Honesty

Every other weekend my nephew has the pleasure of having his lovely 3 year old son to stay with him and his mother at their home.  Oliver is a typical 3 year old, full of curiosity and the innocence of a child becoming aware of new experiences daily.  You can almost see his little brain working as he processes new things, growing and learning with each new encounter.  He always enjoys his food as the photo clearly shows - he is in ecstasy enjoying the delights of some chocolate cake.  He especially likes vegetables - not always so common in small children.  His Grandma (my sister) had made a lovely rice pudding to have after dinner.  Oliver tried a spoonful and then just sat looking at it, not wanting to eat any more.  His Dad, Darren, told him, 'well tell Grandma what you want then Oliver', to which he replied, 'I want pudding ... ... a nice one!'  Aahh!!    The honesty of children.  There was no real problem with the rice pudding - the granddaughter enjoyed it and others ate it but Oliver just didn't like it.  I guess that goes for most of life -  we are all so different, some liking some things while others not. 

A day out at the zoo with Grandma.

What I liked about this anecdote when I heard it was the fact that Oliver felt so comfortable and safe in his relationship with his dad and grandma that he didn't have a problem in saying exactly what he wanted.  He wasn't afraid that maybe if he said the wrong thing that he would be told off or punished.  He loves spending time at their home and has no problem when his mother leaves him there.  And yet how often when we talk with Father God do we choose our words carefully; we seem to use a special 'God/prayer' language; some words we wouldn't dream of using, even if we use them frequently in daily conversation with others.  It's as though we feel we need to be on our best behaviour - after all we want to make a good impression and not give God the wrong idea  - as though He didn't already know exactly what we're like.  It really is ok to tell God how we really feel - He's big enough.  He can take it!  When Jesus says we must be as little children, I like to think that includes their openness and honesty.  And there's a lot to be said for being so comfortable and safe in our relationship with Him that saying it as it really is, isn't a problem.

I also saw this picture on a friend's status on Facebook this week.  It was actually an article about a newspaper (not in the UK) saying how it distorts things and ends up telling untruths.  I found it a very powerful illustration of how we can so easily get caught up in one part of our Christian living, focussing on a few, specially chosen verses of the Bible instead of looking at the whole picture.  The danger about homing in on one particular aspect (say sexuality, worship, creation, end times ...) is that we lose sight of the bigger picture of God.  These things have their place but are only part of the big picture.  Again I think it's about being honest to God, ourselves and each other about how we really feel and think and not just what we have been told or feel we ought to comply with in order to fit in with our particular congregation.  I think that feeling comfortable with being really honest also applies to the Christian family we choose to be part of.  Let's not distort the good news of God's gospel by focussing on only one small part of it and maybe giving a totally erroneous idea.

We think that we are teaching our children but actually they are teaching us - quite a lot if we let them.

Departments of Life

The thing about large department stores is that you can do a varied shop all under one roof once you know where the different departments are.  The annoying thing, however, is when some manager decides that it would be better to change things around.  This happens especially in supermarkets.  You go in knowing where you want to head for and when you get there, the thing you want is no longer there - it has been moved!  Aarrgh!!  How often have I spent time just looking for what I'm looking for!  We like to know where everything is - everything has a place.  Parents, especially mothers, know very well the frustrated cries of 'where's my ... ...?' or 'have you seen my ... ...?'.  Some things in life seem best if they are in some sort of organised compartments.  We want to know that when we go and look for something that it will actually be there.

We carry that into other aspects of our lives. We talk about work/home balance.  In our minds we separate things into home, chores, employment, leisure, quality family time etc ... ... and God.  We allot God a space in out busy schedule - usually a Sunday morning.  During the week we try to keep to our carefully programmed schedule so that each department of our lives is maintained and in order.

