, sets up a Senior Advisory Group (SAG) to progress the co-design of the Voice and hopes to put it to a referendum in this term of Parliament if consensus can be achieved. Many Indigenous proponents of the Voice want it enshrined in the constitution however, so the government can’t abolish it as they did ATSIC, the former national body.
The SAG is co-chaired by Professor Tom Calma AO, Chancellor of the University of Canberra, and Professor Marcia Langton of the University of Melbourne, both Indigenous. There is a subtle change in calling it a ‘voice to government’ rather than a ‘voice to parliament’ “.
The models for the Voice are planned to be developed in two stages: (7)
First, two groups, one local and regional and the other national, will create models aimed at improving local and regional decision-making and identifying how best federal government can record Indigenous peoples’ views and ideas. The groups consist mainly of Indigenous members.
Consultations will be held with Indigenous leaders, communities and stakeholders to refine the models developed in the first stage.
The National Co-design Group is announced on 15th January 2020, to be co-chaired by Dr Donna Odegaard AM and Ray Griggs AO CSC. On 4th March 2020 the Local and Regional Co-Design Group is announced. To be co-chaired by Peter Buckskin and National Indigenous Agency senior official Letitia Hope. The group meet for the first time in Sydney on 19th March 2020.
From the Heart is a group increasing awareness of the Uluru Statement From the Heart. They commission research which is conducted by the CIT Group in June 2020 and shows a majority of Australians support a Voice to Parliament that is constitutionally enshrined and that this support has increased.
Co-design Interim Report 2021
An interim report by the Senior Advisory Group on 9th January 2021 proposes that the government would be obliged to consult the Indigenous Voice to parliament re new legislation relating to race, native title or racial discrimination where it would affect Indigenous Australians. The Voice would not be able to veto the enactment of such laws, or change government policies, however. The Voice would be made up of 16 or 18 members, who would either be elected directly or come from the regional and local Voice bodies. On 9th January 2021 Minister Wyatt announces a second stage of co-design meetings lasting four months with more consultation with Indigenous people. The final report will be ready between June and August 2021. (8)
The University of New South Wales Indigenous Law Centre’s analysis of 1435 public submissions to the co-design found that 82% supported the constitutional enshrinement of a Voice to parliament, while an additional 5% gave in-principle support.
Norman and I are able to attend the Cairns consultation of the co-design team of Marcia Langton, Donna Odegaard, and Mayor of Yarrabah, Ross Andrews, in April 2021 where discussions are robust. Concerns are raised re the Voice being legislated not enshrined in the constitution and Marcia makes the point that generally the feedback around Australia is get what is politically achievable now and build on it later.
State Government Voice and Treaties
However, the state governments are not waiting for the federal government which has been very slow to act. In 2016, Victoria sets up an Aboriginal Treaty Working Group to lead two rounds of community consultations, which leads to the creation of a First Peoples’ Assembly. The role of the assembly will not be to negotiate treaties but will work with the state to develop a treaty framework for negotiations. Victoria also establishes aTreaty Advancement Commission to raise awareness among Victorians and promote a treaty.
In June 2018, the Northern Territory signs a memorandum of understanding with delegates of the four Indigenous land councils to work towards a treaty Mick Dodson AM, the former director of the National Centre for Indigenous Studies at the Australian National University, is appointed NT treaty commissioner and he is currently leading consultations with the Indigenous community.
On 16th July 2019, the Queensland government announces it will begin discussions with Indigenous people about a treaty called Tracks to Treaty. An independent Eminent Panel and Treaty Working Group, including Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander and non-Indigenous representatives, spearheads the process with 22 consultation meetings across the state. Norman and I attend the one in Cairns and meet up with my old friend Cheryl Buchanan who is involved with consultations. Norman’s sister Joanne Radke is involved with consultations in SE Queensland.
The Treaty Working Group leads the formal public consultation process and provides a report to the Eminent Panel. There is significant support for a treaty. The recommendations to government in February 2020 are:
The establishment of the First Nations Treaty Institute as an independent body to lead the Path to Treaty process
The facilitation of a process of truth-telling and healing
The building of capacity for First Nations to actively participate in the treaty process
Deepening the understanding and engagement of the wider Queensland community in the Path to Treaty
The adequate resourcing of these actions through the establishment of a First Nations Treaty Future Fund
The placing before Parliament in the first half of 2020 a Bill to further the Path to Treaty, establish the First Nations Treaty Institute and the First Nations Treaty Future Fund.
On 14th February 2021, the Qld government announces a Treaty Advancement Committee with Dr. Jackie Huggins AM and Mick Gooda as co-chairs. They were co-chairs of the Treaty Working Group. They consult with the Cairns community on 29th April. The government’s August 2020 response to the Path to Treaty report includes initiatives in a number of areas towards reconciliation, healing from the wounds of the past, and having a more just relationship. It notes that in 2010, they made an addition to the preamble to the Queensland Constitution to honor Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples as the First Australians.
SA to Adopt First Indigenous Voice
On 7th May 2021, South Australia’s Premier Steven Marshall announces plans for his state to be the first cab off the rank for an Indigenous Voice to parliament. It will be chaired by the state’s Aboriginal engagement commissioner Roger Thomas. He will be joined by 12 other Aboriginal members. First Nations South Australians will be able to vote for six of the committee members, with the government to appoint the remaining six. After three years of operation, the SA Electoral Commission will hold a statewide ballot to elect the 12 Voice members. Legislation to establish the Voice is to be introduced into parliament in 2021.
Agreement Making
A number of Indigenous Land Use Agreements (ILUAs) are negotiated between First Nations, government, and corporations under the native title legislation. These can be used as a basis for treaty-making. The most impressive of these is the Noongar agreement in WA. The South West Native Title Settlement, with six Noongar groups, involves around 30,000 Noongar people and covers approximately 200,000 square kilometers. The full details of the South West Native Title Settlement are recorded in six ILUAs.
Impetus to Remove Racial Discrimination from the Constitution Lost
Norman and I are surprised and concerned that recommendations from a number of bodies re removing racial discrimination from the constitution seem to have lost momentum as the debate has moved on to Voice, Treaty and Truth. The Expert Panel, the Boomerang Petition, and the Joint Select Committee agree with the 1988 Constitutional Commission recommendation that s25 be repealed “because it is no longer appropriate to include in the Constitution a provision which contemplates the disqualification of members of a race from voting.” (9)
The 1967 Referendum amends s51 by deleting the words “other than the Aboriginal race in any State,” thereby giving the Commonwealth Government power to make special laws relating to First Nations people. This was a desired outcome by First Nations people at the time because of racist state legislation and policy. This power now underpins much legislation including the Native Title Act 1993. What is problematic is that s51 could be used to support a law that discriminates against First Nations people. There is now general agreement by the 1988 Constitutional Commission, the Expert Panel, the Boomerang Petition, and the Joint Select Committee that it should be amended or repealed and replaced. The Expert Panel recommends the repeal of s51(xxvi) and the inclusion of a new s51A, with this new section outlined earlier.
Martin Hinton, QC, Solicitor-General of South Australia 2008-2016 writes, “The racist taint that ss 25 and 51(xxvi) bring to our Constitution is inextricably linked to our treatment of the First Australians.” (10)
We are still waiting. It is a long haul. Momentum to deal with these issues of racial discrimination in our constitution needs to gather pace.
