Labour Pains

I recently went through labour and childbirth (again). I shall not regale you with details but it hurts. A lot. And then some. And possibly some more again. However, the result is incredible. A gorgeous family.

What this experience also does for me is to realise that I came into this world the same way. In a burst of agony and persistence.

Those of us fortunate to live in a society with excellent medical care means that child birth related fatalities are far, far less than they once were.

Months after I had my first baby, someone I know was due to visit from their native home in Uganda. However, they were delayed as their sister in law had died during child birth. That woman had the same medical issues as I had during my time in labour. There but for the grace of God go I.

"You have to live on 24 hours of daily time. Out of it you have to spin health, pleasure, money, content, respect and the evolution of your immortal soul. It's right use, it's most effective use, is a matter of the highest urgency... do not squander time for time is the stuff that life is made of".

The Daily Miracle, Arnold Bennet. 19th Century Novelist.

Someone in my family lives by the motto "you're a long time dead'. As a driving thought it is up there with "life isn't a dress rehearsal". I don't think Christians like these saying very much, and there are plenty of words from the Bible to reinforce the whole foundation of the principle of eternity.

I like these sayings though, and while you might believe you have eternal life once saved by Jesus Christ (all you have to do is ask *insert prompt*), the ideology is also clear that this isn't the path for everyone. For more details see the Parable of the Sower for example (Matthew 13 Jesus geeks).

The reason I subscribe to this life not being a dress rehearsal, and us being out of this world a lot longer that we are in it, is that this is an amazing, incredible, impressive existence!

The world we live in, from a simple yet unique sunset, to the most complex and baffling of scientific studies - there can be beauty right from a cellular level, up to a complete panorama of scenic drama.

What a waste to never make the most of this most incredible experience, and to never contemplate that it may indeed continue for eternity.


image (c) weheartit.com

Don't just stand there... believe something!

 

 

 

The Collins Dictionary defines faith as:

1. strong or unshakeable belief in something, esp without proof or evidence
2. a specific system of religious beliefs ⇒ the Jewish faith
3. (Christianity) trust in God and in his actions and promises
4. a conviction of the truth of certain doctrines of religion, esp when this is not based on reason
5. complete confidence or trust in a person, remedy, etc
6. any set of firmly held principles or beliefs
7. allegiance or loyalty, as to a person or cause
 

It also gives details that the word originated from the Anglo-French feid, from Latin fidēs trust, confidence.

 

G.K.Chesterton makes an interesting point. Standing in the right place doesn't define what you are.

 

Maybe you went to church once and thought it was a waste of time. Maybe you go for forced social events only. Maybe you quite like sitting in old churches and feeling the silence around you. Maybe you used to 'go' to church and now you don't. Maybe you have been hurt by the church. Maybe you think the church is outdated, removed from popular culture, full of bigots and self rightous objectors.

 

The Christian world has an irritating phrase, on asking about someone, the question "are they churched?" is often asked. The image I get in my head from this is of a cartoon factory assembly line, with a big church on a metal arm punching down over some unsuspecting person, and as the arm lifts up for the next punch, a neat little Christian rolls of the assembly line.

 

You can look at those definitions of faith and ask if any of them are reflected in a religous building.

 

What defines you is not where you stand on a Sunday morning. What defines you is what stands in your heart.

 

My next point follows the inevitable conjunction...

 

BUT...

 

BUT ... there is a calling on our lives.

 

BUT... there is a need to nurture what dwells within us.

 

BUT... there is a time to stop and listen.

 

BUT... we need to learn about we say we believe.

 

BUT... there is a bigger picture.

 

When I am asked about why there are so many churches when they all believe the same thing, my response is totally not based in any theological teaching.

 

In my view churches are like supermarkets. They all stock pretty much the same items, some branded differently, some branded the same. They all like to appeal to their own crowd; usually as a point on the social scale - those living on a budget, or those financially better off. Some have better branding, better parking. Some are in every town, some are harder to find. Some give you a better service. Some just want you in and out, and are all about function. Some you wonder who still shops there.

