Advent Conspiracy

So I know Christmas day is tomorrow and this is all probably a bit late for this year but I thought it was about time I did a quick blog about this because it's an excellent idea not just for Christmas time but for all year round and birthdays, etc.

It's annoying (and if it's not then it should be) how we (the richest people in the world) waste a load of money buying each other more unnecessary (and often completely useless) stuff at Christmas.  If Christmas has anything to do with Jesus at all (which it mostly doesn't these days but maybe it should) then it should be good news to the poor as much as to anyone else - maybe even more than to anyone else. 

It's easy enough to make Christmas (or any time we feel like buying presents) a decent opportunity to really help the poor.

Check out the Advent Conspiracy

And a great way to actually do what they're suggesting is by using Oxfam Unwrapped to buy people presents that change and save lives.  Check out the TV ad here.

Let's take Christmas back!  Let's change it and make it about something better and maybe we'll encounter God in the process.

Matthew 25:31-46

Snow day

[Photo from BBC]

So last night we had about 6 inches of snow - brilliant!  But why does so much in this country grind to a halt when it snows?  For what it's worth, here are my 3 theories...
  1. People get stupid.  Maybe because it's less frequent (in the SW at least), people forget that when there loads of slippery snow and ice around, you have to drive a bit slower and maybe not try and tackle big hills.  Loads of cars stuck on Haldon Hill this morning apparently.  What were they thinking?
  2. People get scared.  Probably because of the stories of stupid people, other people get too scared to go out and do anything at all because of all the accidents.  I know it's not safe for everyone to go out but most people could manage it if they used their brains and were more careful.  Most other countries that get more snow than us seem to manage.
  3. It's fun!  Why carry on working if you can play in the snow and get away with it?  And why go out at all if you can stay in and watch Die Hard?  Exactly.

How good is the good news of Jesus?

This could be a big one (forgiveness, friendship with God, life to the full, life forever, etc, etc, etc) but I've just been amazed at how people can choose to follow Jesus and not realise how amazing grace really is and that God's forgiveness is total, complete and permanent.  If you think following Jesus means you still need to work hard to earn God's love and not lose his forgiveness, think again because it's much better than that!  Am I making it up?  No!  It's all in the Bible if we want to go looking (and we should - especially if we say we follow Jesus)...

Ephesians 1:3-14
Ephesians 2:1-10

The passages above are an incredible list of all the amazing things God has given everyone who has put their trust in Jesus.  Have a good read and try and take it all in!  It's better than you think and it doesn't depend on you!  There's nothing you can do to make God love you any more or any less than he does right now and if you've put your faith in Jesus, he's given you so much and it's a done deal!  Jesus has saved you and there's no going back!

Loving that.

Mark 6:6-12 Bible study questions

  1. Jesus is sending his disciples on a mission.  How is the mission organised and what does he give them for the job (v7)?
  2. The mission would involve some of the stuff Jesus had been doing.  Have a scan back through the previous stories in Mark.  What kind of things was Jesus sending them to do?
  3. What does he tell them to take with them (v8-9)?  Why do you think this was all they needed?
  4. If the welcome was good, what should they do (v10)?  Why do you think this is?
  5. If the welcome was bad, what should they do and why (v11)?
  6. Miracles were part of it but what was the main focus of the mission (v12)?
  7. What can we learn from this about our mission if we're following Jesus?  
  8. How is our mission going?  
  9. What kind of things should we be saying/doing?  What kind of questions might help?  
  10. What should we be praying for?

Small is beautiful?

I've been loving listening to 'Dinosaurs will die' by NOFX recently.  Great band.  Great song.  Thoughtful lyrics too about the music industry.

The punk in me loves bucking trends and leapfrogging right over the organised system of things, especially when they're driven by money.  'Underground', 'small', 'personal', 'real', 'honest' - these are all words that appeal to me and I think for good reason but is small always good?  I admit I have a bias towards narrow appeal but what if there was something big that was good - even better than anything or anyone else?

As well as being a punk, I'm a Christian and that means (to start with) that I believe in God - the one who's bigger than any of us and better too.  I believe he's the ultimate and that we can know him personally and live for him and expect big things to happen.  Big but not big because of money or commercial success - just big because it's God and he does things big.

So what's this about?  I'm not sure.  Maybe that I shouldn't always be instinctively against things just because they're big and organised.  We should be more discerning than that.  Maybe when God has anything to do with anything, big budgets might be a part of it and maybe even commercial 'success'?  Who knows?  One thing's for sure though, only the best good things will survive when everything else dies out.  Dinosaurs will die and in the meantime, I'll try not to be so skeptical.

