Selwyn to the Rescue! (again)

I've always been astounded at how well my bible notes seem to fit in with where I am on my walk with Christ... particularly when I hit a rough patch. I've been using Every Day With Jesus as a study aid for the past 10 years or so and I am constantly finding myself challenged, encouraged or simply met where I am... through reading the set passage and the accompanying text. The words often seem directly targeted specifically to me, which I find extraordinary... skeptics would say it's just coincidence but I do not believe so - frequency alone disputes that. What is all the more amazing is that the author - Selwyn Hughes, is no longer with us. He passed away two years ago - a faithful servant who is finally receiving his reward in the company of God.

I want to share the latest way in which God has used this man's writing to positively shape me as a person:

In my last post I was feeling quite isolated, I was being painfully reminded that frequently my relationships with other Christians seem pretty one sided. Some friends who I felt should be checking up on me weren't and others had distanced themselves when I sought their company/comfort/advice. As a consequence of this I was tempted... I had a picture in my minds eye of "crossing the road". I almost felt ready to walk in my faith towards God on the other side, away from others - same direction... but without having to put up with people who just want me around for their own benefit. This I realise would have been the wrong course of action... but not being in a rational mindset, it didn't stop me feeling the way I did. I also felt like I'd been blindsided and taken a lot of flak.

Then I caught up with my bible notes and they had this to say:

The spiritual journey is not one that we are meant to walk alone. God intends us to travel in the company of other people. For some this is a wonderful arrangement; for others it is not so wonderful. People can be helpful or they can be hurtful; they can bless us or they can blister us. Over the years I have met many people who have been hurt by other Christians. Sadly, in recent years we have frequently heard the term "friendly fire". Have you ever been hit by a form of "friendly fire"? It is the flak we take from our own side. It is the misguided missile that lands right in our own hearts. People have admitted to me that they have been hurt more by the church than they ever have been by the world. As we have seen from the psalm we have read today (Psalm 41:1-13), King David knew this pain, and Jesus quoted this verse when he said, "He who shares my bread has lifted his heel against me" (John 13:18). The question we must start to think about is how do we deal with relationships, because the way we deal with difficult relationships will determine whether we advance or retreat on the journey of life. Some people live by the words of Ernest Hemingway, who said, "We have to distrust each other; it is our only defence against betrayal." God does not call us to live in distrust, but to live by faith in Jesus Christ. we are disciples of the One who knows what it is to be betrayed. And through his grace we can be victors not victims.

That my friends... was a timely word.

It reminded me of a story I once heard about a man who had stopped going to church. His concerned vicar visited him a few weeks later and asked if everything was OK. The man responded that he was fine, he had a relationship with Jesus... but he didn't feel he needed the Church. The vicar said nothing. Now it was a cold winter's night and they were sat in front of a roaring open coal fire. The vicar reached for the tongs and plucked a burning coal from the fire... placing it on the hearth. Very soon, the coal grew dim and went out. A week later the man was back in church.

Now I wasn't planning on going AWOL from Church, but I was considering distancing myself from some people whose friendship had felt unbalanced and pretty unrequited. I soon took the hint though. Especially when in yesterday's notes, Selwyn made reference to the writings of D. Broughton Knox who believed that the members of the Trinity focus on one another and the Church rather than their own identity within the Trinity... and that as Christians this is how we too should operate.

It made me realise that while I can't do anything about how other Christians choose to behave towards me, I shouldn't be giving myself reasons to "shut up shop" around them. I'm needed even if I'm not always wanted.

It's strange... but since reading that and having a couple of conversations, since rejecting the current temptation of isolationism, things have begun to calm down. It is not the first time I have been tempted in this way and I am convinced it certainly won't be the last. It seems very important to the Enemy to keep me at arms length from God's people... these things happen so intensely it makes me wonder if it is important to God in terms of my calling... perhaps a conversation for another time.

I have to say how grateful I am to the ministry of Selwyn Hughes. I never met him in this life... but I'll be sure to thank him for his service to God in the next!

Bad Questions

I've been pondering.