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Commission (1998) ATSIC News, May 1998
Consultations will be held with Indigenous leaders, communities and stakeholders to refine the models developed in the first stage. Warren Entsch MP Presents the Boomerang Petition to Parliament on Behalf of Cairns Indigenous Leader Norman Miller https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4LSEErGV1rI&feature=youtu.be
A MIRACLE OCCURRED AT ULURU – THE RAINBOW SERPENT AND ITS EGGS LEFT ULURU AFTER PRAYER – CAUGHT ON CAMERA
Prayer at the rock at Uluru at Ps 24:7 convocation 2005 hosted by CFIRP
Prayer with local Aboriginal woman by Ps Peter Walker and Ps John Blackett in our convocation setting which was the Tent of Promise
We travelled to the base of Uluru in July 2005 for onsite prayer as part of the Healing the People Healing the Land Ps 24:7 convocation. It was hosted by the apostle prophet team Norman and Barbara Miller and the Centre for International Reconciliation and Peace, We used two hire buses of 100 people followed by other buses from Kalgoorlie, Darwin, and Tennant Creek, and cars of people who had come to the conference.
We set out from the tourist town of Yulara to Ayers Rock or Uluru at 2 pm Saturday 23rd July 2005 for an afternoon of prayer. For many, it was their first visit to the rock but others had paved the way. There was old and young, people from the desert and people from the coast, people from the bush and people from the city, male and female, black and white but we were all one in the Lord.
We had permission to be on this land from the traditional owners and had already received a welcome to country.
On arriving at Uluru, we stopped for some prayer in preparation. Norman said seeds were going to be planted, seeds of righteousness, godly seeds, and right foundations. He read from Gen 12:2-3 about the nations being blessed through Abraham and that whoever blesses his seed will be blessed and whoever curses his seed will be cursed. He said we want to be a sheep nation and bless Israel. Also, we need to plant seeds of honoring.
He honored God and all those who have gone before us and God’s covenant people. (We were with the Australian Prayer Network who hosted the National Prayer Gathering at Uluru in 1999 and there have been others paving the way).
Norman said we need to prophetically connect or be grafted as the wild olive branches into the natural olive tree of Israel. He said he would ask Hilary Moroney, as a person of Jewish heritage, to do this. Gloria Dyer and another lady of Jewish heritage joined her in this.
Norman said that part of the vision of the conference was to see a highway opened from Uluru to Jerusalem. He said on his last visit there 18 months ago, there were some rabbis dancing with joy in the streets of Jerusalem and they drew him into the circle to dance with them.
This was so special but he also wanted to dance with Jews in his land, even the heartland of Australia. The Lord made that possible on Tuesday morning when we danced with an Israeli, Madav, at the base of Uluru and crossed a bridge together, prophetically declaring that we were opening that highway from Uluru to Jerusalem with our prayer.
Norman then read excerpts from Romans 11:11-21 about the ingrafting. He also read Mt 7:24-27 about building your house on a rock.
Barbara honored God, the Anangu people on whose land we stood, and the Jewish people. She then led prayers of covering and protection because of the spiritual warfare that was about to occur. She led people in repentance so we could come to this event with clean hands and a pure heart and would not have any chinks in our armor.
We put on the armor of Ephesians 6 and prayed for the covering of Ps 91. Barbara prayed for the covering of the precious blood of the Lord over us and all that pertained to us and that angels would fight fights for us in heavenly realms. Also that the hedge God put around Job would be around us so the darts of the enemy could not get in.
She prayed for the blessings of Deut 28:1-14 for obedience to be on us and that the Lord would help us to be obedient so that we could receive the benefits of this scripture. We prayed that we would be the head and not the tail and that the enemy who came at us in one way would flee from us in 7 ways and that no weapon formed against us would prosper.
She prayed that the Lord would confuse the airways of the enemy and bring confusion, division, and ambush on them so they would fight each other and not us and also for the awe and terror and fear of the Lord upon them. We spoke that the battle was the Lords and that He would send His angels out ahead of us.
Barbara prayed to break off spirits of revenge, backlash and retribution and to cancel all assignments of the enemy against us. This was to include our conference, the prayer at the rock, our families, our churches, our workplaces, our health and finances and all those praying for us wherever they were.
Hilary asked people to pray in tongues. She then repented on behalf of Jews and non-Jews and asked the Lord to graft us into His true olive tree. She asked that Australia would be a sheep nation and stand with Israel. She thanked God for her heritage and asked that Australians would have a heart for Indigenous people as well.
Norman generally has a theme for the year and he declared the theme for 2005 – “Alive, Thrive and Revive in 2005” and “Ministry of the Arts – Apostolically Releasing the Saints”.
Barbara had shared in a previous session on spiritual mapping that the Mutitjulu waterhole was the home of the python snake, the poisonous snake and the rainbow serpent so this was the chosen location for most of the prayer. We basically had a four-hour trip, three hours of prayer, and just less than one hour’s travel, including circling the rock before returning to Yulara.
On arriving at Mutitjulu waterhole, Norman read Mt 16:13-19 about the church being built on the rock of revelation that He is the Lord, that the gates of hell would not prevail against it and that He had given his church the keys of binding and loosing. He thanked God for the loosing He was going to do in this place.
There was concert prayer ie a lot of people praying at the same time. Norman then asked the Lord to loose the 7 seals and to let His glory loose in this place. He read Rev 5:1-10. Only the Lion of the tribe of Judah (Jesus the lamb that was slain) is worthy to open the seals.
There was the sound of shofars and shouts and the roar of the lion of the tribe of Judah. The strategy of roaring like the Lion of the tribe of Judah was a strategy the Lord showed Barbara in Cairns and then led Barbara and Norman to use with effect to help bring breakthrough in Malaysia and Thailand at Bangkok Breakthrough conference. Muslims and Buddhists had loudspeakers blaring but Christian churches around the world are quiet.
Norman declared that the Lion of the tribe of Judah is not going to be intimidated by that ancient serpent. The Ancient of Days will have His way. He then read from Rev 20:1-3 about an angel from heaven seizing the dragon, the ancient serpent, the devil and then he was bound for 1,000 years. Norman then asked for another roar from the Bethany Gate and some more roaring went up with the sound of the shofar. There was a flag with the lion and the Star of David on it which Bruce Poulsen held. There were many other flags as well.
Norman and Barbara turning the key over the nation at the convocation. Ps George Annadorai, a speaker, holding the microphone
Brendon Cook, an Aboriginal leader from Tom Price, Pilbara WA claimed the rock back in the name of Jesus. He had boomerangs in his hand as he declared that the rock was the Lord’s. “I, Brendon Cook, son of the Most High God, claim this land back for Him in Jesus name”. God reigns.
Barbara had done a session at the conference on spiritual mapping and now prayed re the central creation story to this location which was the python woman or kuniya who became greatly enraged and sought revenge on the Liru or poisonous snake men (Aboriginal tribes identified with another part of creation) who had killed her nephew.
Kuniya did a powerful magic dance and then killed the Liru warrior who dropped his shield. In the process of her dance, she had stirred up the dust and poisoned some plants, particularly the spearwood bush. After some repentance and prayer by Aboriginal elders, Barbara took authority over these spirits of anger, revenge, witchcraft, murder, and death in Jesus name and prayed in the opposite spirits of blessing, joy, peace, love, life, and the Holy Spirit. Aboriginal elders and others prayed in unison.
She prayed that the Lord would remove the poison from the land, plants and waterhole. Norman later put some eucalyptus leaves in the water and prayed healing over them.