Mark blog

  1. Intro - The action is go!
  2. Mark 1:1-8 - Big plans, big news
  3. Mark 1:9-20 - Drop what you're doing
  4. Mark 1:21-45 - The mission kicks off
  5. Mark 2:1-12 - Forgiving sin and proving it
  6. Mark 2:13-17 - Sick and stuck
  7. Mark 2:18-22 - Not so fast
  8. Mark 2:22-3:6 - Troublemaker
  9. Mark 3:7-12 - Pulling a crowd
  10. Mark 3:13-19 - Choosy
  11. Mark 3:20-34 - Forget about it
  12. Mark 4:1-20 - What does it take?
  13. Mark 4:21-25 - Show time!
  14. Mark 4:26-34 - Seeds  
  15. Mark 4:35-41 - Quite a storm!
  16. Mark 5:1-20 - Not about pigs  
  17. Mark 5:21-43 - Touch
  18. Mark 6:1-6 - Prophet or loss?  
  19. Mark 6:6-13 - Over to you!
  20. Mark 6:14-29 - Herod's guilt
  21. Mark 6:30-44 - Feeding 5000   
  22. Mark 6:45-56 - Walking on water
  23. Mark 7:1-23 - Religion sucks!  
  24. Mark 7:24-30 - To the dogs
  25. Mark 7:31-37 - Ephphatha!  
  26. Mark 8:1-21 - Miracle meal and missing the point
  27. Mark 8:22-30 - Opening eyes physically and spiritually  
  28. Mark 8:31-38 - Cross words
  29. Mark 9:1-13 - A rare glimpse!  
  30. Mark 9:14-29 - Prayer power
  31. Mark 9:30-37 - True greatness  
  32. Mark 9:38-42 - Starting where people are
  33. Mark 9:43-50 - Cut it off!  
  34. Mark 10:1-12 - Promises, promises
  35. Mark 10:13-31 - Childlike or richlike?  
  36. Mark 10:32-34 - Monumental predictions!
  37. Mark 10:35-45 - The power of serving  
  38. Mark 10:46-52 - Seeing things
  39. Mark 11:1-11 - Donkey  
  40. Mark 11:12-26 - Angry like Jesus
  41. Mark 11:27-33 - Questioning authority  
  42. Mark 12:1-12 - In for the kill
  43. Mark 12:13-17 - Right on the money!  
  44. Mark 12:18-27 - Resurrection and marriage
  45. Mark 12:28-34 - Love God, love others  
  46. Mark 12:35-44 - Looking carefully
  47. Mark 13 - The end of the world  
  48. Mark 14:1-11 - Anointing and betrayal
  49. Mark 14:12-26 - The new Passover  
  50. Mark 14:27-31 - Known failure
  51. Mark 14:32-42 - Suffering for suffering  
  52. Mark 14:43-52 - Jesus is arrested
  53. Mark 14:53-72 - Unfair trials and bitter tears  
  54. Mark 15:1-20 - And justice for all
  55. Mark 15:21-32 - Crucified and mocked
  56. Mark 15:33-47 - Jesus: dead and buried  
  57. Mark 16 - Jesus is alive!
Back to Bible book blogs

Micah blog

  1. Micah 1-4 (idolatry, injustice and ideals)
  2. Micah 5-7 (brutality, humility and hope)
Back to Bible book blogs

Ecclesiastes blog

  1. Intro 
  2. Ecclesiastes 1 (meaningless) 
  3. Ecclesiastes 2:1-11 (satisfaction)
  4. Ecclesiastes 2:12-16 (wisdom)
  5. Ecclesiastes 2:17-26 (work)
  6. Ecclesiastes 3:1-8 (time)
  7. Ecclesiastes 3:9-22 (legacy)
  8. Ecclesiastes 4:1-12 (solidarity)
  9. Ecclesiastes 4:13-16 (political leadership)
  10. Ecclesiastes 5:1-7 (awesome silence)
  11. Ecclesiastes 5:8-20 (contentment)
  12. Ecclesiastes 6 (struggle)
  13. Ecclesiastes 7:1-5 (choices)
  14. Ecclesiastes 7:6-12 (practical wisdom)
  15. Ecclesiastes 7:13-18 (a mixed bag)
  16. Ecclesiastes 7:19-29 (schemes)
  17. Ecclesiastes 8:1-8 (authority)
  18. Ecclesiastes 8:9-17 (justice)
  19. Ecclesiastes 9:1-12 (death)
  20. Ecclesiastes 9:13-18 (up-side down)
  21. Ecclesiastes 10:1-4 (stay calm)
  22. Ecclesiastes 10:5-11 (risk)
  23. Ecclesiastes 10:12-15 (words)
  24. Ecclesiastes 10:16-20 (laziness)
  25. Ecclesiastes 11:1-6 (invest)
  26. Ecclesiastes 11:7-10 (youth)
  27. Ecclesiastes 12 (now and forever)
Back to Bible book blogs

Q&A blogs

Here's where we've done question and answer sessions and I've blogged my answers (most recent first), hoping they might be helpful.

HEALTH WARNING: Please don't take my word for anything.  I'm trying to get my best thoughts from God's words in the Bible, which is why I point to parts of it in my answers.  I strongly recommend studying the Bible to see what God says.  Also, I'm learning!  The careful reader will notice my views have shifted on some things over the years that this blog has been running.  I've left everything in because it shows something of the journey I've been on.  That said, I hope my answers will help you on your journey too! :)

If you can't find your question, you can message me.
Also check out these video clips and discussion questions.

Jun 2019 at St Peter's School
Answers from youth leaders on suffering, God, the Bible, sex, doubts, Jesus, becoming a Christian, relationship with God, love, hell, the Holy Spirit.

Jan 2018 Weymouth Family Church
Fine without God, healing, disasters, reading the Bible, evangelism, western church, prayer, discipleship, injustice, purpose, colour, making a difference, other faiths, atheism, trinity.

Jan 2018 Youth Club at Cornerstone
Reasons for believing, creation, LGBTQ, suffering, Jesus, the end of the world

Jan 2018 Mega Club at Cornerstone
Jesus, God, creation, healing, etc.

Jan 2018 Our Citygate Community Group
Healing, hearing God, homelessness, giving, poverty, eldership, Revelation, love, children, animals, baptism, tattoos and piercings, divorce, inequality, God's sovereignty

Nov 2015 Off The Wall at Belmont
Forgiveness, following Jesus, science, eternity, Christians, jokes, the Bible, drinking, divorce, war, God's existence, doubts, intervention, denomonations

2014 Off The Wall at Belmont
Natural disasters, suicide, poverty, punishment, chickens, relationships, sex, homosexuality, assurance, forgiveness, church, heaven.
   
Feb 2012 Soul Cafe/Jam Club
Favourites, unanswered prayer, love, the Bible, childbirth, sexism, Jaffa Cakes, God, The Big Bang, high school, wars, natural disasters, religion, languages, self.
 
Nov 2011 ECCU
Guidance, healing, angels, Israel, killing, war, abortion, forgiveness, losing faith, living dangerously, alcohol, suffering, prayer, violent video games, OT adultery, sex, 'good lies', Bible burning, favourite Bible verses, unborn children, sexism, sharing scripture, OT/NT contradictions.