 

You have your own supermarket preference, even if you choose to go as infrequently as possible.

 

You go there because you need something.

 

You go there as a requirement of having something in the house when the cupboards are bare.

 

You go there to bump into people you know.

 

You go there because out of habit.

 

You go there because you like the way they do things.

 

Or you go there because you are one of their kind of people!

 

Jesus left behind a group of people who were desperate to see out his vision, his teaching, his ministry.

 

If you do too maybe you should go to church. See the view from somewhere else for a change.

 

image (c) picsmeme.com

I'm with Miss Piggy

 

"I plan to write more books whenever I can find the appropriate writing attire and color-coordinated pen."
Miss Piggy

 

I love writing. I love words. I held a dream once that I was going to write a book. A real book, that even got published. Some days I think it might still happen. Most days I believe it won't.

The really sad thing is that I got >< this far to achieving it. I did a course. Not just any course. A good post graduate course at a good university. My writing was ok. So ok I was offered a place on a phd in Creative Writing.

It didn't happen. Life got in the way. That attic writing room overlooking the sea hasn't materialised. My purpose bought laptop is great for social media networking and writing a blog. There were marketing jobs.

My dream has disintegrated before my potential got a hold of it.

Faith can do that too. Believing in something is a strange concept in itself. Having a faith is more than just believing. We can do many things that come close to living out what we believe. Get offered some great chances. Then it just slides.

It takes perseverence, dedication and a willingness to keep going. Faith needs movement. It needs investment and it needs you to believe, in yourself, in your future, in the bigger picture.

Don't wait for the right moment. Now is as close as you are going to get.

Faith needs action.

Dear friends, do you think you’ll get anywhere in this if you learn all the right words but never do anything? Does merely talking about faith indicate that a person really has it? For instance, you come upon an old friend dressed in rags and half-starved and say, “Good morning, friend! Be clothed in Christ! Be filled with the Holy Spirit!” and walk off without providing so much as a coat or a cup of soup—where does that get you? Isn’t it obvious that God-talk without God-acts is outrageous nonsense? I can already hear one of you agreeing by saying, “Sounds good. You take care of the faith department, I’ll handle the works department.” Not so fast. You can no more show me your works apart from your faith than I can show you my faith apart from my works. Faith and works, works and faith, fit together hand in glove.

Do I hear you professing to believe in the one and only God, but then observe you complacently sitting back as if you had done something wonderful? That’s just great. Demons do that, but what good does it do them? Use your heads! Do you suppose for a minute that you can cut faith and works in two and not end up with a corpse on your hands?

From James chapter 2 (The Message)
 image (c) style.mtv.com

This little light...

Something very sad happened in my town this week. Someone took their own life. A guy in his forties, always seen going about his business with a white German Shepherd dog in his company. Known to everyone, yet actually really known to a very few.

This person worked in the local supermarket and I would go to his checkout when I could, he was quite sparkly and always had a smile and a friendly word. But only on the outside it would now seem...

We can all get angry with God about the very sad, unquantifiable amount of injustice and pain in the world.

But my first thought was not of anger but more that if only I had known that man was suffering so, so much - I could have... I could have what? Not 'talk' to him. He did not know me. I did not really know him. But I do know a lot of other people. We cannot be responsible for everyone in the world, but we can take responsiblity for some.

Take the light that you have within you, the light that I believe comes from God, and breathe it into the world around you. See people, really see them - and the ones that you care for, do something to make their world a better place. Even it is a tiny gesture that requires a ridiculous amount of effort.

If you see someone heading to, or residing in that dark place, then do not give up, do not let the darkness win.

The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.

From John 10:10

Time Travelling with a companion of faith

I had a weird experience last week. I time travelled. Not literally. Which is a shame. If I ever see a tardis I'll be off.