Barbara asked Aboriginal women to come forward as it is a birthing site and some women from the Northern Territory prayed in their language. An Aboriginal woman from Perth, Gloria Dyer, prayed to break the curse of barrenness off the land and into all territories.
“Father into all territories, I pray for an arrow to go from this place into the darkness and from Israel into this place. With the revelation of the blessing of the mothers of the land through the Holy Spirit, I break off the curse of barrenness over the land and release the men and women, and children of the land. “
Katie Hagen, an Aboriginal woman from Brisbane said,
“I call on the wind from the north the south the east, and the west to breathe in this place and the dead shall live. This is the day the Lord has made and we rejoice in it. I have given you the former rain and the latter rain. I have given you abundant rain. It shall rain. It shall rain. I have given you rain this day. We ask that the wind of the breath of the spirit of God will take the blessings to the 4 corners of the earth from this place. What you’ve declared to us is for all eternity.”
One of the men said this is a new birth of this nation.
Barbara agreed and said you can see in the formation of the rock that this is a birthing place and that is why we are here. She said the Lord had given her a vision of a white statue rising out of Uluru, the bride of Christ, and the words:
“Out of the ancient womb comes the 21st century church.” She said “I declare that all things that are not of God that have been birthed in this place are cut off in the name of Jesus and that any false covenants, false creation or false birthings are cut off in Jesus name. We cancel it out and nail it to the cross of Calvary.
We pray sterility over it, miscarriage over it and abortion over it in Jesus name. Sterility. It will not be able to come to full term. But we speak life to it to birth things that are of God. We speak life to it and draw forth that life from it.
This is a beautiful place. You’ve created it to remind us of You, not any other god so we speak here this day that this land be a monument to You and not to any other god from this day forward. It will birth the children of God. The earth itself cries out to Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians to come out and come forth into the kingdom of God. So, we open up a well of salvation in this place. Pour out rivers of healing waters from this place.
From this day forth salvation will come forth from this place. This very earth, this very waterhole, this very rock is calling out to the people to come into the kingdom of God so we open up the wells of salvation. Pour out rivers of salvation from this place. We declare that healing rivers will pour forth from this place. We speak that the children of this nation of all ages will come into the kingdom.
The earth and the Holy Spirit call you into Jesus’ arms. I prophesy a huge revival across this nation! We break off the tomb over the womb in Jesus’ name. We break off a spirit of death over this place in Jesus’ name and we say that what You wanted from the beginning will come forth in this place. We speak that a nation can be born again in a day.
We declare that from this day forward, this will be a place of pilgrimage where people will meet with You just as people make pilgrimages to Jerusalem and Lourdes. This will be a place of pilgrimage because they will know they will meet You here. People will come to this water to be healed just as they went to the Pool of Siloam to be healed. We speak that the mountains and the trees and every living thing including human beings will sing praises to God. This will be a place of praise. “
One of the women prayed that the pastors speak to this rock for rivers of living water to pour forth. Another woman read Isaiah 26:1-2 – a song will be sung in the land of Judah, open the gates that righteousness may enter. Then v 14-15 – “they are now dead, they live no more; those departed spirits do not rise. You punished them and brought them to ruin and you wiped out all memory of them. You have enlarged the nation O Lord“
Norman read Isaiah 9:6-7 and prayed that the government of Australia would be upon the shoulders of Jesus and that there would be godly alignment of government structures. He prayed that the government would align itself with godly authority; that the government would have God’s heart, godly order, and ways.
Shirley Miller, Norman’s mother, said she remembered a song about ‘whither pilgrims are you going.” She said with joy we draw water from the wells of salvation.
Barbara asked for Aboriginal men to pray. Ps Peter Walker from Sydney spoke of John 4 the Samaritan woman at the well and the mountains worshipped on. He suggested that it was time to not worship as in the traditions of the past but to worship God in spirit and truth. He also spoke of the broken cisterns of Jeremiah’s time.
He said the Hebrew word of water is maim and the name of the rainbow serpent or water serpent in Aboriginal is Miamba. He said the woman who followed Paul in Phillipi had a spirit of divination or python spirit. He said rather than scattering let someone lead and we all focus on the one point.
So Barbara asked people to pray in tongues and to pray in concert as she prayed. She spoke to the python spirit and said,
“Your time has come! You are no longer welcome in this place! Your time has come! This is no longer your domain! We command you right now to come out of this waterhole in Jesus’ name! Leave this waterhole in Jesus’ name! Spirit of divination, leave this waterhole in Jesus’ name.
You’ll not drink from this waterhole any longer! This place will not support or nourish you any longer! We speak that this place will not receive you but will reject you! That the land itself will vomit you out! Push you out! It will not want you because you make it poisonous, barren, and lifeless.
We break off all restrictions associated with the python spirit in Jesus’ name and we cut off that spirit that would squeeze the life out of Christians in the name of Jesus.”
As Barbara continued to pray in this vein for some time, the people were singing “Oh the Blood of Jesus”, blowing the shofar, or praying. We were all of one accord. It was as if we’d all come to take this place back for the Lord and we meant business. There was much prayer.
Norman said this same spirit is a world ruler. In 1998 at Jerusalem, he had repented on behalf of Indigenous people and other Australians for the promotion of the rainbow serpent. He had also led a small prayer delegation on Sydney Harbor Bridge to take authority over the rainbow serpent in February 2001 after it had been flashed over the Bridge with the New Year’s Eve fireworks.
He had read Isaiah 27. He asked the people assembled at Uluru to repent for exporting the rainbow serpent overseas and taking financial advantage of it in Australia through merchandising. Non-indigenous people have to repent as well. We need to take responsibility and accountability. Those assembled did so.
Barbara said that before continuing with the rainbow serpent, if they could finish the python spirit. She wanted to pray in the opposite to fill the void. She said Gloria had broken off the curse of barrenness. As we’ve now broken off the restrictions and squeezing the life out of the python spirit so we need to pray in expansion. Someone can pray the Jabez prayer.
Barbara read Isaiah 54:1-4. “Sing O barren woman, you who never bore a child, burst into song, shout for joy, you who were never in labor; because more are the children of the desolate woman than of her who has a husband says the Lord. Enlarge the place of your tent, stretch your tent curtains wide, do not hold back; lengthen your cords, strengthen your stakes. For you will spread out to the right and to the left your descendants will dispossess nations and settle in their desolate cities. Do not be afraid you will not suffer shame. Do not fear disgrace, you will not be humiliated. You will forget the shame of your youth and remember no more the reproach of your widowhood”.
Barbara said, “This (Is 54:1-4) is a word from the Lord for the nation of Australia:
“God is going to enlarge the church in this nation. Where the church has been desolate, God is going to bring expansion. This is corporate. This is what God’s doing, not you or me. God is doing this through those assembled here. God is going to enlarge the place of your tent. When you go home, tell your pastors to build a bigger church. We’re gong to have spiritual children in place of the barrenness.”
Norman declared a church without walls and Barbara agreed – a church without walls, expanding into the community. Some churches in Australia are shrinking e.g., Catholic and Anglican. But God is going to bring expansion to His kingdom in Australia. There’s going to be revival.
Barbara then read from Isaiah 66:7-9. Can a country be born in a day? Yes! Can Australia be born again in a day? Yes!! Those gathered declared this. “Do I bring to the moment of birth and not give delivery?’ says the Lord. No!! Barbara declared, “There’s a delivery going on here. There’s a birthing going on here. God’s redemptive plans and purposes for Australia are being born here. “
Barbara Jennings said she saw a birthing canal and water and blood.
