Three Little Words

Often, the shortest statements we make, are the ones that are the most profound and fundamental to who we are. They are also the ones that can cause us the most bother. Take the following statement:

"I love Jesus."

Three little words, three powerful words. Yet even as we speak, some 200 million Christians worldwide suffer for saying those very words, or demonstrating a belief that represents that statement.

200 million...

that's a lot...

To put it in perspective, that's roughly two thirds of the US population... all suffering for professing Christ as their saviour.

I'm not talking about here in the UK, or in Europe, or North America, or Australia. In these places, most of the time the hassle you are likely to receive will largely just consist of hard hearted words, scorn, ridicule and/or individual hostility.... or just people taking the rip out of you.

No, I'm talking about countries that are hostile to the Gospel message; where it is illegal, or culturally frowned upon. Places where if you worship Jesus you face the very real prospect of imprisonment, beatings, torture, abuse, rape, mutilation, slavery and even murder. Just for saying those three little words. Three little words we take for granted, but which for some people mean the very difference between life or death... in a world where those words can literally cost you everything.

We had a visit today from the Open Doors foundation. You can find a link to them somewhere on my page. They have existed for 50 years, and they have been supporting oppressed Christians in many ways. They have given financial aid, theological training to leaders, and most famously they are Bible smugglers. They take the Word of god into countries where it is banned. That is cool!

However the speaker today brought a message to our Church, not requesting help on any of those fronts. This is unusual, because most organisations who come ask for financial aid to further the good work they do.

No, we were merely asked to pray for these people... because that is the gift we offer that our persecuted brothers and sisters value the most. It encourages them to know that we who are not oppressed, remember them in our prayers. They draw real strength from that... and they have every reason to, in many circumstances they have no-one to rely on for provision but the Lord.

In fact, they pray for us. They know being a Christian in the decadent world has its own trials. They pray because there are so many distractions, such as financial worries, materialism and the busy nature of our lives that can take up valuable time.

I praise God for their faith, and I am ashamed at some of the basic things that can cause me to lose heart some times.

So, if you have the time to spare. Go over to the Open Doors website (link on my page). If not, perhaps you would pray the following prayer which we said this morning for persecuted Christians:

Petition for Persecuted Christians

I pray:

• you will stand strong in your faith and steadfast in persecution.
• your persecutors may come to know Christ.
• God will supply the needs of your family.
• you will have your own Bibles in your own language.
• you will enjoy freedom to preach the Gospel.
• you will be able to teach your children about the Christian faith.
• you will be free to worship and meet other Christians.
• you know you are not alone - the Lord is with you now and always.
• we can all work for justice, that truth and righteousness will prevail.
  

Amen

Finally let us remember...

"The King will reply, 'I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.'" ( Matthew 25:40)

Lost in Translation

Well I promised I'd shut up about politics. Today's weather HAS been glorious, hottest day in May for over 50 years! Certainly felt like it.
I was looking at the translations Google uses for my space in several languages. As you all know, I am crazy enough as it is. However, is it any wonder people give me strange looks when my space's title "Nick's Sanctuary" translates into the following:

• French & Portuguese - "The Sanctuary Of the Notch"
• German - "Already area of the cut"
• Spanish - "Sanctuary of Mella"
• Italian - "Sanctuary Of The Scalfittura"
• Japanese - "Nick' The sacred precincts"
• Chinese - "Nick' s saint"

I mean, half of those sound like religious cults. My favourite is probably the Italian. What the heck is a Scalfittura anyway?

Any ideas? I think it might mean scratch! Sanctuary of the Scratch... hmmm!

Since originally posting this article I've discovered that computer software translates "Nick's Sanctuary" to the Arabic equivalent of "The Nicholas Deprivation" and in Hebrew it becomes "Furrowed a Temple". The former sounds really depressing, but the latter conjures up an image of being a ploughman in Church. Churning up all the soil to prepare for the sowing of seed. Which is pretty profound.

Hope you are all blessed over the bank holiday.

N

Socio-Economic Pressures

I thought I’d write on a weighty subject this morning. This is because at this time of day, there will be practically no-one who will read it, so I can just get it off my chest! Besides if I do an entry later today, I want it to be a lot lighter in content and reflective of the fact that outside today… it is glorious.

