A Moment in the Madness

Knowledge Is Nothing Without Willingness

2008-11-06T03:54:00.000-08:00

There's a well-known saying along the lines of "You can lead a horse to water, but you can't make him drink". Sayings like those are usually nothing more than pretty one liners until you've seen them operating in real life. I learnt this the hard way. I was berrated by one my bosses for personality failures of mine that made it hard for colleagues to work with me. I had known about these failures for some time. While perhaps I gained some new perspective of the impact of these personality flaws, I was not being filled with a desire to change them. I had the knowledge, but I had no desire to make use of it - I had no inclination to drink. This principle lies at the heart of evangelism too. You can preach, but you can't convert. In truth, people are so varied that it becomes difficult to preach a universal message. Maybe most people will respond to a simple Billy Graham style message, but there are also those who just need to feel God's presence or feel the love of a fellow Christian. In fact some need a hell and brimstone message. Do what you can to help people not just hear the truth, but to respond to it to. Thank God we have the Holy Spirit's help on that one. (also see John 7:17)

A Christian is Under Authority

2008-11-06T03:52:00.000-08:00

I had interesting argument with my boss. I really knew where I was wrong and I guess I just needed someone to tell me so - effectively to say enough is enough. Now this may sound arrogant, but the decision to acknowledge error, in my heart, and accept the need to change was mine. I hated the discussion. The person speaking to me was using the wrong language, the wrong tone, came across as remarkedly pert and I could very easily have pulled out and said I'm not interested. But there is one difference: I am under authority. Not human authority, but God's authority. I am in a position where I must bow my knee and I don't have the final say (not by force, but by my decision to become a follower of Christ). I thought about our conversation and realised the person talking to me wasn't under authority - their tone of voice and refusal to accept their own wrongs and unwillingness to accomodate me told a story of the independent life of a non-Christian. Incredibly, the concept of being submitted under an authority is highly frowned upon in today's modern secular teaching, but it results in better humans, who can more easily find their place, not because of what is rammed down their throats, but because they know they can never escape the real boss, that good actually does really win and bad doesn't really go unpunished.

Dangers of Being a Self-Employed Policeman

2008-11-06T03:41:00.000-08:00

I have a habit of flashing drivers who drive really badly. Some people disagree with my habit, but while I avoid petulance, I do think that people should know when they're really out of line. Anyway, it was near midnight in a rainy suburb and a guy roared past me and received the flash. He slowed down checked me out and then went roaring off into the distance. I looked ahead and saw that he had turned around and faced me ... uh-aw! Now was he going to ram me? Would he force me off the road? Shoot me? Play chicken? Either way, I was not going to play this game and turned around and sped off down a side road and rejoined the main road, where he started chasing me. I turned left and he turned right and that was the end of that. Needless to say, I was a little shaken - was I dealing with mischief or was this a case of angry black youth about to shoot me dead? The moral of the story is this: if you're going to play policeman, be sure you have a gun.

I Can't Control You

2008-06-24T00:29:00.000-07:00

If we could all understand one fundamental element of relationships, we would find the level of animosity, abrasion and resistance phenomenally reduced. It's simpy this: you can't control someone. Freedom of choice is fundamental to God's design, and each of us is ultimately responsible for our choices. When it comes to disagreements, I know from my own life that you feel so compelled to stick your hands into someone's brain and somehow force them to agree with your point of view. The lesson is to understand that our role in people's lives is not as controllers, but as encouragers. The best we can do is to offer our suggestion on an open platter and hope that someone takes it. And if they don't, there's nothing we can do - it's their choice. This is so true for husbands and wives, and for parents and teenagers. We can only hope to guide somebody towards a good choice, to try and make the choice easier. And that choice is always made easier when we come across with a gentler approach that indicates our respect of their choice, rather than one of manipulation and control.

CCLI Disgusts Me

2008-05-14T04:42:00.000-07:00

When it comes to speeding, I was reared on a mindset that said: the law is the law and adherence was expected regardless of the threat of speed traps. That would be the first reason I understand the need for the existence of CCLI. The second reason is obviously the role it plays in funding artists who want to go full-time. What riled me right from the start was CCLI's stated claim to their reason for existence: to ensure churches could stay in line with legislation. All artists needed to do was explicitly waive the right to prevent copying and performing of their music in a church setting - legal requirements would have been fulfilled. Right at the start it appeared that the movement chose not to be upfront about the windfall their license would generate - why not be truthful? I've noticed also how the testimonials they use seem to come from the artists and publishers rather than the users. In fact, my real beef is that CCLI goes exactly against its very own motto: "encouraging the spirit of worship". The spirit of worship is one of offering and giving to the Lord, so I'm a little dumbfounded as to how they make that connection. As for me, my worship songs will be released to explicitly circumvent copyright. I'd rather receive God's ten-fold reward than the few pennies of a needy startup church in Calcutta.

Washing Dishes Saves the World

2008-05-14T01:01:00.000-07:00

As I stand at the kitchen sink, for the umpteenth time, I ponder how much time washing the dishes is stealing from life. The numbers frighten me as they accumulate into the hundreds of hours. My life is passing rapidly before my eyes as I realise that the single set of cutlery I carefully soak, wash, stack, dry and put away will soon by replaced by three, four, five, maybe nine. Think what I could do with that time... I could do productive things, I could be an effective community leader, I could change the world. And so I stop doing the dishes and five hours later I realise I have achieved nothing in that time. The truth comes full steam around: busy people get stuff done. It takes discipline to change the world, because very few great things are done by accident. When you let the simple things slip, your drive, motivation and momentum start to slow. If you really want to change the world, I guess charity begins at home ... washing dishes.