The trouble is that we cannot do that with God.  It's as though we 'cater' fro Him and invite Him into our weekly 'God space'.  The truth is that it isn't possible for God to fill our 'God space' because He is already everywhere.  We are wrongly urged as children or seeking adults to 'let God into your life' when, as Jesus says, the Kingdom of God is already within us.  We are temples of the Holy Spirit.  The Psalmist reminds us,

Where can I go from your Spirit? Or where can I run away from where You are?  If I go up to heaven, You are there!  If I make my bed in the place of the dead, You are there!  If I take the wings of the morning or live in the farthest part of the sea, even there Your hand will lead me and Your right hand will hold me.  (Psalm 139:7-10)

Sometimes we get things totally the wrong way around.  We seem to think of God as part of our consumer lifestyle - an object to be possessed and stored in the right place along with all the other objects.  Some try to keep Him in a 'box' and take Him out when they remember or think of Him.  Some expressions imply that He lives in a particular place - God's house.  He is not an object, even a very treasured object.  He is not confined to one place - He tore down the confines of the curtain in the temple.  He is rather the One who wants to share our lives, every part of our lives, each compartmentalised bit of it.  We do not invite Him into our space but instead God invites us to enjoy living in His presence wherever we are.  I am not closer to God on certain days or in certain places (unlike the old saying that you are closer to God's heart in a garden than anywhere else on earth) even if that's how I may feel at times from my finite human perspective.  God is everywhere and so I cannot be closer to Him than I am at this moment in time, wherever I happen to be.  So I'm not going to ask Him into my life but rather ask Him to reveal Himself to me each day wherever I am and whatever I'm doing.  He is my constant friend and companion on life's journey.  He is in all and through all, ever present. 

Smiling

There are times when life just seems to get you down; things don't always go the way you'd hoped and so it seems that all you can do is to plod on.  The news this week has had some terrible images from war-torn parts of the world.  The financial situation and lack of proper jobs that give you a decent weekly income don't seem to be improving.  It seems to be a case of 'that's life; get on with it!'  But this week, amidst all the doom and gloom, I have been deliberately looking for situations that have made me smile and thought I would share a few of them via my blog.

My friend Margaret with some of the children she has helped.
Photo taken a couple of years ago.

I have a friend who volunteers with a charity working among the poor in Nicaragua for 8-9 months every year.  She has found a congregation that once a month they do a kind of 'Songs of Praise' service in English.  Recently they sang an old hymn but made a slight mistake in the translation by omitting the last letter of the last word.  They had written, 'Rejoice ye pure in heart, rejoice, give thanks and sin!'  Oops!



'Rubber' Grandma Jo

Another friend this week referred to herself on her blog as 'rubber grandma!'  Apparently the Swedish use this as an expression of endearment about someone whom they accept into their family.  (My friend is not Swedish but English btw)  And she used it in reference to her son's partner's daughter.  I smiled when I read it and tried to visualise a 'Rubber Grandma Jo'  Come to think of it I know a few 'rubber grandmas'.
 
On Tuesday a white-haired old lady (no, not me!) was helped onto the bus by another passenger.  As she sat down she apologised and smiled saying that it was getting a little more difficult as she's in her 90s!  She did use a walking stick and needed a bit of help but, wow!, in conversation she said that she was 98 and still lived alone and came into town unaccompanied.  I must remember her on those days when I feel old and a bit decrepit.

On the news we have had horrific pictures about attacks in Syria but on Wednesday there was a news item about a father who was overcome with emotion when he was reunited with his young son, whom he had thought had been killed in the chemical attack where they lived.  That day at least his tears turned to joy.


We have been enjoying some produce out of our garden this week and the other day I took some blackberries for my sister.  To my surprise (and delight) she shared with me some rainbow trout that she had been given by another friend.  It certainly brought a smile to my face when later I ate the steamed trout and vegetables for my dinner.  Sharing puts a smile on people's faces.  Share a smile if nothing else.

I'll end the smiles by sharing a video that I saw on Facebook just in case you missed it when I posted it on my status.  If you have already seen this (about family pets squeezing into boxes) then you can have another laugh, even if you're not a pet lover.  Click here to watch.  Enjoy and ... ... keep smiling!

The Old and The New

Yesterday, I went, as I do most Fridays, to our local traditional family butcher to buy something for the Sunday roast and meat for next week’s meals.  Unlike supermarkets where the meat is already cut and packaged (usually showing the nice lean bits on the top so you think it’s all like that!) there they have all the meat out on the long cold slabs and they cut off the amount you want.  Some aspects take you back in years as the staff don’t put the prices through a conventional modern checkout type till but they write each item down on a piece of paper and total it up in their heads when you’ve completed your purchase.  They make their own sausages – we particularly like the pork and cranberry ones – and different types of burgers.  They will take the skin off the chicken portions if you ask.  All the staff recognise the regulars when you walk in the shop and they remember what you like and don’t like.  Sounds like how things used to be many years ago.

