Confusion Reigns

I'm supposed to be going on a prayer walk with Harry tonight. He feels burdened to do something like this for the town.

In the meantime I've been playing merry havoc with the townsfolk. Nobody here noe knows what time of year it is. I decided as a direct proportionate response to the presence of trick or treaters, that I would play out Christmas carols on my car stereo.

In all seriousness, I think that would be a positive way of handling things like Hallowe'en. Instead of moaning about it, go out there and sing praise songs.... and HAND OUT sweets and candy to the houses who open their doors to you. It revereses the polarities and gives people something to think about, whilst not being aggressive or killjoy about anything.

Well, I say that... but I can see this ending in a stand-off between skeletons and choirboy's. My money is on the boys in cassocks... I mean come on, in case anyone forgets anyone who is in a boys choir is a Soprano!!!!!!

I'm secretly enjoying being the mystery Christmas Kid... who patrols the town!

HO HO HO!!!!!

Jesus in Old Testament Prophecy

Phew! That last entry wiped me out... now, half a day later I've come back for more punishment!
I decided rather than turn my brain into mush... I would hijack someone Else's work. I've only copied it with regard to Jesus. there are other prophecies listed... and I encourage you to look them up some time. This is the site I found the page: Prophecy Probabilities

Fulfilled Prophecy: Evidence for the Reliability of the Bible by Hugh Ross, Ph.D.

Unique among all books ever written, the Bible accurately foretells specific events-in detail-many years, sometimes centuries, before they occur. Approximately 2500 prophecies appear in the pages of the Bible, about 2000 of which already have been fulfilled to the letter—no errors. (The remaining 500 or so reach into the future and may be seen unfolding as days go by.) Since the probability for any one of these prophecies having been fulfilled by chance averages less than one in ten (figured very conservatively) and since the prophecies are for the most part independent of one another, the odds for all these prophecies having been fulfilled by chance without error is less than one in 102000 (that is 1 with 2000 zeros written after it)!

God is not the only one, however, who uses forecasts of future events to get people's attention. Satan does, too. Through clairvoyants (such as Jeanne Dixon and Edgar Cayce), mediums, spiritists, and others, come remarkable predictions, though rarely with more than about 60 percent accuracy, never with total accuracy. Messages from Satan, furthermore, fail to match the detail of Bible prophecies, nor do they include a call to repentance.

The acid test for identifying a prophet of God is recorded by Moses in Deuteronomy 18:21-22. According to this Bible passage (and others), God's prophets, as distinct from Satan's spokesmen, are 100 percent accurate in their predictions. There is no room for error.

As economy does not permit an explanation of all the Biblical prophecies that have been fulfilled, what follows in a discussion of a few that exemplify the high degree of specificity, the range of projection, and/or the "supernature" of the predicted events. Readers are encouraged to select others, as well, and to carefully examine their historicity.

(1) Some time before 500 B.C. the prophet Daniel proclaimed that Israel's long-awaited Messiah would begin his public ministry 483 years after the issuing of a decree to restore and rebuild Jerusalem (Daniel 9:25-26). He further predicted that the Messiah would be "cut off," killed, and that this event would take place prior to a second destruction of Jerusalem. Abundant documentation shows that these prophecies were perfectly fulfilled in the life (and crucifixion) of Jesus Christ. The decree regarding the restoration of Jerusalem was issued by Persia's King Artaxerxes to the Hebrew priest Ezra in 458 B.C., 483 years later the ministry of Jesus Christ began in Galilee. (Remember that due to calendar changes, the date for the start of Christ's ministry is set by most historians at about 26 A.D. Also note that from 1 B.C. to 1 A.D. is just one year.) Jesus' crucifixion occurred only a few years later, and about four decades later, in 70 A.D. came the destruction of Jerusalem by Titus.

(Probability of chance fulfillment = 1 in 10 to the power of 5.)*

(2) In approximately 700 B.C. the prophet Micah named the tiny village of Bethlehem as the birthplace of Israel's Messiah (Micah 5:2). The fulfillment of this prophecy in the birth of Christ is one of the most widely known and widely celebrated facts in history.

(Probability of chance fulfillment = 1 in 10 to the power of 5.)

(3) In the fifth century B.C. a prophet named Zechariah declared that the Messiah would be betrayed for the price of a slave—thirty pieces of silver, according to Jewish law-and also that this money would be used to buy a burial ground for Jerusalem's poor foreigners (Zechariah 11:12-13). Bible writers and secular historians both record thirty pieces of silver as the sum paid to Judas Iscariot for betraying Jesus, and they indicate that the money went to purchase a "potter's field," used—just as predicted—for the burial of poor aliens (Matthew 27:3-10).

(Probability of chance fulfillment = 1 in 10 to the power of 11.)

(4) Some 400 years before crucifixion was invented, both Israel's King David and the prophet Zechariah described the Messiah's death in words that perfectly depict that mode of execution. Further, they said that the body would be pierced and that none of the bones would be broken, contrary to customary procedure in cases of crucifixion (Psalm 22 and 34:20; Zechariah 12:10). Again, historians and New Testament writers confirm the fulfillment: Jesus of Nazareth died on a Roman cross, and his extraordinarily quick death eliminated the need for the usual breaking of bones. A spear was thrust into his side to verify that he was, indeed, dead.

(Probability of chance fulfillment = 1 in 10 to the power of 13.)


