Fire and Water

This afternoon we had a great time with friends and family chilling out, catching up and eating a barbeque.  At the very start, fire needs to be applied to the firelighters and charcoal in order to create the necessary heat source for the food to be cooked. 

Lighting up

The charcoal that was added to the fire gradually began to take hold and began to burn.  After a while the charcoal itself became the fire.  It reminded me of what I wrote a few blogs ago about the intake of food that eventually become an integral part of us.  So what was added to the firelighters eventually became not just an extra part to the fire but the fire itself.

Not our barbeque but a fire that has been going for a while

Everyone who is familiar with the workings of the kitchen will know that a colander or sieve is used to strain liquid out of food or to separate the solid part from the liquid part.  We would never think of trying to carry liquid in a colander or try to fill it by pouring water into it – it would disappear straight through the holes.

Filling a colander with water is an impossible task



  

But exactly the opposite happens when we put a colander into a sink or bowl full of liquid.  Instead of draining the liquid from the inside of the colander, it lets the liquid into the colander.  The only way for a colander to be full of liquid is for it to be immersed in the liquid itself.

Totally immersed, the colander retains the water

We don’t need to be as intelligent as Einstein or have a degree in rocket science in order to understand the principles of how things react in the above two examples of fire and water.  Following on from what I mentioned in my previous blog about things in the natural, physical world having a corresponding truth in the spiritual realm, what Kingdom truths does this teach me? 

I think as humans we often get things the wrong way around.  We decide on a project or a course of action and then go to God and ask Him to bless our efforts and our plans and to give us success (whatever we feel that success in a given situation looks like).  We should be doing things the other way around by asking God what He wants to do in a given situation and ask Him what part He wants us to play, if any.  We talk of inviting God into our lives, almost as though we are doing Him a favour by allowing Him to occupy a part of our busy lives.  God is everywhere, so we should really be thinking in terms of living constantly in God’s presence and not about inviting Him into a part of ours.  Like the colander in the bowl full of liquid, not seeking to pour the Holy Spirit into my life but rather to be totally immersed in the presence of God and like the fire I want to be so caught on fire for Him that I am not just a part of fuel added to the fire but totally consumed for Him and by Him and thus become the fire itself.



Paradoxes

According to the Concise Oxford Dictionary a paradox is:

1. a seemingly absurd or contradictory statement
2. a person or thing conflicting with a pre-conceived notion of what is reasonable or possible.

In the natural world there are a number of such situations.  I am always amazed in spring to see what seemed dead suddenly burst into life again.  On several occasions I have thought that I had completely lost a particular plant.  One such plant is a beautiful clematis that I planted last year.  Over the winter it completely disappeared.  When I started to prepare the garden this spring, I was about to dig it up and replace it with something a bit sturdier but I noticed a few leaves beginning to open.  So I left it and have had such lovely flowers from it this year.

Such beauty out of what seemed dead



Whatever truth exists in the natural world corresponds to a similar truth in the spiritual realm.  Out of death comes life.  The Bible says that a seed must fall to the ground and die in order to bring forth fruit and Jesus on another occasion said that only if I am prepared to lose my life can I save it.  Of course the ultimate example is of Jesus himself who died to save all.

Another natural paradox is that you need to cut back in order to grow.  It does seem absurd that cutting a plant right back is the only way for it to grow big and strong.  You would naturally assume that cutting back would take away strength and make a plant weaker not stronger.  Sometimes in our lives we need to let go of some things in order to become strong in spirit.  Our dependence on certain things (and people) can actually weaken us and only when we let go of these can we gain strength within ourselves.  A young sapling tree has a prop in order to support it until it has grown but then the prop is removed and it learns to stand in its own strength and thrust out its own roots in order to grow.  We all need help from time to time but there comes a point when we need to stand up straight and grow without depending on all the props around us.  The writer to the Hebrews reminded his readers that they had been followers of the Way for a while now and should be past the baby stage of drinking milk and should be growing stronger in their faith and not relying still on others to feed them all the time. (Hebrews 5:12-14)

In the autumn farmers set fire to the stalks left in the land to make way for the new seed and growth that is to come.  Forest wardens cut down some trees in order to give light and space for others to grow.  Sometimes we have to cut out even what has been useful but has served its purpose in order for future growth to take place.  The trouble is we humans tend to hang on to things that we have enjoyed and so institution is formed instead of new life and future growth.  What has passed has been good and served me well and was very useful for my spiritual growth at that time but maybe some things need to go in order to make room for new and future growth in Him so that I don’t just become part of an institution instead of having a living, vibrant spiritual life.  So I look at the world around me and learn about Kingdom truths and, as part of God’s great creation, about how I should be living.

