Whilst doing some madcap late night decorating earlier in the week I got our an old stereo (the one covered in paint) and some old tapes (now that ages me...) to listen to (quietly). Rummaging around behind all the CDs I came across a recording called "Justice" by Steve Camp and I remembered being really challenged by the words years ago. Listening again I was struck by the passion of the lyrics and his heartfelt cry to action.

In one particular song, "Living Dangerously in the Hands of God" the words are "To live dangerously is not to live recklessly but righteously, and it is because of God's radical grace for us that we can risk living a life of radical obedience for him."

I thought of my own life and was challenged again by this thought of living dangerously for God.

Radically.

Is there any other way to live for God's "well done"?

Lord may we never settle down into being average. Help us to discover new ways of exploring your radical grace for us and please keep stirring us that we might live lives of radical obedience to you.

Stuart

Filed under: Church

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“It’s not fair”

Most parents will have heard this cry at some time, and most of us will have said it at some point.

Injustice.

Lack of fairness.

We haven’t got what we deserved.

Sometimes it is just as well that things are not fair. 

That justice is not done.

That we don't get what we deserve.

Psalm 103:10 shows us that God “does not treat us as our sins deserve or repay us according to our iniquities". It goes on to say; "as far as the east is from the west, so far as he removed our transgressions from us."

Lord , thank you for your grace without which I would be lost, and in which I have great hope. Thank you that you do not treat us as we deserve, but that in Jesus there is great grace available today.

Filed under: Bible

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I found out yesterday that our neighbours have been placing bets about the new barrier outside church. Strange? Yes indeed!

As we are next door to a supermarket, last week our friendly county council installed a barrier outside the front doors of the church to help protect those who are entering and leaving the church buildings, especially the children.

Last week, having offered & provided the necessary cups of tea, the KCC workers asked if we got vehicles reversing up in front of the church. Hearing that we did they added some red tape to the barrier to make it more obvious to the lorries which manoeuvre up and down the street. So far so good.

And then the betting began. Three months was the agreed limit. Our neighbours reckoned that the barrier would last three months before being crashed into.

They underestimated.

They hadn't reckoned on the destructive power of a reversing lorry!

The barrier actually lasted less than a week. And now it is gone altogether, removed by the end of the day yesterday, with a promise that a new one is coming soon.

All that remains now is photographic proof:

So no major theological point today (though I'm sure we could stretch one out of this). Just a wry smile for the day!

Stuart

Filed under: Church

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What is it that we find so socially unacceptable about people talking to themselves?  In popular culture it is considered to be a sign of mental instability, of being unwell, or strange, or dangerous. Perhaps this is because none of us listen to ourselves when we are talking to ourselves, either giving a gentle encouragement or chastising ourselves for our latest mistake.

Personally, I’ve always thought that talking to yourself was far less worrying than having a full on argument with yourself.  That has got to be a bit concerning hasn’t it?

I wondered again today if there could be some benefit in this whole business of encouraging ourselves.  I know we are meant to encourage others, and that  is a great thing to do, but I think there might be something in encouraging ourselves too.

King David, Israel’s greatest king, writes some very interesting words when he gives us an insight into his private conversations with himself.   He writes; “Praise the Lord O my soul, all my inmost being praise his holy name. Praise the Lord O my soul, and forget not all his benefits - who forgives all your sins and heals all your diseases..”(Ps 103).  He’s talking to his own soul, to himself, and encouraging himself to look to God in all circumstances.  Perhaps it is a good thing to encourage ourselves, especially in an environment when others aren’t.  Or maybe David just spent too long in fields surrounded only by sheep?

Whatever we think of David’s state of mind, when we find ourselves in a situation where we need correction, encouragement, direction or to have someone state the obvious, according to him, it may just be us that needs to do the talking.

If we were going to give ourselves a bit of a talking too, what would we say? 

What encouragement would we give? 

What challenge would we bring?

Whatever it is, we might as well start with something encouraging.  At least then we'd be following a good example.

I’m not double jointed. I’m not even sure if I can still touch my toes. I can still see them, it’s just that they seem further away than they used to. Yet despite this possible lack of flexibility I’m still brilliant at opening my mouth and putting my foot in it.

In fact it happened again the other day. A simple comment, just a few words, and I had blown it again.

Sometimes when things are going well we somehow manage to hit the self-destruct button and salvage a defeat from the jaws of victory.

At other times, through no fault of our own, stuff happens. Circumstances change. The unexpected occurs.

