2017 has almost gone – and 2018 beckons.

Its been a busy 12 months, almost hectic at times. There have been highs. Friends have been married, others have had children. There have also been lows. Sickness and loss have never been far away.

I have been on planet earth for nearly 45yrs now, long enough to be certain that 2018 holds more of the same for all of us.

Each of us will experience at least one thing that will challenge us. For some of us, this will be something that will rock the very foundation of all that we hold dear and believe.

What will you do when that challenge comes?

Most of us don’t want to contemplate hardship, sickness or death. We are far happier blocking these thoughts out and focusing on the good things. We think that as long as we don’t entertain the thought, the reality won’t transpire, at least not to us or those we love.

My experience is that determining how you are going to react in a crisis during the crisis is a recipe for disaster. If we have thought about how we will react ahead of time, it makes it far more likely that we will indeed react like that when the crisis hits.

Around 2600yrs ago, the Prophet Jeremiah sat in a cave overlooking the Holy city of Jerusalem, as it was destroyed by the Babylonian King Nebuchadnezzar. The city of the Lord lay in ruins, its’ people taken into exile or slain. The treasures of the temple had been taken back to Babylon. Everything he knew and loved was gone. He felt deserted by the only one who mattered – God. He knew that God had promised this if the city did not turn from its wickedness – but as he watched, God felt distant.

There are many reasons that crisis may find us in 2018 – perhaps some of which will be the subject of different blogs (if I’m feeling brave). Reasons for crisis are not the subject of this blog, but how we will react when our world complelty falls apart, like it did for Jeremiah.

In spite of all that was happening  before his eyes, Jeremiah was able to pen the following –

But this I call to mind,

and therefore I have hope

The steadfast love of the LORD never ceases;

his mercies never come to an end;

they are new every morning;

great is your faithfulness.

“The LORD is my portion,” says my soul,

“therefore I will hope in him. (Lamentations 3:21-23 emphisis mine)

Jeremiah recalled something he knew of the Lord. He made a choice to recall the love and mercies of the Lord. He ceased to wallow in self pity and dispair. He didn’t focus on the problem – he focused on the Lord – the only one who held any answers in the face of such a problem.

HOPE is such a simple word. In the letter to the Hebrews, we are told that faith is the substance, the assurance of thing hoped for. The things we have faith in should be able to follow through with assurance and substance. Something we can touch and experience. Hope without faith is pointless. Faith with hope gives us assurance.

What are you hoping for in 2018? Whatever we hope for, we can be assured that God will be with us every step of the way. I choose to accept His love. I choose to recall all that He has done in 2017 (and beyond), I choose be believe that He IS GOOD.

Will trouble come my way – almost certainly. Will I allow it to take up residence in my soul – absolutely not.

I pray that whatever 2018 holds for you – whether you are facing it with exitement or with fear – that you will join me in “calling to mind” the love and mercies of the Lord, and face 2108 with renewed hope.

What does Christmas mean to you? For many, Christmas means spending time with family, gifts, and time off work. Some remember “the reason for the season” with gusto, others will only give a token nod to the baby who’s birth started the whole thing. 

The birth of babies tend to be an exciting event. I was privileged to be at the birth of both of my children. The miracle of birth, and the awe as I gazed into the faces of my newborn babies was both humbling and terrifying. I knew I had been given an amazing responsibility, and at the same time I was looking at someone who would turn my world upside down.  

I knew that there would be crying (the babies and me), smell (both again??). But most of all I knew that this baby was pretty helpless without my wife and I.

Babies are small and non threatening. They are pretty helpless for the first few years of life. For the most part all they do at first is eat, sleep and cry. Generally speaking, the birth of a baby to a “normal” family doesn’t do much to change world history. 

That’s where the birth of Jesus is different. Whilst Jesus was all that a baby could be (don’t let that peaceful nativity scene fool you) it certainly wasn’t Heaven come to earth with a whimper.  

When Jesus was born, heaven was announcing that the Lion of Judah was on the scene. That Gods plan for humanity had arrived. There was now a way to repair and restore the fracture that happened in the garden of Eden. History was forever changed. 

In the physical realm there may have been a whimper from a baby, but in the spiritual realm there was an Almighty Lion’s roar. 
We read of angels filling the sky and singing praises when the baby was born. 

The angels knew that significance of the birth. 

But there were others who trembled at the birth – because He had been born to destroy everything they were trying to achieve – and they knew that they had already lost. 

The demons knew the significance of the birth. 