Mar 2011 The Big Question at Kings School, Ottery
Is religion good for society?  Should same sex couples be allowed to adopt?  Does prison work?  Should fertility be left to nature?

Aug 2010 DCYC
Drugs, sex, love, abortion, homosexuality, heaven, the Bible, other religions, TV, politics, prayer, personal vision, partying, temptation, God's gender

Jul 2009 Off The wall at Belmont
Suffering, abortion, unforgivable sin, suicide, self-harm, drinking, going out with a non-Christian, fashion, Jesus, God's plans and our free will, Satan, doubts, romance, finding God, family, church, dreams, creationism and evolution, etc

More

Uncover by UCCF 
Lots of videos of qualified experts answering 7 of the biggest questions people have about Jesus.

One Minute Apologist
Another Christian answering questions in short video form.

Reasonable Faith
Christian and Philosopher - William Lane Craig's site.  Stodgy articles for the scholarly AND some snappy videos for simpler people like me!

Bible book blogs

Here's some books of the Bible I've blogged my way though, trying to helpfully unpack and apply to our lives today...

 Home

Tutor group blogs

Brief blogs with videos, discussion questions and prayers for tutor groups or other small groups.
  1. 58
  2. Bungee
  3. Carlsberg
  4. Christian 
  5. Facebook
  6. Firework
  7. Is this it?
  8. Lecrae  
  9. Make it stop
  10. Outdoors
  11. Questions
  12. Refugee
  13. Religion
  14. Story from North America
  15. Thou shat not  
  16. Transient Global Amnesia
  17. Broken
  18. Gospel
  19. Penn
  20. Head
  21. Skater
  22. Mez
  23. Anywhere but here
  24. God
  25. Sex
  26. Mind Control Fungus
  27. Saw
  28. Jessica
  29. Porn
  30. Symmetry
  31. Moments
  32. Man cold
  33. Nail
  34. Teachers
  35. Ready to fall
  36. Friendship

Mark 4:1-20 - What does it take?

Ever wondered why some people just can't bring themselves to believe the good news of Jesus and follow him?  Maybe you're not convinced yourself and you wonder why apparently intelligent, reasonable people have given their lives to him.

There are so many responses to Jesus and his message and in this passage, Jesus tells a parable to help us understand why and what his followers should do about it.

Mark 4:1-20

I won't try and explain Jesus' parable too much because he does that himself!  Basically when God's message goes out, there seems to be at least 4 kinds of response...
  1. Path - People hear it but it just bounces off and makes no difference.
  2. Rocky ground - People hear it and follow for a while but it doesn't last because their faith and commitment is not deep enough to withstand the challenges.
  3. Thorns - People hear it, believe and follow but at the same time because of worries and temptations they allow other priorities to crowd in and they live a compromised life.
  4. Good soil - People hear it, believe it, receive Jesus, follow him, begin a life-changing journey, they stick with him through challenges, don't get distracted by other priorities and they share him with others too.
So what about that middle bit where it sounds a bit like Jesus doesn't really want everyone to believe (v10-12)?  What's the problem with everyone turning and being forgiven?  Doesn't Jesus want everyone?

Well I think the right understanding of this is to do with what it takes for a person to respond to Jesus.  Jesus is explaining why he chooses to use parables rather than speaking plainly.  It's about a person having faith so when they hear the message of Jesus, they are able to believe and follow like the person illustrated by the good soil in Jesus' parable.  Jesus doesn't patronise people by laying all the answers down at their feet so the truth is undeniable.  Don't get me wrong, there's tons of evidence for Jesus and all he said and did - including rising from the dead (see Evidence for the Resurrection of Jesus from the Dead) but there will always be unanswered questions and doubts.  Jesus is looking for a response that comes from faith - not from having figured it all out.  It's not about unplugging our brains and forgetting about reasoning but if God is bigger than us, there has to be some mystery and so it's no surprise that Jesus doesn't explain everything to everyone.

So if we're scattering seed (sharing Jesus with people), let's scatter all over the place and to all sorts of people.  We'll get a variety of responses but that's how it goes.  Notice that the farmer in Jesus' story didn't carefully aim for the good soil and avoid any seed falling anywhere else.  And besides, we're in no position to judge what a person's response will be.  Let's also pray that people will have faith from God to accept the good news and follow Jesus as we share with them.

And if you're not yet a Christian, have you heard and understood and explored the good news of Jesus?  If so, have you asked God for faith as well as reasoning?  Maybe that will be what it takes!

Mark blog

DCYC Questions and Answers

So recently I was away at Junior Mixed camp in Devon with loads of young people aged 11-15 asking loads of great questions.  As promised, here's the questions plus my answers to each of them.  Feel free to add your own answers and thoughts (leaders and campers) by commenting on this post for us!

I've done this before and there's lots of questions and answers in my 'Hot Potato Questions and Answers' post so you may want to check that out too while you're at it or use the search feature on the right of my page to search for specific things.

Some of the questions deal with some gritty and painful personal issues (anonymously of course) and so I would remind us all that we each need people we can go to for personal support, advice, encouragement and prayer and not just one each!  Let's make sure we've got lots of people around us helping us grow.  That's one reason God has given us each other!

I'm not finished yet but I'll add more as I get to it!  Here's what I've done for now...

Have you ever done drugs?
Personally no.  I can see why some people might (peer pressure, seeking some experience, escaping, etc) but I just don't think it's a good thing to allow something with no sense of right and wrong to have any degree of control over our thinking.  Plus there's also the fact that much drug use/abuse results in harm to our bodies and that seems blatantly negative to me too.  And yes, I'd say the same for smoking and excessive drinking.  Excitement, truth, purpose and peace can be best achieved without these things since they come ultimately from God.  Ephesians 5:18, Proverbs 23:25-29.

Did you believe God when you were little?
I did.  I think most (maybe even all) children instinctively know 'God' is real until they learn otherwise.  Ecclesiastes 3:11.  More: Email from an Atheist.

