While Shepherds Watched

I'm currently finding the song 'While Shepherds Watched' going round in my head to various tunes, and finding myself reflecting on how the Shepherds experienced the first Christmas.

Luke 2:8-20 NIV
And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord. This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.”   Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying,   “Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests.”  
When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let’s go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about.”   So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who was lying in the manger. When they had seen him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child, and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them. But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart. The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard and seen, which were just as they had been told.

It's a story we know well and see retold numerous times at this time of year, but there are always new truths to be discovered.

For me right now, the thing that strikes me most about the tale of the Shepherds, is that the angel appeared to them as they were watching their sheep. Yes, we know. That's what shepherd do. They watch sheep. How can this be the most striking thing?

The angel appeared to them as they were doing their work. I don't know about you, but I don't always expect to see an angel appear in the DHQ office. That may sound unusual for someone who works in ministry to say, but it's honest. Do you expect an angel to show up in your school, college, or work place to tell you the Saviour of the world has been born?
But that's what's so amazing. Very often, we split our life into ' God stuff' or 'Holy stuff' and 'everything else', and we limit God's ability to speak to us to those 'Holy times'. We blind ourselves to where he is in the 'ordinary' moments of our lives, where there may be an angel waiting with 'good news that will cause great joy' - the very joy or news we need to receive from God.

God did not intend life to be split this way. God created everything, even those things we don't class as part of our 'Holy' life. And if we limit God to those 'Holy' times, we can miss out on so much he has for us. Imagine how different the Nativity would be if the shepherds, having dismissed Holy things from happening in their work, simply ignored the angel appearing before them!

When we experience God in our lives, we are called to share our experience with others. After the shepherds had seen Jesus, they had to go out and share their good news with those they met! They just couldn't keep it to themselves!

If we stop ourselves from experiencing God in our ordinary lives, we can also miss out on the chance to share God's word with others. If we haven't heard it, we can't share it. And sharing our experience can be just as exciting as the original experience, and it can bless others in ways we may never hear of or understand.

Advent is a great time to start trying to expand our expectations of where we hear God, because everywhere we look we are reminded of the time of year. We can use these reminders to open our ears, minds, and hearts to receive from God.

Spend time asking God to speak to you through the ordinary. Try looking for angels as you go about your 'everyday'. You may be surprised by what you discover when you start looking for it!

Please feel free to share any experiences you have in the comments section!

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Red Sky

This morning, there was a beautiful red sunrise as I was coming into the office. As the old saying goes "red sky in the morning, sailors take warning." And with the second storm of the year set to hit us today, it seems to still be true today. Many people will have read this sign in the sky (or will have seen the weather forecast) and know some preparation is needed to keep themselves and their homes safe.

Advent is a time for us to prepare to remember Jesus` first appearance. Just as we can read the weather from the colour of the sky, we can read the coming season of Christmas  from this time of advent.

All around us the message is loud and clear. We see it in the decorations, the lights, the advent calendars, the carols, everywhere you look! Christmas is coming!

But how are you preparing yourself for the season, as many right now will be preparing for the storm? Have you read the signs that point to the true meaning of Christmas?

Or are you preparing for the gifts, fun, and family time that, for so many, is all Christmas is about?

To try and help my own preparation for Christmas, and maybe to help you too, I aim to post regularly to this blog over the next few weeks with some thoughts.

Stay tuned.

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No More Blurred Lines

I’ve been debating writing this post for a long time.

I try to keep this blog clear of my more ‘feminist’ views as when I get on that soap-box, I find it difficult to get off. And most of the time it is irrelevant to what I want to say or share through this blog.

But I can’t stay silent about this song. Because I care about the young people within the Anglia division, and throughout the whole country and world, that have been exposed to this song without maybe realising the message or culture it promotes; who sing along to the catchy tune and haven’t though about what it says.

‘Blurred Lines’ by Robin Thicke is misogynistic and promotes the victim blaming, rape culture we live in. It promotes the view that women are commodities for men to use and abuse as they like because they are ‘good girls’ who ‘want it’.

There. I said it.