Haynes Butchers Princes St Yeovil

The interior of Haynes shows it to be one of the most traditional of butchers. The meat hooks are still on the racks on the wall, tiled in white and green many decades ago. There is still a traditional wooden cashier's booth or hut built into the shop. This is the last cashier's booth I know of in any shop, left over from a time when the cashier and the butchery functions were completely separate.

 

 

Before you think I’m just being nostalgic and living in the past and wonder how they are still surviving as a business I must point out that they do sell in pounds or kilos as you wish (by law they have to sell in kilos, of course) and will take payment by credit/debit card.  There are always lots of people in the shop buying their goods.  I think this is partly because you know that you see exactly what you’re buying, the prices are comparable to the supermarkets and you feel that you have received personal attention.  They seem to have got the blend right between the traditional and the new ways – the old and new together.

The Bible often refers to God as God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob; three generations; old and new together.  He is Alpha and Omega; beginning and end; first and last; the Ancient of Days yet new every morning; the same yesterday, today and forever.  So it seems that this unchanging God I worship joins the old and new together across the generations, from the dawn of creation until today and blends them together in perfect harmony.  He embraces all – the traditional and the new-fangled, latest fad, the old and the new ways.  His love has a way of encompassing all who come to him, regardless of age or ways of worshipping.  It also reminds me that although in life I have myself changed many things and maybe do things differently now, I must not disregard what has gone before – it has made me the person I am now.  God loved and accepted me before as He does now. 

I think in life we so often ‘throw out the baby with the bathwater’ as the saying goes.  When new or different ways come along we seem to discount anything that has gone before.  It’s like saying some new way is the only right way and everything else is wrong or out-of date.  God accepts all whether young or old using traditional or most recent ways of worship.  His all-encompassing love is for any who comes with honest and open spirit in humility and true worship.      

 

 

 

Paths That Cross On The Journey

This week I had the pleasure of meeting up with a friend I hadn’t seen for quite some time.  We are both products of leaving the organised structure of church and were catching up with what had happened over the past few months since we last met.  We have both had some difficult times and were sharing our experiences.  It is so reassuring when we talk to someone and they grasp just where we’re at on our journey and can relate to the things we are saying.  Inevitably come the questions ‘what if …?’  What if we had taken a different path?  What if we had looked for an easier option?  What if we had seen from the beginning just where the path would take us?  What if ….?  What if …? 

 

We had set out on this adventure with God along the path ahead of us and we thought we saw the goal we were aiming for.  To be honest we didn’t really know what to expect.  We only knew that it would be different.  But then the path took some twists and turns and it seemed at times that we were completely lost.  It was tough to keep going but we saw some unexpected wonders and learned so much along the way.  Our initial goal seems so far away now and out of sight but we know deep inside that we have to keep going.  Maybe what we thought we were aiming for was not the real goal after all.  This is a journey of faith and all we have to do is follow the path that is in front of us.  That’s easy to say!  

 

The challenge really, when you go a different route from the one you’re used to, is the uncertainty of it all.  You know you’re on the right path but the uncertainty comes because of the lack of familiar landmarks or checkpoints.  You can’t settle back and be comfortable, assured of ‘doing the right thing’.  There’s no-one telling you what you should or shouldn’t do, read, watch or think/believe.  There is no structured, organised time for worship or searching the Word.  It just sort of ‘happens’ as you travel.  You are no longer following the crowd without much concentration on your part.  Now you have to pick your own way around and feed yourself and think for yourself.  You have to become more aware of your surroundings, of things that might trip you up, in order to recognise new signs in unexpected places.  But in the process you learn more about listening and can gain a deeper understanding of things that until now have been hidden.  Maybe they weren’t really hidden, it’s just that they never were in the situation or context we were part of. 

 

Each of us is on our own personal journey and the paths we take are often very different.  Occasionally our paths cross and we exchange the joys and trials of our journey.  It is so good to meet up with friends who are also journeying a new path.  Such conversations result in our being more resolute to continue onwards.  We go on our way feeling animated and encouraged as we make new discoveries and different ways of travelling and working out the path God has prepared for us.  And so I continue along this different path God has shown me.  I don’t really know where it will take me.  I just know that God is with me and showing me a little bit at a time and I am happy just to follow along the part that He has shown me for now, learning and seeing what He reveals along the way.    

  

Result!

