Knowledge Is Nothing Without Willingness

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

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

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

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

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

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

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?

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?

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

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.