Ps Peter Dunn said the Lord had been speaking to other intercessors who weren’t here but who had been listening to the Lord in support of this program. Issues in our history are the treatment of Aborigines, prisoners rebelling against authority, the treatment of migrants, the Eureka Stockade etc. There is a connection between these things and what comes through a spirit of Baal.
He said the Afghan camel riders rode the land speaking the Qu’ran and Islam into the land and particularly into the waters. They called their religion a religion of submission, not of submission to the Lord but a conquering spirit. It’s a militant spirit.
Gloria Dyer aid the Lord showed her Baal worship here about 3 years ago.
Barbara said she fully agreed but was checking to see what Peter had in mind to do because if it was short, we could do it now but if it needed some time to do it properly, it would be good to finish the rainbow serpent prayer off because that was the present flow, and then come back to the Baal/Islam prayer.
Norman likened the Afghan/Muslim claim on Australia and intermarriage to Aborigines to the Gibeonite deception of Joshua and mentioned the rainbow serpent’s use of alcohol to control his people. Norman said that as gatekeepers and watchmen we had allowed things into the garden and God speaks against irresponsible watchmen. (We had wanted to deal with this Islam/Afghan issue at some time during the conference so it is good that it happened at the rock. We sensed before Uluru that it would be like a Mt Carmel confrontation.)
Peter said it was short so Barbara said for Peter to lead us now and he said he believed what was required to deal with Baal was a Joshua strategy of a 7 fold victory shout of saying the Lion of the tribe of Judah 7 times with increasing intensity. We did this and ended with more roars, shofar blowing, and shouts of victory.
Norman said this was part of the 7 shifts we’ve been doing. He then completed leading the prayer re the rainbow serpent. He read Isaiah 27.1:
“In that day, the Lord will punish with His sword, His fierce, great and powerful sword, Leviathan the gliding serpent, Leviathan the coiling serpent; He will slay the monster of the sea.” He said “I read this here in your presence today. God is going to slay this reptile of the sea.”
Norman said to pray that the tourism industry would not feed that thing. He asked if there was a tourist operator who could stand in the gap to repent. Geoffrey Stokes, an Aboriginal pastor from Kalgoorlie stood in the gap for tourist operators re the use of the rainbow serpent.
Norman asked people to blow their shofars and he did as well. Singing broke out. Barbara prayed. Norman prayed to crush the serpent and its eggs in the name of Jesus and he asked us to prophetically stamp our feet and crush its eggs. He said “No more hatching. No more hatching. We march along as the army of the living God with the serpent under our feet. We crush your head and we break your back in Jesus’ name. Let the roar go forth!” There were roars and more shofar blowing and flag waving.
Joye Alit led us in a song “And I will serve no foreign gods.”
Barbara declared,
“We speak that no longer will the people of the land call out to the rainbow serpent, Wanampi, for water as they have traditionally done in this place but to You O Lord for the natural and the living water. We declare that the people will see that the rainbow serpent has lost his power and we speak that they will no longer invoke his name.”
Muriel Jencke and Ruth Webb were holding a banner “Elohim Bara” declaring God the Creator.
During his session at the convocation, Ps Vuniani Nakauyaca, our speaker from Fiji, had prepared, with the Aboriginal leaders, some water that had been cleansed with salt, anointed with oil, been used to wash the feet of non-Indigenous leaders, and then mixed with the red earth of the land. It had then been blessed and prayed over and the land was dedicated to the Lord.
This was now to be used to cleanse and heal the Mutitjulu waterhole. He said:
“It is an honour for me to be here, especially after we have been through the process today of cleaning it up. We’ve done confession and cleansing. This is a wellspring. You know the spiritual significance of the place. It is time to make a declaration. Prophetically you speak what you want for your tribe or nation as you scoop up the soil and water with your hands and put it in the waterhole eg the end to tribal fighting etc. This place will be no longer sacred as it was but sacred to the Lord and everyone who comes here will be impacted and touched, including tourists. I’m sensing something opening up already. God is rejoicing already.”
He asked Ps Carl Musch to pray first. He said the first thing Jesus asked us to do was to repent, to change our thinking. The rock was the centre of the nation.
As the people, one by one, took the soil and water in their hands and cast it into the waterhole with their prayers, Gloria knelt before Brendon and said that she gave him back his shield that our women knocked from his hand. She asked forgiveness for Aboriginal women taking spiritual authority from the men and prophetically gave it back and asked God to raise him and them as mighty warriors for Him.
This was important in that it came in the opposite spirit of a story of the place where the python woman knocked his shield from the hands of a Liru or poisonous snake man and killed him in revenge because her nephew had been killed in revenge earlier by his tribe.
Muriel Jenke had given Norman some white stones in Thailand at the Bangkok Breakthrough conference, which he took to Uluru. The stones were thrown prophetically to the north, south, east, and west, 3 for the tribes and 3 with the scriptures in each direction. The white stones were calling new life to the tribes and the coloured stones declared the word of God.
Brendon Cook threw the last six stones together into the water. Five formed a cross with one stone further out as a Joshua stone. The cross was last year raised prophetically across the nation before the 24/7 convocation in Canberra by the Bendigo intercessors.
Roger Wall, one of the intercessors from our Tabernacle of David church in Cairns had a piece of coal that came from Wales and was given to our church by intercessors Gail and Rowland, believing to sow some seeds of the Welsh revival. He threw it into the Mutitjulu waterhole and prayed for revival over Australia and beyond, knowing that this was a birthing place.
The most amazing thing happened as we left the rock (Uluru). Veronica Coutts from Palm Island took a photograph of Uluru on her digital camera and it showed a snake with its head cut off (cut in two) and it was rising up from the bottom to the top of the rock and leaving with its eggs. John Andrews also captured it on their camera. The Lord had His way.
Witches had been trying to infiltrate and thwart our conference all week but they left after the prayer at Uluru showing that they could no longer draw power from the rock. We had witches stalking our worship team and we had to remove a few women dancing like snakes during worship.
We urge you to pray to continue to hold the territory taken as we know that witches from around the world come to Uluru and try to activate the powers of darkness. However, Dianne Taylor believes what happened is unstoppable and relates it to a prophecy of Dr Ian Pelser some years ago:
“As I watched it formed into the head of a spear and the shaft attached to it were the evangelists, pastors, and teachers. The head of the spear was the apostles and prophets that needed to meet and to gain strength in the truth that this really was what God was calling them for in this end-time work. Then as this was accepted it became the spearhead… and as the word went out and they became accepted and working in their positions the shaft became attached to the spear and itbecame ‘what was thrust into the earth, piercing the hearts of men in holy conviction unto salvation and the harvest became “unstoppable’.”
There are some conference videos available and a video of the prayer at Uluru is available:
What on earth could a caterpillar have to do with politics or worship or – wait for it- the Voice?
Dream
On the night of 24 March, I had a strange dream about a caterpillar-like creature that was light blue and see-through and maybe 2ft long and very light that would occasionally somersault and moved around a lot. I couldn’t see any legs. It was kind of floating just above the ground. I say caterpillar because it had a curvy body like waves up and down.
There was an old white woman on my right and somehow her head got attached (sewn on with needle and thread) to both ends of the caterpillar. I don’t know if she was decapitated as I didn’t see her after this happened but there was no blood and her head was shrunk to fit the size of the caterpillar. It seemed to move from left to right even though it had 2 heads.
