It is that time of year again, the last twelve months seem to have flown by. I guess not having much of a summer this year makes the last year feel all very much the same, it would be nice to have the seasons back like I remember them from my childhood, with a long hot summer and then a cold winter with snow. I guess we will get the snow in February time like we often do, I remember this as it sometimes snows around my birthday, anyway looks like there are no Christmas Snowmen again!
The talk of snow, the pictures on Christmas cards, the tinsel, the mince pies - are all things which people traditionally associate with Christmas. But I hope this year, in uncertain times, that people stop for a minute to really think about the story of Jesus; His birth, life, death & resurrection. To understand that without the resurrection there is no Easter. To understand that without Jesus there would be no point in celebrating Christmas.
I hope that as a church and as Christians that we are better able to get the message of the Gospel across to a sceptical public who are in great need of it. I was driving to work this morning and on the radio there were a couple of guests talking about Christmas from an atheist perspective and talking about the "invention of a God" and the science in which they would prefer to put their trust.
It just struck me as a Christian listening to them that they don't really understand what it is like to have a relationship with a God that speaks to me everyday, that helps me make decisions both big and small, that protects me and my family and who wants to, yes, receive our worship and thanks but also to provide us good gifts. Not just just gifts wrapped up at Christmas but gifts which are much better and that have eternal value.
I also hope that people understand that the Christmas story is not just about the day of the birth of Jesus but are able to see it in the context of the desire of a mighty and holy God wanting us back, a fallen sinful race. In the context of it being a fulfilment of Old Testament prophecy and not just a nice story from just over 2000 years ago. That the creator God wanted a way to bring us back to himself that those who trust and accept his Son as the amazing gift it was are able in faith to restore the relationship between us. And more than this, some 33 years later, that we can understand the cost of this gift. A most precious gift.
Whatever you are doing, have a wonderful Christmas but take time to remember why and what we are celebrating. Take time now or in the new year to find out for yourself the message of the gospel - to not continue to just blindly accept what is probably now the default view of non-belief. To just accept what others are saying or what "science" tries to explain. Ask yourself the question when you look at the creation around you and perhaps the baby or your young child - is this all just chance, a biological accident. Think about feelings, desires, attractions, sadness, happiness, love. Think about what you might consider to be your soul or your spiritual, consider that we have mere mortal bodies. Think about these deeper aspects to your character and of those around you.
God gave his son Jesus as a babe, born in humble surroundings, who lived a perfect life, who was sinless but felt all the pain of life and was tempted just like you and me. Who had all our human characteristics - who became just like us. The Messiah who was predicted in ages before, who the Old Testament prophets foretold, the Saviour of not just the World, but of YOU and me. Who was tortured by the people whom he came to save, who died an horrendous death but who rose again from death and appeared to not just a few but to many witnesses. You could refer them in today's language as eye-witnesses. The creator God gave us all this as the only way we could live with him eternally and as the best way to live life on this earth, in companionship with him and with his Holy Spirit alive in us, directing us for good.
You may ask yourself right now, is there more to life than this ? My response would be - absolutely! If only one person reads this, decides to find out more, goes to a local church, asks questions and decides to respond in Faith then it would for me be a truly Happy Christmas!
Tuesday, 23 December 2008
Monday, 15 December 2008
Listening To God
I had a conversation with a friend recently about whether Angels are HE/SHE or neither male or female. It is an interesting one and a subject which probably needs me to go off and dig a bit deeper, certainly some of the better known ones are Michael and Gabriel. Angels are often described as "the angel from the LORD".
Anyway, this is not really the subject of this entry, but it got us talking about Angels and how they are round about us (and also the ever present threat of demons trying to trip us up and snare God's people) and also how I have in recent years really been hearing God in my day-to-day life. There are so many examples recently of God through his Holy Spirit making me more aware of how He is speaking directly and evidently in my life.
Things which happen that people often might treat as coincidence I am now seeing as God guiding me and talking to me. How God really is interested in my mundane life each day. Some of the things other people might laugh at but I know. Twice recently I have got low of fuel on my journey to work, missed a garage, the computer says miles to empty...ZERO. I really do not need to be running out of fuel here, I am running late as it is... But I get to next garage, an answered prayer! I can now enjoy the Tim Hughes CD without the worry of an RAC/AA visit...(now did I renew my membership ? hmm....or was in Green Flag!)
Again, a few weeks ago I was in my car on the way home (Tim Hughes, again I think) and I just spoke out to God about something and whether I am just imagining all these things and was it really Him (you know those doubts..) and I turned right over the bridge and there was van with the words "Mark" on it. (er, WOW! ... slap me round the face with a wet fish).
Then last week I ordered half a dozen copies of Andrew Wilson's "Incomparable" (see http://my-life-as-a-christian.blogspot.com/2008/11/book-review.html) which I have found a real blessing and I wanted to give them as presents tomorrow night to a men's bible study group. Last week they were out of stock, over the weekend they were out of stock, I get to work this morning and they are sitting on my desk via courier (still out of stock by the way). There have been other examples recently where I have had similar things and I have just known that is God's hand. A God, a Father who is interested in all this stuff, who is guiding my every turn and who is giving me every breath I take. Another one, in terms of giving, the week you look in your wallet and put all of it in the collection Sunday morning and then a month or so later when you are short, the money turns up. Earlier this year we sent a small sum of money to a couple who have taken the step of Faith and have given up jobs and are doing full time work in schools. We sent them some money which they would not have been expecting but that God knew all about. I recently had a little extra in a pay packet that was exactly double the amount that I gave those few months earlier.
It is very easy to become sceptical about this sort of stuff but I would encourage you to rest on the Lord, listen to His Holy Spirit, Let Him guide you in the incidental things in life, read his Word, listen to Worship music in the car on the way to work "set your minds on things above...".
It is also important that we share these things with each other, to encourage each other, to remind each other that being a Christian is not just about turning up on a Sunday morning for an hour and half but also about a life that is is guided and that can be empowered by the Holy Spirit in the practical things of life.
And another thing, one morning I suddenly became aware how sometimes I am only looking directly in front of my own eyes, when I am driving along perhaps and just looking at the car in front, in my own zone. I thought to myself, hold on, is this sometimes how our lives can become, I need to look up, even just a little bit, see the sky, appreciate the countryside and the tops of the trees, notice the stars, the moon and the night sky - to realise I am but a speck in the greater scheme of things, but how a mighty God is still in interested in me. It is so easy for us to only have eyes for our own situation or our own views & understanding and have tunnel vision without appreciating what is going on around us or with other people. We need to look up in every sense of the word.
Anyway, this is not really the subject of this entry, but it got us talking about Angels and how they are round about us (and also the ever present threat of demons trying to trip us up and snare God's people) and also how I have in recent years really been hearing God in my day-to-day life. There are so many examples recently of God through his Holy Spirit making me more aware of how He is speaking directly and evidently in my life.
Things which happen that people often might treat as coincidence I am now seeing as God guiding me and talking to me. How God really is interested in my mundane life each day. Some of the things other people might laugh at but I know. Twice recently I have got low of fuel on my journey to work, missed a garage, the computer says miles to empty...ZERO. I really do not need to be running out of fuel here, I am running late as it is... But I get to next garage, an answered prayer! I can now enjoy the Tim Hughes CD without the worry of an RAC/AA visit...(now did I renew my membership ? hmm....or was in Green Flag!)
Again, a few weeks ago I was in my car on the way home (Tim Hughes, again I think) and I just spoke out to God about something and whether I am just imagining all these things and was it really Him (you know those doubts..) and I turned right over the bridge and there was van with the words "Mark" on it. (er, WOW! ... slap me round the face with a wet fish).
Then last week I ordered half a dozen copies of Andrew Wilson's "Incomparable" (see http://my-life-as-a-christian.blogspot.com/2008/11/book-review.html) which I have found a real blessing and I wanted to give them as presents tomorrow night to a men's bible study group. Last week they were out of stock, over the weekend they were out of stock, I get to work this morning and they are sitting on my desk via courier (still out of stock by the way). There have been other examples recently where I have had similar things and I have just known that is God's hand. A God, a Father who is interested in all this stuff, who is guiding my every turn and who is giving me every breath I take. Another one, in terms of giving, the week you look in your wallet and put all of it in the collection Sunday morning and then a month or so later when you are short, the money turns up. Earlier this year we sent a small sum of money to a couple who have taken the step of Faith and have given up jobs and are doing full time work in schools. We sent them some money which they would not have been expecting but that God knew all about. I recently had a little extra in a pay packet that was exactly double the amount that I gave those few months earlier.
It is very easy to become sceptical about this sort of stuff but I would encourage you to rest on the Lord, listen to His Holy Spirit, Let Him guide you in the incidental things in life, read his Word, listen to Worship music in the car on the way to work "set your minds on things above...".
It is also important that we share these things with each other, to encourage each other, to remind each other that being a Christian is not just about turning up on a Sunday morning for an hour and half but also about a life that is is guided and that can be empowered by the Holy Spirit in the practical things of life.