The subject I wish to bring up is that of socio-economic strains, more specifically those that will affect my generation during the next couple of decades.

At the moment, the smallest age bracket in the population is mine - the 20-40 age group.

In the near future the “baby boom” generation will all be reaching retirement age, some of them already have. The amount of revenue raised by their tax contributions will drop significantly, as they will be drawing their pensions. Eventually, over the course of time they will start to become infirm and more dependent on healthcare.

On the other side of the coin, the birth rate in Britain is increasing. There are a lot of children being born, and these will need to be educated somewhere. Quite a few will be born into households that receive state benefit.

Then there is asylum. No decent person has a problem with genuinely persecuted people seeking sanctuary in a less oppressive nation. However, as the world’s nations grow more and more agitated with one another, more people are looking for a safe harbour, and as with anything there will always be a certain percentage of people who are just looking for a “meal ticket”.

I do not wish to express any hostility to any of these groups of people, I merely wish to highlight the point that they are factors in a much bigger issue.

In fact, I believe there is a valid economic reason why the Government is encouraging the import of key workers into Britain from overseas. Eventually, if you consider all the factors I have listed above (and I’m sure there are many more I haven’t even brushed upon), we are going to run out of money for essential services. Even with large scale immigration, I doubt there would be enough tax generated to cover the competing demands on state services.

History has taught us, that when you have a large amount of people, and not enough economic strength to support them, something has to give. What normally happens is that one group becomes labelled as the scapegoat for all the economic misery, and persecution of that group begins. I don’t need to list some of the dark chapters of international history where this has been the case. You should be aware of at least some of them!

This is why Parliament is so keen on a stronger Europe; with a common policy on many issues, you can spread the burden. In my heart, I’m personally not for a federal Europe, and will almost certainly vote “No” in a UK referendum. Yet there is a certain logic behind the pro-European lobby, and I’m not going to deny that.

If I trusted in the ways of men, I’d be seeking a way to get away from this country as soon as I possibly could, but I will trust in The Lord, and if/when the time comes I will serve Him where I can.

What would you choose?

OK politically heavy rant over! Will be a lot cheerier later!

N

A Close Shave

I’ve had a very narrow escape. On Friday night, I was considering going to a night out at one of the local pubs with a few friends from my old Fellowship… that will not be happening now. Last night, I was texting a few people with regard to the spectacular and extraordinary Liverpool victory in the Champion’s League final (whilst simultaneously taking yet another opportunity to poke fun at Man Utd.)

The person organising the Friday event telephoned me over a misunderstanding about the game. While doing so, he asked me if I was coming on Friday and told me who else was. There’s only about four others going, and one of them is the girl who caused me trouble over the New Year.

She was the one who dithered and swung to and fro for months as to whether or not she wanted to be a friend or have a relationship, backing off when I advanced and advancing whenever I backed off.

Really, whether she was aware of this consciously or not. All she was treating me as was an “inbetweener”. She was using me as a prop until the next guy came along. A lot of girls want to have their cake and eat it. She wanted someone who was a physical type, who was a bit of a bad lad, but also strong in faith… in that order! Yet every time she has gone down that road before, she has been used or tossed away like an oily rag. I was trying to teach her another way of living, and at first it seemed to be working. However, the pull of her past actions was too great and she played to her previous form.

It came to a head, when I basically laid my cards on the table in a letter. She knew how I felt, if she wanted to be a friend… I’d be a friend, but if she was to go out with me properly, the time for messing about was over… the time for a decision was now.

Whichever road she’d have taken I would have freely accepted. Yet the next time we saw each other, she made the fatal mistake of blanking me completely. No real friend does that. So when a note came through the post saying she wanted to be just friends, I cut loose. I was being used, and that was completely unacceptable. I am glad I have moved on (several times actually).

I suppose one of the reasons I felt so strongly about this, is that I had become a mentor to her. So I actually felt betrayed by someone I regarded as my student (Obi-Wan style). It's not the first time this has happened, I just hope it doesn't happen too many more times, and that the people who I help coach don't keep kicking me in the teeth!