My prayer this Christmas time is that as we celebrate a baby’s birth 2000 years ago, we too know the significance of the birth – and hear the Lion’s roar.

Christmas.

A time when the church tells the story of the birth of Jesus.

A time when the world hears of a young girl, travelling over difficult terrain, arrives in the dead of night, can’t find a bed and gives birth that very night in a dirty outbuilding surrounded by animals.

Just after birth, the door is opened, and a load of smelly visitors arrive, closely followed by better smelling visitors with better quality gifts.

And we wonder why the world struggles to believe one of the key messages of our story. That God put skin on and came to dwell with us. That that baby would grow, and eventually give His life to give us access to the Father. That we too might live.

We as Christians have a problem.

The world we live in demands a neatly packaged message, with all the key points in one place. So that is what the church has done with the Christmas story. All the key points, Mary and Joseph, unmarried, Mary pregnant, head to Bethlehem, baby born, Angels, visitors and gifts. All presented as the standard nativity. Everything happens within a 24 hr period so we can all get home for hot chocolate and mince pies.

But they also demand a story that makes sense when examined in detail. That is where the church has fallen short. You see, the story, as presented in nativity plays up and down the country has kept to the same basic script, and not really looked at whether it sounds plausible.

Take the stable, manger and inn for example. We all have a mental image of what that looks like. Our brains see these words and we envisage a Travelodge (other hotels are available), a barn on a dirty farm, probably miles from anywhere, and a wooden box, filled with straw. The church has conveniently concocted lessons from each of these, but the story has never quite sat comfortably with me.

The bible actually says that Mary & Joseph went to Bethlehem, and “while they were there, the time came for her to give birth”. Not on the night they arrived, but some time afterward. Where were they staying? Had they had a booking at the local motel, but had run out of money? Perhaps they had more distinguished guests that needed the room?

We are told that Joseph was a descendant of King David. That alone would have afforded him access to pretty much any home in the town. Match that with a pregnant fiancée, and there isn’t a community in the world that would not have welcomed them into their home.  If there really wasn’t room in a house, there would have been plenty of time for Mary & Joseph to travel the short distance to Mary’s relatives Elizabeth and Zechariah. They lived nearby (Mary had visited a few months earlier.)

Houses in Bethlehem at the time of Jesus would have consisted of two rooms. One, the family room, where the entire family lived. They would have eaten, slept and entertained in this room. An attached room would have been at a slightly lower level to house the family animals. The animals would have been brought in at night to keep them safe. Perhaps there would have been small hollows, filled with straw between the two rooms, so the cows could feed at night. Some houses would have had an additional room added – a guest room. The word translated “inn” can also mean guest room.

How about this for a paraphrase of events.

Mary and Joseph headed to Bethlehem, because there was to be a census, and Joseph was from Bethlehem. Although Mary was pregnant, there was plenty of time to make the journey and get settled. They stayed with one of Josephs relatives. Lots of people had returned for the census, so all the homes were a bit tight for space. Some people who had arrived early had taken up residence in the guest room, so Mary and Joseph had to squeeze in with the rest of the family.

While they were till there, Mary gave birth, surrounded by friends and family. She would have liked to have been in the guest room, but it was full, and moving the occupants out in the middle of the night wasn’t really practical. Conveniently, there was a straw filled hollow at the end of the room, and the baby was placed there to sleep.

Shepherds, who were the lowest of the low in Jewish society were watching their sheep that night. Suddenly and Angel appeared and told them not to be afraid. They thought it was a reasonable emotion, but listened to what the Angel said, and headed down to Bethlehem and found things, just as the Angel had said. They were aware of who they had found. They knew He was the Christ. And they worshipped, and then went back to their fields. Had they felt that the Saviour of the world was living in an inappropriate place, or at the very least less salubrious than their own homes, do you not think they would have offered to rehome the new family?

A couple of years later, astrologers from Arabia came looking for the new King. They brought gifts fit for a King, for they knew the importance of this birth. They had gone to the Palace in Jerusalem initially. They found a King, but not a young child. They kept their gifts, knowing that there was another, worthy recipient.

We don’t have to embellish the story to make it mysterious. We still find Angels, virgin births, and dreams. Perhaps if we start telling it like it was, rather than how “we have always told it” more people would see the truth of the story, and would want to meet the Jesus that came to earth to dwell with us, to reconcile us to the Father, and who wants to give hope and purpose to our lives.