Breaking the Pain Barrier

2008-05-09T01:51:00.000-07:00

The battle against sin is often fought on the wrong grounds. I speak from personal experience in illustrating some of the different mental approaches you take when trying to avoid doing what you know is wrong. For instance, after slipping I decide that the next time I'll think more about the consequences of my actions, but in truth, when it comes time to make the decision, your brain is not always ready for all this long-term thinking. One aspect, however, that does make a difference is to understand the reality of pain. Much of the good that we want to or need to achieve comes through pain. Just like waking up on time in the morning, for evening people like me, or getting a nice build through pumping iron, or having a clean home by sweeping the floor, there comes a level of exertion required to live a respectable life. Running your life on emotions and feelings will see you steering clear of this pain barrier. When the time comes to decide whether you sin or not, accepting the pain of saying no could be the make or break factor.

Who Gets Your Tithe?

2008-05-07T03:23:00.000-07:00

A hushed question on many congregants lips is: am I paying my tithe to the Lord, or am I just paying the pastor's salary? This valid question is one of those crossroads where spiritual principles run into practical reality and some squirm in their seats when they would prefer tithing to be primarily a spiritual exercise. The answer to this conundrum is found in a book you wouldn't necessarily choose as your first source of wisdom. In Leviticus, the first few chapters deal extensively with the rites for presenting and executing the different offerings required or recommended of the Israelites. The act of giving an offering was a spiritual exercise with a spiritual result. However, these chapters deal very extensively with the set of freedoms given to the Levites in consuming the offerings for personal benefit. When we tithe our income in the same way the Israelites made their offerings, our ministers are thus given similar freedom, within reasonable limits, to consume that tithe.

Does God Get a Mention?

2008-04-30T03:41:00.000-07:00

As I listened to Chris Rice's song "Other Side of the Radio", my thoughts were turned to the well-worn arguments about what defines Christian music. This song received attention because it was well accepted on Christian radio but had no explicit mention of God (apart from "prayer"). There is a perception that the Christian music industry is a cacoon, especially in America, and I can understand that. However, I feel like the question of whether to mention God in songs or not is misfocused. Essentially the question being asked is: how little of God can we mention and get away with it? Okay, I understand the position that much of the Christian music offering can't be taken into bars and seedy venues with blaring mention of God, but that only brings us back round to the essential Gospel message, that there is no ultimate solution outside of God. Simply put, if you would like to make a difference through your music, be frank and admit that God is better placed to change lives than you are.

Truth Gets Respect

2008-04-25T04:00:00.000-07:00

In a recent message on tithing, the speaker made particular reference to the general British avoidance of discussing tithing and money in church. It dawned on me that some of the British church decline must be attributed to the failure of the ministry to tell the simple, direct truth. In contrast, I attended the Mighty Men Conference led by Angus Buchan. He tells the truth without refrain, void of political correctness, and 40,000 men loved him for it. I'm not talking truth about the war in Iraq, but truth about what our personal responsibilities are, what crosses we should pick up and carry. For a thousand words of sweet talk, the impression you wish to make on people may be better done with ten choice words of truth that cut to the marrow and set people on the right path.

A Second-Rate Insurance

2007-07-16T23:45:00.000-07:00

The discussion of whether to take out insurance is a fascinating one. What engrosses me is that the signs pointing towards taking out insurance policies seem so strong, and yet I take a strong personal stand against it. Being someone who doesn't go down quietly in an argument, I've enjoyed the challenge of trying to reason against insurance policies. Three things motivate my stand. Firstly, the average person loses money by taking insurance, so in the general case it's wiser to take that insurance policy payment and put it in a high interest savings or investment account. Of course you're not going to cover the cost of crashing into a Porsche, but how often will you? At least this way you get all your money back, and with interest, although you do need to have the discipline not to spend it first. Secondly, for me personally, to take insurance is a declaration that I do not have faith in God's provision. I know a lot of people disagree with this, but this really violates me. Thirdly, to take out insurance is to live for failure. It's like believing you are going to fail and cutting your losses instead of going all out for glory. Hey, if you crash and burn, at least you went out trying. Rather that than to kick off by saying: I know I'm going to fail, so let's go out and spend money to cover for my failure, money which on average I'm not even going to get back. Maybe now you can feel my sentiment - you don't have to agree with me, but at the very least, you can agree that all of us could do more with our finances if we gave it some thought.

The One

2006-11-26T13:47:00.000-08:00

I was watching The Matrix again this evening, my all-time favourite movie. Most Christians who enjoy the Matrix enjoy the parallel between Neo and Jesus. Personally, I think of myself as Neo. Woah! No, not as The One, but as someone who needs to learn to believe that they are capable, to live by faith in the knowledge of God's provision, knowing the authority and power we've been given. So once again, I was incredibly convicted and challenged when the oracle said to Neo: it looks like you're waiting for something, another life maybe. It cut me up, because that's me. Waiting for another life when I'll be great. It's time to do it. To be great, to make a difference, to go and save the world, or at least save it to the extent of what God's given us the power to do.

Coming Back Around

2006-11-25T14:26:00.000-08:00

As I prepare for my return home to a totally new life, I feel a little daunted. I'm almost depressed at all the change up ahead: new job, new home, new environment, financial insecurity, new wife sometime soon. But if I stop for a moment, I suddenly realise this is exactly where I was at the start of last year. Four weeks in Edinburgh where I had no job, no home, no bank account and no church, and not seeing light on any of these fronts. And yet I look back on that now and see how everything resolved itself. Amazing how seasons change! I think that's such a refreshing thought for all of us ... you keep on pressing through the tough patches and watch how things will change for you.