If more people were going tomorrow, I’d be OK. I’d have plenty of scope to keep my distance. However, with only a handful things would be too close and I’d probably have it out with her, which she wouldn’t be able to take.

I’ll maintain my policy of keeping a distance while the option remains. A gentleman will walk but never run.

The Monastery

I was fascinated by BBC 2's "The Monastery" documentary/experiment. It's been interesting to watch the personal journey of five men, from varied backgrounds, as they struggled to cope with monastic life for 40 days.

The monks always appeared placid, even in the midst of hostility and confrontation amongst their guests.

Tony, was a soft porn director at the start of the programme, and despite his growing spirituality he was never going to jack the job in. That was until the last two days. It was plain to see that the man had been moved by the presence of God, even if he didn't understand the depth of the experience he had received. Nevertheless upon returning to the "real" world, Tony eventually packed up his job because it was at odds with what he was coming to know. That took courage!

All of the men, came on leaps and bounds, one even considered the priesthood.

It just goes to show that if you are prepared to give God time... and not just five minutes. REAL time, time enough in the quiet to rid your head and heart of worldly stuff, he himself will eventually more than fill the vacuum.

Draw near to God... and he'll draw near to you.

Blessings

N

Episode III Review

Well, I've never been to a film which received a round of applause... until last night (that was despite the fact that the audio channel for the dialogue and sfx went a little wonky at one point).

I went to Amistad and Saving Private Ryan, but the reaction was a fitting, revered silence in those cases.

The scale of the space battles was awesome. The manipulation of Anakin as he turned to the Dark Side was disturbing, being told the only way he can save the one he loves from death is to join the Dark Side, while ironically the result of making that choice was the catalyst for her death. In that respect, the Emperor was just like the serpent from Eden. Masking the true outcome of a decision with a possible benefit. There were clear parallels between the politics of the film, and the ones we find ourselves exposed to today. Liberties being reduced in the name of stamping out a terror, when the real terror is the one who is assuming authority.

I shall say no more on that, I promised a lighter entry!

I was really depressed as the Jedi were systematically betrayed and taken down. I really felt sorry for the blue twilek jedi who was killed... she was really fit! Why did they kill her?

The climactic battle between Obi Wan and Anakin really set my pulse racing. Anakin is more powerful, but Obi Wan is wiser. The pain of having to take down your own student is immense, but the right thing has to be done.

The ending with the binary sunrise sent a tingle down my spine, it perfectly mirrored the binary sunset in "A New Hope".

I was watching the critics attack it a little on Newsnight Review. Sometimes I respect what they say, but I find a lot of critics fall to the temptation of being snobbish. Take the current situation with Rolf Harris being commissioned to paint the Queen. Nice move! Popular choice, someone the British public can relate to. However, the critics have begun to frown on the appointment already. Why? Rolf has done a lot for classical art in the past few years, he has used his popular appeal to front programmes about the classical artists, and revealed a genuine fondness for there work. These critics are a lot like the popes and cardinals of old, who tried to prevent the translation of biblical texts into the common tongue. In the same way, these critics want to keep the semiotic messages and themes within great works of art to themselves, believing that only "well-educated" people should be allowed to translate these works, because it gives them an air of superiority.

I fundamentally disagree with this entire attitude, every man woman and child has the right to be personally enriched by satisfying their own thirst for knowledge. They should not be held back by the learned, no it is the responsibility of the wise man and the scholar to pass on his knowledge... to empower others... to facilitate the student, not restrict them. This is the problem I have with the antiquated church, but the attitudes are not confined to the church, no modern culture is also rank with it.

A lot of the critics are dismissive of blogs you know. They see them as self indulgent. I personally see nothing wrong with sharing your perspective of the universe, it's equally as valid as any philosopher or renowned writer. Every life makes an impact on the universe. You never know who you might influence by just sharing your opinion.

I've always believed our actions are more life and death than they appear on the surface, but again that's a subject for another time.

I'm looking forward to the Chronicles of Narnia at the cinema, which will be released at Christmas. The trailer on T4 this morning looked impressive!

May the force be with you...

...always.