For those willing to do a bit of homework, here is a list of messianic prophecies you can look up:

Old Testament Scriptures That Describe The Coming Messiah
The Messianic Prophecy (paraphrased) , where the prophecy appears in the Old Testament (written between 1450 BC and 430BC), Jesus’ fulfillment of the prophecy in the New Testament (written between 45 and 95 AD)

The Messiah will be the offspring (descendant) of the woman (Eve) Genesis 3:15 Galatians 4:4
The Messiah will be a descendant of Abraham, through whom everyone on earth will be blessed Genesis 12:3; 18:18 Acts 3:25,26
The Messiah will be a descendant of Judah Genesis 49:10 Matthew 1:2 and Luke 3:33
The Messiah will be a prophet like Moses Deuteronomy 18:15-19 Acts 3:22,23
The Messiah will be the Son of God Psalm 2:7 Matthew 3:17; Mark 1:11; Luke 3:22
The Messiah will be raised from the dead (resurrected) Psalm 16:10,11 and 49:15 Matthew 28:5-9; Mark 16:6; Luke 24:4-7; John 20:11-16; Acts 1:3 and 2:32
The Messiah crucifixion experience Psalm 22 (contains 11 prophecies—not all listed here) Matthew 27:34-50 and John 19:17-30
The Messiah will be sneered at and mocked Psalm 22:7 Luke 23:11,35-39
The Messiah will be pierced through hands and feet Psalm 22:16 Luke 23:33 and 24:36-39;
John 19:18 and 20:19-20,24-27
The Messiah’s bones will not be broken (a person’s legs were usually broken after being crucified to speed up their death) Psalm 22:17 and 34:20 John 19:31-33,36
Men Will Gamble for the Messiah’s clothing Psalm 22:18 Matthew 27:35; Mark 15:24; Luke 23:34; John 19:23,24
The Messiah will accused by false witnesses Psalm 35:11 Matthew 26:59,60 and Mark 14:56,57
The Messiah will be hated without a cause Psalm 35:19 and 69:4 John 15:23-25
The Messiah will be betrayed by a friend Psalm 41:9 John 13:18,21
The Messiah will ascend to heaven (at the right hand of God) Psalm 68:18 Luke 24:51; Acts 1:9; 2:33-35; 3:20-21; 5:31,32; 7:55-56; Romans 8:34; Ephesians 1:20,21; Colossians 3:1; Hebrews 1:3; 8:1; 10:12; 12:2; 1 Pet 3:22 . . . sorry, we got carried away!
The Messiah will be given vinegar and gall to drink Psalm 69:21 Matthew 27:34; Mark 15:23; John 19:29,30
Great kings will pay homage and tribute to the Messiah Psalm 72:10,11 Matthew 2:1-11
The Messiah is a “stone the builders rejected” who will become the “head cornerstone” Psalm 118:22,23 and Isaiah 28:16 Matthew 21:42,43; Acts 4:11; Ephesians 2:20; 1 Peter 2:6-8
The Messiah will be a descendant of David Psalm 132:11 and Jeremiah 23:5,6; 33:15,16 Luke 1:32,33
The Messiah will be a born of a virgin Isaiah 7:14 Matthew 1:18-25 and Luke 1:26-35
The Messiah’s first spiritual work will be in Galilee Isaiah 9:1-7 Matthew 4:12-16
The Messiah will make the blind see, the deaf hear, etc. Isaiah 35:5-6 Many places. Also see Matthew 11:3-6 and John 11:47
The Messiah will be beaten, mocked, and spat upon Isaiah 50:6 Matthew 26:67 and 27:26-31
The “Gospel according to Isaiah” Isaiah 52:13-53:12 Matthew, Mark, Luke, John
People will hear and not believe the “arm of the LORD” (Messiah) Isaiah 53:1 John 12:37,38
The Messiah will be rejected Isaiah 53:3 Matthew 27:20-25; Mark 15:8-14; Luke 23:18-23; John 19:14,15
The Messiah will be killed Isaiah 53:5-9 Matthew 27:50; Mark 15:37-39; Luke 23:46; John 19:30
The Messiah will be silent in front of his accusers Isaiah 53:7 Matthew 26:62,63 and 27:12-14
The Messiah will be buried with the rich Isaiah 53:9 Matthew 27:59,60; Mark 15:46; Luke 23:52,53; John 19:38-42
The Messiah will be crucified with criminals Isaiah 53:12 Matthew 27:38; Mark 15:27; Luke 23:32,33
The Messiah is part of the new and everlasting covenant Isaiah 55:3-4 and Jeremiah 31:31-34 Matthew 26:28; Mark 14:24; Luke 22:20; Hebrews 8:6-13
The Messiah will be our intercessor (intervene for us and plead on our behalf) Isaiah 59:16 Hebrews 9:15
The Messiah has two missions Isaiah 61:1-3 (first mission ends at “. . . year of the LORD’s favor”) First mission: Luke 4:16-21; Second mission: to be fulfilled at the end of the world
The Messiah will come at a specific time Daniel 9:25-26 Galatians 4:4 and Ephesians 1:10
The Messiah will be born in Bethlehem Micah 5:2 Matthew 2:1 and Luke 2:4-7
The Messiah will enter Jerusalem riding a donkey Zechariah 9:9 Matthew 21:1-11
The Messiah will be sold for 30 pieces of silver Zechariah 11:12,13 Matthew 26:15 with Matthew 27:3-10
The Messiah will forsaken by His disciples Zechariah 13:7 Matthew 26:31,56
The Messiah will enter the Temple with authority Malachi 3:1 Matthew 21:12 and Luke 19:45