More sayings and their origins

The following two sayings have their origins in the shipping world.  The first is said of someone who is ’swinging the lead’.  This is usually said of someone who tends to waste time really doing nothing while at the same time appearing to be busy.  That person is simply trying to avoid doing something that s/he really doesn’t want to do.  How many parents have had this problem with their children when they have been asked to help in some way?  The origins of this saying go back to the time when the ships didn’t have the navigational aids that they do today. 

A modern-day liner that has all the latest technological aids to navigation

Many years ago there was no sonar system to help detect any obstacle beneath the water level where it couldn’t be seen.  In these circumstances, the only way to determine whether a course was safe or not was to measure its depth.  A deck hand was called to put over the edge of the boat a long rope that had a lead weight attached to the end.  The rope was marked at one-foot intervals and thus putting the string and weight into the water, the water level could be measured.  It was often the case that the deck hand who wanted to prolong the process and thus delay going back to a more tedious or less desirable job, would go to a remote part of the ship and swing the string back and forth for a couple of minutes before actually putting it in the water.  Hence came the saying ‘swinging the lead’ meaning to waste time or delay doing something else.

The other saying connected to shipping is when you refer to something as ‘in A1 condition’.  A society in London known as Lloyd’s Register produces each year a list of ships.  The register records the condition of each ship.  The letter refers to the condition of the hull while the number refers to the condition of the fittings inside the ship.  Thus A1 means that a ship is in excellent all-round condition.



A1 signifies the best condition both inside and out





Nowadays we use the expression about anything that is in very good condition or about someone’s health, especially when recovering after an illness.  A1 is a high goal to reach for in life but feels good if we can manage it!

 

Did You Know?

There are many sayings that are part of our everyday language but we don’t know where they came from or when and how they started.  Take for example the cheering sound of ‘Hip Hip Hooray’.  This goes right back to Roman times and is linked to the destruction of Jerusalem by Titus and his army in AD70. 

Loud Roman cheers

Although the Romans were known for their strength, the Jews were very stubborn and resilient putting up great resistance.  When at last Titus won the battle there was a victorious shout of Hierosolyma Est Perdita, which is Latin for Jerusalem Is Destroyed and then there was the response ‘Hurrah!’.  This was quite a mouthful to say every time and so it was abbreviated to the initial letters making the word ‘Hep’.  The English version of the word is ‘hip’ and nowadays refers to happy circumstances surrounding a win and not a war situation. 

Cheers for a victory at a football match

Another saying I found intriguing is when we refer to someone as a chatterbox and who doesn’t seem to stop for breath when talking.  Of such people we say that they ‘went on 19 to the dozen!’ 

A market stall trader who is very capable of talking you into buying

This saying goes back over 200 years to the 1770s and to the Cornish mines where they used steam-powered pumps invented by James watt.  At one of the mines they were testing the efficiency of the pumps and one week it was recorded that 19,000 gallons of water were raised for every dozen bushels of coal that had been used.  The engineer at the time said that ‘it has gone to the dozen’.  That was a record.  Later 19 to the dozen was used when referring to someone who is a compulsive talker.

You live and learn! 

 

Food for Thought

We all have different preferences when it comes to food.  Some have a sweet tooth while others prefer savoury.  Whatever your likes, dislikes or allergies, I think it is true to say that we all enjoy good food.



A Cake Time event I did last year in aid of the charity Shelter.



When we take in food, the human body begins to show what a remarkable creation it is.  The whole digestive system is quite complicated.  Once the food reaches the stomach, it is then reduced to small amounts that can be passed on through the digestive system.  The stomach juices contain hydrochloric acid!  Who would have thought that our bodies contain such a corrosive substance and yet it doesn’t harm us but is used for our benefit.  When the food is passed on to the liver, bile is produced which then neutralises the acid before the food continues its journey.

                                           

I won’t go into any more detail about the scientific stuff (that can be found on the internet in abundance – if you’re interested) but there comes a point in the process when the ingested and digested food is absorbed into the blood stream and is converted into energy for the body’s survival.  In a very real sense the saying is true – you are what you eat!  We take in food but that substance isn’t just added to the body mass we already have.  It is rather converted until it becomes not just an extra bit of us but an integral part of our make up.  It becomes who we are.  

I guess that in every sense, what I take in is what I become. 



What's the Cost?

We are living at a time when we all need to tighten our belts and try to make savings.  Many have changed their shopping habits, going more frequently to the cheap food outlets, while still trying to consider the effect on the environment.  In order to help the environment we can all recycle especially as now the recycle trucks come weekly to take away so much that before we just threw away.  Many companies are making an effort to reduce packaging or using packaging that can easily be recycled.

Less packaging equals less weight and space for transporting

We all like a bargain and like so many I go round the supermarket looking for the special offers of the day.  We need to be wise of course and only buy the bigger pack or the multi buys if the product will keep long enough and we really will use it.  Otherwise it isn't a special offer at all but a waste - of both food and money.