Numerous University Student Union bars have already banned the song because of its content. But it still concerns me how I can turn the radio on at any time of day and hear how when a girl says ‘no’, she means ‘yes’, and that it is acceptable for men to pursue women in this way. I’ll admit, the lyrics aren’t as explicit as all that, and many critics of this view of the song say Thicke is actually putting the ball in the woman’s court, you have to really delve into the lyrics to pull out that meaning. The surface message, and most listeners will never get past that level, encourages victim blaming, ‘lad’ culture, and rape culture.

If you think this is something Christians shouldn’t be standing against, then I am concerned about your theology too. This song could encourage the oppression of women, violence and rape. You may think I’m being extreme, but music is a reflection of culture. If this wasn’t a current, cultural issue, then the song wouldn’t exist.

Our culture is full of cases where women won’t go to the police when raped because of being blamed for their own rape. Questions about what they were wearing, how they acted, etc. make them ashamed of what happened. Even when they have been completely sober, completely covered by clothes, and just walking down a street, victims are blamed for their attack and assumed to be the cause of it in some way.

Our culture has adverts in the back of local newspapers for sex chat lines and ‘massage parlours’ that are often fronts for human sex trafficking. I admit that not all sex workers are trafficked or kept there against their will, but human trafficking for the sex industry is very much a reality.

More than 800,000 men, women and children are trafficked every year.

77% are women.

87% of trafficked victims are sexually exploited.

This is a serious and growing concern that The Salvation Army is working hard to combat. More information and resources to join this fight can be found using the links at the end of this post.

The Bible is very clear that there are no ‘Blurred Lines’ regarding sex and relationships. Sex is reserved for marriage; a loving and committed relationship between a man and a woman that God has brought together. It is to be about sharing and expressing love, and not about who has control or who ‘wants it’. Its not about being ‘domesticated’ or what you wear.

I could go on for a long time about the song, it’s meaning, and why it is not something we should promote or encourage. But I feel have achieved what I aimed to in this post; raise awareness of the meaning and that as Christians it is not something we should be consuming.

Our culture is filled with negative ideas about sex, love and relationships. ‘Blurred Lines’ is not the first and, unfortunately, it won’t be the last.

I encourage you to think about what you listen to, watch, and read. Is this something that promotes the Kingdom of God, or the negative ideals of the world? What we consume will eventually change the way we act, think and speak.

“What comes out of a person is what defiles them. For it is from within, out of a person’s heart, that evil thoughts come—sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, greed, malice, deceit, lewdness, envy, slander, arrogance and folly. All these evils come from inside and defile a person.”

Mark 7:20 – 23

The Salvation Army's 'Cut It Out' Campaign - alove.salvationarmy.org.uk/cut-it-out-0

Stop the Traffik - www.stopthetraffik.org

Community Living



Me in the Big Top



I’ve just got back from spending 5 days in Shepton Mallet at Momentum. Momentum is a Christian festival for those in their 20’s and 30’s and run by Soul Survivor. Thousands of 20 and 30 somethings gathered for worship, teaching, ministry, seminars, and social activities, and God met with us incredibly.

I’ve attended the Soul Survivor events before as a youth leader, but this was my first time at Momentum. It was fantastic to go and be able to soak in God at the end of what has been a great 13 months in role.

The theme that kept rising to the surface during the week was about doing life as a community. For many years, the culture we live in has focussed on individualistic needs.

Life is all about what I want. What I need. What others can do for me.

And the more we engage with social networking sites, plug in our headphones, and play on our phones, we are becoming more and more disengaged from the depth and benefits of good friendships and communities.

More and more people feel lonely, while according to their facebook they have hundreds of friends!

I’ve experienced this loneliness. Moving away to a new city where I knew no one left me feeling lonely for a long time.

My main support and community was still up north.

Fortunately, I have since found a good group of friends (who I went to Momentum with).

But life gets hard when you don’t have that community around you. And our corps/churches are the first place we should find this community. God’s plan is for us to be in community. God himself is even in community! If its good enough for God, it’s good enough for us! And it’s a command of Jesus:

34 “I give you a new command: Love each other. You must love each other as I have loved you. 35 All people will know that you are my followers if you love each other.”John 13:34-35 (NCV)

The Bible is full of verses about how we can love one another and the importance of building community. Just type ‘Bible verse’ and ‘community’ into google and see the results!
But how do we build community? What if our churches aren’t places we feel supported, but a place where no one truly knows us and we feel lonely?