Finally, there are two scriptures I would personally urge you to read above all. Psalm 22 was written by King David... centuries before the Romans and crucifixions. The wording in Psalm 22 accurately describes in poetic terminology, the suffering of a man being crucified - in fact Jesus himself quoted it when he was dying on the cross. A couple of hundred years after David... but before Jesus, the prophet Isaiah wrote the following words. I urge you compare them to what you know of Jesus:


1 Who has believed our message
and to whom has the arm of the LORD been revealed?

2 He grew up before him like a tender shoot,
and like a root out of dry ground.
He had no beauty or majesty to attract us to him,
nothing in his appearance that we should desire him.

3 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.

4 Surely he took up our infirmities
and carried our sorrows,
yet we considered him stricken by God,
smitten by him, and afflicted.

5 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.

6 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.

7 He was oppressed and afflicted,
yet he did not open his mouth;
he was led like a lamb to the slaughter,
and as a sheep before her shearers is silent,
so he did not open his mouth.

8 By oppression [a] and judgment he was taken away.
And who can speak of his descendants?
For he was cut off from the land of the living;
for the transgression of my people he was stricken. [b]

9 He was assigned a grave with the wicked,
and with the rich in his death,
though he had done no violence,
nor was any deceit in his mouth.

10 Yet it was the LORD's will to crush him and cause him to suffer,
and though the LORD makes [c] his life a guilt offering,
he will see his offspring and prolong his days,
and the will of the LORD will prosper in his hand.

11 After the suffering of his soul,
he will see the light of life [d] and be satisfied [e] ;
by his knowledge [f] my righteous servant will justify many,
and he will bear their iniquities.

12 Therefore I will give him a portion among the great, [g]
and he will divide the spoils with the strong, [h]
because he poured out his life unto death,
and was numbered with the transgressors.
For he bore the sin of many,
and made intercession for the transgressors.


I'm sorry the last two posts have been pretty heavy going... but I felt honour bound to cover the subject seeing as it was brought up by a commenter. I hope this enlightens you somewhat. I would be glad to hear your own thoughts. I would be especially glad for Christians reading this to add more points.

It's a good job we put the clocks back tonight... I'm gonna need the sleep.

God bless

N

Jesus in Old Testament Law

I thought I would add a couple of posts briefly touching on a few examples from the Old Testament of why Christians see Jesus as the Messiah... both from the Law and the Prophets. This is because I was asked recently about it... and it only seems right to give some kind of answer

Firstly, lets look at the Law.

If you believe the Old Testament, all mankind fell... due to the actions of our ancestors. I'm not getting into a debate here as to whether that is a literal descent from Adam and Eve, or an allegorical descent... you come to your own conclusion... the Gospel message is more important than theology. The only thing I will say is that everyone on Earth today is descended from one woman... our mitochondrial DNA proves it.

So, we fell... we are in a sinful state. Fast forward a few generations. God decides to literally set in stone the actions that separate us from Him... and ways of making up for those actions, through sacrifice. The levitical Law is written. There is only one problem, our actions are borne out of our motivations and our motivations come from within us... our hearts. The Law does not fix us. Lets take a look at two big ones:

Passover Lamb:

Passover recalls how God called the Israelites out of slavery in Egypt. They were told by Moses to select a lamb without defect and kill it, smearing the blood on the doorposts. God sent an angel of death to judge Egypt for not allowing Israel to leave. The angel was given permission to kill the firstborn of every household... unless it saw blood on the doorposts. The resulting loss of life moved Pharaoh to release Israel. They were free... no longer slaves.

We too are slaves, not to a nation but to our sinful nature.


The Day of Atonement:

Did you know that the word for atonement in Hebrew had no equivalent in English... at the time it was first translated? The word atonement was made up from three... to perform the job. At one ment. It literally means to return something to being in a state of oneness (with God). Trivia over, lets look at it.

Among the sacrifices that were made were two goats. The high priest had to slaughter one and present it's blood before God. Having done that he had to pray over the other goat, which would be released into the desert... alone. The idea was that the dead goat paid the price of the Israelite's sins... and the live goat carried them away. When the High Priest performed this ritual, he was to be alone. Nobody else was allowed to enter. I've been told that if the sacrifice wasn't accepted the High Priest would fall down dead. He wore a sash with bells. If he stopped moving about, the bells wouldn't ring and therefore he would be pulled out on a rope by assistants. therefore the High Priest was a living symbol of forgiveness. If he did not come out alive, the sins were not paid for.

This is why for Christians, a belief in the Resurrection of Jesus is important. How can he be our High Priest if there was no proof that our sins were paid for. His death was the payment for the price of our sins. His resurrection is our receipt... proof that God considered the debt paid... our atonement.

The pharisees and Sadducee's were Jewish religious sects at the time of Christ. They believed in the strict observance of the Law, but Jesus had this to say:

"Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You clean the outside of the cup and dish, but inside they are full of greed and self-indulgence. Blind Pharisee! First clean the inside of the cup and dish, and then the outside also will be clean."