What's your view on sex before marriage?
First of all I think we need to realise that sex is a much bigger deal than people seem to think it is in our culture.  Sex is great but it's also powerful and joins people together more than we often appreciate.  The Bible says it makes 2 people 1, whether they realise it or not (1 Corinthians 6:16).  This is why I think God has given us a clear order of things (for our own good) in Genesis in the story of Adam and Eve in Genesis 2:24.  To put it bluntly, it's 'leave home' ('leave his mother and father'), 'get married' ('be united to his wife') and then 'have sex' ('become one flesh').  Great intimacy demands great commitment and that's one reason why God invented marriage.  Any other kind of sex simply isn't as good because it falls short of God's best for us.

How old were you when you felt like you were in love?
About 13 probably.  But was I really?  I'm not sure.  Probably not.  Someone once said 'love is an action more than a feeling so if you want to feel love - choose to love and be patient!' and I think they're right.  'Feeling in love' is not as powerful or lasting as 'choosing to love'.  1 Corinthians 13:4-7, 1 John 4:10.  I do know that I feel more in love now than at any other point in my life and that's because my wife and I are absolutely committed to each other, even on our worst days.

Is abortion wrong?
First of all, having had friends who have made difficult decisions to terminate a pregnancy, I have to say that whatever our moral views on this, it's important that we keep loving and supporting our friends, even when we don't agree with their decisions.  People who protest complete strangers at abortion clinics only do damage and harm as far as I can tell and I'm sure God hates this.  God keeps loving us even when we do things against him and we should follow his example (Matthew 5:43-48).  So I do think that abortion is wrong and whilst I can appreciate some of the reasons people consider it as an option, I still believe it's an option that God opposes.  Psalm 139:14-17 makes it clear that life begins earlier than we can imagine and that God has plans for every life even before conception.  Have a look at these videos by 'Priests for Life' that simply describe the methods used: Suction Abortion (1st trimester), Dismemberment Abortion (2nd trimester).  Again I would remind people about absolute forgiveness and peace available from God (1 John 1:9) and I would urge us all to be faithful to each other in our relationships even when we don't agree but yes - I think abortion is wrong.

Is it ok to be gay?
God speaks against 'practising homosexuality' (1 Corinthians 6:9, 1 Timothy 1:9-10) and he hates the act of same-sex sex and commands his people not to do it (Leviticus 18:22, 20:13).   So basically if a person believes they're gay and they want to live God's way then it should probably mean staying single and enjoying love within fantastic deep friendships with others.  Just as it's possible to be straight, single and happy, it's also possible to be gay, single and happy.  Self-control doesn't mean 'denial of who we are' - it's about not letting our sexuality control us.  That's what gets people into trouble every day in our culture regardless of whether they're straight or gay.  God expects more.

What will heaven be like and will we have gender/a human body?
Revelation 21:1-4 gives a good description of what heaven will be like.  It's what God always wanted for us - a perfect relationship with him and no sin or suffering in sight.  Not sure about gender but Jesus certainly taught that the only marriage in heaven would be between Jesus and his bride (us) and that we would be like the angels rather than marrying each other (Matthew 22:23-33).  I think earthly marriages at their best are just a taster of the ultimate marriage in heaven anyway so we won't be missing out on anything - far from it!

Should I take everything in Bible literally?
Short answer: no.  The Bible is a collection of books  and they're all different.  Some of it is written as a historical record of events (to be taken literally), whereas other parts of the Bible are poetical (not necessarily to be taken literally).  When we read the Bible, we should ask ourselves what kind of writing it is and also think about what we're reading in the context of the whole Bible. 

What if the Christian God isn't the real one and one of the other religions is right?
I love this question because it's got one thing right: there IS such a thing as right and wrong (or true and false) when it comes to God.  If one person says God is a banana and someone else says he's a monkey then someone has to be wrong because he can't be both.  Reality is at stake here.  We can't just attribute any old nonsense to God and say it's true just because we say so.  We can't make God in our image - it's the other way round or he's not God at all.  With this said, we are free to explore evidence for knowable things about God.  We should make our minds up based on the evidence and not simply on how we feel.  What gives me massive confidence that Jesus was and is the Son of God who really did die and rise again from the dead is that there is tons of excellent solid evidence for all of it.  But it's not just information - it's transformation.  God has changed my life in a miraculous way and whilst the evidence has to stack up, I also have the experience of a personal relationship with God that I can't really deny either.  Jesus claimed to be the only way to God (John 14:6) and we'd do well to check the evidence for this before we rule him out.  The following articles may be helpful:
Should we watch 'bad things' on TV?
Rubbish in - rubbish out.  What we feed our minds will probably come out somewhere somehow, whether it's good or bad so we need to take care of what we allow in and how we filter it so we get the best from it.  Philippians 4:8, Matthew 6:22-23, Matthew 12:35.

Who did you vote for in the election?
I'm not expert but whenever I have the opportunity to vote, I try to make the most of it and evaluate the parties as far as I can.  It matters who runs our country and we do have a say.  Shame to waste it.  For me at the moment it's the Green Party that impresses me the most, not least because they seem to recognise the duty of care we have to other poorer countries as (despite our problems) we remain one of the richest countries in the world.  It's not about staying rich (and regardless of what people may say about our economy, as long as we can buy things like iPads and laptops - we're rich!) but it's about helping other countries grow strong, even if it means sacrificing standards of living here a bit!

How often do you pray?
These days I pray mostly when I feel like it but increasingly I feel like praying a lot more than I used to.  I used to benefit from making myself pray each day and now it comes naturally.  It's not about doing our chores for God but about hanging out with him.  When Jesus taught his disciples what we now call 'The Lord's Prayer', he wasn't teaching them 'a prayer' - he was teaching them 'to pray' (Matthew 6:5-15).  It wasn't a pattern to be repeated but an example of how to not pray like the local hypocrites who rambled on religiously but didn't mean a thing they said.  It's a relationship with God, not a task to perform. 