Start by getting to know people in the congregation! Do you go out of your way to ask people in the corps how they are, and truly want to know? Do you know what their concerns are? What good things have happened recently? By starting conversations and taking genuine interest in each others lives we begin to build community. To all the young people that read this blog, if you don’t feel comfortable speaking to the adults just yet, start with each other! You may be surprised how much you discover about each other! Why not start by spending a few minutes at the start of your group by asking what you can pray for in each others lives, or what the best thing of their week has been?

As well as community in our churches, it’s good to develop support and community outside those places. The groups and clubs we attend are often crying out for a greater sense of community. Everyone can come and meet each week, but all we do and talk about is the activity we’re engaged in. We can attend for months, years even, without knowing what is happening in the person’s life who sits next to you. And they can know just as little about us! We can’t expect community to develop on its own.

Someone has to start.

By taking the first steps, engaging people in conversation that goes beyond the mundane, we can develop community. Or how about organising some time with the group outside the normal time?

And remember to pray. Through praying for our corps and other groups we are a part of, for the people within them, for the things they share with us when we engage them in conversation, we will start to develop community.

Submerge: Go Deeper (EMASS 2013)

Another EMASS (East Midlands & Anglia Summer School) has come and passed! And once again the week was packed full of fun, fellowship, and worship. Our theme this year was ‘Submerge: Go Deeper’, so there was a lot of water games, water bombs, and water-y teaching. Want to know more? Well keep on reading for the highlights!

Sunday – The sun shone once again over registration as students arrived, unpacked, auditioned and said hello to old friends. Once everyone was registered, the school gathered for the welcome meeting.

In the evening, we were privileged to welcome the new Territorial Youth Secretary, Mike Lloyd-Jones, to the school who set us up for the week and shared something or his hopes for his time as TYS.

The teaching focus for Monday was on Jesus inviting us to share in the life-giving water he offers, and how once we accept this invitation, we will have a more vibrant life. Students were given the opportunity to accept this invitation by filling in some party invites and returning them to the front of the hall as their ‘rsvp’.

Monday evening was Games Night! All the games took on a water-y theme, and had bonus points available for completing extra tasks, such as ‘sing a song about fishing while completing the game’, or ‘sing the theme from the dambusters’. Games included; breath holding; water bomb throwing (without breaking), and flappy fish.

Tuesday saw the return of the Sports Day. Five teams ran, threw, and jumped their way through a number of races to compete for the title of ‘EMASS Champions 2013’.

Tuesday also saw a new addition to the EMASS timetable – Water fight! Students and staff were kitted out with water pistols, sponges, and water bombs for an intense, 30 minute battle! Fighting was fierce and no one was safe! Within a few minutes, everyone was soaked to the bone, but that didn’t stop them! Chaos erupted, and eventually even big, black bins were filled with water and tipped over staff. Although dripping wet by the end, everyone helped clear up quickly and all were soon on their way back to their houses to shower and warm up.

On Wednesday evening, parents and friends were invited to join us for an evening with Steve Price, illusionist. The crowd ‘ooh-ed’ and ‘awh-ed’ in wonder at his tricks, and Steve shared about his faith. More information on Steve Price can be found on his website at www.stevepriceillusions.co.uk/

The morning teaching focussed on why, as Christians, we should serve others, and what our motivation should be. Students were encouraged to think what small actions they could take to serve others when they were at home in their ordinary lives.

Thursday featured the annual EMASS talent night. While a fewer number of performances than in previous years took part, the quality was just as spectacular! Acts included; a vocal quartet, a duet, pea shooting, a Busted tribute act, worship band, and a special staff item. Plus a rousing rendition of ‘Lean forward, lean backward’ by the crowd between acts.

The teaching focused on how Jesus can bring healing to our lives and gave students the opportunity to receive prayer for this.

Friday – Students were encouraged to think about finding time to ‘Soak’ in God outside of events like summer school so they could keep their enthusiasm high and spiritual needs in check. The teaching showed how taking this time is necessary, otherwise they can not share with others what they don’t have themselves.

The Big Night In theme was ‘Titanic’, and at least four ships turned up! There were also scuba divers, a number of Jack Dawsons’, a string ensemble, a penguin, plus many more fantastic costumes!

