When two or three...

I left the institutional church because was not helping my faith. I am convinced that I have made the right decision as my faith has grown over the last year. I am also convinced that being connected in loving fellowship with other believers is the environment that God intended for his new creations. I am praying that God makes that possible for my family.

A Holy moment

It was Sunday morning, and I had just finished a delicious cooked breakfast followed by toast, butter and lovely jam. I suddenly became aware of feeling so blessed and rich and aware of what I can only describe as holiness, a feeling of being loved and secure.

Cheers

Nick

God saved my life then made sure I had my tea.

On Friday 24 September, I was just leaving mums to go back to chester, when my nearside front suspension just snapped. If this had happened on the motorway I would have probably been killed, and it also happened so close to my mum's that I was able to get my tea while I was waiting for the RAC to recover me. Amazing.

Freedom

The freedom in following Jesus comes from no longer trying to get him to do what we want, but to revel in his desires and his working.
 Wayne Jacobsen - Lifestream.org

Think about that for a moment. Can you even seperate what you think God wants and what you want? For me this is an invitation to sit down and see what Jesus is doing and see how He wants me to join in, or maybe just to applaud something he wants to amaze me with.

It was all over before it even started....

Heard somebody speak about Revelation 13:8 today. "The Lamb that was slain before the foundation of the World" Hit me right between the eyes that God had planned the rescue of mankind before Adam had taken his first breath. What an amazing God.

During a particularly testing time of our holiday, when everything seemed to be be going wrong, I found myself on my own, bodyboarding in the sea. I looked over at a 'perfect' German family, much like my own, with Mum, Dad, & two teenage girls. They were having a great time, all surfing perfectly together. I found myself longing for what they seemed to have, but then I heard a voice in my head that said quite clearly - 'Stop looking at them' I understood almost immediately that God wanted me to concentrate on my own life and not compare myself to others. 

Map and Guide

The thought came to me today as I was driving to a client and having to refer to a Map to get directions it was like relying on the Bible, like a map on our journey with God. Although the map is useful it isn't half as much fun as having Jesus sat next to you on the passenger seat, passing the time with you and guiding you through each twist and turn.

The Bible can map out the whole of past, present and future for us, but only Jesus, by his Spirit can engage with every step of the journey.

Seek first...

Matthew 6:33 can be looked at in a whole new light - instead of
seeking to make yourself righteous - working hard to put yourself under the lordship of Christ by rigorous spiritual discipline. Instead to look for the kingdom. See with new eyes and literally 'seek out' how God is working. The Message calls it 'steeping your life in God-reality'.

Only Jesus can save you from your sins

I have been a Christian for 21 years, and have discovered that looking like you are doing all the right things like; attending meetings, trying to read your bible more, going to conferences learning more about God, being more committed to the church, trying to pray more and reading the latest christian book cannot and will not make you any less immune from the effect of sin in your life.

In fact, living like this produces the dreadful paradox that you are more aware of your sin than ever before but are powerless to stop it ruining your peace. You are caught on a treadmill of greater sin awareness and driven to do more and more of the things that you think will protect you like; reading the latest christian book, or going to this conference or this prayer meeting, or becoming even more committed to church, taking on more things in the vain hope that these holy things will somehow cleanse you of the sin that you now see is clinging ever more tightly.

This will go on until you burn out or like me you let sin take a step
too far and then you say STOP! stop everything knock all these false dead ends down and start again with nothing but Jesus and a trust that he loves you and is doing the best for you.

Only then, when HE directs, do you find that relationship with him and him only inside you is turning you into the person he knows you can be, and the
blessing to yourself and others that you have been striving to be, slowly and gently letting him save you from your sins.

Do you love me?

Watching the film Blade Runner the other day I was struck as the hero Deckard says to his heroine Rachel, 'Do you love me?' She replies 'I love you' He then says 'Do you trust me?' To which she replies 'I trust you' What struck me is that here is the essence of what God wants for his church, and that all the church must learn from him. All he wants is for her to love him and trust him.