Have you ever had a vision that seriously affected your life?
One of the clearest times I remember God speaking to me that has had perhaps the biggest affect on my life is when he told me to pursue a life of youth work rather than a career in architecture!  Over the space of about a week, I was confronted 4 times with Matthew 5:13-16 where Jesus talks about shining our light to everyone rather than hiding away and I was challenged about what I should do with my life.  This was no small coincidence and I believe it was God who was prodding me to change my mind about applying for Moorlands Bible College where I would eventually get my training in Theology and Youth Work.  I soon stopped thinking about my future on earth in financial terms and began seriously planning for a life living for God's purposes.  It was a steep learning curve (and it still is in many ways) but I don't regret it at all.

Should I go to parties where there's drugs and alcohol?
If you're a Christian, you'll want to live for God but this doesn't mean living in a safe Christian bubble (they're not always that safe anyway as it happens).  Quite the opposite - living as Christian means being in the thick of it wherever people are and leading them to know Jesus for themselves more at every opportunity.  Jesus prayed for us about this (John 17:6-26).  So if you can represent Jesus well at parties where there's drugs and alcohol then go for it!  But (and this is important), if you can't, then don't!  Ask yourself what the stronger witness will be: going or not going? 

What are the best ways to resist lust and temptation?
Lust is one of the biggest and most common temptations people face, so it's no surprise that it's mentioned specifically here.  We can learn a lot from the way that Jesus faced and defeated temptation.  In Matthew 4:1-11 we see Jesus responding to temptation by quoting scripture he'd memorised (this is a great habit for any Christian).  Internalising God's word can help in lots of situations where we need to remember what God says (Psalm 119:11).

We learn the importance prayer plays in facing temptation when we see Jesus at his lowest moment as he has the inner battle about whether or not to go through with his Father's plan for him to die on the cross and take the weight of the world's sin on his shoulders (Luke 29:39-46).  When Jesus was struggling so much that he sweat drops of blood, his response is to talk to his Father in heaven and draw strength from him.  We should do the same.

Accountability is also important.  Prayer triplets (where 3 Christian mates pray together), home groups and mentoring can be a huge help in sharing our struggles and receiving support (James 5:13-20).

Why is God a boy?
He's not but I know what you mean.  In English we say 'he/him' when referring to God because we don't have a gender-neutral term - only 'he' or 'she'.  God is neither a male nor female but the best of both come from him.  He made men and women in his image (Genesis 1:27).  When we say 'he' for God, we shouldn't think that he's male.  He's God - not human (Numbers 23:19).

Mark 3:20-34 - Forget about it!

Donnie Brasco is one of my favourite mafia films and there's a great scene where Jonny Depp's character is explaining what 'forget about it' means.  It can mean almost anything but in today's passage I imagine Jesus could well have said 'forget about it' to 2 groups of people: his family and the teachers of the law.  Why 'forget about it'?  Because they were worried, concerned or annoyed when they shouldn't have been.  They needed to chill out and have faith in Jesus that he knew what he was doing.  Forget about it!

Mark 3:20-34

Jesus' family was worried and concerned about him.  Imagine the scene.  So many people crowding around Jesus that he actually had to put his knife and fork down and stop eating his meal.  It was too much.  What was Jesus thinking?  Didn't he realise this was all going too far?  His family were worried for him but they should have known better.  Their worry shows their lack of faith.  So it's getting crowded - so what?  That's what happens when the Son of God comes to dinner!  He knows what he's doing so don't worry.  Forget about it!

Jesus' family turn up and Jesus says that his real family are the ones he's hanging out with!  Bit of a shocker but Jesus is saying that his real family are the ones who have faith enough to be with him and follow him and not question or worry about what he's doing but just go with it.  That's what the crowd were doing.  Jesus' family is open to all and the crowd wanted in.  They knew they wouldn't want to be any other place in the world.  'Leave now?! - when we can meet with God?!  Forget about it!'

The teachers of the law also miss the point and more than worrying - they actually attack Jesus by saying he's evil and his power comes from Satan!  Jesus gives them a stern warning that if anyone rejects Jesus and effectively says, 'You're not the Son of God.  You're nothing and I don't need you', then they risk losing the opportunity for forgiveness forever.  What else should anyone expect when God himself has turned up and they say, 'No thanks'?  Jesus also pokes holes in their logic by making the point that Satan would have to be stupid to fight against himself (by healing the sick and casting out demons, etc) and if that's the case, then there's nothing to worry about anyway.  Forget about it!

Who are you?
  • Are you like the teachers of the law, clearly disbelieving and rejecting Jesus?
  • Are you like Jesus' earthly family, not really following what he's doing and thinking that all the fuss about him is a bit much?
  • Or are you like the crowd, maybe not having all the answers but staying close to Jesus and hanging on his every word because he's the awesome Son of God and you can't deny it?
Mark blog

    Mark 3:13-19 - Choosy!

    How do you choose your mates?  Do you pick people like you or different?  Will they be a bad influence or will they be good for you?  Will they help you or will you need to help them?

    In today's few verses, we see Jesus choosing himself a group of people who will be his closest friends and it's really interesting who he picks!

    Mark 3:13-19

    Verse 13 is interesting enough in itself.  Jesus called anyone he wanted to follow him and be his friend and they came to him.  No question.  If this Jesus has authority over evil demons (as we saw in the previous verses), then he certainly has authority over the average human being.  There's no arguments from the people he chooses to follow him and yet he's not forcing them.  They want to follow.  God's will and human will are working together in harmony as Jesus makes his friends.

    The next verse tells us the reason for Jesus choosing a close 12 as his team of friends.  So far, Jesus has been the one doing amazing miracles, healings, etc but now he's sharing the job with others.  It's a miniature picture of what he's come to do.  Jesus didn't come to show off how good God is and then leave us in our mess - he came to show us how good God is and invite us to be like him and to pay for the forgiveness we need in order to be free to change.  Jesus is about including and inviting people to be with him and to be like him.  God is not distant and high up in this passage - he's close and low!