All too soon, Saturday came around. The worship offered a chance for students and staff to share testimonies about the week; what God had been saying and doing in their lives. It was a huge encouragement to see their responses.

The final celebration went off with a bang! The school started with a flash mob, and the rest of the evening showcased the amazing week we had shared together.

Did you come to EMASS? What were your highlights?

Meeting with Royalty

On Monday morning, the world woke to the news that the Duchess of Cambridge had gone into labour. The long awaited royal baby was on its way! The world’s media had been gathering outside the hospital for days waiting for the moment when we would learn whether a prince or princess had been born.

I’m not a big royalist, and I was a little frustrated after 2+ hours of news coverage once the prince was born. And then there was the waiting for him to be named, and first pictures, and I really was rather sick of it all be the middle of the week.

But I can understand the excitement, even if I don’t share in it. There is anticipation for the future of the British monarchy, and it spills forth into all the publicity and excitement we see. The line is secure, and the Royal family is set to continue for a number of generations still. A future king has been born, and that’s exciting!

The Royal family is a strange topic for a blog post, I’ll admit, but next week, 50 young people will be gathering for the East Midlands and Anglia Summer School (EMASS) to spend some quality time with the King of Kings, and that’s what’s exciting for me!

Whenever we come before Jesus, our hearts should be full of anticipation and excitement. We’re meeting with the King!

I know that sometimes when I come before God, I can feel like it’s a chore, or my mind is on all the other stuff I need to get done. I’m distracted and easily taken away from the moment and what God wants to say to me.

But if I was to meet the Queen, or the new Prince, I wouldn’t feel it was a chore. I would be focussed, wholly dedicated to what they were saying. I wouldn’t just get up and leave before they were finished. I would feel privileged and blessed to have met them.

Why don’t we feel that way when we come before God?

As I said, next week is going to be spent at EMASS, and I’m full of anticipation for what God is going to do there. While I could let myself be distracted and worried by all the ‘important things’ that need to be done (don’t worry, they will be done!), I don’t want to let them get in the way of those moments with God, the King of Kings. I want to spend time listening to him and being blessed, and seeing him speak to and bless the young people who are coming.

So if you’re coming to summer school, I hope you share in my anticipation for all God is going to do.

How often do you think of the times we meet with God as coming before the King of Kings?

How would that change the way you worship him?

How would it change the way you pray?

Time flies

I can’t believe it – I’ve been here over year now! And what a year! I wanted to take some time reflecting on all the stuff that’s happened, what God’s been saying, and what I hope for the future!

Firstly, let’s start by looking back on all the Divisional activities that have happened.

When I first arrived here, I had about six weeks to prepare for my first ever summer school! Looking back, I’ve no idea how I did it, but at the time I loved every second of those few weeks as I learnt to swim in the deep end. I had only ever been to one summer school as a student, and never been on staff, so it was a real learning curve! The week itself was fantastic – the best start to a job anyone could wish for! – and helped me settle in. If you want to hear more about the week, you can find the review here.

In some ways, starting with such a high left me a little down for the following few months, but I worked through it and got out and about to meet young people, youth leaders, and Corps Officers around the division. I also spent time preparing for the youth worship event in November (Boundless: The Adventure Continues) which gave another good opportunity to meet people, and re-launch the Anglia Youth Chorus!

In the run up to the New Year, I spent time praying for this year and the young people within the division. It was a great time, and I felt God was really encouraging us to be courageous this year. And this challenge has not left me. I often find myself being reminded about this message and finding situations that require me to be courageous in my personal life, spiritual life, and decisions for the division. Again, if you want to read more about the challenge, you can find the blog post here.

Soon enough, Youth Councils arrived. The day was spent thinking about Holiness and the ALOVE theme for the year – ‘…. Water’. More about what we did can be read here.

And now, I find myself once again in the run up to the East Midlands and Anglia Summer School (EMASS). We’re just over 2 weeks away (it’s earlier this year), and I’m experiencing the same feelings of excitement and nerves as last year! This year, our focus is on going deeper into our discipleship through exploring the passages in the Bible about Jesus and water (spot the theme yet?). It’s going to be a great week, so if you’re coming, get excited! If you’re not coming, then keep an eye out for the review post in the weeks following EMASS. You could also join us on the Wednesday night (31^st July) for an evening of illusion with Steve Price (£2) or for the Final Celebration on Saturday night (3^rd August, £5). Please message me for more details.