The important thing to realise here, is that Jesus is saying that observance of the Law is not enough. Yes you can make amends for your actions... but it doesn't deal with the heart... the source of our sin, and therefore you will always be in a state of sin.

What mankind needed was something that represented him... to make amends for him. How could this be? The only thing that could adequately represent man was a man... but every man that was descended from Adam, bore Adam's broken nature. It's like when someone scratches a cd. Every copy you make of that cd will bear the damage on the soundtrack... even if it bears no physical damage. The only person good enough, would have to be someone untouched by Adam... someone who was not sinful.

That is why Christians believe Jesus was God's Son, fully human and fully God. He had to be a human... otherwise how could he intercede for us? He had to be God because otherwise how could he be free from Adam's curse? He had to be perfect and He had to die in order to fulfill the Law (which demanded sacrifice), he had to rise to prove that the legal requirements had been met.

Click here, if you want to read more about Passover.
Click here, if you want to read more about the Day of Atonement.
Click here, if you want to read about Jesus being made like us and interceding for us.

Man that was heavy... wasn't it?

Selah

Just an update on the situation as I see it at my church lately.

We have been without a singular leader for some time. What has begun to happen in recent months is that various people in authority are having different ideas as to where the church is going. I think this is breeding mistrust.

There is an opportunity to grasp here... now things are getting "desperate" (only 10 people were present on Sunday... half of which were regular... not that I personally value a church's success by the numerical value of it's congregation). We need to take a moment to reflect... to pause and consider (this is what many people believe the Hebrew biblical word "Selah" means).

As many of you know, I have a big bee in my bonnet about the independent spirit of man... about our insistence on denying ourselves the benevolence of God... simply because of our desire to be in control and independent. Here we see clearly see that spirit at work. As soon as thing start to go off the rails or seem to need changing, people inevitably jump in and start trying to fix it... without properly understanding what the situation requires.

I believe God is calling us to listen. How can anyone presume to speak for God... if he first does not listen to God... or at least give God opportunity to speak?

At last we are giving him a proper opportunity.

Next week, we will have a time of prayer where we will simply ask God for direction... and then we will shut up. A time to listen... not to speak. Selah.

I hope it becomes a regular thing... but more importantly I pray that all those in attendance will learn to lean on God more... and will have a deeper experience of his presence. That people who have gifts will not be afraid to use them.

Several of us knew this time was coming... that the church would be stripped down to it's core members. Now the choice is simple... listen to God and let him work revival... or continue striving in disobedience and watch it all fall apart. Out of grace, the Lord continues to give us opportunities to hear him properly and respond... dare we test his patience any more?

Here are two examples from scripture which I believe are relevant:

The LORD Appears to Elijah

And the word of the LORD came to him: "What are you doing here, Elijah?" He replied, "I have been very zealous for the LORD God Almighty. The Israelites have rejected your covenant, broken down your altars, and put your prophets to death with the sword. I am the only one left, and now they are trying to kill me too." The LORD said, "Go out and stand on the mountain in the presence of the LORD, for the LORD is about to pass by." Then a great and powerful wind tore the mountains apart and shattered the rocks before the LORD, but the LORD was not in the wind. After the wind there was an earthquake, but the LORD was not in the earthquake. After the earthquake came a fire, but the LORD was not in the fire. And after the fire came a gentle whisper. When Elijah heard it, he pulled his cloak over his face and went out and stood at the mouth of the cave. Then a voice said to him, "What are you doing here, Elijah?"

He replied, "I have been very zealous for the LORD God Almighty. The Israelites have rejected your covenant, broken down your altars, and put your prophets to death with the sword. I am the only one left, and now they are trying to kill me too."

The LORD said to him, "Go back the way you came, and go to the Desert of Damascus. When you get there, anoint Hazael king over Aram. Also, anoint Jehu son of Nimshi king over Israel, and anoint Elisha son of Shaphat from Abel Meholah to succeed you as prophet. Jehu will put to death any who escape the sword of Hazael, and Elisha will put to death any who escape the sword of Jehu. Yet I reserve seven thousand in Israel—all whose knees have not bowed down to Baal and all whose mouths have not kissed him."

and:

Jesus Calms the Storm

That day when evening came, he said to his disciples, "Let us go over to the other side." Leaving the crowd behind, they took him along, just as he was, in the boat. There were also other boats with him. A furious squall came up, and the waves broke over the boat, so that it was nearly swamped. Jesus was in the stern, sleeping on a cushion. The disciples woke him and said to him, "Teacher, don't you care if we drown?" He got up, rebuked the wind and said to the waves, "Quiet! Be still!" Then the wind died down and it was completely calm. He said to his disciples, "Why are you so afraid? Do you still have no faith?" They were terrified and asked each other, "Who is this? Even the wind and the waves obey him!"

The point is in the first instance, it was only when Elijah was in the right place and right frame of mind to listen that he was able to discern between the noise of the terrible powers of nature and the soft voice of God. In the second instance, Jesus slept through the storm, secure in the knowledge that God would not bring doom upon him. The disciples, in contrast ran around like headless chickens "Don't Panic! Don't Panic Mr Mainwaring!!" Jesus rebuked them for being focused on the problem... rather than being focused on the solution.

There is a saying I have heard:

"Instead of telling God how big your problems are... tell your problems how big God is!" That is what I encourage us all to do. If no solution seems apparent... just praise God. Focus on him in worship, then let him do all the talking.