A Response

Author's note (05/01/07) The following post was initially a response to a comment left on my MSN Space. The person leaving the comment had been abusing my space by posting obscenities. I deleted the pure abuse, but when he finally got round to raising a valid point, I decide to be curteous. It seemed to pay off as their was a genuine dialogue that lasted for a couple of posts:

In response to:

"no offence but stop wastin ur life!! if god exists then howcum such bad things happen to gd ppl?? god dosent exist gt it through tht thik skull of urs!! my grandad died of cancer no matter how much prayer i went thru and church servises i went to. he died!! sure god exist. yeh and monkeys mite flie outa my butt!! jesus roks he was a rly old dood hoo live a mmillion yrs ago get the hell over it!:@:@"

Firstly, I want to make one thing very clear. Despite the fact you posted this in "Abusive Comments Part 2", I don't consider a large part of what you typed as offensive, the rest I believe comes from hurt. So, I'll treat it your post with respect and respond accordingly..

I naturally sympathise over your loss, but with all due respect, you need to get some perspective. You are not alone in knowing people who have suffered died from cancer. Several of my uncles and aunts have as well. Many years ago, I had an aunt, uncle and cousin who died in a car crash... leaving two cousins orphaned. This broke my grandparents hearts. My grandfather died of a heart attack that very year, and my grandmother was a shell of herself for the several years she lived on. My grandfather on my mother's side died before I was even conceived, I never knew him. I would encourage you to be grateful for what time you had with your grandfather, rather than be bitter over what you have lost.

People who have a belief only because they think it's some magic charm to protect them from life's trials need to grow up. As human beings living in a fallen world, we all suffer, that much is clear. In fact, if you have a faith in Christ Jesus, you are likely to come in for more. Jesus only promises to not let us be exposed to more than we can hack. He doesn't say you are immune to pain. Though he is a balm for suffering and the ULTIMATE cure for our fallen condition, he is not an inoculation against the circumstances of this world. How can Christians be a witness to those suffering, if they themselves have not suffered?

No, apart from our need for salvation, the other reason Jesus suffered, was so that he would be able to help us when we ourselves suffer. By his wounds we are healed!

We need to lean on Jesus all the time, not only to get us through the bad times, but also to acknowledge him in the good times.

I'm assuming your comment about Jesus was hyperbole, because as we know, he only lived two thousand of our Earth years ago. He also was NOT a "rly old dood". Most people believe he died around the age of 33. That's not old... at least i hope not, or I'm in BIG trouble LOL! No, Jesus died young... and that's how he remains. He was raised in a resurrection body (some people think that means scientifically changed at the atomic level). He does not age, and he is not on Earth anymore. so yup two millennia later he's still in his thirties. Lucky bloke... but then he is God! :-)

I'd like to challenge you to pray again, though hard it be. I'd also like to ask you something if you do. When you pray, do you just talk, or do you listen as well. I'd like to encourage you to take that path, because it makes a difference. I'd also encourage you to pray along with people who have experience. no, I don't mean people who read from a text book, I mean people who pray from the heart.

Finally, to those of us who do believe in Jesus, a warning:

"That servant who knows his master's will and does not get ready or does not do what his master wants will be beaten with many blows. But the one who does not know and does things deserving punishment will be beaten with few blows. From everyone who has been given much, much will be demanded; and from the one who has been entrusted with much, much more will be asked."

And:

"These things happened to them as examples and were written down as warnings for us, on whom the fulfillment of the ages has come. So, if you think you are standing firm, be careful that you don't fall! No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it."

If we seem to be having an easy ride, we should always be ready and prepared for God to use in difficult situations/circumstances.

We have been entrusted with much, lets not be lazy with it!

N

G8 Conference

I've recently been invited to join some friends who are planning on getting a coach to help the "Make Poverty History" campaign in a rally at the G8 Conference in Edinburgh. Getting a coach from Warwickshire to Scotland will take ages! Transport in this country is prohibitively expensive. It's crazy. Someone at my work is flying to Amsterdam for about £2, but to get to Edinburgh from Birmingham & back is £89. Logic?

I was there at the G8 in Birmingham in 1998. I remember it well. I was taking part in the Jubilee 2000 campaign. I was angry because the G8 leaders changed their plans and escaped to Weston Park for the day, so the protest was only received by lower ranked representatives. I was also a bit peeved because when we passed by The Atlantic Hotel, one of the US snipers who were posted on the roof (as protection for then President Clinton), aimed at me with his rifle when I waved up at them!