Now for the coming year and beyond – what do I hope? Where do I see things going? I want to develop the discipleship of young people within the division and encourage the leadership skills within them. I want to see every young person in the division come to have a full and deep relationship with God; reaching their God-given potential and following his will for their lives. I want young people to become more involved and invested in the running and organising of divisional events. In short, I have the same vision as I did 12 months ago, and I continue to trust in God that his will is best, and I will do my best to follow his path.

“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.”

Jeremiah 29:11

The Condition of the Court

It will come as no surprise, I’m sure, that we are half way through Wimbledon fortnight. Now, I’m not a big tennis fan, and Wimbledon fortnight is something that I only really acknowledge due to the change in the TV schedule, but I did notice the news about players slipping and injuring themselves due to the condition of the courts. Many of the great names complained and withdrew from the competition because of this, including Sharapova, Federer, and Tsonga.

 

While some players are blaming the courts, the officials say they are in almost identical condition to last year and that the courts always gain grip throughout the competition. Andy Murray has been quoted as saying it’s a surprise this hasn’t happened before and that it is a statistical anomaly that the big names have got through to the later rounds for so long. Other players already had injuries that they were recovering from, or there were other issues than purely the condition of the court. As I’ve already said, I’m not a big tennis fan and so I can’t really comment on the how these various factors can contribute to slips and falls in a tennis match, but the reactions of some of the big names has caused me to pause and consider.

In life, we all experience highs and lows. Just as the big names of tennis have gotten through to the latter stages of Wimbledon for a number of years, often the good times can last a long time. It becomes a normal occurrence. Then, when things the tough times come back, when we start slipping and falling more than usual, we often blame the surroundings, or the most obvious reason for our failure – ‘The court is not up to standard’. When the tennis stars started slipping, it was the courts fault. Many did not look to other reasons. It was the courts fault they were not doing as well as normal. Not theirs. 

Since leaving the competition, I don’t know if the stars have looked at the other possibilities for their slips, but the officials and experts have, and found other possibilities for the anomaly. Often, we need to step back from the immediate situation, and explore the other possibilities, or we need to invite someone else into our life to help us identify what may be the underlying causes of our troubles. Maybe it is our ego that is clouding our judgement on the situation, so we lash out at everything else, and inviting someone we trust to help us can offer us a fresh perspective on what is really going on.

The most important thing we should remember, however, is that God is there throughout, helping and supporting us, in both the good time and the bad.

So don’t blame the condition of your court of life; stop and reflect on the other possible causes. Ask God to help you discern the cause, and He will be with you through it all.

The Christian Fandom

Have you ever heard of a 'fandom'? Or a 'fan girl' or 'fan boy'?

If you ever speak to anyone who knows me well, you will soon discover just how much of a fan girl I am regarding certain musicians, tv shows, and books. I can't begin to tell you how many hours I've spent waiting at stage doors or hotels to get a photo or autograph, or how much money I've spent attending concerts, conventions, and buying merchandise. I have travelled for hours to perform flash mobs in the snow and rain (I’m in the row on the left, second from the back, with the yellow bag over my shoulder; just in case you didn’t believe me). I have also made a large number of good friends through our shared fandoms. For the vast majority of my teenage life, and to some extent still, I would know all the information about what was happening in the future of the pop star or actor's life or tv plot line weeks before any of my friends or family had a clue. This is a fan girl, or boy. You may have one as a friend, family member, or be one yourself.

A 'fandom' is the name for the things fan girls and boys 'fan' over. For example, I belong to the Harry Potter fandom, the Doctor Who fandom, and the Tolkien fandom, to name but a few. Other fandoms are the Justin Beiber fandom, the Star Trek fandom, and the

But I want to put before you: The Christian Fandom.

‘How can Christianity be a fandom?’ I hear you ask. Very simply, there are some people who are fans of Christianity. They enjoy going to church, hearing the sermons, singing the songs, attending retreats and festivals, spending time with other ‘fans’, etc. They know their Bible back to front and will always win a game of Biblical Trivial Pursuit. Fans are different to followers. A lot of fans will think they are followers. The difference?

Relationship!