Hagar, Ishmael, the Israelites in the wilderness, Elijah, those who were among the 5,000 men who were fed by Jesus. None of them needed to strive in order to be blessed with nourishment. All they needed to do was to acknowledge God.

Selah.

(If you need any points expanding on or if there are things you do not understand... please feel free to comment and I will do my best to help you.)

Stargate SG1

This afternoon's episode of Stargate was enlightening for me.

The episode was called Avatar; it concerned one of the character's (Teal'c), getting trapped in a computer simulation that continually evolved to stop him getting out. As it was a kind of virtual reality machine, his adrenaline and heart rate were responding to the stimulus... and the continual strain were taking a heavy toll on him; he could not be removed from the machine as it would result in severe neurological damage. On his own, despite his combat prowess... every time he got round one problem, something new tricked him and he got "killed" forcing the game to restart (while on the outside his body degenerated further).

The situation was resolved by sending Daniel Jackson in to rescue him (Daniel was not fully plugged in... so had the advantage of having 2 seconds of foreknowledge as to what the computer would do. At first this didn't do much as Teal'c kept killing him, thinking he was an enemy (the main bad guy was possessing familiar people in the game).

Eventually the situation is resolved in a stand-off. Four characters hold each other at gunpoint... one out of two of them is possessed... Daniel suddenly sees someone behind them (seemingly dead), rise up and start shooting... but this is two seconds in the future. Hr warns Teal'c and they shoot him while he is still getting up. Resolving the game and ending the episode.

What has all this got to do with faith?

The truth is that we live in a world that throws all kinds of strife at us. We work hard to get around these problems; but the truth is we are not perfect and we therefore are destined to fall short. We need some kind of advantage; some kind of helper who has a better scope of understanding in life. That, to me as a Christian... is Jesus. He's there... always, ready to help. Jesus, being God incarnate... knows us completely, better than we know ourselves. Who is there, better than he to stand beside us in our troubles?

Here are some ways in which he helps me:

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. - Romans 8:31-39

and

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. - Hebrews 2:17,18

and

Then Jesus came to them and said, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age." - Matthew 28:18-20

I am sure most of you have heard or read it... but there is also a famous poem that describes the kind of support Jesus gives through the Holy Spirit:

"Footprints in the Sand"
One night a man had a dream. He dreamed he was walking along the beach with the LORD. Across the sky flashed scenes from his life. For each scene, he noticed two sets of footprints in the sand;one belonged to him, and the other to the LORD.When the last scene of his life flashed before him, he looked back at the footprints in the sand. He noticed that many times along the path of his life there was only one set of footprints. He also noticed that it happened at the very lowest and saddest times in his life.This really bothered him and he questioned the LORD about it. "LORD, you said that once I decided to follow you, you'd walk with me all the way. But I have noticed that during the most troublesome times in my life, there is only one set of footprints. I don't understand why when I needed you most you would leave me."The LORD replied, "My precious, precious child, I love you and I would never leave you. During your times of trial and suffering, when you see only one set of footprints, it was then that I carried you."

So, what will you choose?

Jesus stands waiting for all to call on him for his help.

Will you leave him outside... knocking on the door?

Will you not recognise him as your friend... and shoot him down thinking him a threat?

Or will you take that chance and accept the hand of eternal friendship that is held out to you.

The choice is yours... make it a wise one.

Hibernation

The times they are a changing, the clocks go back next week and already the onslaught of autumn is having it's usual effects on me. I just can't stop yawning lately.

I am convinced I should be a person that hibernates, as to all intents and purposes I am pretty useless in the winter.

Wouldn't that be weird? If we could just lie down and go to sleep... and stay there till spring. One major flaw in this is that I'd miss my birthday (which ominously draws near as we approach November); we would also miss Christmas... but then it's held at the wrong time of year any way... I'm all for moving it!

The Queen isn't the only person to have two birthdays... Jesus does too!

I will endeavour to stay with you all as I prop my eyes open with matchsticks.

Mind you it's not a good idea to doze off for long periods of time... God gets ideas... you might wake and find yourself with an ache in your side... and a brand new wife (and then after a short while in her presence... an ache in your ear). You only need look in Genesis:

The LORD God said, "It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper suitable for him." Now the LORD God had formed out of the ground all the beasts of the field and all the birds of the air. He brought them to the man to see what he would name them; and whatever the man called each living creature, that was its name. So the man gave names to all the livestock, the birds of the air and all the beasts of the field. But for Adam no suitable helper was found. So the LORD God caused the man to fall into a deep sleep; and while he was sleeping, he took one of the man's ribs and closed up the place with flesh. Then the LORD God made a woman from the rib he had taken out of the man, and he brought her to the man.

I dunno... maybe that's not such a bad fate after all!

Book Review: City of God Trilogy

I've just finished reading a series of books by Randal Ingermanson called the City of God Trilogy.

First off, I would like to say that these books have really challenged the way I look at the way I react to people who annoy or hurt me.

I was very impressed with the author's knowledge of ancient culture and science. The books, as you may have guessed... are written as Christian fiction. However... they are also Christian science fiction.

The author knows his stuff, he is a quantum physicist first, author second.