Just to Ask

2006-11-21T14:35:00.000-08:00

I've been making my way through the book of John and one thing Jesus keeps telling His disciples is: whatever you ask in My name you will receive. What is our response to that statement? Maybe you share my skepticism. Does God really answer those prayers? Why do some sick people remain sick? Why is there no peace in Iraq? I guess the point I'm making is that some unanswered prayers have reduced our faith, and when I read those scriptures again, something inside me opens its eyes with interest. Maybe God does answer these prayers. Of course, the Bible does put some qualifications, such as John 15 where Jesus instructs us to abide in Him and in James where we're instructed not to pray with selfish motives and with doubt. But if we take care of these things, why not join me for a moment and believe again that God can answer impossible prayers. It's worth taking the chance.

Toggle the Morals

2006-11-13T15:00:00.000-08:00

I've been grappling with evolution for a while, figuring out its ins and outs, so that I know where to hit it in the weak spot and smack it for a six. One thought crossed my mind today: if evolution is true, we are living a delusion. It's a well known fact that evolution and materialism eliminate any real morality. With evolution, certain character traits enhance the survival of a species or individual. So as an evolutionist, you would argue that morality and conscience have evolved to preserve a species. Even so, morality would be non-existent. So for instance, blowing up the world with a gigantic atomic bomb would not be good for species preservation, but that doesn't make it wrong, because there is no such thing as wrong. And yet we have this sense of morality that would define it as wrong to hurt somebody's feelings, let alone blow them up with an atomic bomb. So according to evolution, the sense of morality that we feel is actually a delusion. As it turns out, our sense of morality is one of the strongest arguments against evolution really.

Bin the Formula

2006-11-09T16:48:00.000-08:00

It's interesting to see how much we try to lean on formulas. It's said that we're creatures of habit and it shows in the church and in our walk with God as well. I think God created us to be that way and it's not something to look down on necessarily, but there is one pattern I've found emerging in me. I like to be able to lean on a standard formula for solving life's problems, like knowing what to do in the future or how to deal with sin. But if I dig a little deeper, I begin to uncover the real motive - to be able to manage on my own and get rid of this awkward depending-on-God thing. It's amazing how many times we have to lean on God for last second provisions, and yet we quickly forget that that's exactly how we are meant to live all of our lives: leaning on God. The Bible even instructs us: lean not on your own understanding. To take the step away from self-sufficiency and into God's all-sufficiency is very difficult and turns out to be a lifetime of learning. It can't be any other way though, because the truth is that our self-sufficiency is a well-preserved illusion.

The Watershed

2006-10-31T15:32:00.000-08:00

For most of my songwriting years, I had been diligently writing love songs to God, songs about my personal walk with and before Him. Arriving in the UK, I felt I would need to adapt my style so I could get into the pubs - to get a foot in the door, so to say, and from there to sing more openly about God. What I found was that my songs became more and more washed out, and in the end I had stopped writing about God and really was not going to make any impact. Without even trying, I found myself writing love songs to God again. I had come full circle. I do accept that sometimes we need to be sensitive in our approach, but there was one principle I learnt: in the end, the "God" issue will still cause offense to those who won't accept Him. Jesus confirmed this in John 7:7, "The world...hates me because I testify that what it does is evil." You can take whatever approach you choose in presenting your Christian songs, but the God-factor is still going to be incisive and sometimes divisive. At some stage, you'll have to get to the point.

Saviour of the World

2006-10-25T15:33:00.000-07:00

I was struck this evening while reading in the book of John how the Samaritans came to believe in Jesus as the "saviour of the world". Maybe it's just the wording that caught me, but it's an encompassing statement. If you want to know why Christians are so in your face about their religion, then this statement captures the spirit of their message. With so much emphasis on relativism and localisation of beliefs, here is a statement that one man - God within a man, but one physical man - is the be-all and end-all of creation. That's the first surprise of that statement; the second is the concept of "saviour". We would all like the world to be saved - in general I'd say people know something is wrong and that the world needs fixing. Some like to believe we can do it ourselves, despite our failings since the beginnings of our existence. Here is a man whose claim was to be the one to save the world as we so wished. This statement is a good starting place then for the question: who is this saviour of the world?

The New Wizard of Oz

2006-10-19T15:06:00.000-07:00

It's been fascinating to read Richard Dawkins' "Blind Watchmaker". I promised to read it along with Lee Strobel's "Case for a Creator" so that I had a balanced view. I was a little overawed by how clever Dawkins must be and a tip-toed my way into the book, slowly gaining confidence as I realised his arguments were nothing I couldn't handle. Even better, as I prayed to God for a counter-argument to everything Dawkins would say, I found it incredibly easier to spot how weak his arguments were. Wow, it's encouraging and incredibly invigorating to realise the main rival to your faith is a little Wizard of Oz, a wimp in a big mask. What's important now is to clarify his main arguments, remembering that Dawkins is a champion in his field, and be ready to pour dust on them when given the chance to speak with an intellectual about evolution and creationism. As Paul writes to Timothy: always be ready to give an answer for the hope that you have.

The Faith Gap

2006-10-16T14:33:00.000-07:00

It's been about a year now. In that time I've looped around a few times trying to link up all the logic about Christianity and form a clear line of reasoning from start to finish that proves it. I've come up with some pretty good ideas, but not delivered the coup de tat. Today a breakthrough. Three days ago I had a miracle when God provided a 50% discount on my train fare. I know personally that I had undeniably heard God's voice. No question. So I know God exists. And I also know God's Word says without faith it's impossible to please God. So it would appear that there is a gap left in reasoning where you have to take a leap of faith. I know there's been a move recently to improve reasoning and apologetics, but we've still been left with this difficult gap that just seals the matter. But now, knowing that my lack of complete reasoning doesn't disqualify my faith, and also knowing that I really know that God exists, I feel like a burden has lifted from my shoulders. Eureka.