A fans relationship with the object of their fandom is detached, impersonal, and all about head knowledge. A follower, or friend, of the person has a deeper connection with them, knows more about their everyday life, and there is a two way relationship.

When a fan meets their favourite actor/musician/etc., they ask for an autograph, or a picture. When a friend of that person meets them, they share a conversation about their life; they support one another.

A follower of Christ has this two way relationship with God. They meet with him often, and share their life with him. A fan of Christ will go through the religious motions, but never connect on the deeper level.

Jesus met a lot of fans. Ever heard about the Rich Young Man?

¹⁷ As Jesus started on his way, a man ran up to him and fell on his knees before him. “Good teacher,” he asked, “what must I do to inherit eternal life?”
¹⁸ “Why do you call me good?” Jesus answered. “No one is good—except God alone. ¹⁹ You know the commandments: ‘You shall not murder, you shall not commit adultery, you shall not steal, you shall not give false testimony, you shall not defraud, honor your father and mother.”
²⁰ “Teacher,” he declared, “all these I have kept since I was a boy.”
²¹ Jesus looked at him and loved him. “One thing you lack,” he said. “Go, sell everything you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.”
²² At this the man’s face fell. He went away sad, because he had great wealth.
(Mark 10: 17 – 22, NIV)

And what about the crowd of 5000 that followed Jesus after being fed? They were huge fans – wanting to see him again, but not for the right reasons. They wanted to be fed again (John 6).  And what of the fans of the Jewish faith? The Pharisees and Sadducees would have called themselves the greatest followers of all, yet Jesus’ teaching always warns people away from them and to not follow their example.

In Matthew 7, Jesus describes what will happen to the fans when they meet him:

²¹ “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. ²² Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name and in your name drive out demons and in your name perform many miracles?’ ²³ Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!’
(Matthew 7:21 – 23, NIV)

The importance of relationship here is key. While the fans did a great many things, Jesus says he did not know them. They had no relationship with him.

Fandom is heavily influenced by feelings. Fans will describe themselves as having ‘feels’ for certain characters, or ‘ships’ (romantic pairings - there are even ‘ship names’). Fans have lots of emotion about their fandom. But when the feelings diminish (from lack of new series/books, or time, age, etc), fans become a lot less enthusiastic. As I said before, I have been a part of a large number of fandoms, but each has had its own time in the spotlight. When my feelings change, I become less involved. Something new has come along that I feel more passionately about. For example, as a teenager, I absolutely LOVED McFly. Now, I enjoy listening to their music occaisionally, but I spend more time watching Doctor Who or reading books by George R R Martin.

The same is true of fans of Christianity. When everything is good, or they feel particularly ‘close’ to God, or go to one of their festivals – no one could be more committed! When things get tough, fans wander away until things get good again and they feel like being a follower again. But true followers stick around for the long term, and don't act upon their feelings. True relationships are so much more than feelings. Good friends stick together even when things are hard. Good relationships last even when you don’t feel like being together, because of the commitment. And you get past the bad times and negative feelings together. The same is true of our relationship with Christ.

I could delve a lot more into this topic. But I just wanted to start your own thinking on this issue. My thinking was sparked by a book called ‘Not a Fan’ by Kyle Idleman (I’m reading the teen edition – well I am a youth worker!), and I have spent a long time considering the nature of my relationship with God. While I am not a fan, it has inspired me to follow God even more closely than before.

And that’s what I wanted to do; to encourage you to reflect upon whether you are truly a follower of Christ, or just a fan. How committed is your relationship with Christ? Will he ‘know you’ when the time comes?

The Legacy of Ball Face

Have you ever had one of those surreal moments?

I had one this week during an email conversation with a contact from my gap year. It turns out that an incident that occurred during my time at their church has become a bit of a legend - still talked about today! I was quite taken aback by this.

The incident wasn’t a great message I preached.

It wasn’t a fantastic prayer, or conversation I had.

It wasn’t that I’d helped change someone’s life.

It was that I was hit in the face with a ball during a (out of control) game of dodgeball, and I completely lost my temper. I yelled at the young people, and sent them all into a stunned silence, which later earned me the nickname of ‘Ball Face’.