(I unashamedly used Kenneth Bailey “Jesus Through Middle Eastern Eyes, cultural studies in the gospels” as a source for this blog. Any difference in interpretation to his original work as I paraphrased is entirely my own)

There are a lot of Christmas themed posts across social media these days. They seem to be appearing earlier and earlier, but perhaps I’m just getting older and less tolerant.Today I read an article entitled “Should parents let their children believe in Santa Claus?”
I must confess, I’ve been avoiding reading it for a few days, because I was pretty sure it was going to annoy me. I wasn’t disappointed. 

The article itself was pretty much what I expected. Basically, I was told that I was a terrible parent because I’ve done nothing to stop my children from believing in someone who doesn’t actually exist. (except for the fact that he does – he just doesn’t live at the North Pole, he lives in Loose)

I wonder if those that have been getting very het up (some of the comments are priceless) at the idea that children believing in Santa will mess them up for life will also prevent their children having imaginary friends, or watching films where something magical happens. In the Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe there are talking beavers and Lions and ‘animals’ that don’t exist. I’m pretty sure that the people who don’t agree with Santa would have no problem with letting their children immerse themselves in this fantasy. Or allowing them to read books where a rabbit and a fox are the best of friends, or giants give their scarves to giraffes with a cold neck.

 My son plays with Lego, (like normal 8-year olds) and talks to the pieces, describes conversations and adventures with them (again, like normal 8-olds). Am I to stop him, tell him to stop believing the pieces of plastic are real?

I get the fact that we need to tell our kids the “real meaning of Christmas.” We try to present the truth in an accessible way for our kids. We look for a way each year to remind them of the Christmas story. Sometimes this is through a “Jesse tree”, sometimes through doing a “Christmas story advent calendar.”

Truth is important – I don’t dispute that – but the suggestion that believing in Santa Claus will confuse children is later life is, in my opinion ridiculous. 

Perhaps if we were more focused on our  relationship with the Jesus whose birth is celebrated at Christmas there would be less of a need to get tied up in things that probably don’t matter.  Some people (and many of them commented on the original article) seem to have a theologically, rational and logical relationship with a set of rules, which they hope will get them a ticket out of here and into heaven, but they are missing a relationship with the Jesus who wants us to come to him as little children. Innocent, trusting, willing to dream huge dreams, take huge risks and see amazing things happen.  

As adults we understand more than our children do. But I think there is still a place for wonder, and imagination. If we were honest, I don’t think any of us can fully understand how the God of the Universe appeared on earth as a baby. Or how choirs of the heavenly host appeared to shepherds watching their flocks, without disturbing the rest of Bethlehem. We must use our imagination.

I don’t believe that God wants us merely to think about things. The Greeks were great at thinking, and discussing things. And the Greeks were also great at tying themselves up in knots and not actually believing anything concrete.

If I am to see things “beyond that which I can ask OR imagine” I’m going to make sure I ask AND imagine some pretty big things. If I am imagining, isn’t that the same as believing something that isn’t there.

Quite apart from the fact that I don’t believe we can “stop” or “allow” our kids to believe anything they don’t want to, I’m pretty convinced we should be promoting the opposite – get them to dream big. Tell them of a God who loves them and wants the best for them. Who has a plan for them. And that plan is huge!

“I don’t want to ride on someone else’s passion

I don’t want to find that I’m just dry bones

I wanna burn with unquenchable fire

Deep down inside, see or coming alive

Help me find my own flame

Help me find my own fire

I want the real thing

I want your burning desire.”

These words from the United Pursuit song “help me find my own flame” have been going through my head for the past week or so.

Over a year ago, I stepped down from serving on the ministry team at the European School of Supernatural Life (ESSL). There were a number of reasons for this, but one of the key ones was that I had begun to wonder if the supernatural things I’d been experiencing were real for me, or just happening because I was around people who it was real for, and I was just “freeloading” off their blessings. If it really were true for me, I should be able to “do the stuff” when there was just me and God.

I wanted to me sure that it was me that was burning. I was pretty sure I was – but I needed to be 100% convinced.

There is no doubt in my mind that spending time with others on the same mission as you are on is vital. I think it was Bill Johnson who said “ if you want to slay giants, spend time with giant slayers.”

On the other hand, spending time with those who have no vision, those that we satisfied with the way things are has the opposite effect and can result in stagnation.

I believe that there is more to experience than I currently do. I believe in order to experience the ‘more’ it needs to be me that is burning with desire to see it.