I don’t always have cereal for breakfast but at the moment if I do, I am enjoying being able to add some mixed berries (blueberries, raspberries and blackberries) freshly picked from the garden, washed and scattered on top.  It is such a joy to be able to go out into the garden and pick something you have grown yourself and make it into a meal.  A number of online friends have been saying the same sort of thing, showing photos of the fruits of their labours and what plans they have for utilizing them.  It always fills me with wonder that such tiny seeds can produce such great produce that feeds our bodies satisfying our hunger.

 

Amazing sugarcraft - a spray of flowers
all made out of icing sugar

People who are creative in craftwork gain the same sense of satisfaction when they finish some project, be it painting, knitting, sewing, baking, making some ornament or any other hobby they love doing.  It’s not just some spare time hobby of course but can be to do with studies and work achievements.  Sometimes many hours of work and great effort are spent in perfecting what we do.  But, oh the joy when we can see the finished article.  Sometimes things don’t always go according to plan and we are disappointed at the results but when it turns out the way we plan, then we are very happy and want to show everyone.  It’s not about the cost or even about the time and effort involved.  It’s something more, beyond words even.  There is a sense of accomplishment and deep happiness when we see our handiwork.

 

With the fruit and vegetables, the obvious words that come to mind are about reaping what we sow and that is true in life also.  But what really has impressed me this week is the deep sense of joy, satisfaction and happiness that comes with it.  When I think how God emptied Himself into human form, giving Himself totally for us, all I want to do is worship Him and give Him joy and pleasure by being what He wants me to be, just as He planned and hoped for me.  His plans for me are ‘plans to prosper (you) and not harm (you), plans to give (you) hope and a future.’ (Jeremiah 29:11)  What response can I give other than worship and praise and bring Him joy?  He gets deep satisfaction when we develop in the way He has planned.  There is great joy in Heaven and that’s the best result of all.

 

 

Just Being Me

Standing at the bus stop the other day I got talking to a lady and of course being British, the topic was the weather.  The hot weather had returned and we were commenting on how some people love it while others struggle.  Personally I don’t mind but realise that as I get older, too much for too long is becoming a little more difficult to cope with.  Some of the neighbours were out in the sun (participating in the pastime of deliberately burning the skin and competing to see who can become the most burnt!) while others avoided it.  On such occasions the words of Noel Coward usually come to my mind – ‘mad dogs and Englishmen go out in the midday sun.’ 

 

The truth is of course that we are all different.  We like different things and react in different ways.  We are unique; all different one from the other.  Any parent will affirm that no matter how many children they have, no two are alike.  I always comment that my two sons are like chalk and cheese and I’m sure others feel the same about their offspring.  We all have differing tastes in music, reading material, friends, clothes, food … … and the list goes on.  We are constructed mainly the same way – two eyes, two ears, a mouth, a heart, lungs etc. – but are completely different in how that sameness is lived out.  Although we all have the same anatomical make up we all have differing requirements, tastes and tolerance of some foods.

 

The most wonderful thing is that God loves each one of us as we are – unique.  We don’t have to conform to a particular way of doing things in order to be accepted by Him.  He made us all different.  He likes variety.  If you doubt that then just take a look at the world around you.  There are thousands of different species of flowers, animals, insects … … etc.  I am always enthralled by programmes of David Attenborough and always surprised to learn something new or see some new species never filmed before.  Yet each one is important and has a vital role to play in the interdependence of creation

We all have our place and a role to play in the grand scheme of things.  And the wonderful thing is that we don’t have to copy anyone else in order to fulfill our part.  Sadly some people when they join a (church) group change their mode of dress or way of speaking.  It’s as though they become like clones of those around them with the necessity to conform to how the group does things.  God’s truth is that I need to be me because that is who I was created to be.  So many people waste so much effort (and sometimes money) trying to be like other people.  They try to copy their styles and mannerisms.  For some reason they seem to think that if they can be like so-and-so they will be better people, more acceptable, more successful.  The other day I read the words ‘the only person you should try to be better than, is the person you were yesterday.’  We used to sing with the children ‘Thank you God for making me me.’  So I’ll just go on just being me and together with God being the best me that I can be.  

  

Weeding Out, Decluttering, Making Room/Space

In May this year I wrote about a small miniature pansy that I discovered hidden among all the weeds that had grown over the winter and the very wet spring.  After I cleared away all the surrounding weeds, you could see just how beautiful this tiny plant was.  (You can see a photo of it here).  Later I carefully dug it up and put it in a part of the small rockery where it had more space and plenty of sunshine.  The other day I took a photograph of it as it is now.  What a difference.  Removing it from the things that were stifling its growth allowed it to flourish and give more flowers than I had hoped.  I also found a couple more plants in similar circumstances that I consequently ‘rescued’ and am pleased that they also have flourished in their new surroundings. 

