Extravagant waste

I went to fill my car with petrol yesterday at the local Sainsburys petrol station. As normal, I presented my Nectar card to get my Nectar points.

I don’t know how much you know about ‘Nectar’ and Sainsburys, but when you swipe your Nectar card, you sometimes receive a voucher to use next time you visit the store which gives you extra points, or money off, etc.

Yesterday’s voucher promised me 200 bonus Nectar points if I spend more than £50 in Sainsburys by 7^th May.

Here are some facts for you:

·         I live alone
·         My average weekly shop costs less than £20
·         I’m away on The Big Adventure (Children’s Adventure camp ) this weekend
·         I start Live Below the Line on Tuesday (6^th May)

And yet, when I got the voucher, I immediately began thinking if I could possibly spend £50 before it ran out! It’s crazy! Never mind the fact I’m only meant to live off 10% of that next week for Live Below the Line.

And when I thought of that challenge, I was shocked at this behaviour.

How many people must spend more than they need to get extra ‘points’ or similar because they were given a voucher? 

How much additional ‘stuff’ do they buy that would otherwise not have been purchased? 

And how much of it ends up in the bin?

Although I have yet to start the Live Below the Line challenge, even signing up has made me reconsider my spending habits and realise how fortunate we are.

I do not need to spend £50 on a weekly shop, but I could manage it if I wanted to. I could spend it on clothes and games and chocolate and lots of other stuff I don’t need, and I could afford to do it too.

But there are 1.2 billion people who live on less than 10% of that.

God cares about each and every one of them.

And we can make a difference.

Once again, I ask you to join me for any 5 consecutive days before 30^th June and live below the line. You can sign up here and then search for ‘Anglia Division’ to join our team.

If you are unable to participate in the challenge, please donate here. Any donation, big or small, will make a difference.

Let's Dance

On Palm Sunday (13th April), the Anglia Youth Band led the meetings at Stowmarket Corps. This post contains the message I gave at the evening service.

The next day, the news that Jesus was on the way to Jerusalem swept through the city. A large crowd of Passover visitors took palm branches and went down the road to meet him. They shouted,

“Praise God!

Blessings on the one who comes in the name of the Lord!

Hail to the King of Israel!”

Jesus found a young donkey and rode on it, fulfilling the prophecy that said:

“Don’t be afraid, people of Jerusalem.

Look, your King is coming,

    riding on a donkey’s colt.”

His disciples didn’t understand at the time that this was a fulfillment of prophecy. But after Jesus entered into his glory, they remembered what had happened and realized that these things had been written about him.

Many in the crowd had seen Jesus call Lazarus from the tomb, raising him from the dead, and they were telling others about it. That was the reason so many went out to meet him—because they had heard about this miraculous sign.

John 12:12-18 (NLT)

Imagine Jerusalem on that first Palm Sunday. You’re heading to the city for the Passover. As you approach, you hear people shouting and singing, you see a crowd gathering along the road, waving palm leaves. You go over to investigate, and ask ‘What’s going on?’

“It’s Jesus!” someone replies. “Have you not heard of him? Have you not heard of all he’s done?! Only a few days ago he raised Lazarus from the dead – that guy over there! He’d been dead for FOUR DAYS! And this guy raised him! He must be the Messiah!”

How excited would that make you? You have been waiting centuries for the promised Messiah! Would you not also go and get Palm leaves and join with the crowd?

According to this passage in John, this is what happened at that first Palm Sunday. In verse 12, we read that ‘the news Jesus was on the way… swept through the city’, and verse 18 says ‘many went out to meet him because they had heard about this miraculous sign’ – which is referring to the resurrection of Lazarus. It is the good news of all Jesus has done that drew the crowds that day.

Most of the people in the crowd are unlikely to have had a personal experience of Jesus’ miracles, and yet they are there, cheering his arrival. Over the past 3 years, they must have heard so many stories, maybe even known someone who was at the feeding of the 5000, or one of his other miracles. They praised because someone had shared their good news.

How often is this still true today? Many people begin their journey towards God by hearing of what he has done for others, by hearing their personal experiences. They may never have experienced God in their own life yet, but they can get excited and be just as joyful as we are when they hear of the good things God is doing in our life.

By sharing our experiences of God, we are saying ‘Let’s dance’ to those around us. We’re inviting them to join in the experience themselves, and through rejoicing in our experience, they can come to experience God for themselves. When we talk of a dance, we don't just talk of physical dance and praise, but a dance is a relationship. As well as praising God, we are inviting those who do not know him into a relationship with him. 

And this isn’t just for those who don’t know God. Sharing our experiences and inviting each other to dance is just as important. It can encourage those of us who are downcast and remind us of how faithful God is.

When we dance in praise before God, he draws near to us, and he then begins to teach us how to dance his way, keeping in step with him. 

Let's Pray!

On Palm Sunday (13th April), the Anglia Youth Band led the meetings at Stowmarket Corps. This post, and the one that will follow tomorrow, contain the message I gave at the two meetings.

After telling this story, Jesus went on toward Jerusalem, walking ahead of his disciples. As he came to the towns of Bethphage and Bethany on the Mount of Olives, he sent two disciples ahead. “Go into that village over there,” he told them. “As you enter it, you will see a young donkey tied there that no one has ever ridden. Untie it and bring it here. If anyone asks, ‘Why are you untying that colt?’ just say, ‘The Lord needs it.’”