Superman Without a Cape

2006-10-16T14:32:00.000-07:00

Paul throws an incredible punchline in the book of Galatians as he explains the purpose of the law before the arrival of Jesus. He says that the law was put in place to lead us to Christ. My understanding of that is simply this: that in our attempts to fulfill the law, we find ourselves unable and we cry out for somebody who can help us. And yet, what crosses my mind as I read that statement is just how stubborn I am. I fall and fall and each time get up again and assert how much harder I'm going to try next time and how I won't do it again. And I fall again. Oh, to fall over and admit defeat! I'm loathe to do it and yet it's the key to my freedom isn't it? In one ear I hear the voice saying, "You must be holy as I am holy" and in the other I hear "all to Jesus I surrender". Both good truths and both pulling me, but one thing I do know, and that is that I'm one incredibly stubborn man.

Under-selling God

2006-10-16T14:31:00.000-07:00

When we ask God to do something, how often do pray for Him to do something that we can imagine is possible with a little bit of His help? Actually, we are unintentionally misrepresenting His ability. How can God prove His worth and His power if we never give Him something to do that is completely impossible? Giving the Creator of the universe small odd jobs is like assigning firemen to a full-time post of taking kittens out of trees. Actually they're trained to put out raging fires. Let's step out and make some space for the One bigger than the universe to do His dance.

Spin the World

2006-10-16T14:28:00.000-07:00

I once quipped to myself that how you managed a box of matches reflected how well you would manage a global business empire. Maybe it's true only to some extent, but the general principle is good. If we can't obey God in the small things, then how do we expect to toe the line easily when it comes to big decisions? It's this principle that Jesus was referring to when He talked about the origin of sin in the mind. Every seed grows when you water it and if you start out with a seed of sin, you can turn it into Jack's beanstalk. It works just the same when you keep on sowing good things into your life. They seem small, but as you keep striding forwards, always moving onto new challenges, you'll find that things you had to fight through before become trivial and your shoulders broaden to take on bigger challenges.

Mr Faith & Mrs Excellence

2006-10-12T15:17:00.000-07:00

Faith and excellence are close buddies, but why? Simply because it takes faith to be excellent and excellence proves faith. It's a small variation on what James was so deliberate to point out when speaking about faith and works. The simply question when you are posed with a non-compulsory challenge is: why bother? If you don't believe that good is rewarded and that hard work is worth the effort, then you simply won't feel the need to bother stretching the extra yard. So that's an issue of faith then. Faith is believing in God's system of rewards. Likewise, if you have faith, what is it in? It must surely be in God's faithfulness, in His Word and in His promises, and the more you believe the system of blessing described in His Word, the more you will reach out to benefit from that system. Your reaching out is a demonstration that you've bought into His philosophy on life.

Feeling the Feeling

2006-10-12T15:16:00.000-07:00

I struggle on Saturdays. I feel the need or the want to rest and do nothing useful at all, but I also feel the pressure to be purpose-driven and even to hear God's voice throughout the day on exactly what I should do. It exhausts me to be honest, but as I ponder my dilemma, I realise just how much I depend on needing a feeling in order to do something. It's partly just my character and way of doing things, but I guess we can all identify with this to an extent. I'm sobered when I realise how many things I could do by just doing them on the spot rather than waiting for the feeling to come. The irony is that I would probably feel more satisfied and fulfilled at the end of a "doing" day than a day of rest. There's a place for rest, but I need something to rest from!

One Life Spent

2006-10-12T15:14:00.000-07:00

I was a little frightened and shaken by a thought today. We had a member of staff at work retire recently. She had been in the business for several decades, probably in fairly similar roles, not particularly high up the food chain, as the saying goes. Thinking about how moved she was to be leaving this big part of her life behind, I realised how she had sowed her life into this position. She had been given one life and she had sowed the majority of her life into this one position at work. Now there's nothing wrong with that - well done to her. What strikes me is this: one life, what am I going to plough it into? Time goes and next thing you know you're about to retire. So what will you have ended up spending your one life on?

The Enjoyment-Expense Curve

2006-10-11T15:10:00.000-07:00

Follow my thinking here ... you're a poor man living in Africa, earning $10 per month. You can manage to put food on the table and buy some cheap clothes possibly. If you are upgraded to $20 per month, your quality of living increases fairly considerably, maybe it even doubles. Imagine you are a millionaire. Think of all the things you can do with your money - the big house, nice car, great dining, holidays. Now imagine you become a 2-millionaire. But does the quality of your life really improve that much? Not really when you start to think about it. Your car goes from zero to 100kmh a bit quicker, your house has a few extra rooms, your clothing improves marginally, etc. Actually, your quality of life goes up 10% maybe. Now this is a great principle when you are trying to decide how to spend your money cost-effectively. Ask yourself: if I spend 100% more, does my quality of life or pleasure increase 100%? When you start to take that approach, you'll realise that a lot of your money could be given to those for whom a 100% increase in income would really make a difference.

Submission Without Cognition

2006-10-11T15:07:00.000-07:00

It's easy to understand how there are times when a child should simply obey parents in certain circumstances, without understanding the reason exactly. The old hand-on-stove example is been reused, rehashed and hung out to dry, but there are many instances. And yet, just as a child finds it difficult to obey, we have difficulty being obedient to God when we don't understand. Of course, it does become a little bit more difficult, considering that God's voice is seldom audible. Still, there are times when I've known I've heard from God, but still question whether I've heard correctly because the direction seems counter-intuitive. The key to the whole exercise is simply to recognise that we're not all-knowing and that God is. And that is a learning curve most of us have been on a long time and are still on, myself included.