 

Over this past week we have been doing some more decluttering and recycling things that are no longer in use.  Yesterday we were able to fill a charity bag with unwanted clothes for McMillan charity shop.  On Wednesday we also put out for recycling a load of old magazines, well past their usefulness.  The result is that now we have more room in the wardrobes and there is an empty drawer where the magazines had been kept.  At first glance the idea of getting rid of something or throwing away things may seem on the negative side but actually it turns out to be something very positive.  Turning our backs on something that is no longer helpful or useful can actually be very beneficial.  Sometimes we need to make room, have space to grow and flourish. 

 

The danger of course is that we don’t really like empty spaces.  We try to fill the gap with something.  A friend mentioned the other day that she had been looking forward to her break from her studies over the summer but had filled up the days with so much activity and commitments that she feared she wouldn’t have time to relax and have some free time to herself after all.  I remember that when I retired from work, there was a danger of over committing to other things now I had the time.  It seemed that others also thought that I could be a part of this and that and something else ‘now that you’re retired, you’ve got the time’.  I had to learn to use my time wisely.

 

I used to think (and say) that you can’t do away with something unless you have something better to put in its place (referring particularly to church attendance) but over the years I realise that sometimes God wants us to make the space first and ‘declutter’ our commitments to organised stuff, clear out our diaries and just have space and time with Him in order to flourish.  You can’t always see how this will happen until you actually take the first step.  There is a danger of wanting to fill the gap that is left with all sorts of new ideas – we’ve got to do something, anything rather than nothing.  We are tempted to re-invent the gathering and do the same things but in a different way when actually we shouldn’t be doing anything.  What God is trying to do is give us more space, more time just to be with Him without any other paraphernalia.  To not be doing anything is not necessarily a waste of time.  It can actually be a very productive time when things happen to us rather than us trying to make them happen.  We give God a chance to do what He wants in us without us trying to control and manipulate what is going on.  Just let Him have His way in the stillness.  'Be still and know that I am God.'

 

 

As a Child

Jesus often mentions the children, welcoming them and saying that we should be like them.  We may have differing thoughts about what exactly this means and how we can apply it to ourselves.

The first thing that comes to my mind is how dependent children are on others to provide for them and take care of them.  In the western world we have turned our backs on child labour.  This is no longer acceptable for us, (although we seldom think of this when we seek ever cheaper products!) So we consider that being as children shows how dependent we are on Father to provide for and take care of us.  That can sometimes prove difficult as we like to feel that we are able to take care of ourselves and that having a work ethic means that we should indeed provide for ourselves.  It is when we run into difficulties that we turn to God for help; otherwise we can manage on our own, thank you very much.  That’s the warning that Jesus gives when he says that it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter heaven.  God is not just a trouble fixer, He is Father.

 

A child needs to learn through education and experience.  We have all been impressed by Malala Yousafzei, the Pakistani girl who was shot for writing about the rights of girls to have an education and the world listened intently to her words in front of the United Nations Assembly.  We also know that there are some things that books and learning in school cannot teach us.  Some lessons are learned by living.  I was impressed this week to watch a short video about the different reactions of some adults and children about a particular cereal advert.  You can watch it here.

I just pray that those children, as they grow into adults, may still keep those ideals and attitudes.  Sadly life shows that many of them will eventually conform to what previous generations have (erroneously) instilled into them.  It reminds me of the words of a song from the musical South Pacific:

You've got to be taught
To hate and fear,
You've got to be taught
From year to year,
It's got to be drummed
In your dear little ear
You've got to be carefully taught.

You've got to be taught to be afraid
Of people whose eyes are oddly made,
And people whose skin is a diff'rent shade,
You've got to be carefully taught.

You've got to be taught before it's too late,
Before you are six or seven or eight,
To hate all the people your relatives hate,
You've got to be carefully taught!

 

It seems a shame to me that some find it so hard to be like children in having a simple and open acceptance of others.

