Tony Blair's Speech

As many regular visitors will know, I am strongly biased against the authoritarian right politics of Tony Blair. Something he mentioned in his speech yesterday, caught my ear. Here is the segment to which I refer:

"The whole of our system starts from the proposition that its duty is to protect the innocent from being wrongly convicted.

Don't misunderstand me. That must be the duty of any criminal justice system.

But surely our primary duty should be to allow law-abiding people to live in safety.
It means a complete change of thinking. It doesn't mean abandoning human rights. It means deciding whose come first"

I apologise for quoting him (it's like using the black tongue of Mordor in the Shire). What he said didn't sit right with me. Those of you who read your bible will know that if you read a version with complex words that you don't understand, it is fairly easy to misinterpret what the Bible is saying. I think Blair's speech was written deliberately to have the same effect.

If you broke down this paragraph in to basic English (especially the emboldened words), you could argue that Blair is sanctioning the imprisonment of the innocent, to ensure the safety of the masses. He seems to be saying "if the Government believes somebody is dangerous... regardless of background, we should put them in jail without evidence or proper trial; in the interests of national security". If that were true, it would be authorising political imprisonment, which is abhorrent.

I'd like your thoughts on that particular segment of his speech, please let me know what you think he is saying.

The Hero's Eternal Struggle

Continuing on yesterday's theme (namely sin), I wanted to share with you an image that has stayed with me all through childhood.

As a kid I was really into the Superman movies (though as an adult I can appreciate that really, only 1 and 2 were of critical worth). An image has stayed with me from the 3rd movie (it's about the only decent bit of the film). It involves a fight in a Metropolis scrapyard. To set the scene, Superman had earlier been exposed to contaminated kryptonite... which instead of making him double up in pain, changed his nature into that of a corrupt selfish individual.

However, after committing various evil deeds, something happens... he gets a nauseating headache and is forced to land in a scrapyard. As he clutches his head, his alter ego Clark Kent emerges from within him. This is the scene that I always remember.

Evil Supes and Clark duke it out and throw junk and stuff at each other (pictured below). Supes is seemingly quicker and more agile (but in reality they are the same person... it's just his TRUE persona is mild mannered). It ends with the evil Supes dumping Clark into a compactor... and you think that's that, as he walks away. Suddenly there is a jolt and Clark pulls himself free. Another fight begins but Clark gets the drop on Supes and strangles him from behind. Supes disappears. The familiar Superman tune fires up and Clark pulls open his shirt He's the TRUE Superman again.

Or again, it is like in The Iron Giant. The robot in the film carries some seriously impressive hardware and weaponry; when he sees his friend hurt... he goes on a rampage and starts disintegrating and melting tanks. When he sees the boy Hogarth is still alive, he snaps out of it. He makes a conscious decision and declares "I am not a gun!" It's a good job he did because there is a nuclear warhead descending on the townsfolk and only The Iron Giant can stop it by sacrificing himself. He flies into it in space and his last words are what he truly wanted in his heart to be - "Superman!" (Don't worry, it does have a happy ending).

That's what we have to do... stop being the gun and start being the Superman that we truly are.

So what does this all have to do with sin?

It reminds me of the struggle we all face within. Some days, if we let our guard slip... our sinful nature breaks free and tries to reassert itself. It basically tries to go on a Superman rampage. However, at some point we get a headache... or should I say soulache. It's at this time that God is calling us to account... and the person he shapes us to be, springs forth in the power of Christ (for that is the only way it can), then comes the titanic struggle. It is a struggle we all face. Paul wrote this in Romans:

"I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do. And if I do what I do not want to do, I agree that the law is good. As it is, it is no longer I myself who do it, but it is sin living in me. I know that nothing good lives in me, that is, in my sinful nature. For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out. For what I do is not the good I want to do; no, the evil I do not want to do—this I keep on doing. Now if I do what I do not want to do, it is no longer I who do it, but it is sin living in me that does it.

So I find this law at work: When I want to do good, evil is right there with me. For in my inner being I delight in God's law; but I see another law at work in the members of my body, waging war against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin at work within my members. What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body of death? Thanks be to God—through Jesus Christ our Lord!"

That can be quite confusing because of all the do's and do not's. What Paul is basically saying is that he's human... like you and me. He struggled with sin just like you and I, and he fought his own personal Superman. Yet he admits he does not have the strength to do it in himself. What is the answer? "What a Wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body of death? Thanks be to God-through Jesus Christ his our Lord!"