Destitute and Poor

2006-10-11T15:05:00.000-07:00

Hebrews 11 finishes off incredibly. What a life! Beaten up, dressed in tatters, enduring only for something that couldn't be achieved in this present life. Now that is faith! Imagine living for something beyond what we see, for a supposed life in heaven that no one really has proof of, that's beyond what our tangible reasoning can show. To let yourself be treated like dirt and never see the rewards of it before death. Now either that is stupid and wasteful or it's hectically amazing. There's no real middle ground here. And yet, every now and then we make space for that glimmer of thought: is this all there is? And here are a bunch of guys who believed in something more, something presently intangible, who believed that good is rewarded and justice is served. It's incredibly otherworldy, literally.

Go Fetch

2006-09-27T14:17:00.000-07:00

I'm wondering how much we can really accomplish accidentally. This is the dilemma that crops up in mid-life crisis - suddenly you're 35 and all the great things that were going to happen never happened. In clear contrast to this we have a guy like Joshua saying to the Israelites that the land is ready to be taken and conquered. That wasn't a natural consequence of what they were presently doing, but a deliberate step out into the realm of possibility rather than inevitability. I also remember Paul's challenge to Timothy not to be timid but to have the spirit of power, love and self-discipline. These three define a fantastic approach to life: to have the Joshua type of boldness, but not without the sensitivity of love and the self-discipline of sticking to the line despite your determination being challenged.

Walking on Air

2006-09-27T14:15:00.000-07:00

Hebrews 10 closes with an exhortation to step out in faith and not to shrink back. It's like we're being asked to step off the plane and to walk on the clouds. When you're looking out the plane window at those big chunks of cotton wool floating in the sky, you can easily be forgiven for wanting to jump off the plane and land on them. In some ways faith is like that. You can conceptualise what it might be like to walk the life that's promised, but there's something in you that wants more concrete evidence. Unlike clouds which we know are not walkable, here the Bible is talking about a walk on something which does really hold you up. Your mind asks: can it be done? But here God is urging us to go for it.

What is Greatness?

2006-09-21T14:28:00.000-07:00

I guess greatness is tied in with success, and the many definitions of success vary widely. Some see success as an absolute, such as winning the Olympic sprints, while others see success as relative, such as a paralysed man walking the same distance. What is more difficult for Christians is that sometimes what we regard as success needs to be laid on the altar, so that God can do through our lives what He has in mind. That right now is my juggle. I long to do great things and achieve "greatness", but I feel the ever-present need to lay my life down and say like Jesus, "Not my will but Your will be done". What I expect in faith is this: as I conform to God's image, my ideas of greatness will change and I will do things for God that are indeed great, but not in the way I had originally imagined.

The New Wisdom

2006-09-21T14:27:00.000-07:00

I've been thinking about my future and all the "great" things I want to do with my life, but I've got one Scripture just gnawing away at all the dreams, wriggling its way in and making itself heard: he who wins souls is wise. It's an incredible command, because it carries no value if you think naturalistically. It doesn't seem to bring anything to the economy, it doesn't seem to feed people or heal them of diseases. Of course, it does if you argue that lifestyles change and miracles happen when people become Christians, but from a naturalist mind, it doesn't seem obvious. It's an incredible leap of faith to be obedient in that way, to give up dreams and just preach God. And even more frightening is that you often won't even see the fruit of what you're doing. Can I do anything else though? God is sovereign and what He chooses for me supercedes everything else, because it actually is the best thing for me.

Did You Know?

2006-09-21T14:25:00.000-07:00

What a promise in Hebrews 8:11, that with the new covenant ushered in by Jesus, we can know God, rather than needing to teach each other. Imagine the pre-Jesus time when you were just living according to a written law and your life was laid out for you in straight lines by the laws of the sacrifices, the procedures of the tabernacle and the ten commandments. Suddenly all of that is washed away and we have a new kind of walk with God where our walk is governed internally. We now have God's Spirit in us, guiding us each step of the way, rather than some external tradition. An incredible privilege and a far more natural way to live. Just as amazing is that a new-born believer can know God's way just by the inner conviction of the Holy Spirit, without even having to learn a rule.

Feeding the Five Billion

2006-09-09T13:54:00.000-07:00

I've been pondering my efforts to tell my work colleagues about God and I was encouraged by the story of Jesus feeding the five thousand. The essence of this example is that the disciples could only make a small contribution of five loaves and two fish and Jesus multiplied it. My prayer is that God will do the same for me, that as I give the little bit that I can, God will multiply that and do amazing things at my workplace.

Just to Love

2006-09-09T13:52:00.000-07:00

In wanting to share Jesus with people, it can become perplexing for me to figure out how to act. What do I say? How do I act? What side of me should I show, the visionary, the chilled sloth or the flexiglass? In all of this I suddenly realise what the real objective is: just to love people. Isn't it amazing how even in trying to help people we could become more concerned with how we come across and what we need to do? Loving people is an advanced concept, meaning that simply being kind without actually sharing the Gospel is not always good enough, but at least we can lay a platform of just valueing somebody and wanting to bless them. That seed of sincerity opens the way for everything else.

An Anchor for the Soul

2006-09-04T13:50:00.000-07:00

I was just captivated by that statement in Hebrews 6:19, "an anchor for the soul". What an incredible statement! I'm sure you can empathise with me when I say that some mornings I can hardly get out of bed, and some days are just tedious. Then other days am running like a rushing river and the clouds could burst into colourful confetti at any moment. There's one constant that ties it all together, that gives me direction, provides reasons for the seasons and method in the madness. I can face the weather because I have an anchor, an anchor for the soul. And it's a strong anchor!

Solid Food

2006-09-04T13:49:00.000-07:00

I enjoy the description in Hebrews 5:14 about solid food. It says: solid food is for the mature, who by constant use have trained themselves to distinguish good from evil. That's another way of describing wisdom. The ability to tell the difference between a foolish action that will lead into sin and a wise action that will bring long term good is not always immediately obvious. Even when we are faced with what seems to be an obvious choice, in our short-term thinking we'll go for the easier option. "Easier" is the important word here, because the more you exercise making wise choices by sheer discipline, the more clear the basic choices become.