Have you ever found yourself in a situation where you knew if you asked a question, you would get an answer that would irritate/upset you... and stick in your craw? In fact you would know the very answer that would come back to you. Going on from that have you found yourself being inexorably drawn into asking that very question regardless anyway?

I've done this very thing recently. Why do you suppose we do it? I can't believe I'm the only person who would do it... or is it just me after all?

I think it's a combination of things that leads us to act in this manner. Firstly I think we want to be proven wrong... we ask the question knowing full well what we expect the answer to be and we want to be surprised and not disappointed. Perversely our flawed human nature also wants us to be proven right and provokes us to ask the question just so our subconscious can say:

"Well? What did you expect?!"

I think the worst thing is that I don't necessarily disagree with the answer given... I just find it extremely hard to believe that same answer is something that is applicable to myself - no matter how hard I wish it were so... in fact given the way I am as a person... I think I actually need it to be so.

You see I kind of feel back in that place where every other Christian on planet Earth seems to get everything given to them on a silver platter... and I'm just the neglected butler in an "Upstairs Downstairs" Christian world.

I know that isn't what is going on... it just seems that way - I do appreciate that everybody gets their fair share of trouble.

Part of what reinforces that false idea I have, is the attitude of many who seem to see me as subordinate to them and only talk to me when they want something... very rarely do they contact me as a person. I think this is why the Martin Luther King quote I spoke of yesterday has remained in my mind so solidly. I'm not so much bothered by the things in life that beset me... I am far more bothered by some friends apparent indifference. They perceive me purely as an asset.

I'm not.

I'm a living human being with a heart that beats just as firmly as theirs... sometimes more so.

I'm also an equal partner in the kingdom and I'm not a "newbie". I don't appreciate it when people talk down to me or lecture me. I am fed up with "one upmanship". We are supposed to be building one another up as a body... not competing and jostling for position like the pharisees did when they tried to trap Jesus with "superior" theology.

This is the first time in a good while I've felt able to get this off my chest. Until now I'd kept a lot of this fairly private... but I want to wrestle with this openly now. Sometimes you just have to come about and tack into the wind and face down what is coming at you...

... and I'm through running.

Holocaust Memorial Day

It is Holocaust Memorial Day.

I usually try and write something on my blog in an effort to encapsulate the aims and spirit of what the Holocaust Memorial Day Trust are trying to achieve. However, for 2008 the trust has released a video which I think says enough in itself. It's a few minutes long... but you should check it out -maybe not here and now, but when you have a quiet moment to reflect:

There's a lot to take on board... I hope it leaves you feeling challenged.

The principles at the heart of Christianity require us to stand up for all the oppressed. We cannot stand idly by and observe man's inhumanity to man. If we truly love our neighbour as ourselves, it requires us to go the distance for them. It means speaking out when someone is picked on for being different. Whether that's addressing an evil dictator or the school yard bully... it's all the same.

One of the things that disturbs me the most is our tendency to separate ourselves from people like the Nazis... as if they were a species apart from us and it could never happen in our enlightened society - what insufferable arrogance! We call people like Nazis monsters - and rightly so... but stop to think for a moment. Do you ever isolate or ignore people for any reason? Their colour, their creed, their nationality, their fashion sense, their interests? It's the same seed, the same root.

I've seen it a lot.

Of course I'm not suggesting will stoop so low as to eliminate all people who wear sandals. What I'm driving at is the prejudicial spirit within that fuels these attitudes. We must aim not only to stamp out the atrocities that are committed by evil men and women... but also to eradicate any trace of prejudice from our own lives.

Most of all what I want to challenge is apathy towards suffering... maybe you can't stand up to the oppressor...but you can always help the oppressed.

I was quite struck by the Martin Luther King quote that the video used. It resonated with me because I empathise with that feeling... but obviously when you talk about awful things like the Holocaust, it's a truth that rings true on a completely different level. I'd like to conclude by leaving you with that challenging thought:

"In the End, we will remember not the words of our enemies, but the silence of our friends."

Martin Luther King Jr

Cleaning Up!

Apologies if you've come here and found loads of old articles.