There was a woman on the other side of the caterpillar whom I could not see but she said she owned it and called it a train, “That’s my train.”
I don’t usually remember dreams but this image is staying with me still many days later. My husband Norman woke me up at one point because I was making a noise. I said I’m OK I’m praying against something. I went straight back to sleep and don’t remember anything about it but I don’t think it was the same dream as the caterpillar. When I woke up in the morning, I remembered the caterpillar dream and all I was getting was that it was a hybrid – part insect part human – not good.
Norman came up with the words train wreck, miscarriage, and two-faced. Also, the caterpillar in the Bible that destroys crops, finances etc. And also, that caterpillars transform into butterflies.
Cartoon re train
I was surprised when I was researching a photo to go with my article about the Voice that I found one (and used it) about a train with Voice written on it that was coming around a corner very fast and about to run over Opposition Leader Peter Dutton who was on the rail track. Someone was calling to him to “train coming!” So, is this caterpillar symbolic of the Voice?
Caterpillar Dreaming
Well, as you might imagine, I was reluctant to share this with anyone. However, I did share it with one trusted intercessor and her husband and she said the two women in the dream could be witches. She asked me if there was anything in Aboriginal culture about caterpillars. I immediately said yes, there is a caterpillar dreaming in the Northern Territory.
So, I searched for it on the internet and found that the story is actually around Alice Springs. Interesting considering all the problems that have made headlines recently there re youth crime, alcohol abuse, and family violence. See “Prayer Points for Alice Springs and All Communities Affected by Similar Issues” https://reconciliationandpeace.org/2023/02/reconciliation-newz-buzz-feb-2023-no-2/ and “God’s Voice Shakes the Desert” prophetic word and message by Ps Norman Miller 29.1.23 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=60GJRNMzwXw
But there was much more. I came across an article about the caterpillar dreaming that said it was the story of three caterpillars and one of them was greenish blue. These caterpillars turn into the hawk moth.. It is a creation story where the caterpillars form the land around Alice Springs. They are decapitated and form the MacDonnell ranges.
The last sentence was very interesting because it quoted a renowned elder of the area, Wenten Rabuntja, whom I knew of when he chaired the Central Land Council, using the word train.
This seemed to be a lot of coincidences – a blue caterpillar, a decapitation and a train.
Emily Gap signboard from Innerscribe website
Yipirinya means caterpillar in Arrernte and the region was created by giant caterpillars. Their creation story begins at Anthwerrke (Emily Gap), just east of Alice Springs in the East McDonnell Ranges. They then travelled west towards Alice Springs creating the topographical features along the way. The story goes:
“But after leaving Ntyarlkarle Tyaneme, they came upon the ilperenye (green beetle men) at Ntaripe (Heavitree Gap). There a great battle took place, with the caterpillars defeated and many beheaded, their bodies now forming parts of the McDonnell Ranges, joined head to tail as travelling caterpillars are seen to do, their decapitations creating the spectacular gorges that cut through the ranges.”
The writers emphasise the inclusiveness of the story,
“Indeed, the Arrernte see this inclusiveness as intrinsic to the Caterpillar Dreaming. The story emphasises that the caterpillars converged on Alice Springs from all directions – north, south, east and west. Mparntwe (Alice Springs) is “everybody’s four corners” a meeting place – where people from all over (indigenous and non-indigenous alike) are “all mixed up together” – a place in which everyone can belong, a melting pot in which all work together in community. As one Arrernte elder expressed it so eloquently:
We got to be like the two train-lines. That train, he cannot run on just one line.” (Wenten Rubuntja)
If you have followed the journey of constitutional recognition, you will know that it has morphed (changed slowly) and then undergone a metamorphosis or transformed significantly over the years just as a caterpillar transforms radically into a butterfly or moth. However, this is seen especially since the meeting at Uluru where it changed from recognition in, and removal of racism from, the constitution to Voice Treaty Truth. It was a seismic shift that all state and territories are moving to implement, not just the federal government.
Blue Caterpillar makes its way into the media
The blue caterpillar or hornworm is also in the Alice in Wonderland story using a hookah to smoke tobacco. He tells her to eat the mushroom so she can magically change her size.
Norman said that he thought there was a usurping spirit behind the Voice. I said yes, I agree, and amazingly, the blue caterpillar in Alice in Wonderland is called Absolem (a similar name for the usurping spirit, Absalom.) https://tvovermind.com/caterpillar-alice-in-wonderland/
I researched the hawk moth and found there is a cartoon where the blue caterpillar uses the strong feelings of people to magically turn them into evil humans in exchange for helping them reach their goals.
Okay, these are all stories -a dreamtime story, a movie and a cartoon. But is there anything else here? Magic is still practiced in central Australia according to Aboriginal pastors.
Trains and songlines
Our church hosted a conference in Parliament House Canberra in 2004, the head of the nation and then in Uluru the heart of the nation in 2005. At a visit to the Institute of Aboriginal and Torrres Strait Islander Studies (AIATSIS) in Canberra around this time, I was told there is a songline from AIATSIS to Uluru and shown the spot as it was marked. At that time, I was not used to carrying a mobile phone and so I didn’t take a photo and I can’t find a photo now. However, there are prominent projects re songlines and one of them is about a train. There is an Aboriginal song about it as it traverses their country as songlines do. Their website says:
“The Nyamal train song is known as a Japi song, a public song that was composed by Pilbara stockman Mangkayipirti or Larry Brown. It tells of the sights and sounds of the train’s journey through Nyamal country.” https://aiatsis.gov.au/explore/singing-train
AIATSIS explains that, “Ancient songlines criss-cross the continent and link people, places, and practice. By singing the songlines, Elders evoke the ancient stories of Country.” https://aiatsis.gov.au/explore/marlaloo-songline
There is a big effort in Australia to reactivate the songlines which are worldwide:
“Songlines or Song line in Australia refers to the Earth’s subtle energy currents – known as ley lines in UK, snake lines in India, Dragon lines in China – also related to the Hartmann and Curries lines known well in Germany, geomancy and feng shui.” https://www.spiritsafaris.com/songlines/
Two heads or two-faced
Occasionally we have two heads in nature e.g. in snakes and turtles. It’s generally interpreted as a lack of responsibility and accountability because of undefined authority or boundaries and leads to confusion. I can see this in the Voice and I can see the two heads are the ALP represented by Prime Minister Albanese and the Referendum Working Group.
Interestingly, a “two-headed woman” is a traditional African American term used to describe women gifted with access to the spirit world as well as to the material world.
Wesley’s Revelation 9:19 Bible Commentary
Revelation 9:19 “The power of the horses was in their mouths and in their tails; for their tails were like snakes, having heads with which they inflict injury.” NIV)
This commentary says,
“Their riders fight retreating as well as advancing: so that their rear is as terrible as their front.
For their tails are like serpents, having heads — Not like the tails of serpents only. They may be fitly compared to the amphisbena, a kind of serpent, which has a short tail, not unlike a head from which it throws out its poison as if it had two heads.” https://www.godtube.com/bible/revelation/9-19
The amphisbena is an ant-eating serpent from Greek mythology which had two heads.
But what about two-faced? The Cambridge dictionary says, “Someone who is two-faced is not sincere, saying unpleasant things about you to other people while seeming to be pleasant when they are with you.”