And another thing, one morning I suddenly became aware how sometimes I am only looking directly in front of my own eyes, when I am driving along perhaps and just looking at the car in front, in my own zone. I thought to myself, hold on, is this sometimes how our lives can become, I need to look up, even just a little bit, see the sky, appreciate the countryside and the tops of the trees, notice the stars, the moon and the night sky - to realise I am but a speck in the greater scheme of things, but how a mighty God is still in interested in me. It is so easy for us to only have eyes for our own situation or our own views & understanding and have tunnel vision without appreciating what is going on around us or with other people. We need to look up in every sense of the word.
Tuesday, 9 December 2008
another owain update
It's great to hear that Owain has been making some good progress of late in his journey.
(see original blog entry here: http://my-life-as-a-christian.blogspot.com/2008/10/owains-journey.html)
Just want to encourage you to continue to remember Owain and his family in your prayers, for continued recovery, for a happy Christmas and the peace which comes from the Lord and the unity and love of his people as we share in each others burdens.
(see original blog entry here: http://my-life-as-a-christian.blogspot.com/2008/10/owains-journey.html)
Just want to encourage you to continue to remember Owain and his family in your prayers, for continued recovery, for a happy Christmas and the peace which comes from the Lord and the unity and love of his people as we share in each others burdens.
Tuesday, 2 December 2008
Lonely Britain.
Britain is becoming an increasing lonely nation. The BBC recently commissioned a report* from Sheffield University on which they ran a series of articles and interviews, you may well have heard it recently. I think most people agree that as a nation we have become much more individualistic and clearly the social fabric of our country has changed over the last 30 years.
The story was of interest to me because it basically spans my lifetime from the 70s and I can certainly feel that things have changed in terms of community spirit and the social fabric of the nation. I often hear people talk about the lack of community spirit or the apathy that is eating away at our relationships with each other. The report was very detailed and referenced census and other figures covering all sorts of areas such as immigration, increased wealth and accompanying increased mobility. It looked at the decline in the local employer where employees would spend much of their time together locally, where they would support and comfort each other. You only have to look at areas in the North of England and South Wales where coal mine closures brought about the sudden end to employment without anything to take its place. The research interestingly also looked at the effect of student numbers and the increase churn that such temporary changes in populations can have in cities such as Edinburgh.
In attempting to ascertain ‘loneliness’ the report studied amongst other things the number of population who were single, living alone, in rented accommodation and on new arrivals. In one of the interviews conducted by the BBC a member of the public suggested perhaps that people in rented accommodation might not have the same pride in where they live. I am sure this is true to a point but it might not be totally current in terms of the credit crunch and people choosing to go into rented due to house prices and economic reasons.
In terms of other areas which contribute to this feeling of loneliness and the changing face of the U.K the report referred to the decline in marriage and the increase in divorce rates, clearly these are major issues and go on to affect the demographics that the census figures focus on, such as more single parent families, more people living alone, more people in rented accommodation perhaps. These effects are reasonably obvious and can be counted and measured, but it is often the effects which cannot be recorded so easily which have the biggest influence over our nation and it’s future such as the feelings and behaviour of children from broken families and their relationships with their parents and each other. The decline in marriage and divorce rates is a subject which I covered in a recent blog entry on the ‘illicit affairs’ website, my point was should we be encouraging this type of behaviour?
However the main purpose of this blog entry was because yet again the report fails to address the area of declining church attendance and the absence of Christian morals and principles in this country and the effects I believe it is having. Don’t get me wrong there are many local churches that are thriving and movements that are growing rapidly but equally there is a general trend which shows that as a nation we are less interested in attending and listening to what the church has to say. A link here to some trend figures: http://www.whychurch.org.uk/trends.php and from Timesonline* “According to Religious Trends, a comprehensive statistical analysis of religious practice in Britain, published by Christian Research, even Hindus will come close to outnumbering churchgoers within a generation. The forecast to 2050 shows churchgoing in Britain declining to 899,000 while the active Hindu population, now at nearly 400,000, will have more than doubled to 855,000. By 2050 there will be 2,660,000 active Muslims in Britain - nearly three times the number of Sunday churchgoers.”
As a Church we need to be doing something about this don’t we. It is however not easy with deep rooted misconceptions on what local church life is like and comments from the established Church of England that sometimes just make you cringe, an established church which may yet find itself split it two over disagreements. It is not an ideal position to work from and it is easy to see why people make judgments from the outside and get confused messages from so many areas from the church is this country.
Despite all this I for one am very pleased to see where local church life is thriving and away from the established Cof E where great progress is being made in getting the Christian message across in a more relevant way. In a local environment based on sharing and caring, that which can cater for the single person or the new arrival, where you can support and comfort one another, where a strong sense of community can be found. But most of all, the nation needs to hear the Gospel – it needs to know the answers to our broken society are found in a personal relationship with God and in the change that faith can have in the life of an individual. A relationship with the God of all creation that can replace any feelings of loneliness you might feel, a love of a God so amazing that we can only begin to understand. The love of a God that wants to be involved in the incidental and trivial things of our life aswell as the big things, to be involved in every decision we make each day, to guide us and impart wisdom to us, a God who wants the very best for us.
It is up to the local church yes to get this message out, but also as individuals for us to work together and in our daily lives to live as an example so others might see a difference and want to know why. This is the greatest challenge for me and I suggest for most of us.
* http://sasi.group.shef.ac.uk/research/changinguk/Changing_UK_report_sheffield_webv1.pdf
* http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/comment/faith/article3890080.ece
The story was of interest to me because it basically spans my lifetime from the 70s and I can certainly feel that things have changed in terms of community spirit and the social fabric of the nation. I often hear people talk about the lack of community spirit or the apathy that is eating away at our relationships with each other. The report was very detailed and referenced census and other figures covering all sorts of areas such as immigration, increased wealth and accompanying increased mobility. It looked at the decline in the local employer where employees would spend much of their time together locally, where they would support and comfort each other. You only have to look at areas in the North of England and South Wales where coal mine closures brought about the sudden end to employment without anything to take its place. The research interestingly also looked at the effect of student numbers and the increase churn that such temporary changes in populations can have in cities such as Edinburgh.
In attempting to ascertain ‘loneliness’ the report studied amongst other things the number of population who were single, living alone, in rented accommodation and on new arrivals. In one of the interviews conducted by the BBC a member of the public suggested perhaps that people in rented accommodation might not have the same pride in where they live. I am sure this is true to a point but it might not be totally current in terms of the credit crunch and people choosing to go into rented due to house prices and economic reasons.
In terms of other areas which contribute to this feeling of loneliness and the changing face of the U.K the report referred to the decline in marriage and the increase in divorce rates, clearly these are major issues and go on to affect the demographics that the census figures focus on, such as more single parent families, more people living alone, more people in rented accommodation perhaps. These effects are reasonably obvious and can be counted and measured, but it is often the effects which cannot be recorded so easily which have the biggest influence over our nation and it’s future such as the feelings and behaviour of children from broken families and their relationships with their parents and each other. The decline in marriage and divorce rates is a subject which I covered in a recent blog entry on the ‘illicit affairs’ website, my point was should we be encouraging this type of behaviour?
However the main purpose of this blog entry was because yet again the report fails to address the area of declining church attendance and the absence of Christian morals and principles in this country and the effects I believe it is having. Don’t get me wrong there are many local churches that are thriving and movements that are growing rapidly but equally there is a general trend which shows that as a nation we are less interested in attending and listening to what the church has to say. A link here to some trend figures: http://www.whychurch.org.uk/trends.php and from Timesonline* “According to Religious Trends, a comprehensive statistical analysis of religious practice in Britain, published by Christian Research, even Hindus will come close to outnumbering churchgoers within a generation. The forecast to 2050 shows churchgoing in Britain declining to 899,000 while the active Hindu population, now at nearly 400,000, will have more than doubled to 855,000. By 2050 there will be 2,660,000 active Muslims in Britain - nearly three times the number of Sunday churchgoers.”
As a Church we need to be doing something about this don’t we. It is however not easy with deep rooted misconceptions on what local church life is like and comments from the established Church of England that sometimes just make you cringe, an established church which may yet find itself split it two over disagreements. It is not an ideal position to work from and it is easy to see why people make judgments from the outside and get confused messages from so many areas from the church is this country.
Despite all this I for one am very pleased to see where local church life is thriving and away from the established Cof E where great progress is being made in getting the Christian message across in a more relevant way. In a local environment based on sharing and caring, that which can cater for the single person or the new arrival, where you can support and comfort one another, where a strong sense of community can be found. But most of all, the nation needs to hear the Gospel – it needs to know the answers to our broken society are found in a personal relationship with God and in the change that faith can have in the life of an individual. A relationship with the God of all creation that can replace any feelings of loneliness you might feel, a love of a God so amazing that we can only begin to understand. The love of a God that wants to be involved in the incidental and trivial things of our life aswell as the big things, to be involved in every decision we make each day, to guide us and impart wisdom to us, a God who wants the very best for us.
It is up to the local church yes to get this message out, but also as individuals for us to work together and in our daily lives to live as an example so others might see a difference and want to know why. This is the greatest challenge for me and I suggest for most of us.
* http://sasi.group.shef.ac.uk/research/changinguk/Changing_UK_report_sheffield_webv1.pdf
* http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/comment/faith/article3890080.ece
Monday, 24 November 2008
Marriage under attack.