I've been tidying up some of the tags to my older posts as I have realised they contain a few typographical errors. I know it's a bit anal of me, but I like to have them all filed correctly... I find it useful especially when someone is searching on a particular theme. One thing about blogger that is quite annoying is that it tries to second guess your tags. For example... I naturally (given the blogs overall theme), post a lot about God on this blog, but on one occasion I blogged specifically about "armour of God". Now, whenever I try and tag something with God, the armour tag comes up first; I had about 9 entries misfiled under "armour of God that needed correcting.

I find it very useful to browse other peoples content when it is covered under the same tag. Admittedly there are a lot of "one off" topics/keywords that don't get used again. However, being able to open up a whole selection of a blogger's thoughts on a single topic makes the experience more comfortable/pleasurable and direct.

This is why I try to keep my major tags in good order. I'm sure I'll have something more interesting to say soon but I hope my little explanation clears things up for you. The last time it happened, somebody was so wound up by it that they ranted in their own blog about Technorati playing up... when all the while it was me! :-)

Angelic Graffiti?

Strange things are afoot in Town Square,Stratford-upon-Avon.

For the past couple of weeks I've noticed up high where nobody can apparently get to... there is some graffiti... and it's apparently scriptural (at least in part). Here are some snaps I took with my camera phone:

Here's a passage for at least three of them:

"Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened."

Matthew 7:7-8

and a potential contender for the fourth:

"On the last and greatest day of the Feast, Jesus stood and said in a loud voice, "If anyone is thirsty, let him come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, streams of living water will flow from within him."

John 7:37-38

Is there an rogueish angel scribe out there? I think we should be told.... well after all... it has happened before!

Yesterday things took another bizarre turn and I discovered words scrawled on a post-it note that was randomly posted to one of the store windows, which although certainly not intended for me by whoever wrote it... still touched my heart:

It just goes to show if you just walk idly by... you miss the precious moments found in life's small things.

Where are you?

In my last post, whilst reviewing Lady in the Water, I spoke of what I considered to be the saddest question in the Bible:

"Where are you"?

It comes from Genesis 3, picture the scene if you will:

Mankind has just fallen... but doesn't know it yet. Adam and Eve have gained the knowledge of good and evil... but have done so at a terrible price - they have severed the relationship between themselves and God through disobedience. God enters the Garden and calls out to his beloved friend - his precious ones... and they are nowhere to be found. Eventually he finds them cowering in a hedge and they are cast out of Eden.

Now God is omniscient and he knows exactly where Adam and Eve are hiding (I bet he isn't much fun at hide and seek, Ackey 123, or sardines), therefore the question is not a geographical one.

So why does he ask it?

I believe he asked it because he was challenging Adam and Eve to be honest about what they had done. However, I believe the question carries a deeper significance and meaning that resonates down through the ages even to us today. Lean in real close and you might here a whisper in the wind or a murmur in the darkness...

"Where are you?"

God still calls out to every one of us... desiring to know where we are.

So... where are you?

Maybe you came here on a random Google search looking for an answer to some other question... and if so, I hope you found it... but I hold a deeper hope that whilst here you take/took the time to try and answer to where you were?

Are you hiding in the brambles? (ouch!)

You may believe that your life is wonderful and you have no need for God... and if that is you, then good luck to you - though I do hope you will reconsider that position.

However, you may believe that your life is a mess... that you have little to offer people or God and that the walls are closing in on your life... and all hope is lost. If that is you, I'd like you to consider inviting Jesus into your life. On the other hand you might actually be a Christian but find yourself stricken by adversity, struggles or the storms of life around you. If either of those are you... I want to reassure you of God's love for you through a few passages. Jesus applied these words to himself with regards to his mission:

"The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to release the oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord's favour."

Luke 4:18-19

Jesus' mission... is YOU.

"Then Jesus told them this parable: "Suppose one of you has a hundred sheep and loses one of them. Doesn't he leave the ninety-nine in the open country and go after the lost sheep until he finds it? And when he finds it, he joyfully puts it on his shoulders and goes home. Then he calls his friends and neighbours together and says, 'Rejoice with me; I have found my lost sheep.' I tell you that in the same way there will be more rejoicing in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who do not need to repent."