For example see 2 Chronicles 32:1 “After all that Hezekiah had so faithfully done, Sennacherib King of Assyria came and invaded Judah.“

Anyone who’s read through some of the stories of the Old Testament knows that things aren’t meant to work like this.

For the good kings things are meant to go well, and for the bad ones things are meant to go badly. That’s the deal. That’s how it works. You don’t mess around with the system. There are no exceptions, no get outs, no excuses.

And then we get to Hezekiah. He’s worked wholeheartedly, he served faithfully, and still the invasion comes, still the enemy attacks.

It is vital to realise that whether we have tripped ourselves up, or whether circumstances have taken us by surprise, God has not forgotten us.

Hezekiah’s situation gets worse, but God delivers him and the people of Judah from terrible time, and Hezekiah doesn’t lose sight of whose in charge. He encourages the people saying; “Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or discouraged because of the King of Assyria and the vast army with him, for there is a greater power with us than with him. With him is only the arm of flesh, but with us is the Lord our God to help us and to fight our battles.” (2 Chron 32:7-8)

It is incredibly reassuring to know that whether I’ve been taken by surprise by my own stupidity by something outside of my control and is available and willing to step in and deliver us.

Lord, I thank you that you always see us and know what circumstances we face. Thank you that you are not taken by surprise either by our own stupidity or by the events of the day. Lord please help us not to panic or to think something has suddenly gone wrong when our circumstances change, but to continue to trust you. Always. With everything we have.

Stuart

I’ll never forget the response on the young people’s faces as I began to explain that God knew all about them. That he knew their thoughts, their experiences, their joys and their pains. I had meant to encourage them at the thought that they were never alone, yet they were mortified at the concept of a voyeuristic God watching their every move.

Hanai, described as a “seer” in the Old Testament describes the way that God watches us like this: ” for the eyes of the Lord range throughout the earth to strengthen those whose hearts are fully committed to him.” (2 Chronicles 16:9).

This beautiful image is not of God watching,

but of God looking.   

Searching.

Seeking out those he can bless. Those that can hold the blessing of God. Those whose lives can cope with God showing up to strengthen and stand beside them.

God I thank you that you are looking. Looking for those you can strengthen and bless. Looking for those whose hearts are completely yours.

It started so well. Uzziah aged just 16 years old was made king of Judah and reigned for 52 years in Jerusalem. The Bible records that he did what was right in the eyes of the Lord, seeking God and listening to instruction. Yet after building up the city, establishing towers on the wall, training the army, establishing more defences, and seeing his fame spread as far and wide, things began to unravel.

The Bible describes his downfall like this, "his fame spread far and wide, for he was greatly helped until he became powerful. But after Uzziah became powerful , his pride led to his downfall. He was unfaithful to the Lord his God and entered the temple of the Lord to burn incense on the altar of incense." (2 Chronicles 26:12)

It may not sound like much to go into the temple to burn incense, especially when you are the king, but that was not his place. He crossed the line.

God had established priests for ministry in the temple - to be there was their place, their role, their calling before God.

Uzziah's pride led to his downfall. He felt he was above correction and above reproach because in his own heart he had listened to the stories of his own fame and become proud. What did it matter if he did this one thing? He was the king after all.

As the incident recorded in 2 Chronicles 26 unfolds Uzziah ends his life leperous and separated from the people. Cut off from the temple and from real power and authority. After he dies he is buried in a field rather than being buried in the city with the kings.

What had started so well ended with disappointment and dishonour.  What a challenge to me today! I'm so glad that these stories are recorded for us so that we can learn the lessons of those who have gone before us.  

Lord please guard my heart. If ever circumstances should arise that mean that I gain someone's admiration and respect please let it not affect my heart and make me proud. Lord keep us humble, walking with you that we might do what is right and so fulfil your destiny for us. You deserve all the honour and glory.

The bear approaches snarling and everything in you screams at you to run away.

Yet somewhere in the recesses of your mind is stored the nugget of information which tells you that you should stand still. Or least you think it was bears that this applied to.

It could have been lions.

Or was it crocodiles?

No, that was something to do with their eyes wasn’t it? Poke them in the eye. That’s right, that’s what you do it crocodiles.

Maybe I do have to stand still in front of a bear after all.

Right now it is not so much your life that flashes before you, but your hit and miss knowledge of pub quiz trivia. Anyway, you stand, and live. For now.

To “stand firm” is a challenge for us. Not just in the heat of the moment with a ferocious animal bearing down on us, but also in the heat of the day.

Anyone who’s seen a military parade will also have seen pictures of one or more wilted soldiers fallen over in the heat.