Jesus is the answer.

"What, then, shall we say in response to this? If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all—how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things? Who will bring any charge against those whom God has chosen? It is God who justifies. Who is he that condemns? Christ Jesus, who died—more than that, who was raised to life—is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us. Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? As it is written: "For your sake we face death all day long; we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered."

No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord."

I do not write these words to you as a mighty preacher, or wise sage. I am merely a fellow traveller along the road who has had his fair share of struggles... and yes... sometimes struggles even today. I wanted to write this to tell those of you who don't know, how to combat sin in your own life (turn it and temptation over to Christ), and to remind anyone who has forgotten about also.

Be Clark Kent, be the true Superman... not a gun.

Cheapening Things

I've been convicted of a couple of things lately, and I thought it'd be wise to share some of it with you. I may have a faith in God, but I am just a mere human... just as broken as the next person, and in no way6 superior through my own efforts.

I've been thinking of how easily Christian's INCLUDING me... have a tendency to "put things on the tab".

This is wrong... from the smallest error to the greatest crime. We shouldn't live this way. We should be alert and watchful towards our behaviour.

It's a delicate balance... yes the full and total price of our redemption was settled on Good Friday. Christ died once for all!

This does not give us free reign to do whatever the heck we want though, as Paul sums up in these passages:

"Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your body."

and:

"What shall we say, then? Shall we go on sinning so that grace may increase? By no means! We died to sin; how can we live in it any longer?"

and:

"What then? Shall we sin because we are not under law but under grace? By no means! Don't you know that when you offer yourselves to someone to obey him as slaves, you are slaves to the one whom you obey—whether you are slaves to sin, which leads to death, or to obedience, which leads to righteousness?"

So it's pretty clear... and to be honest... you don't really need the Bible to tell you that, as a Christian you should know in your heart that any rebellious act shows disregard for what Jesus did for us. How can we callously do the things we do... and offend God? We know what our sins did... because hundreds of years before Christ died for us Isaiah the prophet inspired by God... wrote these words:

"He was despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows, and familiar with suffering. Like one from whom men hide their faces he was despised, and we esteemed him not. Surely he took up our infirmities and carried our sorrows, yet we considered him stricken by God, smitten by him, and afflicted. But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and by his wounds we are healed."

We know his pain was for our redemption and the Father's glory. Theologians have argued who was responsible for the death of Christ for centuries. Many blamed the Jews... but the simple truth is that regardless of the "angry mob... regardless of the gentile form of execution, race has nothing to do with it.

Want to know who crucified Christ?

TAKE A GOOD LOOK IN THE MIRROR!

For:

"We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to his own way; and the LORD has laid on him the iniquity of us all."

... the iniquity of US ALL. The Human Race in total is responsible. You and I. This is why I have included a picture of Christ on the cross from "The Passion of Christ". We as Christian's need to remind ourselves that we WERE bought at a price... and remember just what that price was!


Back to my original point, and the Bible makes it clear we have a responsibility for the way we live our lives after accepting Christ. However, we know that we are not alone in our struggles because as John in his first epistle reassuringly tells us:

8If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. 9If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. 10If we claim we have not sinned, we make him out to be a liar and his word has no place in our lives.

So we as Christian's still sin... but this is not right... what should we do? Paul writes:

"In the same way, count yourselves dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus. Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body so that you obey its evil desires. Do not offer the parts of your body to sin, as instruments of wickedness, but rather offer yourselves to God, as those who have been brought from death to life; and offer the parts of your body to him as instruments of righteousness. For sin shall not be your master, because you are not under law, but under grace."

We must allow God full reign in our hearts and allow him to guide us away from the things that tempt us to fall prey to sin. The only way to do this is to trust in Jesus because:

"For this reason he had to be made like his brothers in every way, in order that he might become a merciful and faithful high priest in service to God, and that he might make atonement for the sins of the people. Because he himself suffered when he was tempted, he is able to help those who are being tempted."

I pray that God will enable you and I today this today.

N

Police Restructuring

I'm not looking forward to the restructuring of the police as proposed by Charles Clarke.

I live in Warwickshire, which is one of the forces that are likely to get the chop. Policing at the moment is ludicrous, it seems you can vandalise, burgle or torch buildings, or beat up/stab people... and you'd be fairly confident that you'd get away with it. The police around us spend the majority of their time in their cars, and their priorities are to maintain an elaborate network of speed traps (don't get me wrong, speeding is an offence... but the roads they police are not normally the dangerous ones... and I feel their priorities should be to put an end to the increase in violation style crimes).