The choice of subject matter is excellent. The protagonist for the 1st novel is time travel, but Ingermanson does not pick the obvious target. The obvious choice of plot would be the well trodden cliched path of "man travels back in time and tries to stop the crucifixion of Christ." Ingermanson skips this though and winds the clock on a few years... choosing instead to have the apostle Paul facing the sniper rifle. He does it in a believable manner... all the more amazing when you consider that he sticks to the hard science of time-travel theory. Ingermanson underlines the fact that you cannot change our history by travelling back in time... anything you did there would have already contributed to the world we live in today. If you do manage to effect a change, you are in fact in a parallel universe. The fact that you know all the major plot points in advance, does not detract from your enjoyment of the books... s sign of good writing.

Ingermanson also covers two more episodes in the early church history... the murder of Yaakov the Tsaadik (James the half-brother of Jesus), and the moments leading up to the War of the Jews. All the major players from 1st century Judaea are there.

The character development is believable... most Christian authors are quick to have a major conversion experience in their plots... where a major character has a "Road to Damascus" type experience. Ingermanson takes a much more long term view of his characters emotional and spiritual development. Sometimes we can have major experiences, but we just don't respond in the right way... this happens a fair bit in the trilogy... in fact one primary character finishes up saying of the big "Jesus question", that he will "think on it". Ingermanson leaves it up to you, whether or not he goes the distance.

The book has some truly moving scenes in it... as well as some disturbing ones. I strongly recommend you have a read of these books, they have been one of the most refreshing Christian reads that I have come across in some time.

Starsailor

I decided to take a gamble on the new Starsailor album.

Their current work seems a lot more edgier than "Silence is Easy" (I loved the title track, very relevant).

Again I am led to wonder if there is a Christian influence in this band, not least because there is a track called Faith, Hope, Love.

That could easily come from the following well known Bible verse:

"And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love." 1 Corinthians 13:13

There are also a fair few references to being born again and... I can't put my finger on it... there's just a feel to it that seems familiar to me.

1 Corinthians 13 by the way is one of the world's most well known Bible passages; it was my gran's favourite... she had to memorise it as a child. I let her down at her funeral... when asked what I thought the reading should be, I suggested one from the end of Revelation... I should have chosen 1 Corinthians 13. When the Bible speaks of love, it always treats it with absolute importance... whether it be brotherly love, romantic love... or especially God's unconditional love. for those of you who are unfamiliar with it... and for those of you who need to reacquaint yourself with the simple truth it describes, here it is in full. Always remember, your achievements are no better than ash in your mouth... if they are not born from love:

Love

If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. If I give all I possess to the poor and surrender my body to the flames, but have not love, I gain nothing.

Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.

Love never fails. But where there are prophecies, they will cease; where there are tongues, they will be stilled; where there is knowledge, it will pass away. For we know in part and we prophesy in part, but when perfection comes, the imperfect disappears. When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put childish ways behind me. Now we see but a poor reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known.

And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.

Strange Dreams

Alright, I haven't a clue what's going on inside my head at the moment. All I know is that my subconscious is throttled up to overdrive when I sleep at the moment.

Saturday Night:

I dream I am Jack from Lost (only a bit more successful with Kate), I discover a nest of brown wasps in the ground which I disturb by accident. They swarm of course, but they are weird... instead of stings they have four bright orange "spikes" that point outward from their midsection. They shoot them out like porcupines shoot quills... if you get hit by them, the area of skin they hit dries out and goes as hard and cracked as clay (unless you splash water on it... then it just bleeds... nice.

I also dreamed I was back at school (firstly on a visit to Bath, but later the school itself). In this dream Bill Clinton is addressing our assembly... then there is a UN Conference in Scotland. It is at this point that I uncovered a secret Government project to build a "brick shaped" aircraft known as the X-2. I prove it because the drag marks where it launches and lands are evident on the school's front lawn. To shut me and my mates up, we are taken to the conference on board the X-2... the insides of which looked like something from a believable science fiction film.

Sunday Night:

I dream I am talking to a friend on MSN, it is night time... I think it would be nice to surprise them and visit them. I climb out of a window and lower myself down a thick rope... I pass through a portal and let go of the rope. It is daytime. I stand in the presence of my friend and several other people on their driveway (if they even have a driveway... I don't know! I ask if I am in Wales and the answer is no. then I ask if i am in Wigan and the answer is "No, Wytham." I didn't know such a place existed (when I woke up I checked and yeah it does... on the outskirts of Oxford). They are pleased to see me, but it's not a good time. I think to climb back up the rope... but it is gone. They say their father will take me home and we meet, however he has travelled 200 miles already that day and is shattered. He agrees to take me home, but I insist he only takes me as far as a neighbouring town as it isn't fair on him. As we travel by car... I wake up.

Monday Night:

This one is Harry's fault!!!!!!!!! We had spent a good portion of the evening talking to two Mormons (who had the audacity to appear in my dream). In this dream, I think I hear God telling me to look at the scripture where he is before the Sanhedrin... and also to look at Matthew 28.

What is going on in my head??????????????????????

Viral Marketeers on Blogs

I recently found this article on the BBC website: Blog Advertising

In my time blogging, I have browsed many sites... not least because I'm affiliated with blog trafficking sites that increase your readership if you view other member blogs. Very often now, I get annoyed because of the amount of business or marketing blogs that are out there... to me it isn't what blogging is about. It is like bumping into one of those tacky business magazine periodicals that are routinely mocked as "guest publications" on BBC's Have I Got News For You.