(edit: As discussed/mentioned on Dave Monk's radio phone-in BBC Essex 25.11.08. Dave Monk referred to my emails to him on this subject and there were clearly many people of the same opinion about this illicit affairs website. On the other side, there were a number of people who claim that using the illicit affairs website to conduct affairs whilst remaining married effectively saved their marriage. My point made was that surely such issues & problems are better discussed within the marriage and also the problem is when/if the offended party find out about the affair. Also by encouraging people in this way, over time feelings can perhaps be transferred and what started perhaps with the intention of having the affair but staying married could still end up with divorce. It is a slippery slope and undermines marriage,
On my drive to work over the last couple of weeks I have been driving past an advertising banner encouraging people to join an illicit affairs website with the comment “Married...but looking for more?” From the website in question “Whatever your reason, we can help. You may be locked in a loveless marriage, starved of attention and affection, partner away or too tired to pay you the attention you deserve, non-existent love life? Or just looking for some excitement in your life? But you don't want to end your marriage either. Here you can meet people just like you, in absolute confidence.”
I am disgusted by this and it really highlights the terrible state our country finds itself in. In 2006, Ed Balls(Children's Secretary) issued something called the Children's Plan, it did not mention marriage once. It seems the Government is intent on destroying marriage whether this is through the benefits system or in some other area of policy.
We all know that the number of people getting married and making that commitment has been going down over the last century. The figures, from the Office for National Statistics in 2006 show that fewer than ten in every 1,000 single adults in England and Wales were married and although recent figures have been influenced because of the work being done to end sham marriages in some ethnic minorities, the numbers committing to getting married continues to fall. The implications are enormous for children and society and we are only now beginning to realise some of the problems it can cause.
Despite being bombarded with all this, it is important as Christians to stand up for the institution of marriage despite the problems many have within marriages. It takes a lot of work and patience to build something well and there is always going to be times of disagreement and conflict. Perhaps we need to make time as Christian couples to sit down and pray together and read the Bible more often, maybe doing this will stop some of the issues we may face as couples and as families. No doubt it is very difficult in the society we live in to find the time, especially with work commitments and getting the kids up, washed, dressed, fed and off to school or nursery. It is hard in this break-neck-speed world we live in, but you know, I think even if it is a case of a quick time of prayer and a bible reading round the breakfast table then I think we would benefit from it. I can distinctly remember my grandfather a very godly man, every breakfast time he would do a reading and a prayer for all the family and grandchildren, mentioning us all by name. Those sort of memories tend to stay with us and it seems to me to have been a good one to remember, I am going to try and do this myself starting from tomorrow – will let you know how I get on.
On my drive to work over the last couple of weeks I have been driving past an advertising banner encouraging people to join an illicit affairs website with the comment “Married...but looking for more?” From the website in question “Whatever your reason, we can help. You may be locked in a loveless marriage, starved of attention and affection, partner away or too tired to pay you the attention you deserve, non-existent love life? Or just looking for some excitement in your life? But you don't want to end your marriage either. Here you can meet people just like you, in absolute confidence.”
I am disgusted by this and it really highlights the terrible state our country finds itself in. In 2006, Ed Balls(Children's Secretary) issued something called the Children's Plan, it did not mention marriage once. It seems the Government is intent on destroying marriage whether this is through the benefits system or in some other area of policy.
We all know that the number of people getting married and making that commitment has been going down over the last century. The figures, from the Office for National Statistics in 2006 show that fewer than ten in every 1,000 single adults in England and Wales were married and although recent figures have been influenced because of the work being done to end sham marriages in some ethnic minorities, the numbers committing to getting married continues to fall. The implications are enormous for children and society and we are only now beginning to realise some of the problems it can cause.
Despite being bombarded with all this, it is important as Christians to stand up for the institution of marriage despite the problems many have within marriages. It takes a lot of work and patience to build something well and there is always going to be times of disagreement and conflict. Perhaps we need to make time as Christian couples to sit down and pray together and read the Bible more often, maybe doing this will stop some of the issues we may face as couples and as families. No doubt it is very difficult in the society we live in to find the time, especially with work commitments and getting the kids up, washed, dressed, fed and off to school or nursery. It is hard in this break-neck-speed world we live in, but you know, I think even if it is a case of a quick time of prayer and a bible reading round the breakfast table then I think we would benefit from it. I can distinctly remember my grandfather a very godly man, every breakfast time he would do a reading and a prayer for all the family and grandchildren, mentioning us all by name. Those sort of memories tend to stay with us and it seems to me to have been a good one to remember, I am going to try and do this myself starting from tomorrow – will let you know how I get on.
Thursday, 20 November 2008
A gift that cannot be taken away.
I recently learnt the lesson, not to allow a toddler aged two and half, to pick up a Christmas cuddly toy hand puppet in the supermarket, allow him to play with it for a bit, put it in the trolley and then expect to be able to wrap it up for Christmas. That was the plan. However, a few screams and a good number of cries of ‘doggy dog…I need my dog..’, ‘but its Christmas…’ ‘Where’s my dog gone’ etc later, I decided – let him have it. It was not I stress just a case of giving in, it occurred to me and I actually thought how does a two year old understand the logic. He gets a present given to him and then we take it away. That is going to be confusing for a toddler.
It made me think about the nature of giving and how gifts are given and are not usually taken back. I thought about the gift of salvation and the many gifts of God. How God’s Grace has set us free – it does not depend on us or our efforts or of any works on our part but only by what God has given us and through the death & resurrection of the Lord Jesus. Romans 5v15 “But the gift is not like the trespass. For if the many died by the trespass of the one man, how much more did God's grace and the gift that came by the grace of the one man, Jesus Christ, overflow to the many!”
God also wants to give us spiritual gifts to help us in our Christian walk and to build up both ourselves and the local church. They are a gift of Grace and cannot be bought or earned but are given by God through the Holy Spirit. It is very nice to be able to share in these gifts, it’s like we open the present and we all get different things, some receive the same, others not but it is all from the same box and all the gifts together make the present what it is.
God’s gift of salvation, his gift of life, once we are saved – we are saved, despite all the sin in our life, despite all the disappointments and failures, the times when we have forgotten to put Him first – cannot be taken away. We are his forever and it is this wonderful truth that really should make us put our hand in his and say you lead, I’ll follow.
It made me think about the nature of giving and how gifts are given and are not usually taken back. I thought about the gift of salvation and the many gifts of God. How God’s Grace has set us free – it does not depend on us or our efforts or of any works on our part but only by what God has given us and through the death & resurrection of the Lord Jesus. Romans 5v15 “But the gift is not like the trespass. For if the many died by the trespass of the one man, how much more did God's grace and the gift that came by the grace of the one man, Jesus Christ, overflow to the many!”
God also wants to give us spiritual gifts to help us in our Christian walk and to build up both ourselves and the local church. They are a gift of Grace and cannot be bought or earned but are given by God through the Holy Spirit. It is very nice to be able to share in these gifts, it’s like we open the present and we all get different things, some receive the same, others not but it is all from the same box and all the gifts together make the present what it is.
God’s gift of salvation, his gift of life, once we are saved – we are saved, despite all the sin in our life, despite all the disappointments and failures, the times when we have forgotten to put Him first – cannot be taken away. We are his forever and it is this wonderful truth that really should make us put our hand in his and say you lead, I’ll follow.
Tuesday, 11 November 2008
Get Delirious to No.1
The above recent facebook entry has been gaining legs of late in an effort to get enough pre-orders and sales to allow the new single to chart high or even No.1. ("Love Will Find A Way" Single Released: 17th november 2008 Pre Order from http://www.townsend-records.co.uk/)
There seems to be various numbers being mentioned in order for that to happen the most recent being circa 6000 sales (edit: I checked a few sources - this must have been for a chart entry, most no.1's first week sales seem to be around the 30,000 mark!) Now we all know that single sales these days are much lower than years gone by and it does not seem unreasonable when you think about it for a Christian band like this to do that sort of volume.
So go buy it !
It would also seem that Delirious are calling it a day after 15 years.
One of the last times you will catch them on tour in the UK certainly in London is on Dec 15th at:
Shepherds Bush Empire, Shepherds Bush Green, London, W12 8TT
http://www.shepherds-bush-empire.co.uk/ - 0870 771 2000 -
puratickets: 0845 094 4414 - http://www.puratickets.com/
They are due to play some more dates overseas and one date in 2009 at http://www.bigchurchdayout.co.uk/ which will bring the curtain down on a great 15 years for them.
Monday, 10 November 2008
We are mortgaging our fields, our vineyards and our homes
The above quote could easily have been made by a farmer and his partners in the south of France whose wine business has been hit by the recent downturn could it not? In fact, it is from an Old Testament prophet.
I recently heard a sermon on the subject of money and how we might view it and handle it as Christians. One of the points made was how the current turmoil could be seen to show the world being shaken by a God who wants us to change direction.
Such an idea might ring true for many of us, both Christians and Non-Christians and I do not think it is an exaggeration to say that many people in the City, the Banks, Pensioners and Governments have indeed been shaken by recent events. It is interesting that such topics and themes have appeared throughout the ages and Christian history is no different.