One of my work colleagues lives in Quinton, if you report a crime there... the phone call is picked up all the way in Leamington Spa, and responded to by a car in my town of Alcester (which is even further).

You might argue that centralising the police will eliminate the shambolic organisation of resources... but that's not likely to be what this is about.

What will inevitably happen with such a restructuring, is that resources will be focused on the urban centres... the major cities... rural communities will miss out (there's a shock!).

You might say that urban areas are more prone to crime because of their larger populations. However, modern crime is more complex than that; criminal gangs often use the cities merely as a platform for their operations. Increasingly, robberies and theft are becoming more common in suburbia and rural pockets just outside the cities... why? Because they are relatively poorly defended.

I don't believe this restructuring will benefit my neighbourhood at all. Besides, with the advent of the terror laws... it's probably just a cost cutting measure, it'll be easier to distribute jack boots if they only have to design them for one organisation rather than 43!

And another thing? Why is it always Warwickshire that gets picked on? They took our cities away from us (Birmingham and Coventry), they took our regiment... they charge capped us in the 90's and now they will likely take our police force away. It's especially annoying because we've got arguably one of the best symbols for a county... the bear! When you think of it that's quite appropriate. We are like a bear that is chained to a tree while dogs come up and take chunks out of us!

I'd like to see Warwickshire declare UDI and become a nation state, free from the tyranny of Blair!

100 Shopping Days to Go

We are still practically an entire financial quarter away from Christmas, yet what do I chance upon in my visit to the local supermarket?

As you can see from the photo below, the madness has started already. Christmas is becoming increasingly commercial... this is nothing new, I accept; however, putting selection boxes out this early is inane. Chocolate is not the sort of present you need to put a lot of thought in to getting... so why are confectioners always the ones who jump in first? Come Christmas Eve, nobody is going to be saying "Oh no! It's nearly Christmas and I haven't got little Johnny his Cadbury selection box. All the shops have run out!" There is always a surplus left over, that's why chocolate is always going cheap in the sales. So clearly thy don't have to be so quick off the mark.

It isn't just Christmas either, I guarantee you before the end of January that in the shops around me, Easter eggs will already be creeping in... at first in the subtle form of the humble creme egg,but later the great big Mork space capsule sized ones!!!!

"Oooh! Ahhh! That's how it always starts. Then later there's running and screaming!"

I hear a lot of people say they can't be doing with Christmas these days, they find it more hassle than they think it's worth. I've never met a true Christian who tires of Christmas. The fact that at that time we celebrate Christ's birth (although that's not biblically accurate), I believe helps us to appreciate the other things all the more. I never tire of meeting old friends and catching up, the hassle is worth it.

In the politically correct modern age, there is increasing pressure to muscle Jesus out of the festivities. Last year, Red Cross shops disallowed nativity scenes in their windows... Birmingham and Solihull had "Winterval" uinstead of Christmas. It was a celebration that included Chanuka and Divali. Yet, it always seems to be the councils and social workers who have a problem with Christianity... not ethnic minorities. In fact most other religious groups recognise the importance of teaching Christianity to our young. To our shame, they recognise the importance belief plays in shaping us as individuals and stand up for US, while we stand idly by. I have heard a strong argument that suggests that the reason so many young white people have become so violent and self destructive, is because they have no clear sense of cultural heritage and identity.

Whether that's true or not (there are many contributing factors besides, I am sure), there is no reason to discriminate against Christianity in secular education. Either you cover no religion, or you cover them all. Personally I'm all for sending children to church schools myself.

Purgatory

It's been a long time coming... truth be told I've been ducking writing on the subject, but when I noticed somebody had read my "Lost" blog, I was reminded that I had said I would. So I thought now would be the right time.

So lets examine what it is first, before we lay into it. Basically, Purgatory is supposed to be a kind of disciplinary waiting room before you receive eternal life. It is supposed to be between heaven and hell, a place of purification where a soul is made perfect before meeting God. The length of your stay varies according to the quantity and gravity of your sins.

What is wrong with it, is that it doesn't exist! The idea wasn't based on scripture, it was a fantasy invented to make cash for the church of the middle ages... and BOY did it make cash! There was an "economy" for sin. Certain sins cost you bad, so you had to make reparations for it by praying for absolution. Trouble was... the clergy set some sins at ludicrous rates. You might expect to be locked in purgatory for eons. Help was at hand though... if you were wealthy, just build loads of churches, give stacks of cash to the abbot and the monks would pray for your sins... that should shave a few millennia off.