Today I was surrounded by people who made me feel like the person I used to be around ten years ago.

Age is a strange thing, as is time. One minute you are in your teens, with life to live and you can't get enough done and there aren't enough opportunities, then in your twenties there are finding out what limitations might feel like, due the real world and expectations crashing into each other, then in your thirties there is a resignation almost, a realisation of your place in the world.

And the last fifteen or twenty years seem to have had some fast forward catastrophe... just like in a DVD where you can jump scenes every few minutes, your life becomes a series of moments that stick. Where did all the inbetween stuff go?

So, do we want to be the person we were ten years ago? Or do we want to be who we are now? What if we were a faith filled, taking on the world type person ten years ago? What if that isn't who we are now? Should we try and reach back in time to recapture the past, or do we look forward with wisdom, integrity, confidence and ambition?

And if you see a blue police box (bigger on the inside) do let me know.

Even to your old age and grey hairs
I am he, I am he who will sustain you.
I have made you and I will carry you;
I will sustain you and I will rescue you.

Isaiah 46:4 Jesus Geeks.

image (c) tardisadventures.tumblr

Keep on keeping on

 

Faith is a strange journey, there can be blinding moments of certainty and deep, dark moments of doubt.

Questioning your belief is a good thing. Testing what you know to be true is important.

Sometimes our heads play games with us, to say nothing of our hearts. Knowing what the bible says, contextualising it, knowing the history behind it helps.

But if you know what you believe, and you hold on to it with precious certainty... then refine it. Do what you can to strengthen it - and all the time improve it, even if it is with one challenge at a time.

I am honoured to be featured as a guest blogger on a great blog which features 52 challenges related to your relationship with God, to take you throughout the year. Have a look at it. Being challenged is a good thing.

http://god52.wordpress.com/

"But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you."

Matthew 6:33 Jesus geeks.

image (c) quotesandsayingsblog

Faith Crashing

My old job had a simple 7 mile commute by car. Not a very exciting commute, but a stretch of one road winding through a rural landscape of green fields and rolling hillside. I never moved out of fourth gear, hardly ever had to overtake another vehicle and apart from the day a telegraph pole had landed across the road - never saw anything interesting.

One day however, everyone else got to see something spectacular when that road was closed. By two cars. One of which was mine.

All I saw was:

1) a car on the wrong side of the road, travelling sideways
2) my airbag
3) two ambulances
4) one paramedic vehicle
5) two off duty nurses running towards me
6) three police cars
7) some nice policemen and paramedics
8) a recovery vehicle
9) rubberneckers galore

As two old farmers stood staring at my car while the emergency services did their thing, I walked over and broke into their conversation - they could not believe that I was the driver. They looked at my car, looked at me (bruised, scratched, clothes ripped, massively shocked but still standing) and could not believe what they saw. One even said that "someone up there must be looking after me" or some such comment.

This looks like it will be the kind of blog post that says how amazing God is, as I survived what was a hideous accident. And YES, God is amazing, I could have died. The recovery truck driver regaled me with some gruesome tales, none of which were the most tactful of conversations for someone who has just had a car accident.

But this blog post is about the detail.

What followed was part 2 of the nightmare - finding out to my total shock and dismay, that my car was not registered with all the right paperwork. I had given someone else the responsibility to do it, when it was actually mine.

One day we are all going to die. The buck stops there. With you.

I had milliseconds of knowing I was about to be in that accident before I was in it. I didn't say to myself "oh dear I hope all the paperwork for the car is in order". Thinking about the afterlife options weren't a default setting either. I didn't think about anything really. Just sort of processed disbelief.

You need to get your paperwork in order ahead of  time. Think things through beforehand. There are beliefs, faiths, options. You need to know what they are. Your time will come, just like everyone else.

"The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full." "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life."

Jesus geeks should know these verses off by heart but are from John 10:10 & 3:16

image(c)ohmylovequotes