Luke 15:3-7

"For the Son of Man came to seek and to save what was lost."

Luke 19:10

I put it to you therefore, that Jesus Christ... is God's response to his own question. Not content with asking where we are spiritually... he sent his Son to find us and save us... even at the cost of his life. What then, shall we do in response to this?

Finally I want leave you with a song that has touched my heart recently. I do not believe it is a "Christian" song... but it certainly speaks to me of God's love and I hope that it speaks something to you of the insurmountable love God has for every one of us... especially you:

"Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with them, and they with me."

Revelation 3:20

Review: Lady in the Water

"Never listen to critics."

That's what my closest friends have often told me... they believe as I do, that you should make your own mind up with regard to what you consider good entertainment. So what am I going to make of the largely panned 2006 M Night Shyamalan film, Lady in the Water?

I actually enjoyed it and got a lot out of it... I have even gone back and watched it several times. It's not a perfect film by any means... but I found myself sympathising for the characters quite a lot, especially Cleveland Heap - a man who was once a doctor but who "checked out" of life and became an odd job man at a block of flats after his life was struck by personal tragedy. Into his life and the lives of those around him, comes Story - a water nymph. In a scene reminiscent of the opening of Watership Down, the film's prologue (viewable below), tells us of the relationship between her people and humankind:

I very much saw that opening segment as a parable of the Fall of Man in Genesis. I felt really sad whilst watching the men walking away from the sea with their houses... and the nymphs are forlornly beckoning them back with open arms. Similarly the last part of that section where the Lowryesque man sits alone in his house as the nymph calls out to him. All that very much reminded me of the human condition - how we often think we are alone and without support and yet God is there calling out to us. Probably the saddest part of the entire Bible is that first question that God asks Adam and Eve when they originally rebelled...

"Where are you?"

It's the same question he asks every one of us when we are lost in our sin... in the hope that we hear his voice and turn to him. It is asked with a voice of deep sadness for where we have been, deeper hope for what we can be if we return to him... and the deepest love of the One who made us in his image and values us as his children despite all we do... even sending his Son to pay for our mess.

Another part of the film that really touched me was a scene called "The Healing". It comes close to the films climax, shortly after everything goes horribly wrong. Cleveland and the residents think they have it all worked out - they know where everyone fits into the jigsaw puzzle to make the story end as it should. However, they get it horribly wrong. It turns out that none of the people they had thought filled certain roles, were in fact the right people at all. In a moment of crisis and blind panic they go back to the drawing board... finally understanding that sometimes the logical choice is not always the right choice (funnily enough I've been talking about that in my blog lately too). In my mind this illustrates a major theme of my beliefs and my blog: how humanity is so certain it knows how to take care of itself... believes it is independent and has little or no apparent need of God and so chooses to ignore or disbelieve. Yet in actual fact we are just as naked as Adam was back at the dawn of civilization. We are like the Emperor who was duped into believing he was wearing the finest of robes...but who was in fact naked. We are still completely dependent on God. There is so much we don't understand... we make ill-informed guesses based on limited information and short term projections when we have a Father in Heaven who is omniscient and knows exactly the right choice.

In the film, Cleveland realises pretty swiftly that he is not a character called "The Guardian", but his greatest challenge comes when he realises he may have another far more important role to play in the story in a touching scene that you can view below:

What is most touching about that scene, is that there are actually two healings going on. Cleveland used to be a healer and put all to the side when he lost his family... now when someones life is in danger, he is forced to face his pain and recognise his calling once more.

I must confess I am fast becoming a fan of James Newton Howard's film scores. His music is so evocative and emotive. I especially love how he brings everything to a crescendo in this last scene:

I also loved Cleveland's last line of dialogue:

"Thank you for saving my life."

You just know that despite everything, his life is going to be back on track from that point.

The critics largely attacked the film from every angle when it came out. They savaged Shyamalan for giving himself the substantial role of a potential author who will one day perish at the hands of people who resent his writings and whose works will one day inspire a great leader. They saw it as messianic self indulgence... it probably didn't help that he negatively portrayed a film critic as a character within the film - red rag to a bull. I actually suspect he foresaw what they were going to say and baited them.