So where does Jesus fit in with this theology? Well we know that:

"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. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him."

Now it wouldn't be very loving of God, to send Jesus to pay for our sins... and then despite all that... say "well boys and girls, you can still bubble away for a few thousand years for what you've done". That is not forgiveness. God's forgiveness is complete. As it is written:

"For God did not appoint us to suffer wrath but to receive salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ. He died for us so that, whether we are awake or asleep, we may live together with him."

That verse doesn't make Purgatory look very likely, does it? i think that makes it quite clear that the death of Christ is meant to be the one factor that reunites us with the Father.

Christians believe that Jesus died in FULL payment for the sins of mankind. There was one sacrifice made for all. That was Jesus. We believe we are washed of all our evil deeds and darkness... by his willing death on the cross. THAT is why the idea of purgatory (as invented by the Roman church in the Middle Ages) should be so abhorrent to Christians, and why it is an affront to God... the author of salvation.

You might be feeling that you have strived all your life to attain a salvation that is freely on offer. If you wish to know how to attain it, I have added a few short pointers.

All you need to do to receive that salvation is:

• Believe Jesus is who he says he is.
• Recognise that we have offended God by our rebellion against him in our daily lives.
• Genuinely turn away from that wilful rebellion.
• Accept that your "sins" were paid in full by Jesus death on the cross, and that God
• acknowledged this by raising Jesus to new life (you can call that your proof of purchase).
• Finally you need to let God take a central and more active role in your life through the Holy Spirit. If you want suggestions: Meet other Christians, pray and read the Bible.

Don't believe it's that simple? Well, the Bible puts it like this:

"That if you confess with your mouth, "Jesus is Lord," and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved."

Or as Billy Graham has said:

God said it (in his Word), I believe it (in my heart), that settles it (forever). No getting relatives to pray for your soul until judgement day... just a solid assurance that God loves you so much, that he sent his Son to die for you... in order that you might live with Him forever.

After reading this... you might want to take a step forward. Here is a short prayer that I would encourage you to say to God:

"Father in heaven, I know that I've sinned against you by my thoughts, actions and inaction. I don't want to be that person any more... I want to be the person YOU made me to be. Thank you for sending your Son Jesus to die for me. Please forgive me through his death and resurrection. Come and live in my heart God. I ask it in Jesus' name. Amen"

Remember... God said it, you believe it.... that settles it!

My Deepest Fear

Recently, I have been pondering my nature and I believe I am beginning to understand what my greatest fear actually is.

The most obvious example is when I am interested in a girl and it doesn't seem to be working out. I start to worry that she may ask people I know, what they think of me... and that they will sell me short, because many of them don't have a proper understanding of who or where I am as a person.

I am also reluctant to read books, watch films or listen to music based solely on the recommendation of anyone I know. If I discover something it has to be something I stumbled on out of my own desire or inclination. I think you can see how hard it would be to get me agreeing to going on a blind date.

The truth is I fear being controlled/manipulated by other people. I don't mind so much with God, because he created me, gave me life, redeemed me... and he owns me. He is sovereign over me. Those around me however are not.

Everywhere around us, people play at being God. When talking to our friends we often "pigeon hole" them into being certain archetypes. We rarely accept people as they are, we are all guilty of such crimes. When I was at school I played on this tendency. I didn't want people to get too close to me that they hurt me, so I chose to play the archetype of class weirdo and oddball. I was like a court jester. Everyone liked me, but nobody loved me... I had little value to them.

I excelled in my performance... to such a degree that it began to spill over into my social life too. I shut them all out successfully. Not something I am terribly proud of. It is only people on the outside who generally see past my mask... despite the fact I don't wear it any more. I fear that many people will be basing their opinion of me, on an impression that was put on them many years ago. Only God can change that.

There are a few friends from that era who actively play on that side of my character... they try to bring it out in the company of others. I had a recent comment on my answerphone "jokingly" criticising my standard sounding message (in the past I have usually said something a little offbeat). Same person usually ties to make me look like a loon around others. Why he does this is beyond me... maybe it's to make himself look good, maybe it is because he likes to feel he has an element of control over other people. either way it is wrong.