On the positive, it was a really powerful and moving experience to be part of, and what's more it WAS for a worthy cause. There were in the region of 80,000 of us standing in a circle, round the International Convention Centre. There was a massive unified roar of defiance from the crowd for about 5 minutes. We then began chanting "Cancel the Debt!" for another 10 minutes. the petition was received and we made our way out.

This year, there will be even more momentum, because the Live Aid 2 concert will be happening around the same time. So the people of the western world will be very much aware of and focused on the "Make Poverty History" agenda.

I've never been north of the border believe it or not, so I also have an ulterior motive to go. However going on coach seems a bit of a long haul to me!

I encourage any of you who can make it to take part in the protest. Even if you can't do that, pray about it... and if you can't do that, then make sure at some point in your lifetime you take in some form of political protest... everybody should do it at least once, it's quite exhilarating.

Choose your causes wisely though.

Besides, if you put your name to ANYTHING remotely political in this country, you get your very own dossier at MI5! OK so admittedly they probably don't have more than an A4 sheet on me at present, but it's fun to be thought of as a little subversive.... keep 'em on their toes, that's what I say!

For anyone who thinks doing something like this is a waste of time, I leave you with this scripture from Ezekiel 1:4-8 to ponder:

The people to whom I am sending you are obstinate and stubborn. Say to them, 'This is what the Sovereign LORD says.' And whether they listen or fail to listen—for they are a rebellious house—they will know that a prophet has been among them. And you, son of man, do not be afraid of them or their words. Do not be afraid, though briers and thorns are all around you and you live among scorpions. Do not be afraid of what they say or terrified by them, though they are a rebellious house. You must speak my words to them, whether they listen or fail to listen, for they are rebellious. But you, son of man, listen to what I say to you. Do not rebel like that rebellious house; open your mouth and eat what I give you."

We don't engage in fierce debate on the grounds that we might win, we challenge those who oppose us because the cause is righteous.

N

Or as Babylon 5 put it:

"Tell the other rangers, the ambassadors, everyone in this army of light. Babylon 5 stands with you. Tell them, tell them that from this place we will deliver notice to the parliaments of conquerors that a line has been drawn against the darkness and we will hold that line no matter the cost." - Sheridan to the Rangers: "The Long, Twilight Struggle"

Church

Something the visiting vicar said yesterday at church has remained with me today. He said a sobering thing was the fact that for some of the people we meet in our every day lives, the closest they will get to God, is knowing you.

What a responsibility! How important it is to get right with God, if all people see in us is our rage/anger/depression, that becomes the sum of their experience of God. However, if we allow the Spirit room in our hearts to manouvre. Then it is not just us people see, but Christ himself.

2 Corinthians 5:20 "We are therefore Christ's ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ's behalf: Be reconciled to God."

Doctor Who - Fathers Day

When I saw the trailer for the latest episode of Doctor Who last week, I was worried it would be a bit naff. I was surprised to find the storyline was one of the better ones offered.

First of all, you have a decent explanation as to the nature of time paradox theory, which is a pretty complicated subject.

However, I felt there was a very strong Christian parallel with last night's episode. You can view the sequence I'm referring to watching the video at the bottom if you have time, if not just continue reading.

Rose (the Doctor's assistant), saves her father back in 1987 when in fact he should have died at the hands of a hit and run driver. This causes a "wound" in time that creatures from another dimension feed on like bacteria. People all over the world are dying because of the change. Despite this, Rose is getting to know her father properly in conversation. The Doctor knows how to stop everything going wrong, but he keeps quiet because he values Rose. Instead he tries to find a way around the problem. His makeshift plan fails though, and he is devoured by an alien.

It's at this point that Rose's dad works out how to resolve the crisis. The car that should have knocked him down is travelling in a perpetual loop, appearing and disappearing at the point where the accident should have happened. To restore equilibrium, he has to lay down is life and let it end as it should have, but in the process sacrifice a future of seeing his daughter grow up. This is a theme that was explored previously in films like "The Last Temptation of Christ" and "Donnie Darko" (the latter is a film that pays tribute to the former).