I actually see the film more as a parable... and in the end aren't all the best stories parables of some kind? Tales that pass on valuable messages about life, morality and relationships?

The wonderful thing about parables is that they reveal the true nature of the heart. If you are hard hearted you will see them as silly stories and quickly move on... not stopping to consider what lies beneath. If you listen intently and receive them as a child would, you begin to hang on every word... and you want to no more.I believe this is why Jesus used them so frequently - to separate those who really wanted to hear what he had to say, from those who didn't care or who had a bad motivation for listening.

So don't listen to the critics... give the film a shot - you can probably pick it up for about £3 in the sales, that is how much it cost me.

As an afterthought... don't you think it's strange how we can put of watching/reading/listening to something for ages, for no apparent reason... only to turn to it randomly in a moment where it carries deep meaning and personal significance for us?

Or is that just me?

Costs, Benefits and Obedience

I've been away from my blog for a few days whilst taking time to procrastinate over thoughts about life in general.

I have noticed lately that people I care about seem to be being challenged to go forward into a situation... and then have all the things that made their choices "easier" stripped away, either prior to or just following them making a commitment to press on in their lives. I guess you could include me in that assessment too.

That's just it though... isn't it? It's easy to pursue a course of action when everything is going your way, when things are looking up. The real test of a person's character comes when everything comes crashing down around you and you find yourself knocked to the ground; when the only two choices available to you are to stay on the floor... give in and go back home, or get right back up on your feet and press on ahead anyway... win or lose, live or die.

I want to look at two instances in scripture where characters from the Bible are faced with this exact choice:

Some time later God tested Abraham. He said to him, "Abraham!"

"Here I am," he replied.

Then God said, "Take your son, your only son, Isaac, whom you love, and go to the region of Moriah. Sacrifice him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains I will tell you about." Early the next morning Abraham got up and saddled his donkey. He took with him two of his servants and his son Isaac. When he had cut enough wood for the burnt offering, he set out for the place God had told him about. On the third day Abraham looked up and saw the place in the distance. He said to his servants, "Stay here with the donkey while I and the boy go over there. We will worship and then we will come back to you."

Abraham took the wood for the burnt offering and placed it on his son Isaac, and he himself carried the fire and the knife. As the two of them went on together, Isaac spoke up and said to his father Abraham, "Father?"

"Yes, my son?" Abraham replied.

"The fire and wood are here," Isaac said, "but where is the lamb for the burnt offering?"

Abraham answered, "God himself will provide the lamb for the burnt offering, my son." And the two of them went on together.

When they reached the place God had told him about, Abraham built an altar there and arranged the wood on it. He bound his son Isaac and laid him on the altar, on top of the wood. Then he reached out his hand and took the knife to slay his son. But the angel of the LORD called out to him from heaven, "Abraham! Abraham!"

"Here I am," he replied.

"Do not lay a hand on the boy," he said. "Do not do anything to him. Now I know that you fear God, because you have not withheld from me your son, your only son."

Abraham looked up and there in a thicket he saw a ram caught by its horns. He went over and took the ram and sacrificed it as a burnt offering instead of his son. So Abraham called that place The LORD Will Provide. And to this day it is said, "On the mountain of the LORD it will be provided."

The angel of the LORD called to Abraham from heaven a second time and said, "I swear by myself, declares the LORD, that because you have done this and have not withheld your son, your only son, I will surely bless you and make your descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky and as the sand on the seashore. Your descendants will take possession of the cities of their enemies, and through your offspring all nations on earth will be blessed, because you have obeyed me."

Genesis 22:1-18

I should point out before continuing, that God does not approve of infant sacrifice (he spent a lot of time sending out Israel to clobber people who did), so before you jump to a conclusion and think God's being malicious, think again... that is not what the passage is about. The second passage I want to look at comes from the New Testament:

After sighting Cyprus and passing to the south of it, we sailed on to Syria. We landed at Tyre, where our ship was to unload its cargo. We sought out the disciples there and stayed with them seven days. Through the Spirit they urged Paul not to go on to Jerusalem. When it was time to leave, we left and continued on our way. All of them, including wives and children, accompanied us out of the city, and there on the beach we knelt to pray. After saying good-by to each other, we went aboard the ship, and they returned home.