Dive Without Reason

2006-09-04T13:48:00.000-07:00

Christianity presents an incredible conundrum: to believe when we don't have absolute, scientifically-proven, formulaic reason. I know there's been a big move in recent years to challenge the convention that Christianity can't be reasoned out, but I still find myself leaning toward the idea that there are gaps that are not easily filled out. It seems an incredible indictment against our religion, and my usual answer is to say that you can't prove scientifically what doesn't fall into the realm of science. In other words, science deals with the natural world, whereas the spiritual realm is like another dimension in which we're dealing. Unfortunately, that's not always comforting to a mind seemingly born in a natural world - it equates to a big washover. But here I am again reading in Hebrews 4:2 that the message was of no value to some hearers because they didn't mix it with faith. Faith is of course redundant when reason alone is used. Maybe faith can be stirred by reason, but at some stage you just take the dive, and the beauty of it all is when your dive takes you into a world you may never have imagined in your process of reasoning.

Some Things Must Die

2006-09-04T13:43:00.000-07:00

Some time in 2005 as I was counting up all the songs I had written and guarded and nourished over the years, I finally faced up to the realisation that many of my songs were never going to be used beyond the bedroom where I had created them. All that time I had been fiddling with them, dreaming about them, hearing the bands playing them. I accepted that many would just die a quiet death. It was such a pointed realisation that I decided to write another song about it! I called it "Some things must die". I guess that's a little haunting as a song title, and I'm pretty sure that song will also never get out of the bedroom where it was written! Nevertheless, it's true. I've learnt more and more in my last few months that in so many situations you just have to learn to "die". It comes when you're being treated unfairly and there is no reasonable action against it. It comes as the best means to solve many arguments. It comes as you learn to prioritise your life and go for max. And as importantly it comes when you learn to fight sin and to deny the flesh. In no example do we see it more clearly than in Jesus' death on the cross, and in Paul's motto: to live is Christ, to die is gain.

A Question of Attraction

2006-09-02T14:11:00.000-07:00

It's tricky making sense of our attraction to the opposite sex while being showered by a mass of media. If you watch enough Hollywood movies you begin to assume that what is projected is the norm. Even then, different movies emphasize different types of romantic relationships, ranging from the lewdness of Basic Instinct to the healthy depth of The Family Man. The Bible does have some good advice on relationships, but it leaves a lot of space for personal interpretation. Subsequently, some Christians feel no guilt in a little bit of flirting or appreciating bodily beauty. With some contemplation, I've come to the conclusion that it mirrors the question of drinking alcohol. The Bible doesn't seem to forbid drinking altogether, but definitely discourages drunkenness. In the same way, gazing at very attractive people can lead to lust and adultery, but not always. However, just as I'd rather steer far away from the debauched life that is often attached to alcohol, I'd rather just keep things clean and pure in what I think and watch. Maybe I'm missing something I could legitimately enjoy, but in light of the difficulty in knowing where to draw the line, maybe that small price will end up saving me a lot.

The Complete Misconception

2006-09-02T14:01:00.000-07:00

It was funny how an atheist taught me something about Christianity that I hadn't really realised. As I was speaking to her, I realised that her understanding reflected a general concept that Christianity is about doing good things to get into heaven or doing bad things and going to hell. This of course is a complete misfocus. The central theme of Christianity is actually the intervention of Jesus to make it possible for anyone to go to heaven. There's a place for doing good things, but that's not the central theme. Jesus walks this path again in Luke 7 with the story of the sinful woman who anointed him with alabaster oil. The pharisees were at pains to point out how sinful she was, and Jesus corrected them by placing the emphasis not on the size of sin but on the beauty of forgiveness. How often do we forget this is as Christians and stumble into our performance mindsets!

Switching Poles

2006-09-02T14:00:00.001-07:00

I stumbled across a strange contrast today. I've been reading Case For a Creator by Lee Strobel, highlighting the arguments that point toward the design of our universe by a personal God. One of the key features of the argument is to prove that earth and its setup in our solar system is unique. The opposite is to argue that there are many other situations just like ours which could breed life. Funny then that a cynical view of Christianity is that it puts people down with all the focus on law and do's-and-don'ts. Here the opposite is to argue that people are actually great and beautiful in themselves and capable of greatness in and of themselves. Two seemingly opposite arguments. The truth about Christianity is this, though: that we have been made unique and although we have sinned and fallen short of God, it was for our very uniqueness and importance that God maintained His love for us and died for us.

Expensive Love

2006-09-02T14:00:00.000-07:00

Much is said of love that costs you something, but there is one love that will probably cost you more than anything else, and that is a love for God. The Bible says if you love God you will obey His commandments, and any of you who has chased purity and perfection will know just how tall a command that is. It's easy to talk about a oozy-floozy kind of feel-good love, but a love that determinedly obeys in the fiercest circumstances is a deeper measure of your bond to God. It comes as no surprise that the first of the ten commandments is to love God. Everything spins off it, because to love God is to obey, is to do what's right, is to love your neighbour, is to obey all the other commandments. In fact to love God is the biggest challenge you'll ever face. Period.

Enjoying the Journey

2006-09-02T13:59:00.000-07:00

This is a lesson I'm learning, dealing with a particular weakness I sometimes show of thinking about where I want to be or need to be and not enjoying the moment. Simple example: you're walking to buy groceries at the supermarket, but you don't think of enjoying the walk on the way. Aha! Now you know what I'm talking about. It seems so trivial, but so true. How much of your life is spent in transition as you think towards what is ahead? In fact, we do the same with our jobs - our thoughts are on the evening fun or the weekend and we wait for the seven or eight hours of work to pass by so we can get to the fun part. If you add it all up, you'll find that an incredibly large amount of your life is spent in transition to something else. We've heard sayings like "life's a journey, enjoy the ride", but have we really grasped just how far that can be followed through? My simple desire is to begin to enjoy the journey more. In some cases that's the literal journey, sitting on a bus, walking down the pavement, but in other cases that includes enjoying things I would never have thought of as enjoyment before, like sweeping the floor or washing the dishes. What a thought!