So they went and found the colt, just as Jesus had said. And sure enough, as they were untying it, the owners asked them, “Why are you untying that colt?”

And the disciples simply replied, “The Lord needs it.” So they brought the colt to Jesus and threw their garments over it for him to ride on.

Luke 19:28-35 (NLT)

This may seem an unusual passage for talking about prayer, but hopefully I can uncover some new truths in a passage I am sure you have heard many times before.

In the passage, Jesus directs two of the disciples to go and fetch the colt for his ride into Jerusalem. This is not an unusual request by Jesus – he often asked the disciples to undertake strange tasks for him (e.g. casting fishing nets on a different side of the boat, feeding 5000 people with a packed lunch, etc.), and in verse 32 we see the disciples obeying this instruction. They go to the village, untie the colt and answer the owners as directed.

This immediate and obedient response from the disciples is a little out of character. Looking at just two other examples of Jesus’ requests to the disciples, you can see what I mean.

In Luke 5:4-5, we see Jesus instruct the disciples to throw their nets to the other side to catch fish, but Simon Peter’s response is “we worked hard all last night and didn’t catch a thing. But if you say so, I’ll let the nets down again” – not exactly enthusiastic! It almost appears as if Simon Peter is just humouring Jesus at this point, not obeying out of faith.

Then in Luke 9:13, Jesus has just instructed the disciples to feed the 5000 men, not including women and children. What is their response? “But we have only five loaves of bread and two fish,” they answered. “Or are you expecting us to go and buy enough food for this whole crowd?” Again, a mix of sarcasm and not much obedience!

I’m sure you can think of more times where Jesus gave instructions and the disciples were less than enthusiastic, or times where they missed the point of Jesus’ ministry.

In this passage, there is no record of what the two disciples said to Jesus after receiving their instructions. We are not even told which 2 disciples he sent, and therefore are unable to think of a possible response based on our knowledge of their personalities based on other passages. All that we have is simple obedience. Given the honest recording of the other incidents, maybe this time they really did just get on with it instead of talking back. After all, by this point, they had spent 3 years with Jesus. Their faith would have grown, as seen by this obedience.

But what about us?

How do we react to Jesus’ instructions?

How do we receive his instructions?

Are we like the disciples in this passage, or the other times?

As Christians, we are to follow Christ’s directions just as much as the disciples did. When we pray, when we read our Bibles, when we attend church services, we should be coming with hearts open to hearing God’s directions. And once we hear them, we should step out in faith like the disciples.

But this wasn’t an immediate faith and belief the disciples had. It was developed over time. We too must develop our faith by spending time with God. We can do this through our prayers, Bible reading, and sharing in fellowship with other Christians.

Pray, and step out in faith, like the disciples this Easter. And if you don't yet have that faith, spend more time with him and ask for your faith to be increased.

Live Below The Line Challenge – Join In!

First off – sorry for the absence! I was having technical difficulties with the blog editor but now, I’m back!  Expect posts to be appearing at their normal rate now!

It’s been a crazy few months, but I want to start my posting again with a personal challenge I have signed up to, and would encourage you to sign up to as well.

Live Below the Line.

Have you heard of it?

The challenge is to live for 5 days on £1 a day. £5, 5 days. For all food and water. Sounds impossible. But every year, thousands of people sign up and complete the challenge, raising hundreds of thousands of pounds for their chosen charities.

Charities that aim to eradicate extreme poverty from our world – to help the 1.2 BILLION people that have to live daily on less than £1 a day.

The LBTL challenge is one I have seen other people do since it started in 2010, and I have always admired the people who complete it, and sponsor them as they work at it. But to me, it has always seemed impossible.

Great idea, but not for me.

I’ll wave the flag for you, give you money, pray for your efforts, but don’t expect ME to do it.

Then, the Divisional Youth Officer’s were challenged at FORGE (ALOVE’s Youth Worker Gathering) to set up divisional teams and ‘compete’ to raise the most money.

I could not leave my division in the lurch.

It was time to take the plunge.

I am going to live below the line.

And I am asking YOU to join me and the Anglia Division team to raise money to end extreme poverty.

For me, this is not about competing with the other Divisions. This is about finally stepping up to the plate (literally) and doing something to raise awareness other than giving money to other people and posting links to information.

We are so good at ‘supporting’ causes through social media and giving a ‘one-off’ donation. But surely we can afford to give more of ourselves, really commit to a cause and go further than we would normally go.

If you are sitting there now and thinking as I used to ‘Great, but not for me’, I want to personally challenge you now.

Why do you say that?

Is it because it will disrupt your comfort?

Is it because you don’t want the hassle?

Or is it for some other reason?

Ask God to reveal your heart and really consider taking the challenge. Push yourself.

And if you decide to take the challenge, join our team. You can sign up here: https://www.livebelowtheline.com/team/anglia-division

Please donate and share the pages of our team so we can raise money and awareness of extreme poverty if you are unable to undertake the challenge for any reason.

Please encourage others you know to join in too.

When I start the challenge, I will try and post daily updates of how its going, what I’ve eaten, what it cost me, and how I’m feeling.

Please support in any way you can.

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