I'm not interested in learning about the specifications and tensile strength of vulcanised rubber or anything like that. When I blog I'm just interested to know what interests the author, what makes them tick as a person... and what they think/believe about what is going on in the world around them... whether it be serious or jovial.

When it was just about blog types, I could choose to ignore or dismiss the business or marketing sites (which believe me I take great pleasure in doing). However... according to the BBC article, the advertisers have gone on the offensive. They are using the comment fields to insert adverts and trackbacks to their own website. I agree with the Beeb on this, I find it highly disrespectful. As it is, I'm not entirely comfortable with the view that you can go on to someone else's blog and advertise your own blog out of context. I think you should leave comments and trust that your opinion and manner of approach to the blog's author should be enough to encourage a return visit from them. I think stuff like a comment I received the other day (blatantly advertising your blog while showing no interest in what the author has to say) is a bit rude.

However, I have been lucky so far. I have not had any detergent manufacturers or salesman abuse my web site. Have you had visits of this nature yet? I pray they don't become more commonplace. Rest assured all you sales and marketing people... ANY product placement on this blog will be treated with the disdain it deserves and will be summarily deleted on sight... just try me and see.

The Manner of Jesus Return

I'm a little upset with something I heard the other night... I do not feel in a position to do much about it at church, so I thought the only really positive action I could take, was to write about it here... lest the error be repeated.

I was involved in a discussion last night, which moved onto the subject of Jesus' Second Coming.

Everybody who was involved agreed that the Bible says it will happen, but what surprised me was one comment that came from a surprising source.

It was with regard to the nature of Christ's return. A young person asked if Jesus would come back as an adult or a baby. The response was that nobody knows how or when Jesus will return. That took me aback a little. We definitely don't know when... but the Bible is pretty clear on how he comes back. I offered a scripture from Acts to back it up:

"After he said this, he was taken up before their very eyes, and a cloud hid him from their sight.
They were looking intently up into the sky as he was going, when suddenly two men dressed in white stood beside them. "Men of Galilee," they said, "why do you stand here looking into the sky? This same Jesus, who has been taken from you into heaven, will come back in the same way you have seen him go into heaven." " - Acts 1:9-11

When I mentioned that though, I was told that that scripture was "a bit dodgy"...
...
...
... I cannot fathom why they believed that to be the case. You can interpret scriptures different ways... but you cannot simply dismiss them if you don't like them. It's certainly bad to describe it as "a bit dodgy".

I was sure of myself, so I went back home and looked it up, to see if it could be interpreted any other way... it can't - the concordance offers no alternate meaning. While looking it up, I used the word "cloud" to try and track it... and came up with the following:

"At that time the sign of the Son of Man will appear in the sky, and all the nations of the earth will mourn. They will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of the sky, with power and great glory." Matt 24:30

"Yes, it is as you say," Jesus replied. "But I say to all of you: In the future you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of the Mighty One and coming on the clouds of heaven." - Matt 26:64

"At that time men will see the Son of Man coming in clouds with great power and glory." - Mark 13:26

"I am," said Jesus. "And you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of the Mighty One and coming on the clouds of heaven." - Mark 14:62

"At that time they will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory." - Luke 21:27

"Look, he is coming with the clouds, and every eye will see him, even those who pierced him; and all the peoples of the earth will mourn because of him. So shall it be! Amen." - Revelation 1:7

So the Bible is pretty clear on it... Jesus is coming back riding the clouds in his resurrection body. Even as a teenager when my sister was watching The Omen part III and I caught the end of it; I knew even then that this was so, I can remember thinking the film was pants because the theology was so poorly researched. Jesus will not return as an infant... when he comes back, it'll be as he is now... the Son of the Most high... as described in Daniel, the prophets and Revelation.

This has nothing to do with the endless debates of pre-millennial, post-millennial, amillenial, ad infinitum (with regard to the order of events at the end), it is merely concerned with "dodgy teaching" of the manner of Christ's return.

Be watchful

Nick

The Wanderer Returns

I'm back.

Having trekked across fell and mountain, I have returned to civilisation. All things considering the weather was pretty good while we were up there. I only needed to use the hood on my waterproof once. Mr Mike provided us with sturdy transport and a hearty breakfast to set us up for each walk. Steve provided the planning and direction... i just provided the comic relief!

Most of our walks were set in the Duddon Valley. The first day's walking we spent largely in a cloud bank, where we bumped into a grumpy farmer. We weren't on a prescribed walk, but we were on a permissible way that went through his land. He didn't seem to like that. The next day we spent walking round a reservoir on very changeable ground one minute it was a rocky path, the next we were in marshland. It was this day that we managed o confirm that Mike's shoes were in fact letting in more water than the Suez Canal.

The evening was spent at the pub where we jokingly squabbled as to which of us the barmaid fancied (I personally think she was just highly aware of her attractiveness and just knew how to use it in her job).

The next day we were going great guns. We discovered a strange site on top of a mountain. It was a little lake in a dip at the crest of a hill. Either side of this lake there were small standing stones... raised about a foot and a half vertically. While I stood by it, I had a scripture in my heart. "Cast your bread on to the waters" from Ecclesiastes. I thought this was mega strange, so I broke a crumb off my cheese sandwich and threw it in. When the lads caught me up, we mucked about a bit... trying to find more of the stones. Then we figured it might be a dodgy shrine or something. Steve made a slate cross and I etched the Alpha and Omega, a cross and John 3:16 into a prominent rock face... I wonder how long it will last?