The third and last thing I want to mention is something I read this week. ‘Children do not believe theologies or strive for moral certitudes. They respond vulnerably and openly to what is offered them moment by moment.’  As we get older, logic and reasoning take over our thinking.  We need to have a set of rules and beliefs that we adhere to.  We have lost some of that ability to just sense God’s presence.  When Jesus says about children that of such is the Kingdom of God I think He is meaning that they don’t need to sign up to some theory or doctrine.  They don’t think about the long and sometimes convoluted explanations about where God is or how He is with us – they just sense His presence, they ‘know’ Him in a very pure and simple way.  We might call that innocence while Jesus says that actually it’s the very nature of God’s Kingdom.

 

So for me those words of being as a child means seeking God’s plan for my life and not striving to feel capable of doing it on my own; being dependent on Him for direction; trusting His direction and guidance even when I don’t understand it.  It means that even though I might study His word, there are many lessons that He wants to teach me that aren’t written down in any book; that I might learn from what goes on around me; that I might find wisdom and knowledge in unexpected places; accept that such learning is as important as any word from any book or anything I have been taught by others.  I want to be like the toddler that takes in and absorbs everything that is going on; so many new experiences.  I want to be in that place of knowing His presence without having to put it into words or find an explanation; I want to just ‘be’ with Him; to capture and enjoy the moment with innocent simplicity and eagerness to know Him more.  I just want to journey with God and be a child – His child.

  

 

 

Ramadan for Christians?

Although I have mentioned before about the gospel being all-inclusive and that God loves everyone, my mind has turned to it again this week.  I think that maybe this is as a result of it being Ramadan for Muslims and (as I have also mentioned before) I have someone in my extended family who is Muslim.  I have been thinking about her and following her blog as she writes about her experiences during this time of fasting. (You can click onto her blog here.)  We know that God loves everyone but I must admit that Christians particularly in the western world, believe this with a sort of condescending, patronising attitude of ‘yes but we have the truth’ as though we have the monopoly on the truth.  I say this having been guilty of this same attitude myself.  We tend to look at Muslims with a certain western arrogance.  And so this week as I rethink some of my attitudes and realise that I really know very little about Muslims or Islam, I thought that this would be a good time to try and learn more.

 

Rashid Kahn

Earlier this week I watched a programme called A Very British Ramadan. (You can find it here.)  It lasts just over 24 minutes - sorry about the adverts in the recording.  It is presented by Rashid Kahn, a Muslim with a very northern accent!  What I found quite surprising was how everyone seemed to be actually looking forward to the month of fasting – no food or water from sunrise to sunset.  After sunset the subsequent meal (iftar) is very important.  Many meet together, almost in festive mode and share the meal together.  They break the fast with dates and water and then whatever meal they want.  Some of those of Asian ancestry keep up family tradition but there was a group of very English Muslims, who had converted as hippies in the 1960s, and they celebrated together with vegetable soup! 

 

But Ramadan is not just about fasting and eating in the hours between dusk and dawn  but about prayer and charity to others.  There was a group of Muslim bikers (!) who stopped at a café and knelt down on the ground and prayed.  They were doing a charity ride to raise money – not for a Muslim charity but for Great Ormond Street Hospital.  There were those who shared food with neighbours as a gesture of charity towards others and those of other faiths.  One 24 year old young man was looking forward to part of the time (10 days) when he would be in solitude, praying and reading.  He was looking forward to what God (Allah) would be saying to him and what changes he would need to make afterwards to fulfil God’s will.  He said,

Seclusion is everything.  All hope, all fear of the world, worldly attachments and so on are removed and the only thing you care about is the love and mercy of God and 10 days pure – you and your Lord.

 

So I learnt that Ramadan is not just about fasting from food and drink.  It’s not merely a tradition that must be obeyed.  It’s more – it’s about charity, doing good, looking beyond the physical to our spirituality, learning where we need to improve etc.  I feel Christians could learn a lot from our Muslim friends.  I know of times when Christians have used the prayer and fasting thing more as a kind of spiritual bribe for God to do our bidding rather than it being for us to draw closer to learn what God wants to say to us.  For many the time of Lent is more about doing without sweets or some luxury rather than a time to hone our spiritual appetite.  These times should not be in order to fulfil some expectation that others may have of us or that we may appear somehow more holy by doing them (that is a sanctimonious, self-centred reason if ever there was one!) but for real spiritual growth.  I know that God does not love us more because of our efforts – He loves us just because He is Unconditional Love.  That is His nature.  I am not saying either that we should be tied to such disciplines as a necessary part of our communion with God but I feel that there is maybe a place for such times of discipline.  The mystics and the old Desert Fathers certainly thought so and I know that when I have carried out a 30 day Daniel fast (eating as Daniel and his friends did in the Old Testament) I found it of great spiritual benefit and could understand why those in authority took notice of Daniel and his friends.