We continued our voyage from Tyre and landed at Ptolemais, where we greeted the believers and stayed with them for a day. Leaving the next day, we reached Caesarea and stayed at the house of Philip the evangelist, one of the Seven. He had four unmarried daughters who prophesied.

After we had been there a number of days, a prophet named Agabus came down from Judea. Coming over to us, he took Paul's belt, tied his own hands and feet with it and said, "The Holy Spirit says, 'In this way the Jewish leaders in Jerusalem will bind the owner of this belt and will hand him over to the Gentiles.' "

When we heard this, we and the people there pleaded with Paul not to go up to Jerusalem. Then Paul answered, "Why are you weeping and breaking my heart? I am ready not only to be bound, but also to die in Jerusalem for the name of the Lord Jesus." When he would not be dissuaded, we gave up and said, "The Lord's will be done."

Acts 21:3-14

Two very different stories, but both contain a a binding theme.

One has a happy ending (Isaac lives and is given back to Abraham), the other not so happy (Paul goes on to Jerusalem and receives exactly the treatment that was prophesied).

What links these stories is that in both instances, Abraham and Paul did not withhold what was being asked of them. Abraham is asked to surrender his son, the son who he received by grace from God (when by rights and by human convention it should not have been possible). This son - Isaac who has brought so much joy to Abraham (his very name means "laughter"), has been given by God, is now apparently wanted back by God. Imagine yourself there... Abraham must have been tearing himself apart, yet still he obeyed.

In the other passage, Paul is faced with the flip side of the coin. God is actually warning him in advance what will happen if he chooses to obey him. Paul is wise. While others saw this as God trying to protect him from harm, Paul instead, acknowledges that this is his destiny; the path that God has chosen for him. He is being tested, in the face of what is to come... and if he had not taken that path, a substantial chunk of his letters would be missing (he wrote a lot of them whilst incarcerated by the Romans).

These stories are both about obedience. The outcome does not matter, the challenge is the same:

"Will you follow me?"

God may call us along a certain path and none of us knows what we will meet along the way - triumph... disaster... unspeakable tragedy... indescribable happiness, they may all await us along the road. God has often spoken to me through the life of Gideon. At the moment I am reminded of how Gideon (after dithering for so long whether to do what God asked of him), started out with a fairly impressive army of 32,000 soldiers... but had to look on as God sent all but 300 home. It looked to be suicide to carry on.

Nonetheless, Gideon went anyway.

When we face difficulty, hardship or adversity, it confronts us with regard to where our conviction lies. Are we walking with God purely because of what we may get out of him (be they temporal blessings or eternal ones)? Or are we serving him because of who he is and what he means to us?

Last week, I discovered an old bookmark - I considered it a timely word:

"The path you walk on may be dark indeed, but trust in the Lord, rely on your God."

It's based on a verse from Isaiah, but it's been a good reminder to me that however uncertain our world may seem, we can always be certain of our God's love for us. You may be robed in riches or stripped of all you have... but God will always be with you.

My friends who are struggling know this, and I am proud to know them and pray for them as they carry their burdens - knowing that they share the same love and resolve for me.

The 'F' Word

No I'm not talking about cussing... I'm not even talking about food, I'm talking about something far more important than that.

Fun.

It's occurred to me that it's been ages since I just wrote something light hearted and fun, and that's a little frustrating for me. Every now and then we all need to just blow the lid off our overindulged sense of importance or seriousness and let it all out in a good bout of smiles and laughter.

That's not easy round these parts, people are spread out far and wide and it's not so easy to hang out with them.

Hopefully in a few months I will be mobile again and I will be able to see some of the faces I have missed. I also have a bit of a madcap idea to loop the nation in a "tour" of people I know... both friends I have made in the flesh... and a few people online too.