According to the email with my contact

“You have become a living legend in these parts. Some think that ‘Ball face’ is a myth but only a handful of us know the real story. Your legacy lives on”

As human beings, we all want to leave our mark, our legacy, upon the world. We all wonder how we will be remembered; what will be said at our funeral; whose life have we impacted? Decisions we make, actions we take, can all be effected by how we want to be remembered.

But what about those moments when we aren’t thinking about what we will leave behind? In one moment of weakness, I left a legacy I didn’t intend. I am remembered as the ‘ball face’ at this youth club. Was that what I wanted? No.

When thinking about leaving a legacy, often thoughts turn to the big, grandiose actions you can take. Who can we proclaim the good news to? How much money will it take to be remembered by a charity or project? What marks do I need to get in my exam? How many hours volunteering do I need to do?

While big things will help you be remembered, don’t forget about the little things. The everyday decisions count. The actions you do daily count. We all make mistakes, but lets drown them out by living well and displaying God in all we do. If we focus on leaving a legacy for him, we will most likely leave a better legacy than one of our own name.

The problem with legacies is that however hard you try to create your legacy, it is ultimately other people who decide how you are remembered. Those who focus on what they are leaving behind can become dissatisfied with their lives when they don’t come up their expectation, or become prideful by all they have achieved. Eventually, such people will be remembered in these ways, as that is the main focus of their life, not what they actually want to be remembered for. The big actions may be remembered fleetingly, but it is the small, consistent actions we take that become our legacy.

I may be remembered as ‘Ball face’ by the young people, but the email went on to say how positively our gap year group was remembered by the leaders and others within the church. As an individual, I may be ‘Ball face’, but our group left a legacy of how to live life well as Christians in community. We didn’t do anything great; we just lived together, focussing on God and making his name great, daily.

What legacy are you leaving behind in your daily life? Is it something you are proud of? Does your everyday life reflect how you want to be remembered?

Spiritual Check Up

I hate going to the doctors. I’ve been coughing for the past few weeks and finally decided to go get checked out. But I hate making that call. I’m always nervous they’re going to tell me I’m imagining things and to stop wasting their time. That has never happened, of course, but I still would rather suffer until someone forces me to go. Then I know I’m truly sick. But how often could I have avoided unnecessary pain and illness by going earlier?

Going to the doctors wasn’t as bad as I thought. They checked me out and told me what I needed to do, and all’s well. My mind is at ease. I can get on with life.

Being ill these past few days, and my unwillingness to call the doctors made me think of Luke 5:30 – 32.

But the Pharisees and the teachers of the law who belonged to their sect complained to his disciples, “Why do you eat and drink with tax collectors and sinners?”Jesus answered them, “It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick.  I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.”
(NIV)

While the Pharisees and other ‘righteous’ people continued to view themselves as healthy, they would not need Jesus. The ‘sinners’ who were so aware of their own sin, appreciated Jesus more and came to him more readily to  be healed of that sin.

While I am reluctant to see my doctor, my fiancé is the opposite. Because he has poor health, he has a great relationship with his GP and will happily go to them with even the slightest change in his health. I, on the other hand, take my health for granted and rarely admit to being ill.

We can be the same in our spiritual lives, as Jesus’ words show. Those who are new in their relationships with him seem to be very aware of when they mess up and go immediately to him. Those of us who have been 'healthy' and in a relationship with him for longer can be very different.

Even though we are saved, we are can often carry around sin for a long time until we can’t ignore its presence any more and come to God for forgiveness. We pretend everything is fine, yet we know deep down we should go for a spiritual check up to sort it out. The sin can then seep into every part of our life, poisoning our efforts, and we feel like we’re not communicating with God as we used to. We can fear his wrath and anger, and that stops us from making that call to him.

But just like a quick visit to our doctor, placing our sin before God and asking for forgiveness is never as bad as we think it will be, and we feel so much better afterwards.

I encourage you to spend time with God this weekend having a quick ‘spiritual check up’. What spiritual battles are you ignoring within yourself? What does God want to say to you, but you won’t give him the time to?

(Don’t forget to check out my fundraising page for EMASS – I'm walking 34 miles in 2 days!)

Servant to what?

I found myself watching ‘The Jonathan Ross Show’ this weekend, something I don’t normally do, and Joanna Lumley was one of the guests. They ended up discussing the use of mobile phones, and how when their phone notifies them of anything, people jump immediately to respond. You can see the interview below (from 5:38 – 7:20).