Will I use all three?  Who is really paying for my bargain?

The other concern I have about special offers is who is actually paying so that I can have the product more cheaply?  So often it is not the supermarkets who are taking less profit but the producers who are forced to sell to them at a cheaper rate so that it can then be sold as a special offer.

There have been many programmes about how much it costs to transport goods from across the world so that we can have such choice all year round.  On the one hand we are encouraged to buy from nearer to home to save on transport costs but on the other hand some of the countries we buy from so far away (especially in the 3rd world and developing countries) actually depend on exporting their produce to us in order for them to survive and pay their way as a country.  So it doesn't seem that straight forward.

Buy from afar or from nearer to home?

Buying British is helping our own economy.  Here in the south west we are fortunate to be near many farms and buying from local farmers does help the local economy.  It's good when you know where your produce actually comes from and how it is made, whether it's mass produced or more cottage industry product.  There is also the question of Free Range or caged and restricted animals to consider.  The concern there is that so often these products that are undoubtedly superior in quality (as many TV chefs keep telling us) so often the price is also higher.  What a dilemma when you are trying to cut back on spending!

Quality or price?

It seems that the answer is to grow your own but how many have the land sufficient for this or the ability or even willingness to do so?  On a personal note, we are hoping to enjoy quite a bit of fruit from our back garden this year with the berries, fruit trees etc that we have planted but we still need to buy so much from the shops.

Hoping for some strawberries.

What's the cost?  There are many questions to answer and points of view to consider.  This post just scratches the surface  and no doubt we could go on to find many more pros and cons on the subject.  For some people the economic situation won't make much difference in their actual weekly food shop.  They will still buy the same, it will only cost them a bit more so they will cut back on the other luxuries of life or put less into their savings.  But for many who are struggling already on a minimum wage or dole money, the finer foods with a bigger price tag will just have to go and the option of choosing products from near or far will be decided more by the cost to the customer and less by the quality or where it's come from.

What am I?

This morning I had an appointment with the nurse at the GP's surgery for my 6 monthly blood pressure check. 

As always, my height was checked.  I think I've stopped growing, vertically at least, and I hope I don't shrink or you'll not see me!  Also the nurse checked my weight - I'd rather not but it is necessary.  And again, the usual questions about habits and lifestyle - exercise and food and drink intake.

It is reassuring to know that the numbers shown on the monitor that measures the blood pressure are not taken in isolation, that I'm more than a few digits on a screen.  It is also important to take into account that our background, medical history and things we do and how we live do make a difference.  What we sow, we reap?  I am not just a whole load of random facts and figures, chemical elements that can be reproduced in a test tube but I am an accumulation of experiences that are interwoven into a tapestry that make me ME, individual and unique. 

And my blood pressure was fine.   

Evangelism

It is nearly 2000 years since the death and resurrection of Jesus and yet what is recognised as the Christian church is in decline in many parts of the world.  Most people would consider that if after 2000 years the main goals and objectives have not been reached then maybe we are doing something wrong.  For the first 300 years or so the gospel reached much of the then known world and then things seem to change.  At that time the Roman emperor Constantine decided to erect a building for worshipping God and since then it has been considered that to worship God, a building is an important way to do that. 

It would seem that when we talk of revival, we often mean that the congregation has grown and we have more members in our denomination.  But so often the community has not changed.  This is not always the case but in my experience I have found that after a while things seem to revert back to the way they were before the 'revival'.  It has also been my observation that too often when someone in need has been helped, they are silently expected to join the congregation.  It's almost an unwritten code of conduct, an expectation, a condition that is understood even if not spoken.  It would appear that help is not given simply because there is a need but as a way to gain another member.  Again, this is not always the case but too often that does seem to be the attitude.  I have heard it said when someone has not wanted to remain part of the congregation '... and after all we've done for them.'

I have recently been re-reading a book first published in 1970 called Secular Evangelism by Fred Brown.  He was working in an evangelical Christian centre in the West End of London in the early 60s and was well aware of the drop-out hippies, flower people culture of the time and desparately wanted to reach out to help them.

One of his comments on the situation was

We should stop thinking of evangelism as a means of inflating our congregations.

We think that the only way to reach anyone is to get them into the building where they can hear the gospel message.  Again Fred Brown comments

The basic trouble was that we were not identified with the people where they were; and our only answer apparently was to shout at them to come over and join us.

He, along with other leaders who were engaged in this work, came to the conclusion

We perceived the need to discover another way to communicate our Christian faith.  ... ...  God's love was worse than meaningless to them until they experienced it in and from somebody else.  To make preaching a substitute for loving or even to give it first priority was a denial of the gospel, a blasphemy that was not redeemed by its devout intentions.