    So here's the list again:
    1. Simon (fisherman, Peter = Rock)
    2. James (son of Zebedee, 'son of thunder')
    3. John (son of Zebedee, 'son of thunder')
    4. Andrew (brother of Simon/Peter, fisherman, former disciple of John the Baptist)
    5. Philip
    6. Bartholemew
    7. Matthew (tax collector = hated traitor)
    8. Thomas ('doubting Thomas' later on)
    9. James (son of Alphaeus)
    10. Thaddaeus
    11. Simon the Zealot
    12. Judas Iscariot (who betrayed him)
    Quick point: So why all men?  Some would say it's a matter of the roles of men and women but my view is in this situation it's simply a matter of the culture of the time being sexist and Jesus choosing not to tackle that issue at this time but to go with guys because he wants the focus to be on God and not a battle of the sexes.

    Jesus chooses 12 guys who were a right mixed bunch of people, many of them simple fishermen but also a tax collector (Matthew was a hated traitor and probably dishonest too), a 'zealot' (Simon was at least nicknamed because of his passion and he may well have been an agitator for Roman government to be removed), two hot-tempered brothers and others we know less about.  So it's a real mixed bag and they're not all that old either.  Some are thought to have been around 14-15 when Jesus called them.  Others have gone as far as describing it as Jesus' youth group!  They're certainly not the gang you'd expect a king to choose, let alone the God of the Universe!

    So Jesus is here for people!  It's been pretty clear already but now it's about to move on to the next phase of the mission as Jesus gets his 12 close mates to do the things he's been doing.

    To think about (and act on):
    • Am I a close friends of Jesus?
    • Do I do what he does?
    Mark blog

      Mark 3:7-12 - Pulling a crowd

      I don't draw crowds.  I've been writing this blog for nearly 3 years now and I'm not even sure there's anyone who reads it.  I play in a punk band and at our last gig we had about 20 people come see us (thanks guys)!  I do assemblies at a local school and have a captive audience of hundreds but that's because the teachers make them! 

      Mark 3:7-12

      Jesus drew crowds.  He stood out and it wasn't because of hype or advertising and there wasn't any teachers around to make people listen either.  It was because he was doing genuinely amazing things and everyone wanted to make sure they didn't miss it.

      Jesus was healing the sick.  And not like the shady, hyped up tricks you see healers doing on Youtube but genuine healings that no-one could explain other than it was the power of God.

      The demons that Jesus cast out of people knew the truth too as Jesus commanded them and they had to obey his authority over them.  The Bible teaches that the devil is absolutely real and so are his demons and they want nothing more than to keep people from living life with God.  There are many accounts of demons influencing people's lives today (hear episode 5 of The Peggcast) but Jesus has power over them no problem.  And if Christians have Jesus living in them by the Holy Spirit (which the Bible says they do) then it shouldn't be a problem for them to get rid of demons either.

      The other thing I find interesting is that even though Jesus has massive crowds of people coming out to see him and touch him and be healed, he still wants to keep his true identity quiet.  He commands the demons not to let on that he's the Son of God.  It's clearly not time for that yet.  The main thing at this point seems to be the people and Jesus wants to meet and heal as many as he can before doing anything else.  This part of the plan is just as important as the next because Jesus cares about people's physical needs and as well as their spiritual needs and besides, when the time comes for him to start teaching, the people will listen because they know his words have the authority of God behind them.

      Some possible questions to reflect on...
      • How much does Jesus draw crowds today?
      • How is Jesus drawing me closer to him?
      • How am I drawing others to Jesus?
      Mark blog

        A quick run through Micah (chapters 5-7)

        Micah Chapter 5 -The Promised Ruler
        God now describes more about how his people will see his plan come to pass.  It won't be easy and it won't be quick but it will happen.  Much of the language used here in this passage points us to Jesus, especially in verse 2 where we see a 'ruler' coming from 'Bethlehem' who is 'from ancient times'.  This isn't a last-minute panic reaction from God to save the day.  God knew what would happen before the foundation of the world and his plan was set in his mind even then.  This is an old and ancient plan.

        The end result is described.  A remnant will be left (v7).  That means many will be destroyed by sin and it's consequences but a few will be saved and God will make sure his people are not entirely wiped out.  They will live among all sorts of people (v7) and they will be purified from their sin even further (v10-15).
        Something to consider today:
        Why all this brutal bloodshed and suffering?  It's because God has given his people freedom to choose to follow him or go their own way.  Sin (going our own way) is serious and leads ultimately to death and separation from God but there are consequences here and now too.  Have you realised the seriousness of your own sin and spoken to God about it?  Only when we've realised the seriousness of the trouble we're in can we appreciate the need we have for forgiveness from God (1 John 1:8-10).
        Micah Chapter 6 - What does God want?
        God has nothing to hide from his people.  He is innocent, even though they may blame him for their struggles with sin's consequences.  He has rescued them from slavery in Egypt (v4) and led them ever since but they still don't get what it is that God expects in return.  He's not looking for dead animal sacrifices even though he commanded them.  He's looking for obedience and he sums it up with three things in verse 8...
        • Act justly (do what is right)
        • Love mercy (when you and others get it wrong, be patient and forgive)
        • Walk humbly with your God (be with God who always acts justly and loves mercy)
        Something to consider today:
        How much do you do the three things above?  If we're honest, we fail on all three.  There are times when we do wrong (or fail to do right), we give up on people or avoid them when they let us down and we rarely feel close to God.  And yet God has given us the human instincts for these three things.  We want to do right, we want to love mercy (and we're inspired when people show true mercy and don't give up on people) and deep down we want to be in a right relationship with our maker.  What do you make of what God wants?
        God again describes the trouble coming to his people because of their unfaithfulness to him. Mercy isn't mercy unless there's any justice and God is holding his people responsible for their choices.