I came across this account in Nehemiah where usury was mentioned then and the idea of mortgaging, we are reminded, is not a modern phenomenon. Nehemiah, held a position of influence with the King Artaxerxes(I) as royal cupbearer and was given the role of Governor of Judea. He set about the restoration of Jerusalem and the rebuilding of the walls he was also clearly far from impressed with some of the nobles and officials of the time who were making gain from the people. The idea of Jews earning interest from fellow Jews was forbidden under their law so quite rightly Nehemiah was making this point clearly to them. It was a situation where they were putting their own interests first before God’s interests. Indeed much of the book of Nehemiah is about things that distract from God’s will or purpose, in this case the rebuilding of Jerusalem. Does putting our (or the world’s) interest first sound familiar to us? Perhaps the current economic turmoil where rules and regulations are being revisited will force many people to look again at what is important - and to whom and in what they place their trust.
In the recent sermon I mentioned, we were reminded that what we have as Christians is from God and it is his provision and kindness. Also that we should be prepared to give it back to him in support and furtherance of his Kingdom and the local church. We were born with nothing in our wallets and we cannot take it with us when we depart from this earth. Later in Nehemiah we see how the Jews pledge to keep the law in areas of observing the Sabbath, committing to support the temple service financially, to give their firstfruits to God and to pay their tithe tax.
Nehemiah spent a lot of time in prayer for the restoration of Jerusalem and the Jews and spoke of how the Jews had sinned and disobeyed the Mosaic Law but also how God was faithful and how He could and would restore His people. I believe this should be our prayer today – that as nation and a world we have not got our priorities in the correct order and that we need to come back to focusing our attentions on what God wants. In many of our Godless nations that perhaps is going to be difficult for Governments to address but as individuals and a collection of individuals it is something we can do.
As a church and the body of Christ we need to rise up and let people know how God can mend the broken economy, the broken business, the bankrupt and the repossessed. That the real answers to these questions are found in a relationship and friendship with a God who wants to give us good gifts, who wants the best for us and who can give us all the wisdom we need to make the right decisions in life. The financial decisions we all face from time to time. But more importantly to teach us that money is worthless in and of itself, a piece of paper, an IOU if you like and that perhaps what we have been resting our economies on is not in our best interests. Like Nehemiah we need a greater reliance on God and perhaps God is reminding us of this at the current time.
Nehemiah 5
1 Now the men and their wives raised a great outcry against their Jewish brothers. 2 Some were saying, "We and our sons and daughters are numerous; in order for us to eat and stay alive, we must get grain."
3 Others were saying, "We are mortgaging our fields, our vineyards and our homes to get grain during the famine."
4 Still others were saying, "We have had to borrow money to pay the king's tax on our fields and vineyards. 5 Although we are of the same flesh and blood as our countrymen and though our sons are as good as theirs, yet we have to subject our sons and daughters to slavery. Some of our daughters have already been enslaved, but we are powerless, because our fields and our vineyards belong to others."
6 When I heard their outcry and these charges, I was very angry. 7 I pondered them in my mind and then accused the nobles and officials. I told them, "You are exacting usury from your own countrymen!" So I called together a large meeting to deal with them 8 and said: "As far as possible, we have bought back our Jewish brothers who were sold to the Gentiles. Now you are selling your brothers, only for them to be sold back to us!" They kept quiet, because they could find nothing to say.
9 So I continued, "What you are doing is not right. Shouldn't you walk in the fear of our God to avoid the reproach of our Gentile enemies? 10 I and my brothers and my men are also lending the people money and grain. But let the exacting of usury stop! 11 Give back to them immediately their fields, vineyards, olive groves and houses, and also the usury you are charging them—the hundredth part of the money, grain, new wine and oil."
12 "We will give it back," they said. "And we will not demand anything more from them. We will do as you say." Then I summoned the priests and made the nobles and officials take an oath to do what they had promised. 13 I also shook out the folds of my robe and said, "In this way may God shake out of his house and possessions every man who does not keep this promise. So may such a man be shaken out and emptied!" At this the whole assembly said, "Amen," and praised the LORD. And the people did as they had promised.
(edit: came across this sermon which nicely covers this passage http://www.centralpc.org/sermons/2002/s020210.htm)
I recently heard a sermon on the subject of money and how we might view it and handle it as Christians. One of the points made was how the current turmoil could be seen to show the world being shaken by a God who wants us to change direction.
Such an idea might ring true for many of us, both Christians and Non-Christians and I do not think it is an exaggeration to say that many people in the City, the Banks, Pensioners and Governments have indeed been shaken by recent events. It is interesting that such topics and themes have appeared throughout the ages and Christian history is no different.
I came across this account in Nehemiah where usury was mentioned then and the idea of mortgaging, we are reminded, is not a modern phenomenon. Nehemiah, held a position of influence with the King Artaxerxes(I) as royal cupbearer and was given the role of Governor of Judea. He set about the restoration of Jerusalem and the rebuilding of the walls he was also clearly far from impressed with some of the nobles and officials of the time who were making gain from the people. The idea of Jews earning interest from fellow Jews was forbidden under their law so quite rightly Nehemiah was making this point clearly to them. It was a situation where they were putting their own interests first before God’s interests. Indeed much of the book of Nehemiah is about things that distract from God’s will or purpose, in this case the rebuilding of Jerusalem. Does putting our (or the world’s) interest first sound familiar to us? Perhaps the current economic turmoil where rules and regulations are being revisited will force many people to look again at what is important - and to whom and in what they place their trust.
In the recent sermon I mentioned, we were reminded that what we have as Christians is from God and it is his provision and kindness. Also that we should be prepared to give it back to him in support and furtherance of his Kingdom and the local church. We were born with nothing in our wallets and we cannot take it with us when we depart from this earth. Later in Nehemiah we see how the Jews pledge to keep the law in areas of observing the Sabbath, committing to support the temple service financially, to give their firstfruits to God and to pay their tithe tax.
Nehemiah spent a lot of time in prayer for the restoration of Jerusalem and the Jews and spoke of how the Jews had sinned and disobeyed the Mosaic Law but also how God was faithful and how He could and would restore His people. I believe this should be our prayer today – that as nation and a world we have not got our priorities in the correct order and that we need to come back to focusing our attentions on what God wants. In many of our Godless nations that perhaps is going to be difficult for Governments to address but as individuals and a collection of individuals it is something we can do.
As a church and the body of Christ we need to rise up and let people know how God can mend the broken economy, the broken business, the bankrupt and the repossessed. That the real answers to these questions are found in a relationship and friendship with a God who wants to give us good gifts, who wants the best for us and who can give us all the wisdom we need to make the right decisions in life. The financial decisions we all face from time to time. But more importantly to teach us that money is worthless in and of itself, a piece of paper, an IOU if you like and that perhaps what we have been resting our economies on is not in our best interests. Like Nehemiah we need a greater reliance on God and perhaps God is reminding us of this at the current time.
Nehemiah 5
1 Now the men and their wives raised a great outcry against their Jewish brothers. 2 Some were saying, "We and our sons and daughters are numerous; in order for us to eat and stay alive, we must get grain."
3 Others were saying, "We are mortgaging our fields, our vineyards and our homes to get grain during the famine."
4 Still others were saying, "We have had to borrow money to pay the king's tax on our fields and vineyards. 5 Although we are of the same flesh and blood as our countrymen and though our sons are as good as theirs, yet we have to subject our sons and daughters to slavery. Some of our daughters have already been enslaved, but we are powerless, because our fields and our vineyards belong to others."
6 When I heard their outcry and these charges, I was very angry. 7 I pondered them in my mind and then accused the nobles and officials. I told them, "You are exacting usury from your own countrymen!" So I called together a large meeting to deal with them 8 and said: "As far as possible, we have bought back our Jewish brothers who were sold to the Gentiles. Now you are selling your brothers, only for them to be sold back to us!" They kept quiet, because they could find nothing to say.
9 So I continued, "What you are doing is not right. Shouldn't you walk in the fear of our God to avoid the reproach of our Gentile enemies? 10 I and my brothers and my men are also lending the people money and grain. But let the exacting of usury stop! 11 Give back to them immediately their fields, vineyards, olive groves and houses, and also the usury you are charging them—the hundredth part of the money, grain, new wine and oil."
12 "We will give it back," they said. "And we will not demand anything more from them. We will do as you say." Then I summoned the priests and made the nobles and officials take an oath to do what they had promised. 13 I also shook out the folds of my robe and said, "In this way may God shake out of his house and possessions every man who does not keep this promise. So may such a man be shaken out and emptied!" At this the whole assembly said, "Amen," and praised the LORD. And the people did as they had promised.
(edit: came across this sermon which nicely covers this passage http://www.centralpc.org/sermons/2002/s020210.htm)
Thursday, 6 November 2008
Owains update
Mentioned in earlier blog posting here:
http://my-life-as-a-christian.blogspot.com/2008/10/owains-journey.html
Owain is back from hospital after treatment and surgery. Pray that he will make a good recovery and that both he and his family will get the rest they need and deserve.
http://my-life-as-a-christian.blogspot.com/2008/10/owains-journey.html
Owain is back from hospital after treatment and surgery. Pray that he will make a good recovery and that both he and his family will get the rest they need and deserve.