If we apply the above to the Voice, there is the potential for deceit, characteristic of the serpent, the potential to be destructive and hurt, and the potential to be insincere and mislead.
Train wreck and miscarriage of justice
One news commentator has since called the proposed referendum on the Voice a train wreck. Is it justice for less than 4% of the population to override or hold to ransom over 96% of the population? As Prime Minister Albanese said, it would be a brave government that would reject the advice of the Voice. (The Australian 3.8.22)
False worship?
Obviously, I was not going to release this without much prayer about it. After all, I have been a supporter of Indigenous rights for 50 years, often at the coalface. But it is the Lord’s Voice that must hold pre-eminence over other voices. I need to be prepared to sacrifice friendships and my good name and my pet theories if that’s what the Lord calls for. So, the rubber hits the road.
As I prayed for confirmation that my dream was from the Lord rather than one that was not relevant, I felt the scripture of Leviticus 14:12 was highlighted to me.
“Then the priest is to take one of the male lambs and offer it as a guilt offering, along with the log of oil; he shall wave them before the LORD as a wave offering.”
I then got 2 Corinthians 5:18-20:
“All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting people’s sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation. We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ’s behalf: Be reconciled to God.”
Reconciliation May Go Backward Rather Than Forward
Briefly, there have been huge strides towards reconciliation between First Nations and others in our nation. The Voice is liable to take us backwards rather than forwards as it is a divisive process.
Not only that, it has the potential to be very divisive for First Nations people with each other. When the National Native Title Act 1993 came in, many First Nations people saw it as a step forward but it has created huge divisions with Aboriginal groups fighting each other for many years over who has native title to various areas all around Australia.
Politics of Atonement
So, what do we have here? The place for making things right is primarily between us and God but we also need to make it right with those we’ve wronged. Matthew 5:23-24:
“Therefore, if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother or sister has something against you, leave your gift there in front of the altar. First go and be reconciled to them; then come and offer your gift.”
For those who are trying to make things right with our First Nations or Indigenous people, this is a worthy endeavour. However, if we are not guided by God in how to do it, can we make mistakes? Yes, we can.
I prayed that if the Voice is a guilt offering to make things right and reconcile further with First Nations people, what are we offering or laying down or sacrificing and what is the altar on which we are offering it?
Is it equality of citizenship? Is it our desire to have a society free of racism and discrimination? Is it democracy? Is it our Judeo-Christian heritage? Are we opening the door of parliament and government for an Aboriginal earth religion? And is it the altar of woke or the altar of race?
Is the ancient serpent trying to further take over our government? Let’s face it, the serpent has already made plenty of inroads. Our constitution and government are based on Judeo-Christian values and these are increasingly being challenged.
What is power-sharing like in a democracy? The doctrine of the separation of powers divides the institutions of government into three branches: legislative, executive, and judicial: the legislature makes the laws; the executive puts the laws into operation; and the judiciary interprets the laws.
If someone or something really wanted to undermine our democracy, how would they do it? Why of course, add a fourth arm just as powerful as the three existing pillars – the Voice with the power to be consulted early by the legislature (parliament) and the executive (ministers and public service) on most matters.
If the Voice is not satisfied that it has been consulted properly or heard with effect, it can challenge the matter in the high court (the judiciary). It will have the constitutional right to do so if the referendum later this year is successful. This is not a modest proposal as Albanese says, but a radical one.
Is there a connection between Uluru and the Caterpillar Dreaming?
The recognition of First Nations people in the constitution has been a long process and I have covered it in my book Secrets and Lies (www.barbara-miller-books.com).
The Uluru Statement from the Heart which has led us to where we are today was made symbolically at Uluru, the heart of the nation on the 50th anniversary of the 1967 referendum which enabled First Nations people to be counted in the census and for the federal government to legislate regarding them.
Did the location of Uluru make a difference? Why did I see a caterpillar if the caterpillar story has no connection to Uluru? What are the dreamtime stories around Uluru?
Norman and I and our Centre for International Reconciliation and Peace hosted a conference at Uluru in 2005 at which First Nations and other Christians came from all over Australia. We were welcomed by traditional owner Bob Randall who spoke at our conference and sang his famous song for us Brown Skin Baby.
Well, we certainly stirred up the witches. Firstly, we had a call from Pastor Noel Mann that there was a group in Brisbane who put a huge advertisement in The Courier Mail maintaining that they were hosting our conference and inviting people to attend a preliminary meeting in Brisbane. We quickly flew to Brisbane and confronted them at the meeting. We also watched the registrations coming in to make sure we didn’t register them.
While we were at Uluru, we had witches stalking the rooms of our worship team. We had hired the Tent of Promise tent and at the conference itself, we had uninvited women dancing like snakes during the worship who had to be removed. It was a full-on battle. After we prayed and took authority over opposing spirits at the base of Uluru, it all stopped so they were probably drawing their power from there. Fortunately, it was an amazingly successful conference and we haven’t had that type of direct confrontation again.
Prayer at the base of Uluru at our 2005 conference – Healing the Land, Healing the People
We went to the base of the rock Uluru and had an amazing time of worship and prayer with many Aboriginal elders and non-Indigenous prayer warriors. As we went to board our buses back to where we were staying, two people took photos of the rock and both reported that night that on their cameras were photos of the rainbow serpent and its eggs leaving the rock. They had not seen it in the natural.
The Lord had been at work! Unfortunately, because of its sacred nature, new agers, the occult, and the local Aboriginal people reinvoke the ancient spirits of the land. So, while amazing ground was taken in the spirit, it is not easy to maintain it.
I studied the local stories before we went to Uluru and spoke about them in a spiritual mapping session at our conference. The creation story of the Anangu people of Uluru is all about snakes.
“There lived two tribes of ancestral spirits. Invited to a grand dinner, they did not show up because they were distracted by the Sleepy Lizard Women. The hosts, in anger, sang evil into the mud sculpture, which thereupon came to life. Then began a massive battle, which resulted in deaths of leaders of both tribes. Due to the amount of bloodshed, and remorse felt by the Earth itself, it rose in grief, becoming Uluru.” https://oursonglines.com/blog/uluru-dreamtime
The rainbow serpent is seen as the main creator spirit in Aboriginal Australia, its creative stories belonging to many tribes. Wanampi is the Anangu Pitjantjatjara word meaning rainbow serpent and they are believed to be dangerous creatures guarding waterholes. Anne Axelby, Flinders University, says in Wanampi: Rainbow Serpent of the Desert that:
“It is said that Wanampi assumes the form of a rainbow when offended. In its rainbow state, the Wanampi is revered by Anangu, but the Wanampi can kill intruders by taking their spirit.”
Conclusion
There does not appear to be any significant relationship between the caterpillar dreaming and the dreamtime stories of Uluru. It is likely to be a coincidence that there are 3 caterpillars at Alice Springs and 3 snakes at Uluru – python, Liru the venomous snake, and Wanampi, the rainbow serpent. However, I think we need to keep in mind the role of the snake in Genesis and the role of the serpent in Revelation. We may think these are just stories but there are spiritual realities behind them.