 

It’s not about watering down my faith and beliefs to accommodate others – not at all!  There are points where I may disagree with Muslims but I think that if I am trying to understand people of other faiths, then at least I need to accept that for some people, this is a way that they connect with God.  Or as Richard Rohr so succinctly puts it,

When another’s experience of God isn’t exactly the way I would describe it, it doesn’t mean that they haven’t had an experience of God or that their experience is completely wrong. … … Could it not be that this Hindu, this Sufi, this charismatic, this Jewish woman has, in fact, touched upon the same eternal Mystery that I am seeking? Can’t we at least give one another the benefit of the doubt? I can be somewhat patient with people who think they have the truth. The problem for me is when they think they have the whole truth.

 

I feel that in the end what matters is that we connect with God in whatever way we feel is right for us.  I’m sure God accepts the prayer of a person regardless of their background – He looks on the heart.  I’m sure that He who is Unconditional Love doesn’t just listen to Christians and ignores everyone else.  Maybe I should try to understand others more from their point of view; see them how they are and not how I think they ought to be; see them as God sees them; not be judgmental towards others; be more willing to learn from others, whoever they are.  I am still learning.

 

 

 

 

 

Props and Supports

When we teach our young children to ride a bicycle we have either bought them something with 3 wheels to learn the motion of pedalling or have got them a bicycle with stabilisers to stop them from falling off and maybe injuring themselves.  When they grow up and get used to cycling, they won’t need that support and they will be free to cycle without fear or losing their balance.  It is a natural progression to want to be independent.  It’s a new adventure to go it alone.  At the other end of the scale as we grow more elderly we may need to use a walking stick or Zimmer frames to assist in walking.  Life in general is full of support mechanisms and groups that we find useful and often necessary to cope with life. 

Often the argument in favour of an organised Church is just that – that it provides a whole range of props and supports for our children and those new in the faith to help them walk the new path without stumbling.  Sadly what can happen is that the support mechanism becomes the actual way of doing things for all, even when they should have grown up.  Certain props in some denominations would be called idols in another.  We think of idols as statues and icons and associate them mainly with Roman Catholicism or Orthodox religions.  But an idol is anything that takes the place of the supremacy of God.  We begin a project and if we are not careful the project, which should be a means to fulfilling God’s work, becomes the end in itself.  We can get so caught up in the organising and making rules for ourselves that the original movement of God that inspired us soon becomes the tradition that must be kept going at all costs – after all this is God’s work.  The structures and supports take on a life of their own and many feel that such customs and ways of doing things are indispensable for a successful and spirit-filled walk with God.  Things that have been useful to our walk and connection with God can so easily become the focus of our attention – a legalistic approach to things like tithing, Sunday observance, daily devotional, the Bible itself, the need to be involved in organised activities within the denominational set-up etc.  They might all be good and useful but have taken on a role that is more important than is due to them – the usefulness has become the necessary tradition that we must conform to.  It has become the end in itself instead of being a means to the end of connecting with God one-to-one.

 

I was chatting with a friend the other day about how our walk with God is enriched when we can become more spontaneous and just listen to what He is saying directly to us without necessarily this being an integral part of the organised set-up of Church.  It is an adventure with God that is exciting but a bit scary as we don’t always know what to expect.  But without this it wouldn’t be an adventure – we would be comfortable to stay in a safe place and not venture further.  It’s a bit like taking away the stabilisers from our bikes and feeling the freedom to venture a bit further than we dared before.  Trying to be a little more detached from the organised construct of Church is a bit like that and it’s as though God is taking away the safety supports one at a time, layer by layer until we learn to ‘go it alone’ with Him our loving parent keeping a watchful eye on us so we don’t fall.  In an adventure the unforeseen often happens and we have to learn another way of coping; the safe organisation is no longer there.  We need to get to the heart of the matter – God Himself and nothing else.  I am reminded of Matt Redman’s lovely song –

When the music fades
All is stripped away,
and I simply come … …

I'll bring You more than a song, for a song in itself
Is not what You have required
You search much deeper within through the way things appear
You're looking into my heart

I'm coming back to the heart of worship
And it's all about You, all about You, Jesus
I'm sorry, Lord, for the thing I've made it
When it's all about You, all about You, Jesus

How often we prefer the security of the safety props and so remain spiritual infants.  Maybe it’s time for us to grow up and leave off the stabilisers and enjoy the adventure with God.