Wednesday, 5 November 2008
A new President
“Tonight is the answer. The answer that stretches around schools & churches in numbers this nation has never seen. By people who waited 3 hours and 4 hours, many for the first time in their lives”
We have a new US President (well, from January 09) and in many ways it was a momentous result when you consider US history over the last 100 years, I don’t think there is much disagreement on that score.
The only reference to God Obama made in this speech was after 16mins 30 secs when in conclusion he said “God bless you and God bless America”. This for me was a little disappointing but if you look beyond the initial speech he has been more encouraging elsewhere.
Faith “plays every role” in his life… “It’s what keeps me grounded. It’s what keeps my eyes set on the greatest of heights,” Obama told members of the Redemption World Outreach Center in Greenville, S.C., according to The Associated Press.
Faith, he said, is “what propels me to do what I do and when I am down it’s what lifts me up.” Obama, who is a member of the United Church of Christ – considered one of the most liberal mainline Protestant denominations, also said God “is with us and He wants us to do the right thing,” such as breaking down divisions between Democrats and Republicans and among religions, according to AP.
Obama is currently ranked as the Democratic Candidate that invokes religion the most, according to religious Web site Beliefnet.com’s “God-o-Meter” – which measures “God talk” in the presidential campaign.
Obama concluded Sunday’s address from the pulpit by asking the members of Redemption church to pray for him and his family to remain on the right path. “Sometimes you can become fearful, you can become vain, sometimes you can seek power for power’s sake,”
Obama confessed, according to NBC. “Pray that I can be an instrument of God,” he pleaded.
Extracts from http://www.christianpost.com/article/20071009/obama-breaks-god-talk-tradition.htm
I don’t know about you but whenever I see a nation and indeed a world unite in their interest for a leadership figure such as the next US president I often think I wish the same could happen for an inspirational evangelist or a Billy Graham type figure. Somebody who has the gift and the power to get the message of the Gospel over. The opportunity that comes from being President of the one of the world’s super-powers is huge. People listen to you, nations partner with you and as President you can make change for the better.
I guess one of the reasons why it is unlikely that any such evangelist figure will enjoy the same position is because politics for many is the religion of this age. They see it as where the power resides, where decisions are made that affect us in the day-to-day.
That is why the answer for many “stretches around schools and churches in the numbers this nation has never seen before”.
Wouldn’t it be great if this line around churches was for people who were not interested in voting but actually wanting to go inside on a Sunday morning and meeting the risen Lord? Sometimes it is possible to get a glimpse of what it might be like to have such a movement toward God, perhaps at a Christian concert or conference or in some of the larger churches that are vibrant and on fire for God. Maybe you have felt that.
As the body of Christ it really is up to the “church” to rise up and move with one voice, to unite around the things that bind us rather than get bogged down with doctrine that divides, whilst respecting the differences. It is clear that the world is crying out for change, is yearning for something more, a world that is beginning to appreciate that much of what we base our lives on is folly and is so easily brought down. That economies and banks can be crippled with just one profit warning.
So listening to the new Presidents speech and seeing the crowds, some in tears and many hugging each other and waving their flags – I just felt in my heart, I wish that was for God. I wish the world could unite for him and have the same reaction, perhaps we can.
We have a new US President (well, from January 09) and in many ways it was a momentous result when you consider US history over the last 100 years, I don’t think there is much disagreement on that score.The only reference to God Obama made in this speech was after 16mins 30 secs when in conclusion he said “God bless you and God bless America”. This for me was a little disappointing but if you look beyond the initial speech he has been more encouraging elsewhere.
Faith “plays every role” in his life… “It’s what keeps me grounded. It’s what keeps my eyes set on the greatest of heights,” Obama told members of the Redemption World Outreach Center in Greenville, S.C., according to The Associated Press.
Faith, he said, is “what propels me to do what I do and when I am down it’s what lifts me up.” Obama, who is a member of the United Church of Christ – considered one of the most liberal mainline Protestant denominations, also said God “is with us and He wants us to do the right thing,” such as breaking down divisions between Democrats and Republicans and among religions, according to AP.
Obama is currently ranked as the Democratic Candidate that invokes religion the most, according to religious Web site Beliefnet.com’s “God-o-Meter” – which measures “God talk” in the presidential campaign.
Obama concluded Sunday’s address from the pulpit by asking the members of Redemption church to pray for him and his family to remain on the right path. “Sometimes you can become fearful, you can become vain, sometimes you can seek power for power’s sake,”
Obama confessed, according to NBC. “Pray that I can be an instrument of God,” he pleaded.
Extracts from http://www.christianpost.com/article/20071009/obama-breaks-god-talk-tradition.htm
I don’t know about you but whenever I see a nation and indeed a world unite in their interest for a leadership figure such as the next US president I often think I wish the same could happen for an inspirational evangelist or a Billy Graham type figure. Somebody who has the gift and the power to get the message of the Gospel over. The opportunity that comes from being President of the one of the world’s super-powers is huge. People listen to you, nations partner with you and as President you can make change for the better.
I guess one of the reasons why it is unlikely that any such evangelist figure will enjoy the same position is because politics for many is the religion of this age. They see it as where the power resides, where decisions are made that affect us in the day-to-day.
That is why the answer for many “stretches around schools and churches in the numbers this nation has never seen before”.
Wouldn’t it be great if this line around churches was for people who were not interested in voting but actually wanting to go inside on a Sunday morning and meeting the risen Lord? Sometimes it is possible to get a glimpse of what it might be like to have such a movement toward God, perhaps at a Christian concert or conference or in some of the larger churches that are vibrant and on fire for God. Maybe you have felt that.
As the body of Christ it really is up to the “church” to rise up and move with one voice, to unite around the things that bind us rather than get bogged down with doctrine that divides, whilst respecting the differences. It is clear that the world is crying out for change, is yearning for something more, a world that is beginning to appreciate that much of what we base our lives on is folly and is so easily brought down. That economies and banks can be crippled with just one profit warning.
So listening to the new Presidents speech and seeing the crowds, some in tears and many hugging each other and waving their flags – I just felt in my heart, I wish that was for God. I wish the world could unite for him and have the same reaction, perhaps we can.
Tuesday, 4 November 2008
What a finish
What a finish! Lewis Hamilton wins it on the last corner by passing Glock and with it becomes the youngest F1 champion. And he’s British!
For those of us that watched the race or some of the news coverage, it was clearly the most dramatic finish to an F1 season in the history of the sport. It got me thinking how it was the fact that McClaren and their driver persevered and never gave up that enabled them to win the title.
The team knew the data pointed to them catching Glock, who was slowing rapidly on the wrong tyres. They had faith that their calculations were correct and that their driver would finish the race. He didn’t need to win. Only to have a placed finish.
“However, I consider my life worth nothing to me, if only I may finish the race and complete the task the Lord Jesus has given me—the task of testifying to the gospel of God's grace.” (Acts 20:24 v24)
It is not always possible to win and sometimes in life we can feel like we are fighting a losing battle but it is important to continue and persevere - to finish the race.
Going back to F1, how about the controversial moments when a driver cuts in on another driver and stops him from turning in on the corner, denies him the racing line or like Massa on Hamilton this season a gentle nudge results in a spin and loss of position.
“You were running a good race. Who cut in on you and kept you from obeying the truth?” Galatians 5:7v7
I think Paul was asking the Galatian believers what had stopped some of them from being on fire for the Lord like they once were. False teaching or a lack of encouragement from their leaders perhaps, or the believers not focusing on what is important for their faith. Perhaps allowing religious tradition or the view of the world and its ways distract them from their faith and not listening to the direction of the Holy Spirit or not being guided by the truth of the Gospel.
I don’t know about you but there have been times in my life where I have felt I have barely got off the starting line for God, or that I have had engine trouble that is not allowing me to really put my foot down. Could it be the driver not taking the right racing line or missing the apex of the corner? Am I putting enough effort into maintaining the car, or worse still not putting in the fuel?
Then there are other times where the car seems to be running well and the lap times are improving, I feel I am getting up to speed with God and everything is hooked up.
Whatever car we are driving and whatever the lap times it is encouraging to think, for God, whilst wanting the best outcome for us, is happy that we are in the race at all. He so desires all of mankind to be in the same race and on the same course. Without doubt he wants us firing on all cylinders but his patience with us whilst we get there is amazing really, a patience of a Father for his child.
The analogy with F1 continues when we consider some of the things we need as Christians to really make good progress in our lives. We need a team (other Christians and their fellowship), we need fuel (the Bible, Prayer, Holy Spirit) and we need a strategy (help from others, wisdom, guidance from the Bible, a role in the local church or in the community). We need to know when to pit-stop and most importantly we need in this instance a co-pilot or co-driver, somebody who can help us navigate the course. Who would that be?
2 Timothy 4 v 7 “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.”
For those of us that watched the race or some of the news coverage, it was clearly the most dramatic finish to an F1 season in the history of the sport. It got me thinking how it was the fact that McClaren and their driver persevered and never gave up that enabled them to win the title.