I went down the town centre to hang out at a pub disco the other night, but the town is largely dead. I think this is a combination of things - people having to tighten the belt in the aftermath of Christmas, being an obvious one. There are other reasons too, some of which I'm sure will become obvious if you scroll back to the events of last October/November.

Another thing is that I often relate differently in groups to how I do with individuals. When I'm with one person, or I've got the attention of an entire group... I tend to be a lot more focused, I'll usually be talking about heavy stuff in those situations. When I'm not at the forefront, when I'm one of many... I'm quite the opposite, I tend to be chilling out and up to silly mischief. I think people often forget that I have two sides; when they talk one on one, it often seems that they feel obligated to be serious with me all the time.

No. No. No. No. No.No.

No.

I want to have fun, just like everyone else. It's the simple things you treasure: putting your finger in the mixing bowl and scooping up a glob of cake mix, flinging yourself as hard as you can around bouncy castles, watching cheesy 70's shows/movies that as a kid you though were really good and instead now appreciating them now for their complete and utter nafness, running around in silly costumes... you know the kind of stuff I'm talking about. There is a time to be serious and there is a time to be random. Too much of the former and you'll end up a starchy fuddy duddy; too much of the latter and you'll miss some of the great learning experiences that come your way.

Me want fun!

Happy New Year

Happy New Year folks... I realise I'm a little late, but I've been away from my keyboard celebrating and procrastinating in equal measures.

I was thinking yesterday about a friend who I gave a scripture to, towards the end of last year. They had been convicted about something in their life that God was calling them away from and hadn't been taking it seriously (I myself had a similar experience just prior to that, which is why I felt burdened to share the scripture).

The passage was from Haggai. God sends his prophet to the people of Jerusalem and urges them to rebuild the temple; however, he also warns them to "give careful thought" about doing it. You see, this wasn't the first time the people had begun to rebuild the temple; they had attempted it previously but had abandoned their efforts at the first sign of adversity and had divided up the resources they were going to use for God's house and decorated their own homes instead.

The reason I've felt compelled to write about it now, is that recently I've felt that I've been placed in a couple of situations where I know exactly how God was feeling there... and it's not comfortable at all.

Of course, my thoughts and personal feelings pale in significance compared to God's. We really do take God for granted. We receive in good faith all the things he gives us by his grace... and we think very little about the cost - both costs. What I mean by that, is that we glaze over what God did for us in the past to bring us into a relationship with him; all too easily. At the same time, we show very little regard for what he might be calling us to do in response to the fact that he blesses us so abundantly. We are so one sided and we don't think for a moment about how our attitude affects God's heart.

I'm starting to understand that this is what lies at the core of what the Bible calls being lukewarm:

"I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were either one or the other! So, because you are lukewarm—neither hot nor cold—I am about to spit you out of my mouth. You say, 'I am rich; I have acquired wealth and do not need a thing.' But you do not realize that you are wretched, pitiful, poor, blind and naked. I counsel you to buy from me gold refined in the fire, so you can become rich; and white clothes to wear, so you can cover your shameful nakedness; and salve to put on your eyes, so you can see. Those whom I love I rebuke and discipline. So be earnest, and repent. Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with him, and he with me."

Revelation 3:15-20

You know... God is SO gracious and he gives us so many more chances than we deserve... and I'm not just talking about the unsaved, I'm completely including Christians in that. We are reluctant labourers. We think only of ourselves. We are wretched. God's love is too often unrequited and we really do need to change our hearts with regard to that.

Maybe at New Year, you made a resolution... or somewhere deep in your heart you know he is challenging you with regard to something. I urge you not to ignore it or treat it casually, instead take it seriously and don't be half hearted about it... it's not fair to treat people that way and it is certainly not right to treat God in that manner, when he has given us infinitely more than any human.

I feel like Jude, I wanted to write something light about this being the start of a new year full of hope,potential and how wonderful God is. Make no mistake God is wonderful... this is a new year... but I felt God was asking me to write this more somber message in conjunction with the way I have been feeling.

I do pray you have a blessed year... in addition to the blessings God has already richly lavished upon us all.

Happy 2008!