The Lord has been putting on my heart the words enchantment and bewitched. The church and other faith leaders have come out publicly in support of the Voice:
“The Catholic, Uniting and Anglican churches, the Australian National Council of Imams and the Executive Council of Australian Jewry on Friday will join Australian Sikhs, Buddhists, Hindus and the National Council of Churches at Barangaroo in Sydney to endorse the Uluru Statement from the Heart.” Catholic Archbishop of Melbourne Peter Comensoli told The Oz: “I am personally moved by the deep yearning expressed in the Statement from the Heart, and I am so encouraged that faith leaders have offered a response from the heart of their own spiritual traditions.” https://www.theaustralian.com.au/the-oz/news/aussie-religious-leaders-call-for-an-indigenous-voice-to-parliament/news-story/0f440d4098b87120ef33593ed121ae65
I was led to the verse:
“You foolish Galatians! Who has bewitched you? Before your very eyes Jesus Christ was clearly portrayed as crucified.” (Galations 3:1 NIV)
I think it’s important that I note that I respect Aboriginal culture and I think that other Australians should also. Nevertheless, we need to discern the difference between respecting it and making an idol of it.
I am reminded that many years ago, an Aboriginal priest from Yarrabah said to me, tapping his chest, “I’m a culture man but the church expects me to give up Aboriginal culture.”
This was a dilemma for him, feeling torn between the two. I said, “It doesn’t matter whether you are black or white, you need to give up those parts of your culture that don’t line up with the word of God and keep those parts that do.”
I gave some examples – loving money more than God, making an idol of sport, or of achieving fame or anything that we give higher allegiance to than God or would offend God. He gave a sigh of relief, saying that he didn’t realise that white people had to examine and give up parts of their culture too.
I do want to also call out syncretism within the church, a matter I will come back to.
The image above is of a cross built recently built on Memory Mountain in the heart of Australia. It will be lit on Good Friday in a special celebration marked by the local Aboriginal community who had the vision for it and Ken Duncan who made it possible. People from around Australia will join them. This image is from Walk a While Facebook page and you can find out more there.
Prayer Points for Alice Springs and All Communities Affected by Similar Issues 2.2.23 By Pastors Norman and Barbara Miller
As we have been requested by a number of people to develop prayer points for the crisis in Alice Springs which is also being experienced in northern Queensland and the north of Western Australia as well as other parts of the Northern Territory, we have provided the following. We have developed these prayer points in our own prayer time and also after many phone conversations with Indigenous and other Christian leaders who live in or have worked in Alice Springs. This list may seem too much but just pick out one or two as the Lord leads you or just pray as led by the Lord.
Prayer for Practical Issues
Healing for Indigenous and non-indigenous people traumatised by physical violence, break-ins to homes, businesses, and cars.
For improvement in the town camps – that there would be nurturing responsible relationships instead of dysfunctional families, domestic violence, child abuse and neglect, alcohol abuse, violence, and crime. Pray in the opposite and positive.
That children and youth will have food to eat and sleep regular hours in safe homes with parents who know and care where they are.
For the cycle of intergenerational poverty to be broken, that families can find meaningful ways to spend their time either with paid or unpaid work and/or recreational pursuits. For employment opportunities to be increased and people mentored in income generation activities.
For recreational activities for children and youth in town camps and Alice so they don’t get bored and destructive.
That children and youth will have a purpose for their lives, and dreams of a future for themselves, and the motivation and self-confidence to achieve them.
That parents and other elders will earn and receive respect from the younger generation.
That the children and youth would re-engage with their schooling and get help to catch up what they have missed out on and that adult education services would be more accessible.
For the government to provide more housing and infrastructure, especially in the town camps.
For local decision-makers including Aboriginal organisations (Tangentyere Council, Central Australian Aboriginal Congress, and others), Alice Springs Council, government departments, community organisations etc. to make wise decisions and come up with workable strategies. For all consultations to include Indigenous people, organisations, and communities and to be empowering for them.
For Teen Challenge to be set up again and for the government-funded drop-in centre to operate again with a night patrol of Aboriginal elders.
For finances (already allocated and new) to assist Alice Springs and region to be used strategically to bring a breakthrough in this situation.
Prayer for Spiritual Issues
For the 20m cross that has been erected on Memory Mountain near Haasts Bluff nearby the Aboriginal communities of Ikuntji and Papunya to bring revival. It was a vision of the Aboriginal people of Ikuntji that Ken Duncan helped raise the money for. It will be lit up at a special event on Good Friday 2023. The Lord may even call you to go there However, this is a great opportunity to pray for spiritual renewal and revival. (For more information, see https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-10-22/haasts-bluff-cross-monument-central-australia-ken-duncan/101528352)
That the local churches in Alice Springs will come together in unity and pray together and that they would be prepared to engage with youth on the streets at night. That Indigenous Christians would be supported to outreach more and pray for Indigenous Ps Sherry Lowah’s congregation as they do outreach.
That children and youth who disrupt church services or steal from them will get saved and repentance and revival will fall on Alice Springs and other affected communities.
Pray against a spirit of fear enveloping Alice Springs and region, affecting Indigenous and non-indigenous people, and for their safety.
Pray against a spirit of addiction, boredom, and hopelessness.
Pray against a spirit of lawlessness and anarchy.
That the youth, children, and adults will have a sense of right and wrong.
That the media would report accurately on the situation and not inflame the situation by calling concerned citizens “white supremacists” and that the troubles will not increase any racism that already exists from either side.
That God’s peace would reign over the region.
That Indigenous Christians would honour those parts of their culture that line up with God’s word and let go of those aspects of their culture that don’t and have the wisdom and discernment of God to know the difference. That non-indigenous Christians would do the same.
That just as God covered Adam and Eve’s shame with His glory, He would cover the shame of Aboriginal people with His glory. This is because “shame” is a word Aboriginal people often use to express how they feel.
Some Aboriginal people have felt invisible because their plight is not seen and their cries are not heard. We break off the legacy of the doctrine of terra nullius that said that the land we now know as Australia was uninhabited. If what happens in Alice Springs was happening in Sydney, e.g., action would have been taken a long time ago.
L-R Books by Barbara Miller on the Holocaust,- If I Survive, the story of a Polish Jewish Holocaust survivor and Shattered Lives Broken Dreams about the Australian Aboriginal Response to the Holocaust. They are available from www.barbara-miller-books.com.
Barbara was pleased to speak briefly at the Southern Cross Alliance for Israel (SCAFI) zoom meeting just before the International Holocaust Remembrance Day to launch the Handbook on the Holocaust (below). The main speakers at the SCAFI event were the former Israel ambassador to the US and Eli Rabinowitz from the WAH! Foundation.
UN International Holocaust Remembrance Day
The WE ARE HERE! Foundation is proud to announce three new education initiatives in response to the UN International Holocaust Remembrance Day’s pledge to broaden educational programs. These three active education programs promote human rights and social justice through the principle of being an Upstander. These are:
1. IN MY POCKET Project on the Kindertransport and displaced people, suitable for 9 to 12 year olds, in collaboration with educators in Germany and Scotland. The project has been further developed for this age group for WA Museum Boola Bardip and other organisations in Australia. These consist of Book Readings with Art & Craft Workshops.
2. Holocaust Teachers’ Resources and Year 10 Holocaust History Curriculum Resources by Dr Bill Allen, retired Senior Lecturer in Education Dr Bill Allen’s new and comprehensive resources are for Year 10 teachers to use to teach the Holocaust component of the in-depth study of World War 2.
3. Handbook – The Holocaust and The Australian and Australian Aboriginal Responses by Barbara Miller This handbook is a resource for educators and teachers and for upper secondary students and adult education programs in Australia and internationally. The handbook focuses on Australia’s response to the events leading up to and during the Holocaust, and in particular the specific responses of Aboriginal political and social activist William Cooper and fellow members of the AAL. This online handbook is free.