The team knew the data pointed to them catching Glock, who was slowing rapidly on the wrong tyres. They had faith that their calculations were correct and that their driver would finish the race. He didn’t need to win. Only to have a placed finish.
“However, I consider my life worth nothing to me, if only I may finish the race and complete the task the Lord Jesus has given me—the task of testifying to the gospel of God's grace.” (Acts 20:24 v24)
It is not always possible to win and sometimes in life we can feel like we are fighting a losing battle but it is important to continue and persevere - to finish the race.
Going back to F1, how about the controversial moments when a driver cuts in on another driver and stops him from turning in on the corner, denies him the racing line or like Massa on Hamilton this season a gentle nudge results in a spin and loss of position.
“You were running a good race. Who cut in on you and kept you from obeying the truth?” Galatians 5:7v7
I think Paul was asking the Galatian believers what had stopped some of them from being on fire for the Lord like they once were. False teaching or a lack of encouragement from their leaders perhaps, or the believers not focusing on what is important for their faith. Perhaps allowing religious tradition or the view of the world and its ways distract them from their faith and not listening to the direction of the Holy Spirit or not being guided by the truth of the Gospel.
I don’t know about you but there have been times in my life where I have felt I have barely got off the starting line for God, or that I have had engine trouble that is not allowing me to really put my foot down. Could it be the driver not taking the right racing line or missing the apex of the corner? Am I putting enough effort into maintaining the car, or worse still not putting in the fuel?
Then there are other times where the car seems to be running well and the lap times are improving, I feel I am getting up to speed with God and everything is hooked up.
Whatever car we are driving and whatever the lap times it is encouraging to think, for God, whilst wanting the best outcome for us, is happy that we are in the race at all. He so desires all of mankind to be in the same race and on the same course. Without doubt he wants us firing on all cylinders but his patience with us whilst we get there is amazing really, a patience of a Father for his child.
The analogy with F1 continues when we consider some of the things we need as Christians to really make good progress in our lives. We need a team (other Christians and their fellowship), we need fuel (the Bible, Prayer, Holy Spirit) and we need a strategy (help from others, wisdom, guidance from the Bible, a role in the local church or in the community). We need to know when to pit-stop and most importantly we need in this instance a co-pilot or co-driver, somebody who can help us navigate the course. Who would that be?
2 Timothy 4 v 7 “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.”
Saturday, 1 November 2008
Book Review
Incomparable - Andrew Wilson
(Kingsway ISBN 978 184291 281 2)
Exploring the character of God.
This book has been getting plugged pretty regularly on the web, in the Christian press and during conferences recently. I was recently at a conference and it sold out, which was quite handy as I found it with free p&p on the Internet quite a bit cheaper (credit crunch, watching the pennies and all that..) I have only just read the very short introduction and a few of the very brief chapters and so far have been pretty impressed. It is a very accessible theology book which is written in a very easy to read style which you can either dip into or follow the chapters through. Will post back when I have finished it(might be some time!)
Here is a taster from the first chapter:
"...lots of people believe that non-belief in God is the default view, and science has removed the need to add God into the picture. People take it for granted that God doesn't exist, and if you say he does, they will want you to prove it scientifically. If you ask them to prove scientifically what they believe, of course, they are very unlikely to be able to - but, mostly, they will not see this as a problem, because the majority agree with them.
There are two problems with this. One, the majority is often dangerously wrong. The majority of German officers in the 1930's agreed with persecuting Jews; the majority of nineteenth- century Europeans thought black people were second class citizens; the majority of medieval scientists thought the world was flat. But also, lots of beliefs we hold - often, the most important ones! - are just not provable scientifically.
Take the statement.... 'does my daughter love me'? How can that very important statement ever be proved? The fact is, we believe things because they help us make sense of the world as we see it, not because some outside authority(like scientific proof) says that they are true. So the real question is: how does belief or non-belief in God make sense of the world around us?
You can buy it at http://www.kingsway.co.uk/
Friday, 31 October 2008
Christian Charities
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/opinion/main.jhtml?xml=/opinion/2007/02/10/do1001.xml
I came across this article in the Guardian recently which refers to how Christian Charities are struggling with bureaucracy when it comes to obtaining grants. It never really occurred to me that by wanting to employ Christians in your Charity that it could be deemed discriminatory. There just seems to be so many obstacles these days put in the way of people who just want to make a difference in their communities and in the world.
" But it turns out that, while the works of faith groups are sometimes welcomed – and almost always needed – the faith of faith groups is too much for the authorities. Thus if a Christian group prefers to employ Christians to do its work, that is discriminatory. If it offers prayer as one of the activities available to its clients, that is anti-diversity."
This got me pondering how important it is as Christians to support Charities that are based on Christian values and principles. That is not to the exclusion of other secular Charities who also do good work but I just think that if our Christian Charities are coming up against the sort of issues mentioned in the report then funding is always going to be tough. Especially in the current economic climate.
I came across this article in the Guardian recently which refers to how Christian Charities are struggling with bureaucracy when it comes to obtaining grants. It never really occurred to me that by wanting to employ Christians in your Charity that it could be deemed discriminatory. There just seems to be so many obstacles these days put in the way of people who just want to make a difference in their communities and in the world.
" But it turns out that, while the works of faith groups are sometimes welcomed – and almost always needed – the faith of faith groups is too much for the authorities. Thus if a Christian group prefers to employ Christians to do its work, that is discriminatory. If it offers prayer as one of the activities available to its clients, that is anti-diversity."
This got me pondering how important it is as Christians to support Charities that are based on Christian values and principles. That is not to the exclusion of other secular Charities who also do good work but I just think that if our Christian Charities are coming up against the sort of issues mentioned in the report then funding is always going to be tough. Especially in the current economic climate.
Thursday, 30 October 2008
Credit crunch and all that..
I am not sure we can conclusively pin down who first coined the phrase 'credit crunch', certainly it appears to have been used decades before the current crisis. Came across this posting which makes some reference to how Christians might view the current turmoil http://solapanel.org/article/jesus_and_the_credit_crunch_2/
Personally, I have always had an interest in the stock market and finance and so I could see some of the problems coming but I don't think many people would have thought the near banking collapse. It effects us all in one way or another and I think it is one example that has demonstrated to the world how humankind can really be shown to be foolish at times and it's just greed at the end of the day.
So what should our reaction be? It's easy to blame others but I guess as consumers we all have contributed to the continued rapid globilisation of markets and our desire for cheaper imported goods. What happened to paying a fair price. In saying that it is easy to jump on the bandwaggon and look for excuses. In some ways globilisation has enabled developing countries to increase labour opportunities and standard of living (think Shanghai and the emerging middle class - but the flipside is the Chinese outside the main cities who continue to live in poor conditions). Think of Africa that still struggles with tribal conflicts and political problems and has yet to really see much of these so-called benefits.
So perhaps at times like these, it is important for us, yes, to tighten the belts maybe but also to really think hard about what is important in life. To concentrate on those things that go beyond the day-to-day and the worries of this life, to pay attention to eternal things (Matthew 6v20) "But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal."
Returning to a related topic, here are some websites which might help with the budgeting and saving the pennies. I believe God wants us also to be good custodians of what we do have.
New Word Alive 2009
I did not attend this myself last year but I know a few who did and came back with good reports, looks like they have made it a bigger event for 2009 over 2 weeks. Speakers include Don Carson, Terry Virgo, Liam Golligher & Vaughan Roberts.
They are also trying to get Stuart Townend back to lead the worship which would be great.
I don't think I will forget the experience of Stuart Townend leading Worship at the Royal Albert hall of all places, in this years Mens Convention http://www.christianconventions.org.uk/lmc/
Owain's Journey
http://owainsjourney.spaces.live.com/default.aspx
I came across this blog today and I hope Owain and his family don't mind me linking it here. I think it is amazing that we are able to share these stories with the world and Owain's is certainly one of courage and bravery. If you are reading this can I just ask that you remember to pray for the little guy and his family today, that the doctors and those that care for him will be given the gifts and skills to be bring healing and that God in his mercy and mighty power will oversee and breakthrough for the good of all concerned.
I came across this blog today and I hope Owain and his family don't mind me linking it here. I think it is amazing that we are able to share these stories with the world and Owain's is certainly one of courage and bravery. If you are reading this can I just ask that you remember to pray for the little guy and his family today, that the doctors and those that care for him will be given the gifts and skills to be bring healing and that God in his mercy and mighty power will oversee and breakthrough for the good of all concerned.
Wednesday, 29 October 2008
Yesu and their bus project
http://www.yesu-sheringham.co.uk/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=7&Itemid=10
I have spent many of my childhood and now adult years holidaying in North Norfolk and here is a great little project that has been set up by a local church which seems to be going from strength to strength. They have recently purchased a bus for use within the surrounding communites and this bus project and the Yesu premises in Sheringham high street really does show what can be achieved in a relatively small sea side market town. I am encouraged by it really because clearly when God wants something to happen and He has willing workers to help make it happen then he can really break out and bring blessing to people not traditionally part of the "church" environment.