Last night, I was engaged in conversation and one of the group explained how they has deleted their facebook. Why? Because of the way it can take over people’s lives and the ‘Like’ culture it creates. We began discussing the why’s and what’s of people’s behaviour in regard to these sites: why do we post something on facebook? Why do we become disappointed if someone doesn’t ‘like’ or comment on our post? What is our motivation for posting information? Why are we still ‘friends’ with people we haven’t had contact with for more than a year? And many other such questions. In the end, a lot of us admitted that we very rarely use facebook because of all these issues.

I’m doing a 34 mile sponsored walk next month (find out why and how to sponsor here: https://www.justgiving.com/Rebecca-Perry1/), and so I’ve been completing training walks on my days off. Although I take my phone with me in case of an emergency, it remains in my bag from the moment I set off until the moment I return. I also leave it on silent so that I’m not distracted or tempted to check it while I’m out. The experience is quite freeing. I no longer feel like the servants in ‘Downton Abbey’, at the beck and call of my phone. For those few hours, I am free to be in my own mind and work through problems and concerns without becoming distracted. It also grants me the opportunity to speak with God and actually listen and wait for him to respond.

In Matthew 6:24, Jesus says “No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money.” (NIV)

While Jesus is speaking about money, we can relate this to our relationship with our mobile phones (or other internet enabled devices). Responding to our phones can end up consuming all of our time if we are not careful. Our quiet times can be interrupted by a notification from our phone, and we never get back to it. Our phones can never leave our sides and if it does, we feel like we’re missing a limb! Is this really healthy? How beneficial is it to our relationship with God?

Upon reflection, I’m now trying to cut down on the time I spend with my phone directly at my side. And if I do have it on me, I will ignore it if I’m with someone else as my focus should be on them, not on what’s happening with my phone. I’ve already started with my walks, but I’m going to continually seek times in my week when I turn my phone off or leave it completely out of site so I can seek ways to serve God more whole heartedly.

We are God’s servants, not our mobile phones.

I encourage you to spend some time this week reflecting on your own relationship with your mobile phone. Are you its servant? Can you leave it away from your side? Or is there something else that you are servant too?

Regular Exercise

My gym has recently changed management, and they have refurbished all the equipment. Its all brand new, looks great, and it works! While the old equipment was adequate for the task, some of it was getting well worn and there was generally at least one machine out of order at any one time.

The main positive of the new equipment is that you are able to exercise more easily and work more of your body, therefore reaching your goals quicker. The down side is you ache a lot more the next day!!

  

Keeping fit by regular exercise is something we all know is good for us and we should aim to do. Unfortunately, not many of us do all we should. While I’ve been talking about the gym, I’ve not been very often in the past few months.

But with the new equipment, I’ve recommitted to trying to go to the gym every few days for at least an hour. For the past week, that’s been going well. But I will need to remain motivated and focus on the end result if I want to stick to this commitment.

It can be the same in our spiritual lives. We all know daily prayer and Bible reading is good for us, but how many of us manage to do it? I’m talking about a quick daily verse off the internet and a quick ‘Hi God’ prayer in the car, but the real, deep searching for God’s voice and spending a significant amount of dedicated time in prayer. I know I don’t.

Often we will buy new Bible reading books, or download flashy Bible reading ‘apps’, but how often do we manage to stick with them to the end? And even if we do, how long is it before they become just a quick 5 minute activity in-between rushing from one thing to the next?

Just as with committing to regular physical exercise, we need to commit to regular spiritual exercise. The same motivation and focusing on why we are undertaking the activity can help us keep our commitments in the tough times.

Some days, I don’t want to go to the gym as I feel too stressed or busy, but I remember that by exercising I work out those issues as I work out my body and feel better at the end of it.

Some days, I don’t want to read my Bible for the same reasons, but by remembering that through prayer and study I am inviting God to make a difference and speak to me that I will be in a better state of mind and know God’s presence with me, I am able to focus my mind on Him.

As I’ve mentioned above, there are lots of aids to help us read our Bible and pray regularly. These can be great helps, and a great place to start! But remember we must commit and motivate ourselves in those tough times to stick with it, and we will see results!