At camp this year I was reminded that:

"There is no wisdom, no insight, no plan that can succeed against the LORD." Proverbs 21:30

So clearly, the answer to this fear is to trust in God for it's resolution. Recently a friend of mine gave me a scripture when we were speaking about relationships:

"Yet the LORD longs to be gracious to you; he rises to show you compassion. For the LORD is a God of justice. Blessed are all who wait for him!" Isaiah 30:18

That really helped me out, it reminded me not to be anxious about what other people can say or do... just to wait my time and God's promises will be fulfilled. Besides, at the end of the day... would I really want to go out with someone who's perception of me was completely open to the suggestions of others? The great thing is, I don't think I have to try and do anything. God seems to be telling me he's got it sussed but he doesn't want to wreck it by spilling the beans.

The feeling I have is that this is like a game of Mousetrap... all the pieces are in place, they are just waiting for the moment the steel ball is dropped. When that happens, the elaborate mechanisms God has been busy setting up behind the scenes... will start dropping into place... and finally despite the efforts of all those nay sayers who are scurrying away below... the net will come down and God will be proved true to his word.

There is an irony between a friend of mine and myself. He holds himself back, because he fears (understandably if you knew the circumstance), that God will fulfill his word in his life sooner than he would be comfortable with; whereas I have been holding an area of my life back from God, for the opposite reason... I fear he will fulfill his word too late for me to be able to fully appreciate. Both these fears are of course absurd acts of rebellion. God's will is perfect, and he knows how much we can take. I hope I have learned my lesson and can wait upon the Lord without fearing the Machiavellian input of other people.

Time will tell.

Oh yes and I forgot to say... it's really important for me to maintain a balance between not worrying about peoples perceptions, and not leaving myself open to manipulation. Basically I have to chill out and not take myself or my troubles too seriously, but treat them seriously enough that I'm aware of any REAL attempts to make me act like a gimboid!

Pride & Prejudice

On the news this morning, the presenters were talking about a new film adaptation of Jane Austen's "Pride & Prejudice". I can't believe it; this must be the umpteenth time in recent years, that this particular book has been adapted for TV/Film.

I'm not a great fan of Jane Austen literature, its not that I don't like a romantic story... I just don't like the setting. I dislike English culture from Georgian through to Edwardian times... the people were far too repressed. The language was wrong, the clothes were wrong... everything was just plain wrong. Those people needed soul! Generally, cultures seem to start descending downhill when the men start wearing tights! I think the rot probably started with the Norman invasion, prior to that the Celts and Saxons had been pretty passionate about their art, music and beliefs. After that with the aristocracies taking over... everything became about control.

Anyway, watching this news triggered an odd debate between me and my father (at 8:25am is an odd time for these things to happen).

It started with me moaning about the film and asking why it was so popular that it could be done to death again and again without people noticing. Dad believes that it is because the plot deals with the rights and wrongs of people living in a "have/have not" society, the poor being denied anything be it jobs or relationships... simply because of their station in life, which is always relevant to any audience.

That took us on to Hurricane Katrina, and how all the rich people got out... but the poorer ethnic communities by and large were the ones left behind to suffer; be they black, Cajun, Latino or native.

Then we hopped on to church matters. Dad pointed out that there are people in his church who are on a mission committee, but that they spend a lot of their time making contacts with people who are wealthy, using it as an excuse for hob-nobbing. Dad sees that as hypocritical as they are what he calls the "church, church" the people who make out that they are the most devout and yet they talk to the popular cliques, rather than reaching out to people who have no-one. When the money from that clique dries up... they move on to the next bunch.

I then spoke of my disgruntlement with the church. How I saw our diocese as being highly Pharisaical and corrupt. The Archbishop of Canterbury has urged Anglicans to "think global, act local". How can we do this, when the diocese keeps ratcheting up the parish share every year, it is THEY who are spending money doing the global stuff. We have to pay more and more to them... leaving practically nothing for community work or outreach in our own areas. If that wasn't bad enough, a year has passed and they still haven't appointed a new vicar... and yet they still insist on taking full payment for clergy personnel! Meanwhile, John and Trish are forced to provide constant leadership, which is an unfair burden for them. Hopefully as time goes on, more of us will be able to help them.

Proverbs 30:15 says the leech has two daughters, "Give! Give!" they cry. how is it any different with these people? I sincerely pray God convicts the General Synod and every diocese, I am getting so upset about it i am preparing to write an assertive letter to the higher echelons of church leadership. It's time the Anglican church got back to basics - early church basics.

After all this it was 8:40am and I had to scoot fast, as I had work.