        Micah 7 - Hope!
        So is God enjoying watching his people struggle and face destruction?  No!  He's in agony about it (v1) but what's he going to do?  He can't just pretend everything's fine or he becomes an unjust god who turns a blind eye to rape, murder and selfishness.  But he can't completely destroy them either, even though their actions deserve it.  He loves them.  And anyway, God's plan doesn't end in destruction and failure.  Bearing in mind that God knows the end from the beginning, it would be a pretty dumb plan if it did.

        There's some incredible words at the end of this book...
            18 Who is a God like you,
               who pardons sin and forgives the transgression
               of the remnant of his inheritance?
               You do not stay angry forever
               but delight to show mercy.
            19 You will again have compassion on us;
               you will tread our sins underfoot
               and hurl all our iniquities into the depths of the sea.
            20 You will be faithful to Jacob,
               and show love to Abraham,
               as you pledged on oath to our ancestors
               in days long ago.
        Something to consider today: 
        'Who is a God like you?' (v18).  If you're not always convinced about God, one thing you might do is consider the alternatives.  Where else can you take your own weakness and failures seriously and yet find forgiveness, peace and hope?  The God of Micah is the one true God who acts justly and yet loves mercy.  It's not what any of us would have imagined and that's the point.  It sounds too good to be true but that's because it's so good that it is true.  There is always hope with a God like this, especially since this God is actually real and if he's real then our hope and future with him can be just as real.

        A quick run through Micah (chapters 1-4)

        Micah was speaking God's message to people during the reigns of 3 kings of Judah: Jotham (who did right), Ahaz (who did evil) and then Hezekiah (who did right).

        God is not pleased (v2).  Micah's words paint a great picture of God's power.  Even the mountains melt like wax before him (v3-4).  If this God is not pleased then who knows what will happen?
        Something to consider today: 
        The reason God's not pleased with his people is because they've been worshiping false gods (idols) that are just made up inventions of people and have no power at all (or love) and yet God's people seem to prefer them above the one who made them and has given them a way to be with him (v5-7).  Are we in a similar situation today and what can we do about it?
        Destruction is coming to put an end to their unfaithful and corrupt actions.  They've had time to come back to God but it's running out.  Enemies are coming to capture them and carry them off into exile (v8-16).

        What's the appropriate response that God is looking for?  Sorrow and that seems to be about it.  There's no promise of hope in this chapter.  It looks like God has finally had enough and this is the end.
        The people have had freedom to do whatever they want.  They've had the power to do evil and they've done it (v1-2).  So Micah explains that God is sending disaster on his people and their pride will lead the their downfall and disgrace (v3-5).  They won't be able to save themselves from it and neither will their so-called 'gods'.  The things in which they have placed their trust will ultimately let them down.

        The people have other prophets who say what they think is right but they're more like 'yes men' who say just what the people want to hear and they're just as corrupt as anyone else.  That's why Micah makes the sarcastic joke about them offering to give prophesies in exchange for beer (v11).  
        Something to consider today:
        All the time, people believe the popular messages that say everything's fine and somehow manage to overlook all the injustice and evil that goes on right in front of them (v9-10).  Do we do this and how can we make sure we do better?
        But there's hope at the end of this chapter.  God promises that ultimately he will save his people rather than completely wipe them out as they deserve.  There will be a shepherd-like king who will blast open a way back to God.  I wonder who that could be!

        All kinds of evil acts are being done (v1-3) and the nature of the prophets' messages depend on how much they get paid (v5).  They even kid themselves that they'll be fine because they're apparently trusting in God (v11) but they won't because they're not.  God won't let them get away with it forever (6-7). 

        Then we have Micah speaking for himself... 
        Something to consider today:
        Micah, knowing what is right and wrong (unlike many who had lost sight of justice), is not afraid to stand up and shout about it, making a stand for justice against the powers that had been corrupted.  How much do we stand against injustice and fight to put things right?
        Now we have another picture of how God says it will be in the future.  The end won't be complete destruction but God will have what he wanted in the first place: a people who live with him in safety and peace.
        Something to consider today:
        We have a picture of the future God wishes for us in this chapter.  People will want to spend time with God and be with him and learn from him (v2).  People will go to God to settle their disputes (v3).  War will be over and the tools of destruction will become tools of production (v3).  Everyone will have their own home and will have safety and security (v4).  How does this sound to you and who are you trusting in for it to happen?
        Micah states for himself and others who will listen that they will follow the one true God in a world where others go after invented gods and other things.

        Why follow Jesus?


        There are lots of good reasons to follow Jesus but the best one by far is that he really was telling the truth: He's God (John 1:18, John 14:7) and he's our only way to actually know God personally (John 14:6) and experience God's love and forgiveness (1 Peter 3:18, 1 Timothy 1:14-15). 

        If you're not convinced, please don't write it off before you've looked into the evidence for yourself.  It's much better to make your decision about it based on the facts rather than anything else.  And if it is true then it's actually a matter of life and death so it's kind of important!  The following links should help get you started and you can always ask me questions directly if you like.

        If we're going to follow Jesus, we need to know the truth about him.  The primary source of information about Jesus is the gospels but are they reliable historical accounts or made up rubbish?  If they're made up rubbish, Christianity falls at the first hurdle.  This blog explores the validity of the gospel accounts we have in our Bibles.

        Christianity hinges on the resurrection (1 Corinthians 15:14).  If Jesus is just another dead guy then he was either deluded or a liar.  Either way, not worth following.  But if it's true that he rose from the dead, that changes everything!  This blog looks at the evidence.

        So what's it all about anyway?  This website has an excellent explanation of what's so good about the good news of Jesus in 6 straight-forward points.

        What next?
        Email me and let me know how you get on.  I'd be happy to be of any help I can!  Or for further exploration of the evidence for Jesus try uncover.org.uk.

        Mark 2:23-3:6 - Troublemaker

        I'm not a big fan of tradition in itself (as we saw in the last blog) and I'm not big on rules either, at least not rules for the sake of rules or rules that have lost all meaning or helpfulness.  When rules do good, bring them on but when rules actually try and prevent good from being done, that should make us really angry!