I’ve also learned that I’m supposed to be me. God has a plan for me. And He has a plan for you. And the chances of them being the same are highly unlikely. We can be on the same mission, and have different roles on that mission. Your job may be highly visible – preaching, teaching, leading. It might be much more covert – listening, loving or cooking. Each role is vital – but if I try to do the same job as you, and don’t do mine to the very best of my ability – it doesn’t work like it’s supposed to.

It’s ok to celebrate others successes – and I think it is really important – but don’t let’s begin to covet them.

In my year away I discovered that I am indeed burning. Perhaps not as ferociously as I might be, or want to be, but there is definitely a flame. I’m not riding passion of others.

I went back to ESSL this last week, to visit and and was struck by the gentleness of God. There were so many questions I had about how He felt about me. He didn’t tell me off for leaving. He wasn’t cross. He hadn’t left me to fend for myself.

What He did say was that the rest was His idea. That it was good for me. That He hadn’t left me.

But He also said it was time to pick up the baton and start running again. I’m not sure the exact nature of the baton I’ve to pick up this time, or which direction I’ve to run. But I know it’s time. The wounds have had time to heal, it’s time to run again.

This is my new prayer.

Lord I want more of you

Living water rain down on me

Lord I need more of you

Living breath come fill me up. (Jesus Culture)

A little late to the party on this one, but I saw somehing today that made me think.

The death of Hugh Hefner, the founder of the Playboy empire has been reported in one of two ways, depending on where you get your news and editorials.

The major news channels in the UK have described the man who was one of the principal architects of the social revolution as a success. At the time of his death he was worth millions of dollars. His influence reached far and wide across the globe.

Hefner himself is quoted as saying “I was like a kid in a candy store. I dreamed impossible dreams, and the dreams turned out to be beyond anything I could possibly imagine. I’m the luckiest guy on the planet.”

On the other hand, I have found articles berating him, citing him as the main cause of the breakup of social structures, marriages and decency. In these articles (mainly on respected “Christian” sites) there seems to be a general hatred of the man. They hold him solely responsible for the destruction of family values and the objectification of women. One article only brought one scripture to bear on the subject – 1 Peter 2:11 – “Beloved, I urge you, as sojourners and exiles to abstain from the passions of the flesh, which wage war against your soul.”

Don’t misunderstand me – I don’t disagree with the verse. I know only too well how difficult it can be to guard your mind, eyes and soul in an age where everything is available at the click of a mouse.  I just wonder if maybe we have missed something of the message of Jesus as we strive to make sure we have ticked all the boxes.

I wonder if maybe Jesus would have spent time with Hugh. I wonder if Jesus would have loved Hugh. Not condoned his behaviour, or his publications – but Hugh the person. I wonder if Jesus would have asked Hugh what it was about his experience of church that made him want to run away and not to have anything to do with it, or with Jesus.

I’m pretty sure that’s what would have happened. And when Jesus spent time with people, loving them, unconditionally, without judging them (even though He had every right to), perhaps they would take a different path. I don’t think Jesus would be glad Hugh had died, and we shouldn’t  either – it should break our hearts. Another soul lost – one more that never knew the love of Father God, that knew peace beyond understanding.

Personally, I don’t think that the depravity of mankind is the construct of Hugh Hefner. I think the depravity of man started many years ago, in a garden, with a choice.

The choice of whether to let God be God, or to try and be god ourselves. I think when we don’t let God be God, when we remove Him from the equation, we will try pretty much anything and everything to fit the God shaped hole the is left. Nothing else will every fill that hole.

If I’m honest – I quite like part of the Hefner quote near the beginning of this blog. He said that he dreamt impossible dreams, and saw these impossible dreams become reality.

As Christians, we are told in Ephesians 3:20, that God can do superabundantly more than we dare ask or think (infinitely beyond our greatest prayers, hopes or dreams, according to His power that is at work within us. (AMP)

What are your dreams? Perhaps you wish that things like Playboy (and significantly more graphic) things weren’t so accessible.

Perhaps you dream to see the NHS transformed, to see sickness vanish at a word.

Maybe you just want to be able to find the right words at the right time to change a situation, to speak life where there is death.

Superabundantly more – I dare you to dream big!!

I saw a headline the other day on a satirical website. It read “Power of God waits in foyer until chorus of ‘Holy Spirit’”.  The article went on to talk about how the worship leader of this particular church didn’t realise that you had to actually welcome Holy Spirit before he would come in and interact with us.

All a bit tongue in cheek I know – but it got me thinking.

Our experience may not be that far from the headline. How often do we go to church, and find it is around song number three before we begin to “feel it”. We need a couple of good rousing tunes to get us into the mood, then we “welcome Holy Spirit”, and then He can get on with changing us.