I have spent many of my childhood and now adult years holidaying in North Norfolk and here is a great little project that has been set up by a local church which seems to be going from strength to strength. They have recently purchased a bus for use within the surrounding communites and this bus project and the Yesu premises in Sheringham high street really does show what can be achieved in a relatively small sea side market town. I am encouraged by it really because clearly when God wants something to happen and He has willing workers to help make it happen then he can really break out and bring blessing to people not traditionally part of the "church" environment.
How does God speak to us
I adapted this from some correspondence and discussion I recently had on the subject of 'bible dipping', when sometimes you just turn to the Bible, let it fall open and are really helped and spoken to by God.
I guess 'how God can speak to us' is a pretty significant part of our Christian lives, maybe it should be 'how God DOES speak to us..' (..and much of the time we are either not listening or we ignore it) It's a bit like when we are warned not to grieve the Spirit, a very important subject for our lives to be successful. The Bible is our food and the context of what you are reading is very important so we can understand how the words were intended by the author or Author. The authors had their own context of course, like many of the 'letters' in the New Testament, but it is GOD who is the Author, it is through Him and His Spirit that all these authors are brought together in one Book (we won't mention some of the books that many scholars think may have been omitted from our 'version'..).
Interpretation of Scripture is a subjective matter of course, which is why there is disagreement amongst Christians or a difference in emphasis placed on certain things, that will always exist. I happen to think that the Holy Spirit is very powerful and can and does open up the word to individuals and ministers to them in a personal way that is just right for them, sometimes without the input from any hints, help or Minister. The Gideons example, where they decided to put "hints" in the front on the Bible definitely does have it's place but I suppose some might say is this not then in some way encouraging the reader to only read certain chapters and nothing else. It is possible to be led by commentators and 'scholars' and have lots of head knowledge but without any Spirit led heart felt knowledge. Understanding the context is certainly very important, it is not always easy to do, maybe it is something we need to study and consider in more depth. It is also very convenient in churches to place emphasis on the context surrounding verses but then on other occasions to place less importance on the context, either way to support or disprove an argument.
I also believe that it is possible for God to take some words out of the context of the 'story' they are in, in a situation where an individual is seeking God in a very real way or when God needs to speak to them in a more direct way. So if that individual opens up a Bible and a verse or verses give him/her the answer they were seeking or God speaks to them there and then - then that is a real intervention by a powerful and awesome God. I don't think that God then expects them to read beyond and before, to study the context, the historical perspective and analyse it it studios detail. He might, but then he might not.
He speaks to us in many different ways, and sometimes the purist ways when he speaks to us through our own spirit without any intervention or input from others, are the most important ways. Sometimes. I have never read the Bible from cover to cover, it is something that I have often thought I should do - I wonder if we are truthful how many actually have. I know some do daily readings or have a 1 year bible that helps them. I wonder how easy it would be to really be able to understand all the context to every chapter, especially some of the Chapters in the book of Numbers, but then perhaps do we always need to. Maybe in just reading the words, even if we don't understand them at the time, maybe at the end they come together as a whole or one day they will make sense to us.
It's rather like life in general, sometimes we don't understand why things happen, it's only after many years or through experience that we can make sense of them or the reasons are revealed to us.
Follows, by J.I.Packer which seems very relevant to this:
The Bible is the rope God throws us in order to ensure that we stay connected while the rescue is in progress (by J. I. Packer Christianity Today, October, 1996)
A lifeline is a rope to which a drowning person clings while being pulled ashore. Drowning is a condition of being invaded and overwhelmed by water, which gets into your lungs so that you cannot breathe. Metaphorically, you can be said to drown in sorrow, or grief, or any other invasive mood that disrupts normal personal life.Today we are surrounded by people drowning in the raging waters of hopelessness. The proverb rightly says that while there's life there's hope, but the deeper truth is that only while there's hope is there life: When the light of hope goes out, and there really seems nothing to live for anymore, life itself becomes a killing burden. We are so made that we live very much in our future, and the desolation of feeling that there is nothing worthwhile to come, nothing good ever to be expected again, eats the soul away like a corrosive acid.To moderns drowning in hopelessness, disappointed, disillusioned, despairing, emotionally isolated, bitter and aching inside, Bible truth comes as a lifeline, for it is future-oriented and hope-centred throughout. The God of the Bible, whom Christians know as the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit united in a shared divine life, is both a very present help in trouble and a very potent hope in times of despair. The triune God, we might say, is the lifeguard, who, in true Baywatch fashion, comes in person to the place where we are drowning in order to rescue us; the Holy Scriptures are the lifeline God throws us in order to ensure that he and we stay connected while the rescue is in progress; and the hope that the Scriptures bring us arrests and reverses the drowning experience here and now, generating inward vitality and renewed joy and banishing forever the sense of having the life choked out of us as the waves break over us.That the Bible throughout is a book of hope is not always appreciated, but it is so. From the giving of the promise that the woman's seed will crush the serpent's head (Gen. 3:15), the Old Testament constantly looks forward to great restorative things that God will do for his people and his world. The New Testament nails down this hope by its repeated assurances that the Lord Jesus Christ, our divine Sin-bearer and present heavenly Friend, is with us by his Spirit to keep us sane and safe till he returns to re-create the cosmos and lead us all into unimaginable endless glory with himself. Meantime, he gives our lives permanent and satisfying meaning by making us his servants, with jobs to do, and that is a relationship that will continue forever. In a world in which the individual's natural sense of significance is so largely snuffed out, such a hope is a lifeline indeed.
I guess 'how God can speak to us' is a pretty significant part of our Christian lives, maybe it should be 'how God DOES speak to us..' (..and much of the time we are either not listening or we ignore it) It's a bit like when we are warned not to grieve the Spirit, a very important subject for our lives to be successful. The Bible is our food and the context of what you are reading is very important so we can understand how the words were intended by the author or Author. The authors had their own context of course, like many of the 'letters' in the New Testament, but it is GOD who is the Author, it is through Him and His Spirit that all these authors are brought together in one Book (we won't mention some of the books that many scholars think may have been omitted from our 'version'..).
Interpretation of Scripture is a subjective matter of course, which is why there is disagreement amongst Christians or a difference in emphasis placed on certain things, that will always exist. I happen to think that the Holy Spirit is very powerful and can and does open up the word to individuals and ministers to them in a personal way that is just right for them, sometimes without the input from any hints, help or Minister. The Gideons example, where they decided to put "hints" in the front on the Bible definitely does have it's place but I suppose some might say is this not then in some way encouraging the reader to only read certain chapters and nothing else. It is possible to be led by commentators and 'scholars' and have lots of head knowledge but without any Spirit led heart felt knowledge. Understanding the context is certainly very important, it is not always easy to do, maybe it is something we need to study and consider in more depth. It is also very convenient in churches to place emphasis on the context surrounding verses but then on other occasions to place less importance on the context, either way to support or disprove an argument.
I also believe that it is possible for God to take some words out of the context of the 'story' they are in, in a situation where an individual is seeking God in a very real way or when God needs to speak to them in a more direct way. So if that individual opens up a Bible and a verse or verses give him/her the answer they were seeking or God speaks to them there and then - then that is a real intervention by a powerful and awesome God. I don't think that God then expects them to read beyond and before, to study the context, the historical perspective and analyse it it studios detail. He might, but then he might not.
He speaks to us in many different ways, and sometimes the purist ways when he speaks to us through our own spirit without any intervention or input from others, are the most important ways. Sometimes. I have never read the Bible from cover to cover, it is something that I have often thought I should do - I wonder if we are truthful how many actually have. I know some do daily readings or have a 1 year bible that helps them. I wonder how easy it would be to really be able to understand all the context to every chapter, especially some of the Chapters in the book of Numbers, but then perhaps do we always need to. Maybe in just reading the words, even if we don't understand them at the time, maybe at the end they come together as a whole or one day they will make sense to us.
It's rather like life in general, sometimes we don't understand why things happen, it's only after many years or through experience that we can make sense of them or the reasons are revealed to us.
Follows, by J.I.Packer which seems very relevant to this:
The Bible is the rope God throws us in order to ensure that we stay connected while the rescue is in progress (by J. I. Packer Christianity Today, October, 1996)
A lifeline is a rope to which a drowning person clings while being pulled ashore. Drowning is a condition of being invaded and overwhelmed by water, which gets into your lungs so that you cannot breathe. Metaphorically, you can be said to drown in sorrow, or grief, or any other invasive mood that disrupts normal personal life.Today we are surrounded by people drowning in the raging waters of hopelessness. The proverb rightly says that while there's life there's hope, but the deeper truth is that only while there's hope is there life: When the light of hope goes out, and there really seems nothing to live for anymore, life itself becomes a killing burden. We are so made that we live very much in our future, and the desolation of feeling that there is nothing worthwhile to come, nothing good ever to be expected again, eats the soul away like a corrosive acid.To moderns drowning in hopelessness, disappointed, disillusioned, despairing, emotionally isolated, bitter and aching inside, Bible truth comes as a lifeline, for it is future-oriented and hope-centred throughout. The God of the Bible, whom Christians know as the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit united in a shared divine life, is both a very present help in trouble and a very potent hope in times of despair. The triune God, we might say, is the lifeguard, who, in true Baywatch fashion, comes in person to the place where we are drowning in order to rescue us; the Holy Scriptures are the lifeline God throws us in order to ensure that he and we stay connected while the rescue is in progress; and the hope that the Scriptures bring us arrests and reverses the drowning experience here and now, generating inward vitality and renewed joy and banishing forever the sense of having the life choked out of us as the waves break over us.That the Bible throughout is a book of hope is not always appreciated, but it is so. From the giving of the promise that the woman's seed will crush the serpent's head (Gen. 3:15), the Old Testament constantly looks forward to great restorative things that God will do for his people and his world. The New Testament nails down this hope by its repeated assurances that the Lord Jesus Christ, our divine Sin-bearer and present heavenly Friend, is with us by his Spirit to keep us sane and safe till he returns to re-create the cosmos and lead us all into unimaginable endless glory with himself. Meantime, he gives our lives permanent and satisfying meaning by making us his servants, with jobs to do, and that is a relationship that will continue forever. In a world in which the individual's natural sense of significance is so largely snuffed out, such a hope is a lifeline indeed.
women and the local church
http://42.blogs.warnock.me.uk/2008/07/new-frontiers-a.html?cid=122226554#comment-122226554
I have included the above link to a blog discussion that I somehow came across during a marathon surfing session, you know the ones...you end up at one point and through various click throughs and web searches you end up at another. It is certainly a heated discussion at times. It is also a topic of debate which has run on and on for many years - with lots of different opinions as you would expect.