In this way Rose's father saves the world, by sacrificing himself.

In the same way there is a wound in our world, caused as a consequence of the Fall of man. We are constantly being tempted, corrupted and slowly destroyed by our sinful natures. It is for this reason that Christ came into the world and died. If you haven't already, you may want to contemplate the significance of that in your own life.... and how you should respond to it.

John 3:16 "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life."

So there's your proof that science fiction and God are NOT opposing forces.

Somebody Please Shut Sir Cliff Up!

Authors note - 05/01/07 , the following blog was written over a year before I regained a slight appreciation of Songs of Praise through the heavenly Katherine Jenkins.

I am an odd Christian. In the sense that I find both Songs of Praise and Cliff Richard, highly annoying.

The reason I don't get on with Songs of Praise is because a lot of the time it's not live, and it's often too slick (more attention to professionalism than spirituality). you also have the added distraction of people who blatantly never go to church, just turning up to appear on telly. You can tell these people because they adopt one of the following expressions:

• The Grin. A cheesy smile worthy of El Presidente Blair himself, as they sing along.
• The Frown. The "I'm a zealot and proud" look. They want to be taken as serious.
• The Blissful. These ones normally close their eyes and sway as they sing.
  

I'm sure there are people who adopt that pose and are genuine, but a lot of people just seem to be there for the cameras. So I very rarely watch it.
As for Sir Cliff, I just find his pappy poppy songs annoying. When they have substance they are ok. I liked the Millennium Prayer, and Saviour's Day (but curiously not Mistletoe & Wine). The only other thing of note in his discography is his Comic Relief version of Living Doll with the Young Ones. Everything else is just too saccharine! His current release is making my ears bleed!

Did I tell you I once wrote a sketch where I had him kidnapped by aliens and then shot by James Bond?

On antirely separate note, I've also noticed something rather disturbing about jelly babies. The makers have now put little personality profiles of each jelly baby on the side of the box! Do they want to give us a guilt trip or complex?

Death of a Postman

I heard on the news last night that a lad I used to play football with was knocked down and killed while riding his postman's bike along the A46. The lorry driver from Leicester who was responsible, is being charged with manslaughter.

Nicky was a decent lad, he enjoyed being a postman, and he always treated me with respect, never failing to say hello on the infrequently occasions we passed in the street. He was two years my junior, at 28 years of age.

You can tell how strongly his colleagues feel about his loss, because before the sun had even set on the news, there were many flowers placed outside the town's post office.

My mind keeps coming back to a tough verse in the Bible I had to brush up on before the Maze last year. It concerns Jesus teaching on suffering.

"Jesus answered, "Do you think that these Galileans were worse sinners than all the other Galileans because they suffered this way? I tell you, no! But unless you repent, you too will all perish. Or those eighteen who died when the tower in Siloam fell on them—do you think they were more guilty than all the others living in Jerusalem? I tell you, no! But unless you repent, you too will all perish.""

In the ancient world, people often thought that disaster only came upon people who had offended God in some way. There was a belief that whatever your circumstances, you always got what was coming to you. This isn't what Jesus preached.

Jesus isn't saying that bad things only happen to bad people, he's not judging the people who have suffered. He's actually saying something quite different indeed. He's pointing out that the apparent random suffering in life (unfair as it often can be), ISN'T necessarily a reflection of anything we have done, BUT it should make us take our future lives seriously, and use the time we have wisely, while we still have it. It doesn't matter that before we weren't right with God... what's important is that we make sure we are right with him from this day forwards.

We don't know when our time is up. We have to make sure we know God more than him just being our maker. We have to know him as friend and saviour. We have to make the most of every opportunity. Living our life to the full (which includes having fun wherever possible, in the context of what God's OK with).

Similarly, don't make the mistake that I am judging Nicky, I'm not. I had a lot of respect for him as a person, and I shall miss not seeing him around town... as it stands i can't quite believe he's gone!

No, it's not my place to judge anyone, so I am not so foolish as to pronounce a theory on his fate. I prayed for him last night, and hope even now that the light he received in life was enough to welcome him into heavenly hands.

May God be with you all.

N