One More Time

2006-09-02T13:58:00.000-07:00

I find it incredible reading at the end of 2 Timothy how Paul keeps pressing Timothy to go yet another mile. What hit home was how Paul was challenging him to be more of an evangelist and to preach the word more. I am challenged because in all my efforts to witness to my colleagues, I still see more place for just being direct and swinging hard. I am pressed to go further than I have ever before, to reach more people than before and to be more daring in taking on and reaching out to more people that could be touched by Jesus. I am constantly being dared to set a higher level of purity and draw new lines in my level of obedience to the Spirit's promptings. It's relentless, but can it be any other way. Can I remain where I am? I have just go to be stronger, wiser, faster, taller and closer to God. Just one extra mile at a time, at least.

Living Unnaturally

2006-09-02T13:56:00.000-07:00

Job's response to his troubles makes for an interesting backlash against modern trends in thinking, both in secular and in Christian circles. The "reality TV" movement born on the back of the emergence of Generation X placed a heavy emphasis on being who you are and living "naturally". Contemporary Christian thinking has followed this trend and modern Christian musicians have written a plethora of songs about how messed up they are and how low they're feeling. And in all of this I can witness with the desire to be real and the comfort of operating with what comes intuitively and naturally to you. Truth is, the more we walk that path, the more languid, introspective and stagnant we become. It becomes interesting then to hear Job speaking after all his losses and say: though He slay me, yet will I praise Him. Now this is not a natural response. Why then does this please God? Because we have to face up to the fact that our natural state is of the flesh and is sinful. The command to actively "rejoice always" in Philippians 4 is a step out of the natural and a deliberate choice to reach up in the kind of faith without which we cannot please God. Yes, we can be "natural", but when we realise what "natural" actually is, who would want it?

Trapped in Middle-ocrity

2006-09-02T13:53:00.000-07:00

Mid-age crisis is something I can identify with already, and I'm only 28. The first shock to the system comes as you're going through university, sheltered in the system and financed by seemingly infinite resources. You walk through a family neighbourhood and it makes your stomach turn to see "normal" people living out this awful routine: wake up, work, eat, sleep. Family is a small distraction and a bit of TV or golf or shopping is about the sum of variety. Ok, I'm washing over the details, but it still is a bit of shock. Where's life? Where's the real deal, the thing it's all about? And next thing you know, you're trying to get your career going and your mid-30's hit you and for the first time the ship has steadied enough for you to take stock, and you suddenly realise how far you feel from the extravagant dreams of your youth. The message here is simple: what were you doing when you were 28? Or 24? Or 32? The adventure is usually for those who chase it and today is the right day, just like any other. I'm frightened by the prospect of life running away, and although I don't have the energy to change the world in a day, I can do a little each day to make today special.

Put it to Rest

2006-09-01T15:59:00.000-07:00

What a conundram spiritual rest is. On one hand, we have this need to rest in God, to just let go of all that tension and striving and put ourselves at God's mercy. And then we have this constant battle against the flesh and that pressure to go out and preach the Gospel and get lost souls into the Kingdom. And what adds to the pressure even more is when you fall into sin and carry the burden of conviction and the extra fight of making up lost ground. It's at times of weariness like that where you just want to let go and fall into God's arms, but the fight doesn't stop, because fresh temptation awaits you. Truth is, the more you engage in the fight, the more realise you can't do it. The fight just cannot be won, because the rule of sin wins when we fight alone. We've lost the battle before we are born and it has taken a proud man like me a long time to learn. There is only one place of constant sustenance and consistency, and that's in God. Even an excessive focus on the method of staying in God's presence can rob us of the very joy of being in His presence. Letting go is an act of trust and act of acknowledgment both of our limitations and of his unlimited provision.

Standing in the Gap

2006-09-01T15:57:00.000-07:00

It was touching to read in 2 Timothy 1 of Timothy's heritage. His grandmother and mother were both renowned for their sincere faith and growing up in such an environment, it came as a natural consequence that Timothy had such a faith too. In fact, he became something of a leader among the churches, despite his youth. We're left in little doubt about the value of a sound upbringing, but at the same time we're left to wonder about those that haven't had access to that kind of purity and warmth. And this is where we step into the breach and become at least a small part of what somebody may have. It is true that the older you get, the harder it becomes to change, but people of all ages do have some capacity to change; they just need a motive and a new mold to conform to. Let's be just that. We're challenged to be the mothers, fathers, brothers and sisters with a sincere faith like Timothy's family, influencing those around us and pulling them not closer to us so much as closer to Christ in us.

Bull's Eye

2006-09-01T15:56:00.000-07:00

I was hit square on the jaw by truth's sucker punch again today. For a while I've been aware that my "music career" has lacked a real spiritual vision and my efforts to "spiritualise" it more haven't born a great deal of fruit. I was reminded why, and it's a truth I guess I keep having to relearn. It's simply this: it's about focus. I can't make my music more God-centred by focusing on the music, but rather it's me who needs to be more God-centred. What you think is what you become. If I worship God with my whole heart, then my music will too. I also use this truth when dealing with sin. It's amazing how some sins keep us tangled despite our best efforts, but the cure to fixing the problem is not so much to focus on the problem but more to focus on God. You'll hit what you aim for.