The truth is Holy Spirit is already there. If you are a Christian, you already have Holy Spirit living inside – and you were designed to leak.

What many of us fail to realise, often because we have been brought up in church, and know the ‘lingo’ is that worship doesn’t start when the music starts.

I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. – Romans 12:1

I understand that there are pressures and difficulties in life – but I’ve found that actively doing this each day really does make a difference.

And I am convinced that if we arrive at church tomorrow, already worshipping the God of the universe, then we won’t have to wait until song three for something amazing to happen.

Post truth seems to be a popular phrase these days – the concept that you can cherry pick your facts to fit your world view. I really struggle with this because I believe there is only one truth. You don’t get to decide what is true. Something is either true or it isn’t. 

Truth just is. 

George Orwell once said “the further a society drifts from the truth, the more it will hate those who speak it.” One just has to watch the news to see how true this is. People identify as all sorts of things, and no one is allowed to dispute it because each of us get to define our own version of truth. 

I think truth is really important. I was chatting to a friend a couple of days ago and the subject of truth came up. When it comes to my faith, I want to know the truth – and once found, I want to share it with others, so they can know the truth too. My desire to be right doesn’t always come across in the way I intend (not everyone feels the love behind my sharing) – when I have hold of a truth, I can get quite evangelical about it. The conflict arises when others have found their own truth. The problem is we can’t both be right. 

I want to be right – not in a “I’m better than you” sort of way, but in a “this Christianity thing is really important and if I’m sharing it with someone I want to be sure I am sharing the right thing, not some near truth. 

Later that evening, I got to thinking about something Jesus said in John’s gospel. . “So Jesus said to the Jews who had believed him, “If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” – John 8:31-32

I don’t know about you, but I’ve always taken that to mean the pursuit of knowledge (about the right things) would bring the freedom Jesus was talking about. I mean, if you study hard, read lots, listen to lots of clever preachers, you have to be free from all the confusion of not knowing things. I’ve spent large parts of my life studying, striving for that freedom that I knew would come if I just pursued truth just a little bit more. 

The issue is that when I do that,  I don’t feel free. Every time I think I’m there, someone suggests something else that I need to learn and the cycle starts again. 

I don’t believe that Jesus wants to tie us up in knots like that – so maybe I’ve missed something. 
I think maybe the answer comes later on in John chapter 14, verse 6. 

Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. 

Jesus says here that He is the truth. 

And the life. 

And the way.  

I wonder if The Way to real Life, meaningful Life, Life that lasts (eternally) is through knowing The Truth. 
My more recent life experience is that this is true. The only real freedom comes from knowing Him. Books are great. Listening to sermons either “live” or as podcasts useful, but nothing beats spending time with the one who made you, one who has plans for you that are “beyond what you can ask or imagine.” 

The beauty of this is that I still get to study. The difference is that now I am searching for Him, not searching for information about Him. It’s a journey – I hope you’ll join me on it – I guarantee it’s worth it. 

And that’s the truth. 

When a fruit tree grows it only reveals its true identity when the fruit is produced. Until that point it is simply a tree. The fruit starts small, and, as long as the tree stays connected to its roots, receiving the correct nutrients the fruit will continue to grow and mature until it is ready to eat.
We have an apple tree in our garden – we always try and eat the apples before they are ready – and it is never a good thing. They need to be left to get bigger and sweeten. We can taste the potential – we know they are going to be good – but they need to be left for a while.
If left alone, the tree will eventually drop the fruit – it will enrich the surrounding ground, but little else. Our apple tree usually produces more apples than we can pick, or eat (and the wasps usually have a few too), but many of them end up creating an ‘apple carpet’ at the bottom of our garden.
If a tree is properly cared for (we try, but gardening really isn’t our thing) the fruit is picked and consumed – others benefit from the goodness.
Notice that the tree itself doesn’t eat the fruit – it is for the benefit of others.

So it is with the Spirit filled Christian. Attached, plumbed in to the nutrients of the Word, local church and Holy Spirit, the fruit that only comes from Holy Spirit begins to develop. Young at first, we will quickly mature and produce good fruit.

But just like the fruit tree the fruit isn’t for our consumption.

Being connected to people I think is really important – otherwise the fruit we are producing goes to waste. How can we demonstrate the fruit of kindness and gentleness if there is no one around to be kind and gentle to?
Don’t let it fall to the ground, ‘uneaten’, stay connected to the source, produce fruit, and lots of it, and sweeten the community you are a part of.