Whether the heat of the moment, the heat of the battle, or the heat of the day, the heat gets to all of us at some point, and it is then that we need to stand firm like never before.

Paul goes on to write “let nothing move you”. Nothing!

“Immovable” ,”unshakeable”, “steadfast”.

One of my favourite quotes from the film Gladiator is not the most famous one “what we do in life echoes in eternity”, it is the much simpler phrase “hold the line” which grabs me. Early on in the film riding into the forest Russell Crowe’s character calls out to his soldiers “hold the line”, “stay with me”.

If they can keep their battle formation, they stand a chance of running through the enemy and being successful.

Standing firm affects others not just ourselves. Other people’s future, other’s success depends on us being able to stand.

In the heat of the battle, in the heat of the day, in moments of temptation, trial or danger, Lord help me stand. Firm.

Stuart

Just recently I have been experimenting with some new technology. No, not a super telescope, jet powered super car or a particle accelerator, nothing that awesome.

Quite simply, on the recommendation of a friend I have been trying out some voice recognition software for my PC. It's my fault really. I said I might be quicker dictating than typing, so I've got no one else to blame.

It appears that either I have a problem speaking or my computer has a problem listening. I'm not really sure which is true!

I think I have managed to speak a sentence or two without having to add major corrections. In fact the last sentence was completely correct!

One benefit is that every word is spelt correctly, which for me is a huge bonus. However, whilst the words may be spelt correctly, choosing the right word seems to be a completely different issue. I can't actually repeat some of the words that the computer has chosen for me and which it thinks I have said. I was very glad that I double checked one particular e-mail prior to sending it as the computer had managed to convert a simple thank you note into something containing rather graphic language!

I'm sure it will soon have me churning out documents with no problems. In the meantime however, I will need to be editing my words very carefully.

All this misunderstanding set me thinking. What must it be like for God, attempting to communicate with us?

Many times I've heard people say "God told me" and use this as a justification for all sorts of actions, occasionally even ones which contradict last months’ instruction by God.

Others claim never to have heard from God and struggle with the whole concept that He might want to speak to them. Why would he? After all doesn't he only speak to special people?

God assures us that he is attempting to communicate with us. He’s given plenty of evidence in the past, with Jesus being God’s most powerful and enduring word to us.

How amazing! The King of Glory wants to speak to you and me. At times His word comes quietly and other times comes powerfully. God’s word is always radical, challenging, life changing and far more profound than our finest thoughts. Never insipid, never bland, his word is true enough to build our lives upon.

We just need to ensure that we are listening. Properly. Not twisting His words, or hearing only what we want to hear.

I am told that I need to train my computer to get used to my voice (as well as learning to speak properly). Which will mean a little more investment of time spent looking like I work in a call centre.

Allegedly this training, through constant honing and correction, will help my computer to understand everything I say, and in doing so will save me hours of typing. That's if I haven't thrown the headphones out of the window by then.

More fundamentally I'm challenged to train my ears too, so that when God speaks I might hear clearly what he is saying. Without mistake. Without misunderstanding. Without trying to convince myself that He means one thing when really I know that He means something very different.

Then I pray I may be bold enough to put it into practice.

Go on. Have a go. Get listening.

You'll be amazed at what God wants to say.

Stuart

We've had an awesome weekend at church this weekend and have been blessed to have David Reidy (Hillsongs, Sydney) and Paul Iannuzzelli with us working with our musicians and singers. Not only has the level of their competence been excellent, their encouragement was an enormous blessing to us. We've seen healings and God working in other amazing ways.

I’m aware that we are all tempted to put people on a pedestal and idolise them in some way or just to think that they're better than us. Yet this is often profoundly unhelpful.

This weekend one of the things that is most encouraged me has been to see our worship team growing in confidence and ability as they been taught to step out and try new things. Given the right support and mentoring, input and encouragement we have seen them being stretched and yet thriving and enjoying themselves at the same time.

Undoubtedly without the support of David and Paul we would not have made such significant progress, but it was our team who led worship on Sunday. They were the ones, led by David and Paul who were playing and leading. Using their new confidence and skills it was our team who made it happen under Paul's direction.

Once again we saw that the kingdom of God is built when we all take our place and serve. In the body we each have a vital part to play just as God has ordained it. Today we must take our place not look to a spiritual superhero to do it for us. We thank God for the input we can have from people around the world and we thank God for them. Yet as Monday comes again Jesus is still entrusting his work to us. Our calling hasn't changed. Let's rise and take our place.

Stuart

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