That Name

2006-09-01T15:55:00.000-07:00

I was listening to a singer-songwriter showcase at a pub in my town this evening. Amazingly, "God" and "Jesus" just kept cropping up the whole evening. What a thought: the very civilisation that would do away with Jesus just can't stop saying His name! First we sang a rip-off of Kumbaya My Lord and then Jesus would be a swear word, God would make another song entry somewhere and then someone would sing about how he wouldn't need his own Jesus Christ because he had a girl. I thought to myself how hard it is to run away from God.

Rich Man, Poor Man

2006-08-30T14:54:00.000-07:00

I Timothy 6 makes for an interesting discussion on the danger of desiring riches. I think the passage probably lines up pretty well with Paul's warnings regarding marriage, namely that the money or the marriage are not always an evil in themselves, but they can rob you of your devotion to God. Both have their own lure and do indeed provide some level of legitimate satisfaction. But at what price? The real issue here is the ability to draw boundary lines, to know how much to enjoy and where to limit the insatiable attitude of our flesh. Let's face the fact right up front: to live a healthy and pure Christian life, something must die. It took me a long time to accept that, but there is unquestionably a time in all of our lives where we want something really badly and we just know we shouldn't pursue it. There's a time where pursuit of that enjoyment is good and healthy and where the thing we chase not only consumes us but also proves unattainable, leaving our chase fruitless. And indeed as this argument comes back full circle, we find that things like marriage and money serve only to enhance our lives - they actually don't fulfill like we imagined they might.

A Cloudy Heart

2006-08-30T14:50:00.000-07:00

You have some days where things just don't make sense and click together like the pieces of a puzzle that neatly interlock and form a picture. It's like looking at clouds in the sky. You try and look for patterns, shapes, representations that mean something, but clouds are scattered, unpredictable and constantly moving and changing shape. Even when they form a neat shape for a moment, the moment is soon gone. Sure, clouds can be beautiful and when they are wrapped around the sun, especially at sunsets, the colours become beautiful, but sometimes it's just overcast and the emotions are either overwhelming or just confusing. I have days like this and I guess there's not always much to do about it. Sometimes negative emotions are there for a reason and with a bit of thought or analysis you can see their source and change them. Beyond that, the best thing is to just reach up and hold onto God - reach in faith to the sun that is behind the clouds. You may not feel like you can see Him at the time, but your past experiences of a clear day leave you assured that He's there and in time you will see Him in full view again.

Trench Warfare

2006-08-30T14:49:00.000-07:00

Marriage, that is. Well, certainly that was the image I got from reading Men are From Mars, Women are from Venus. It's a great book with great success in helping married couples pull through, but looking in from the outside as an inveterate single, I couldn't help coming away with the impression that marriage is tough work. I don't doubt it either. Immediately I have to ask what value it has then? Obviously a book like this is not written to address the beauty of marriage - that should be self-evident to those in a successful marriage. The underlying message in writing a book like this is that marriage is such a wonderful and important institution that it is worth finding a way to preserve a marriage, rather than surrender to divorce and its ugly scars. I'll go one step further and say that to me the most beautiful type of love is not so much the blossoms that come out in the spring as much as the wonderful commitment that pulls a couple through the winter. In fact, the spring becomes more beautiful because of the winter, and the very thought of spring is what pulls us through.

Christian in Training

2006-08-29T14:32:00.000-07:00

1 Timothy 4 delivers an incredible exhortation, that serves only to confirm something that at times you begin to doubt: that walking the talk can be tough business. When you try to live out the Christian life, there are so many times when you begin to say: this is unreal, how can it be so tough? Maybe I must be doing something wrong. You find yourself not running away from temptation as fast. You slip and take a few steps back, and it takes a while before you finally see the folly of your ways and you start to crave the purity you once had. And the cycle continues again as you once again realise just how tough the discipline is. In this light, it's heartening to read Paul's encouragement to Timothy: train yourself to be Godly. I guess we don't always appreciate the beauty of godliness until we've seen the miry clay of sin. Yes, the Holy Spirit enables us and we cannot manage without grace, but that grace only enables us to reach further, not to reach without even trying.

The Compatible Gospel

2006-08-29T14:30:00.000-07:00

There's a big attempt in contemporary evangelism to make it more palatable to the general population - to make it look like something you can add onto your present lifestyle, something a little less uncomfortable. It was pointed out to me that we need to make a point of remembering that we as Christians are nothing special (the inference being to point to God). I appreciate the attitude of humility but Jesus said we are the salt of the earth and asks who lights a lamp and puts it under a bowl. Truth is: we are different and we as Christians are not different then of what value are we to the world really? Likewise, for many people who need to hear the Gospel, they don't need a Gospel that's compatible to where they are, because where they are is a mess. They need something to pull them up and out of where they are. They need to be saved, saved from something. The Gospel is unique in its accessibility, but its power is not that it's compatible but that it transforms.

Hope is Letting Go

2006-08-29T14:26:00.000-07:00

The UK church has become disillusioned to the point of hopelessness. In the context of a wider society, the church is looking for hope. The extremes of Christianity, obedience and exclusivity, have been deemed too uncomfortable and inappropriate for the outside world, and issues such as fornication, homosexuality and the drinking culture have been glossed over in the search for hope. The reality is that hope and obedience go hand in hand. I use the analogy of lifesaving at sea. It is a known principle that when those who are being rescued try to help the rescuer by kicking or fighting the sea actually make it more difficult for both and endanger both lives. The rescue is easier when one just cooperates and the rescuer does the work. Here is the ugly truth: we don't always know what's best for us. Funny that Hollywood has tried very hard to preach the opposite, that kids shouldn't always obey their parents because their parents actually don't always know (Billy Elliot, etc). In surrender to God we submit to One who actually does know the best, and when we realise and accept that, then we have the peace and the hope everyone hungers after.