WAH! Foundation chose Aboriginal William Cooper as their ambassador, a fine example of the compassion of an Upstander. He was a prominent activist who set out against the odds to protest the plight of the Jews in Nazi Germany, culminating in the tragedy of Kristalnacht in 1938.
Success is not always achieved overnight. William Cooper marched to the Melbourne German Consulate on 6 December 1938 to present his petition in support of Germany’s Jews. His petition was not accepted. This deed was only fully recognised by the German government in 2017.
“Some say that William Cooper only performed one act of solidarity in protesting to the Germans’ cruel treatment of the Jews. However, I sense that he has become more than a Christian Aboriginal upstander. He has become a symbol of the bond between Jews and Aborigines which was formed through his protest and which has deepened with the commemoration of his actions.” Barbara Miller, biographer.
These online resources are offered free of charge to educators and students, as long as the source is credited. To arrange your copy, or for more information, email: elirab@iinet.net.au
This is an excerpt from a press release by the WE ARE HERE! Foundation.
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A glimpse of our congregation’s meeting area. This was not staged but taken as I walked by. Such a blessing. You can just see the well we named Rehoboth which was made for a conference we hosted in 2003 called Redigging the Wells of Revival and Transformation. It refers to the Gen 26:18-26 scriptures where Isaac redug the wells of his father Abraham. The Philistines had stopped up the well after Abraham passed away. Today the wells of revival have been stopped up by the enemy and we need to redig those wells and bring forth revival again. If you want to read a summary report of this ground-breaking conference, click HERE.
At our conference, we brought together Aboriginal communities who had experienced revival like Elcho Island, Pinnacle Pocket, Yarrabah etc. with the City Transformation movement under Brian Pickering and Ben Gray. Brian was a speaker. It was a wonderful time with prophetic words flowing.
19 Also Isaac’s servants dug in the valley, and found a well of running water there. 20 But the herdsmen of Gerar quarreled with Isaac’s herdsmen, saying, “The water is ours.” So he called the name of the well Esek, because they quarreled with him. 21 Then they dug another well, and they quarreled over that one also. So he called its name Sitnah. 22 And he moved from there and dug another well, and they did not quarrel over it. So he called its name Rehoboth, because he said, “For now the Lord has made room for us, and we shall be fruitful in the land.”
Blowing of Silver Trumpets and Shofars for Rosh HaShanah
Rosh HaShanah – Jewish New Year & Yom Teruah (Trumpets) – Anniversary of Creation by Ps Barbara Miller. The blowing of the silver trumpets and shofars is on another video This video contains worship, lighting of the candle, kiddush i.e. the blessing over the wine and bread (challah), a message by Pastor Barbara Miller, and then a festive meal. Scroll to the section you want or be blessed by the whole event.
If you would love a copy of this Reconciliation CD with original songs from the Tabernacle of David Cairns, you can order onehere. Just scroll down to find the picture. Free shipping in Australia. Photo of didjeridoo player Darryl Miller in this image.
Yom Kippur Or Day of Atonement message by Ps Barbara Miller
Ps Norman Miller had a wonderful message and prophetic word on Expanding Our Territory with many scriptures but the prayer of Jabez was a key one. Unfortunately, he didn’t want it recorded. Do pray this prayer and be blessed.
Message – Rise Up on Eagles Wings
Barbara has prepared a Holocaust Handbook forAustralian schools so please pray that those in charge of the curriculum in all states will be interested in using it. It mentions William Cooper, an Aboriginal Christian who led the Australian Aborigines’ League in a protest to the German consulate in Melbourne in 1938 against Kristallnacht. If you want to read about him, there is a sale on books about him. It has been extended to October so you still have an opportunity to get one.
BELOW COST SALE WILLIAM COOPER GENTLE WARRIOR
Slashed from $29.95 to $7ea for September only. Sales of 10 or more copies, the low price of $5 each $12 Shipping for 1 copy. $2 extra for each additional copy. Email me for direct sales here or go to the website – www.barbara-miller-books.com
A New Review – Decrees and Dangerous Prayers
Decrees and Dangerous Prayers is a very powerful tool for those passionate to change history. Barbara Miller rightly quotes the words found in proverbs, “Life and death are indeed in the power of the tongue.” Jesus rarely prayed for people rather he decreed or commanded healing. The prophets of Israel did the same.
Peter the apostle did not pray for the cripple at the gate beautiful rather he decreed God’s will over the man through the gift of faith. The rest is history!
Acts 3:1-8 says, “Peter and John went to the Temple one afternoon to take part in the three o’clock prayer service. As they approached the Temple, a man lame from birth was being carried in. Each day he was put beside the Temple gate, the one called the Beautiful Gate, so he could beg from the people going into the Temple. When he saw Peter and John about to enter, he asked them for some money.
Peter and John looked at him intently, and Peter said, ‘Look at us!’ The lame man looked at them eagerly, expecting some money. But Peter said, ‘I don’t have any silver or gold for you. But I’ll give you what I have. In the name of Jesus Christ, the Nazarene, get up and walk!’
Then Peter took the lame man by the right hand and helped him up. And as he did, the man’s feet and ankles were instantly healed and strengthened. 8He jumped up, stood on his feet, and began to walk! Then, walking, leaping, and praising God, he went into the Temple with them.”
I have known Ps Barbara Miller since the early nineties along with her husband Ps Norman Miller. She has authored over 10 books and she is a mighty woman of God as is her husband, Norman Miller. They helped launch a prophetic decree for this nation called the Canberra Declaration on 21 July 2010 that has blossomed into a significant ministry in the nation for righteousness.
What am I saying? Ps Barbara is not just a writer but a doer. She has lived and breathed, “Decrees and Dangerous Prayers,” for over 30 years. This book is testimony to that fact. Reading this book will inspire you, challenge you and change you. I highly recommend it for all believers!
Warwick Marsh, founder Dads4Kids Fatherhood Foundation, co-founder the Canberra Declaration and National Day of Prayer and Fasting
Ps Norman has made a gunyah (traditional Aboriginal dwelling) in his backyard from which to send Christian messages out by video. He has a worship ministry on the Cairns streets (Esplanade) where he has been going every Tuesday, Wednesday, and Sunday night for about 5 years now. As well as touching lives, it changes the spiritual atmosphere over the city.
Barbara Miller Interviewed on her Reconciliation Ministry by Eric Skattebo of Vision Christian Radio
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IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO JOIN A FACEBOOK GROUP CALLED DECREES & APOSTOLIC PROPHETIC PRAYERS SO YOU CAN BE PART OF A CHRISTIAN GROUP WHO DECLARE DECREES FROM OUR POSITION OF SITTING IN HEAVENLY PLACES WITH JESUS RATHER THAN ONLY PETITIONING FROM EARTH, CLICK HERE
WHAT COURSE WOULD YOU BE INTERESTED IN? A. Writing and Declaring Decrees B. How to Observe Biblical (Jewish) Feasts from a Christian Standpoint C. Tabernacle of David D. Reconciliation E. Writing a Christian Book F. something else. If so, what?
We post nearly every day on our Facebook page for Indigenous Friends of Israel and this refreshes the front page of our website. Please like it so you can get updates from us of what is happening around the world that is affecting the Jewish community and Israel as many of you, like us, pray for Israel daily. This will give you some prayer points. To like it, click here.