 

 

 

 

Titles and Ministries

Evangelical charismatic groups talk about the fivefold ministries – apostle, prophet, teacher etc.  They each have their place and that’s fine but I do think that sometimes we get a bit hung up about particular sentences or phrases in the Bible.  Actually reading again Paul’s words in 1 Corinthians 12:28 there are more than five listed!  But the main point that I’m getting at is that we can overemphasise some things and create a whole new (and wrong) aspect of following Jesus.  Some people attach a great deal of importance to titles.  I have heard people ask whether someone is a prophet or apostle or which ministry gift they possess.  It’s as though there are rungs to climb up the ladder of spirituality and according to the thinking of many people, apostle is really as high up as you can go because Paul mentioned that first!  He says ‘first of all apostles, second prophets, third teachers … …’ but is he really giving them that order of importance in a hierarchical sense or is he just listing a few ministries that he thought of?  I know when I’m trying to think of a list of something, I mention them, sort of counting on my fingers, ‘there’s 1)this, 2) that … … ‘ as they come into my mind but that doesn’t imply any degree of importance to that order of items on the list.

My mind goes back a few years when I was with a prayer team in a northern city and we were at a conference with some of the church leaders of the area.  One particular man was so excited because he had just been given the authority by his congregation to be called ‘Apostle John’ (I say John as I don’t recall his real name.) To him and his congregation the title was very important.  It made me smile – I was pleased for him in a way.  Again, as I said last week about the term ‘missionary’ we need to rethink exactly what we mean and believe.  Some church leaders are so taken up with their own importance that no-one dare question their words – after all they insist on you knowing that they are God’s anointed and chosen and have authority over the rest of us.  It sounds much to me like the authority given to the Roman Catholic priest and the so-called infallibility of the Pope.  Maybe they forget the words of Jesus about ‘the first shall be last’ when the disciples were arguing about the very same thing – the importance of position.  But the Bible clearly teaches that we are all equal in the eyes of God!

 

Having said that, I must also affirm that it is good to seek after spiritual gifts.  The Bible teaches as much.  But there can be a danger of seeking with a misguided attitude; becoming almost like a child who sees another child’s new toy and immediately thinks ‘I want that’.  There can be a sense of following the latest spiritual fad or fashion; wanting to show off the latest ‘in thing’.  I remember being at a gathering when during the proceedings a group of people began to laugh – quite loudly.  (You may remember that the Toronto Blessing had such an effect on people, the Spirit filling them with such joy that they couldn’t help laughing.)  But on this occasion I couldn’t help wondering if this was a genuine outpouring of the Spirit or if it was more of a desire to be seen as being ‘full of the Spirit’; a sort of spiritual ego trip.  We must remember that spiritual gifts are given by God in order to help us fulfil His purposes and not for our own spiritual status within the Church

 

I think there are ministries that people are involved in that are not looked upon as such but can be life-changing.  This week (as those who follow me on Facebook will know) my son got a job after being unemployed for 2 years.  A couple of months ago he started as a volunteer in the local charity shop of St Margaret’s Hospice.  The manageress had said that they didn’t really have any vacancies but she had seen his CV and said ‘You’re too good.  We don’t want to lose you’ and so he began helping out whenever they needed it.  Those words made such a difference to his attitude and whole demeanour.  Until then he had begun to doubt his own ability and after 2 years without paid employment, self-esteem was very low.  Her words of encouragement made such a difference that after hearing her say that, he was a different person going for interviews.  Encouraging others and offering such friendly support is not in Paul’s list but surely God using someone in that way is as important.

As Paul says, not all are apostles or prophets but all are important to God and His kingdom.  What is most important of all is to be the person God made you/me to be and do what He asks of us.  That is far more important than any man-given title.  Sadly we get caught up with the attitudes of today when people are impressed with titles and position and forget that on the Christian journey our man-given titles aren’t important.  God is really not impressed by them.  He just wants us to listen to Him and go and live out His plan for our time here.  Whatever title may seem important to some people here on earth, there is no hierarchy in the Kingdom of God.