My whole view on blogs and debate of this nature is that I don't want to hide from it and that whilst often we don't agree with others it is useful to hear differing viewpoints to your own. I contributed under posting name of "gil" (there was already a Mark).
I have included the above link to a blog discussion that I somehow came across during a marathon surfing session, you know the ones...you end up at one point and through various click throughs and web searches you end up at another. It is certainly a heated discussion at times. It is also a topic of debate which has run on and on for many years - with lots of different opinions as you would expect.
My whole view on blogs and debate of this nature is that I don't want to hide from it and that whilst often we don't agree with others it is useful to hear differing viewpoints to your own. I contributed under posting name of "gil" (there was already a Mark).
Tuesday, 28 October 2008
My Background
As the good old blogger.com only allow 1200 characters as html in the "about me" section I thought it would be only right to fill in the gaps here:
I now reside on the Essex/Suffolk border a few miles down the River Stour from Dedham and 'Constable Country'. Moved here in 2005 and much has happened over the last few years including the birth of my 2 & 1/2 year old Son, who is now a bouncing-full-of-energy-never-sits-still-always-on-the-go variety. It has been a busy few years, new house to furnish and garden to clear of builder’s rubble, meeting and making new friends and dealing with the change a child can make! It has been a time of change on so many levels and I have felt God's call on my life in a real and new way.
I was brought up in Christian home with all the good and not so good points that entails when growing up. I gave my life to God at a relatively early age and had a few recommitments during those early years. I am one of those people who cannot say 'on this day, at this time, I gave my life to Christ'. I often used to wish I could have had or remembered such a moment in a true hell's angel rocker type of way but we are all different and with our own path and story. I guess my recommitments in those early childhood years (to make sure) make pinpointing a date difficult but I do have distinct memories of praying to God and being impacted at summer camp under the fantastic and gentle messages delivered by Dave Pritchard (Camp Padre).
I was baptised on Sept 14 1986 and enjoyed many years in a Brethren Assembly when in those days we had a thriving youth work. I attended Essex Christian Camps each summer from the age of 11 initially as a camper and then a tent leader and later tent officer. It was a good work supported by brethren and evangelical assemblies throughout Essex and London and met on a school site for many years near Lowestoft. They were interesting and fruitful times. However as I grew up and as more independent thinking took place I began to feel that the church environment for me was not really relevant at that time in my mid to late teenage years.
This was followed by a period where my walk with God was not as it should be and I entered a period of back sliding and then a 'typical' university experience. It took a number of years through my 20s to really settle down and indeed it led me to leaving the country and going to teach English in Ukraine of all places in the summer of 1996. This was a great and fascinating time where I really learnt a lot about people and how other people lived and where I also met my future wife. I came to appreciate the things we take for granted in the developed West versus the comparative poverty in a place like the Ukraine. Whole families of 5 or 6 share a two bedroom flat in a high rise in a dimly-lit district and as their Guest I had one of their rooms!...I learnt about how appearances can be deceptive and that the people were so kind and humble but so very friendly and hospitable. It made a lasting impression on me. So that's the background.
In recent years since 2005 when we moved to where we live now and said right let's find a church the first Sunday after we move in, my walk with God has been closer. I have felt his hand on my life in a much deeper way and I have come to know him as a friend as well as a Father. During the pregnancy for our first child we had many worries and concerns which culminated in a very unexpected and premature birth. During the first 18 months we had other concerns with development, feeding, glue ear, hearing loss etc. But often these things happen for a purpose and I know that God brought me through the other side with a greater reliance on him and his purposes. Today my walk with God, whilst having 'it's ups & downs' which I think is probably normal is on much deeper spiritual level than ever before. I guess this is due to both a maturity on my part but also I feel because I am listening more to what the Holy Spirit has to say and allowing him to guide and direct me.
In recent times I have been trying to deal with the whole area of a reformed theology, gifts of the Spirit and the like and a local church based on New Testament principles. I want a local church that values each member equally, that is very much based on scripture and that is out there trying to connect with society and its locality. Church is not as we are often reminded about the building but about the people and my desire is to see the church going beyond the building to meet the needs of a broken society and in many senses a nation, a world which is totally lost.
I now reside on the Essex/Suffolk border a few miles down the River Stour from Dedham and 'Constable Country'. Moved here in 2005 and much has happened over the last few years including the birth of my 2 & 1/2 year old Son, who is now a bouncing-full-of-energy-never-sits-still-always-on-the-go variety. It has been a busy few years, new house to furnish and garden to clear of builder’s rubble, meeting and making new friends and dealing with the change a child can make! It has been a time of change on so many levels and I have felt God's call on my life in a real and new way.
I was brought up in Christian home with all the good and not so good points that entails when growing up. I gave my life to God at a relatively early age and had a few recommitments during those early years. I am one of those people who cannot say 'on this day, at this time, I gave my life to Christ'. I often used to wish I could have had or remembered such a moment in a true hell's angel rocker type of way but we are all different and with our own path and story. I guess my recommitments in those early childhood years (to make sure) make pinpointing a date difficult but I do have distinct memories of praying to God and being impacted at summer camp under the fantastic and gentle messages delivered by Dave Pritchard (Camp Padre).
I was baptised on Sept 14 1986 and enjoyed many years in a Brethren Assembly when in those days we had a thriving youth work. I attended Essex Christian Camps each summer from the age of 11 initially as a camper and then a tent leader and later tent officer. It was a good work supported by brethren and evangelical assemblies throughout Essex and London and met on a school site for many years near Lowestoft. They were interesting and fruitful times. However as I grew up and as more independent thinking took place I began to feel that the church environment for me was not really relevant at that time in my mid to late teenage years.
This was followed by a period where my walk with God was not as it should be and I entered a period of back sliding and then a 'typical' university experience. It took a number of years through my 20s to really settle down and indeed it led me to leaving the country and going to teach English in Ukraine of all places in the summer of 1996. This was a great and fascinating time where I really learnt a lot about people and how other people lived and where I also met my future wife. I came to appreciate the things we take for granted in the developed West versus the comparative poverty in a place like the Ukraine. Whole families of 5 or 6 share a two bedroom flat in a high rise in a dimly-lit district and as their Guest I had one of their rooms!...I learnt about how appearances can be deceptive and that the people were so kind and humble but so very friendly and hospitable. It made a lasting impression on me. So that's the background.
In recent years since 2005 when we moved to where we live now and said right let's find a church the first Sunday after we move in, my walk with God has been closer. I have felt his hand on my life in a much deeper way and I have come to know him as a friend as well as a Father. During the pregnancy for our first child we had many worries and concerns which culminated in a very unexpected and premature birth. During the first 18 months we had other concerns with development, feeding, glue ear, hearing loss etc. But often these things happen for a purpose and I know that God brought me through the other side with a greater reliance on him and his purposes. Today my walk with God, whilst having 'it's ups & downs' which I think is probably normal is on much deeper spiritual level than ever before. I guess this is due to both a maturity on my part but also I feel because I am listening more to what the Holy Spirit has to say and allowing him to guide and direct me.
In recent times I have been trying to deal with the whole area of a reformed theology, gifts of the Spirit and the like and a local church based on New Testament principles. I want a local church that values each member equally, that is very much based on scripture and that is out there trying to connect with society and its locality. Church is not as we are often reminded about the building but about the people and my desire is to see the church going beyond the building to meet the needs of a broken society and in many senses a nation, a world which is totally lost.
The First Post
Who know's where this will lead. Like many others I have dabbled with webpages, contributed to many more and decided actually it would be rather nice to concentrate on a blog of my own. Clearly there are millions of blogs all over the world, circa 112 million if you believe wikipedia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blog. The internet is so vast and growing year on year, who know's how many blogs there are now as we approach the end of 2008.
So I have joined the club of bloggers... and this was the first post.
So I have joined the club of bloggers... and this was the first post.
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