Stardust

Was watching the film 'Stardust' last night and God spoke to me through a line spoken by Evayne, a 'star' that had come to earth. She said that 'Eternity' would be a terribly lonely place without someone who you love to share it with'. That's true.

Power to heal.

It's good anytime one can break an addiction, or overcome something through will-power. Non-destructive behavior is always better than the alternative. But we must never confuse it with trusting the redemptive, supernatural power of Christ in the resurrection to restore me and heal me. I've little passion for “fixed” marriages or behaved, self-control. Jesus didn't come to offer a sanctified nudge to the self-reliant.

- John Lynch

Do you belong to a sect?

When God tells us to "accept each other as Christ has accepted us" Romans 15:7 Why is it that churches and denominations judge other churches & denominations for petty differences in the religious add-ons that they adhere to as a church. The New testament would use the term 'sect' to describe such a judgmental group.

The Lord's Nibble & Sip

The Lord's nibble & sip is a more appropriate term for what we call 'The Lord's Supper' these days. The first century christians shared a full meal with bread and wine instead of the measly offering that passes for a meal I'm most churches. Perhaps it is symbolic of the kind of Christian life and experience that we have come to expect - an unsatisfying taster of the fullness and abundance that could be ours.

God does not respond to what we do.

God does not respond to what we do. We respond to what God does. (Romans 3:27b The Message) If this is true it has big implications on the way we look at God. It means that all the striving for approval and 'doing great things for God' seem somewhat misguided. What really matters is finding out what God is doing and responding to it. We can't this is if we aren't willing to drop all our plans,
programmes and procedures and be flexible enough to follow his lead - which is a big departure to what goes on in most of the church that I see today.

Our god is too small

Our imperfect view of God causes us to react in all sorts of strange ways. One of the reasons that we have so many shopping lists of request prayers is because we can't see how God is working in a situation, we don't trust that he has got things under control, or our best interests at heart so we fervently ask him to arrange things so they they turn out in the way we think they should. If we had eyes to see how He was working then I don't think we would pray in the same way.

Wouldn't it be good

Wouldn't it be good if God, despite religious man's constant interference, and despite the apparent collapse of western Christianity, was building a new community. Wouldn't it be good that from the disillusioned and the disaffected by the the religious lie, He was giving hope through the truth and reality of his love, through grace. Wouldn't it be good if the promised bride is being moulded perfectly and silently and being prepared for her bridegroom, without the world being aware of it.

Pagan Christianity

Amazing book. Well worth a read. Makes my upside down world make even more sense!

Is Jesus Turuk Makto?

After seeing the amazing film 'Avatar' for the second time, and having God speak to me in so many ways, I started to see the parallels between the hero Jake Sully and Jesus. You have to bear with me on this one, because it isn't a like for like comparison, nor would I want it to be.

You have to have watched the film to have an appreciation of what I am saying. 'Turuk' is a giant dragon like creature - his name Turuk' means 'last shadow' in Na'vi meaning the beast is the last shadow it's victim will ever see as the giant dragon swoops upon it. It is a formidable enemy and could be seen as an allegory for death.

Jake Sully in a feat of incredible daring and courage, in a last-ditch attempt to save the indiginous Na'vi population of Pandora, masters this beast and proves that he is 'Turuk Makto' - master of last shadow.

Because he conquers this ultimate enemy, he earns the respect and the belief of the people.

Natiri, Jake's Na'vi bride sums up the faith surge that Jakes act produces with the words; 'I was afraid for my people.... I am not afraid anymore'

Jesus does the same for me. In his hands the bride never needs to fear. There is nothing greater than the promise of God that he Loves us and will never leave or forsake us, and that HE will build his church.

Before I leave this post, I must just mention my thoughts on the Na'vi deity - Ey'wa (The name is uncannily similar to 'Yahweh' with only the letter 'h' missing).

I think it is amazing that the deity seems to hear Jake's prayer at the Tree of Souls, and that the victory over the attacking human forces is made possible by a 'supernatural' act (in Na'vi terms) of normally hostile animals working together with one mind to attack the invaders.

This happens at the last minute, when all hope is lost. God steps in a mighty way.