We sat down to eat lunch at one point on the way down, and saw all the sheep responding to a distant shepherds voice... we couldn't see him though. At some point upon our descent, we lost the path. This resulted in us having to wade through bracken and trees along a steep bank. Finally though, we managed to break on to the road below us. We spent the rest of the afternoon skimming stones, damming up the river and snoozing on giant slabs of rock... all jolly good fun!

Steve suffered from a Migraine that afternoon so we decided not to go to a pub. Instead we went to the local pizza takeaway. The chap behind the counter was friendly enough, but his maths wasn't great. Steve being an accountant managed to sort it all out, we managed to wrangle a free bottle of coke out of it so that was an awesome bargain.

Our final big walk was up Black Combe mountain. It is the oldest of the mountains in the Lake District because it is volcanic in origin and not glacial. This was the wettest walk, it was also the hardest going early on. However we were highly motivated... someone else we knew had been up there and had to turn back halfway up. We were determined to surpass that, and we did.

The best part for me was getting above the low cloud bank and looking down on the world below us... it was like having an angelic eye's view. there we were stood atop the clouds staring down at the tiny dots of cars passing by, it was truly beautiful. Further on up and we saw a cairn. Upon further investigation it became apparent that some kind of military installation had been located there at some point, but had been demolished/destroyed. Steve wondered if maybe it had been bombed. I think this is possible, because the cairn could have been laid down as a memorial to whoever was stationed there upon it's destruction.

On our way back down from the summit, we saw the Isle of Man, Wales and Ireland briefly, before the mists shrouded them once more. Steve showed us where the locals erect giant crosses over Easter.

We spent our final night at the pub again... no attractive waitresses this time... just a dutch guy (I reckon he was South African though), who looked like Mike's brother. In the morning we ambled round a nature reserve and then strolled along the beach before returning to the flat to pick up our belongings. The heavens opened on our return journey. Apparently the rest of the UK had been submerged in water while we were enjoying ourselves. Traffic was heavy particularly on the northbound carriage opposite us (bad weather + people trying to get to an England match = solid traffic). Southbound for us wasn't that bad though, and we tumbled through the door at 8:30pm. Plenty of time for me to catch Lost on Channel 4! Mum taped CSI Miami for me as well, while I was away; so I'll be watching that today.

Much fun was had so thank you very much to the guys!

"It's a dangerous business, going out of your door. You step out into the road, and if you don't keep your feet, there's no knowing where you may be swept off to." - Bilbo Baggins, from The Lord of the Rings


Well this is going to be my last official post for a while; I'm off to the Lake District this evening to go on a walking holiday with some friends. It will be good to get away from the hustle and bustle. I intend to take my Bible and notes away with me, maybe I'll get some inspiration out there in the wilderness.

Maybe I should be mindful of Psalm 121 out there:

I lift up my eyes to the hills—

where does my help come from?
My help comes from the LORD,

the Maker of heaven and earth.
He will not let your foot slip—

he who watches over you will not slumber;
indeed, he who watches over Israel

will neither slumber nor sleep.
The LORD watches over you—

the LORD is your shade at your right hand;
the sun will not harm you by day,

nor the moon by night.
The LORD will keep you from all harm—

he will watch over your life;
the LORD will watch over your coming and going

both now and forevermore.

I've been playing Indiana Jones on my XBOX, so I'm liable to cause myself an injury by jumping off large rocks while indulging my imagination! Maybe I should leave the bull whip and hat at home this time!

We leave the Shire at 6:45 but we won't do any walking tonight obviously... it'll take several hours to drive up there. Make sure you look after yourselves in my absence. Hopefully I'll have some pictures upon my return, but unfortunately I'll have to use my monile... otherwise they will have to be scanned, as my mother is also away... and has the digital camera.

I'm going to miss CSI Miami and the Battle for Britain's Soul on Tuesday... but I should be back in time for Lost... I will have to keep my eyes propped open with matchsticks by that time though... I will be shattered.

I'm also probably going to miss the Stratford Mop (yes, they have one too), as that opens on Tuesday and finishes on Wednesday. I've borrowed some of Tolien's poetry about walking and ordered it to suit the journey I am taking... and yes there will DEFINITELY be a "lighted inn" involved.

The Road goes ever on and on

Down from the door where it began.

Now far ahead the Road has gone,

And I must follow, if I can,

Pursuing it with eager feet,

Until it joins some larger way

Where many paths and errands meet.

And whither then? I cannot say.

Roads go ever ever on,

Over rock and under tree,

By caves where never sun has shone,

By streams that never find the sea;

Over snow by winter sown,

And through the merry flowers of June,

Over grass and over stone,

And under mountains of the moon.

Roads go ever ever on

Under cloud and under star,

Yet feet that wandering have gone

Turn at last to home afar.

Eyes that fire and sword have seen

And horror in the halls of stone

Look at last on meadows green

And trees and hills they long have known.

The Road goes ever on and on

Out from the door where it began.

Now far ahead the Road has gone,

Let others follow it who can!

Let them a journey new begin,

But I at last with weary feet

Will turn towards the lighted inn,

My evening-rest and sleep to meet.

May God bless you and keep you all in my absence.

Regards

Nick