Jesus was known to the religious people of His day as someone who associated with the 'not-so-nice' people, those living on the margins of society.  He Himself said that His ministry was to bring freedom to the captives and good news to the poor.  He also spoke of clothing the naked, giving food to the hungry and visiting those in prison.  He doesn't say anything about how often or where people meet together but that when we help those in need we are serving Him.  It should never be about swelling the numbers in our buildings.  It is about introducing people to the Almighty Loving God.  They may as a result join a particular group but that should not be the aim and purpose of outreach and projects.

I must admit that 'outreach' is a word I struggle with. Outreach implies going out of our comfort zone and bringing people back with us into our setting.  Jesus didn't do outreach - He identified with them.  He walked among them and loved them.  The Bible says He went about doing good.  I recently watched the film Evan Almighty where Evan was a newly-elected US congressman and wanted 'to change the world'.  I won't go into detail about the storyline but at one point in a conversation with God, God says to him that the way to change the world is by acts of random kindness.  It's not 'bums on seats' in buildings as they say but about living Jesus where we are.

I'll end these musings by quoting from two blogs that I follow.  The first one is from Roger Mitchell and he says,

The ecclesia is defined by the work of the kingdom of God in the world and not by buildings or religious practices connected to them.

There are 2 quotes from Martin Scott's blog and his writings on Gates of the City.

Transformation is not the call for a few to be involved in and is not something that takes place within four walls but must be the expression of the Body in the context of all creation.

The Body of Christ is to live in her geography as citizens of another place and dimension.  Not looking to escape ... but looking to put the imprint of heaven on the society.

The Christians of the early church have the answer - live the gospel and show the love of God where we are.  People may not want to enter the building but they will notice how we live.
  



  

What is Church?

You can walk along a street and see St. Thomas's Church or the Church of St. Agnes or whatever other name is given to a particular building.  And so over the centuries the building has become known as the church.  People talk of going to church when they are going to a building.  It is sometimes known as 'the House of God'.

Let's see what the Bible says about this.  In Acts 7:44-51, Stephen is before the Sanhedrin and he says

                  'However, the Most High God does not live in houses made by men.' 

He goes on to quote from the prophet Isaiah 66:1,2 

                                             

                                    'Heaven is my throne

                                    and the earth is my footstool. 

                                    What kind of house will you build for me? 

                                    Or where will my resting place be?

                                    Has not my hand made all these things?

So right from Old Testament times it is clear that God doesn't live in a building, no matter how big or small.  He allowed the Jews a tabernacle in the desert so that they had a point of focus for the guidance of God on their journey but, as humans throughout the ages have done, when they reached and settled in the Promised Land, they wanted to make what had been a good experience for them into a tradition and institution.  So the Temple in Jerusalem was built so they could come and worship God.  Had they not remembered that God was with them wherever they went on their journey to that place?  Did He then live in one place in a building?  

But on the Friday that Jesus died, the curtain in the Temple separating the Holy Place from the Holy of Holies where the High Priest was the only person allowed to enter only once a year, was torn from top to bottom.  The Jews believed that God inhabited the Holy of Holies, it was His dwelling place but now it was open not just to the High Priest but to all.  God was demonstrating that He was no longer confined to a building.  Yet it seems we do the same today - we erect buildings and call them God's House or Christians refer to them as 'church'.

Paul in his letters wrote to the church in Corinth about divisions in the church.  He knew that there was more than one group of Christians there and insisted that they were wrong to think of themselves as one group following Apollos, another followers of Paul and others of Cephas and Cristos.  He insisted that there was only one church, one undivided Body of Christ.  Nowadays in the UK there is a week in the year when everyone concentrates on church unity - the week of Christian Unity.  During that week it is customary that each evening Christians go to the building of a different denomination to 'share' together.  I remember on one occasion going to such an event and I was welcomed with the words 'Welcome to our church'.  'Our church'?  I thought, 'they really don't get what church unity really is about.'  At the end of the week everyone goes back to their own group and continues as before.  It reminds me of a chorus we used to sing as children, 'You in your small corner and I in mine'.

So I think that the Bible clearly shows us that there is only one Church and it is not a building.  Jesus said that the Temple of God is within us.  He didn't tell Zacchaeus that he should go to the synagogue on the Sabbath and after the service the rabbis would pray for him.  He went to his house and spent time with him and talked to him about God and about his own relationship with God and about his life.  Then Zacchaeus became a changed man.  When Jesus was about to be ascended to heaven, he spoke to His followers.  He didn't tell them to go to Jerusalem and build a big church and get people to come and worship there.  He never mentioned buildings or meeting in buildings at all.  He told them to go and make disciples.  It is nice to meet other Christians and share together and there is a place for that but the act of going to a building does not in itself make us Christians.  It is about our own individual and personal relationship with God.  We, people, are the Church, His Body on earth, a temple made with living stones.  Wherever followers of Jesus are, there is the Church.