        Mark 2:23-3:6

        A friend of mine recently acted out what he thought was going on when Jesus was walking around all cool and calm with the Pharisees and teachers of the law in hot pursuit, creeping along behind him rubbing their hands together, looking for every opportunity to catch him out and slam him with their laws.  Ridiculous but that was pretty much what was actually going on.

        Jesus (Creator of the Universe btw) and his mates start picking head of grain on the Sabbath and this, in the eyes of the Pharisees, constituted 'work' - a big 'no no' on the Sabbath.  But of course in reality (because their rules often forgot reality) it wasn't work at all but quite the opposite - it was refreshment!  They were relaxing but walking and it was probably hot and they were hungry and so helped themselves to food.  Refreshment and not work.  So not only were they not doing anything wrong, but they were actually keeping the Sabbath values whilst breaking the 'one size fits all' ridiculous rules of the Pharisees.

        Do we have any rules like this?  Even unwritten ones?  Do we have expectations of each other because of cultural (or counter-cultural) norms rather than because of what's actually good?  We need to regularly check ourselves for this stuff because it's so easy for it to creep in and it's lazy to let rules do the work when we should be looking for every opportunity in every moment to do good!

        Jesus sums it up really clearly: 'The Sabbath was made for people, not people for the Sabbath' and he also reminds his listeners that in any case, he's the one who invented the Sabbath idea in the first place!

        On the other occasion at the start of chapter 3, Jesus pushes on this one even more by healing on the Sabbath (presumably a much bigger deal than picking heads of grain)!  He gets the guy with the shriveled hand to stand up in front of everyone.  It's going to be a show!  And he sets it up by asking a question about the law and whether or not he should do good or evil - to save life or to kill (v4).  He wants people to realise that he knows full well what their laws say but he also wants them to see that he's God(!) and that laws are meant to do good - not prevent good from being done!

        It says Jesus was angry at their stubborn hearts.  Maybe he was hoping they would answer his question.  The answer should have been obvious: 'To do good of course!  To save life of course!'  But the answer wasn't there because they were trapped in their own rules and small expectations and this made Jesus hot with anger.  He then heals the man miraculously and right in front of them.  Maybe that will convince them.  Well maybe it did for some, but for others they were so stubborn that they missed the fact that a miracle had happened right in front of them and instead they began to plan how they could get Jesus killed.  Absolutely, seriously tragic.  They were so lost that God himself standing before them and proving himself wasn't enough to convince them.  And today there are skeptics who are just like that.  I wonder if some people today would kill Jesus all over again if he showed up.  Their hearts are hard.

        Let check ourselves when we disapprove or say no to a new idea.  Let's check we're not following rules or expectations for the sake of what's normal.  Let's look with fresh insight for opportunities to do good and for Jesus to be Lord over everything (because he is anyway).  And let's pray that we won't have stubborn hearts that make Jesus angry.  Let's listen to Jesus, follow him and do what he does.

        Mark blog

        Mark 2:18-22 - Not so fast!

        I'm probably not someone people would describe as being 'traditional'.  The fact is there are some things about certain traditions that are valuable and well worth hanging on to whereas other aspects are well worth leaving behind because their time has passed.  In today's passage, Jesus mentions the tradition of fasting (which usually means going without food to make time for prayer)...

        Mark 2:18-22

        Jesus continues to arouse people's interest by his actions and teachings and he seems to enjoy receiving people's questions here, even when they suggest that he's got it wrong by not towing the line.  He's not fitting their religious mould very well and Jesus seems to be quite deliberately different.  For some reason it's as if he thinks the religious rules and expectations don't apply to him.  Well, that's probably because they don't!  And Jesus doesn't mind explaining why...

        When they ask Jesus why his followers don't fast, he says it wouldn't make any sense because of who he is.  The main reason people fasted (if they had the right motives) was to make a special point of drawing close to God in prayer but if God is standing right next to them, why bother?  They'd be mad to try and get any closer to God by missing meals when God himself is having dinner with them!  This is a special time in history where God has turned up in the flesh and for those who had realised it, it was a time for awe and celebration.  Their usual habits and traditions pretty much went out the window because all they could do was watch Jesus' every move and hang on every word he said.  They didn't want to miss a thing.

        Interestingly (although this is far from the main point), Jesus isn't saying the tradition of fasting is a bad thing.  He says there will be a time for fasting when he leaves (v20).  Presumably this is because fasting will be useful and appropriate once more and this does make sense bearing in mind what we've already said.

        Jesus then illustrates what he's saying about the place of traditions now that he's here.  Just as they would not have poured new wine into old wineskins, they would be unwise to try and make Jesus fit their old traditions because Jesus is a brand new part of God's plan that was being revealed.  What they needed to do was stop everything (even their religious traditions that had plenty of value if done with the right motives) and follow Jesus.  It's as if Jesus is saying, "I'm like new wine and if you try and fit me into your tiny old traditions, I'll just burst right out of them and leave them in tatters like old wine skins.  Look - I'm God.  Are you really going to tell me what my followers should be doing?" What they need is a brand new understanding, a brand new frame of reference - brand new wineskins for this new wine.

        We have our own traditions too.  Everyone does.  Our culture does.  I heard one person recently describe our culture's traditions as 'the sausage factory'.  Everyone's on a production line that goes from school, to college, to uni then work then maybe marriage (but not necessarily) and family, etc.  And there's this urge to be as wealthy as possible along the way and end up having lots of cool stuff.  Lots of people's decisions seem to be automatic because it's what's expected and does anyone stop to ask - 'Isn't there a better way?'  How many people are stuck in their jobs, waiting for 5 o'clock every day and waiting for the weekend when their life begins?  How many people would do their jobs for free if they didn't need money?  Would you?

        I'm not saying all these things are bad.  They're just some of the most common things that we're expected to do in our culture and if that's what God wants for you then that's great (really it is)!  But what if it isn't?  What if God wants to break into the cycle and do something new, something bigger, something better?  What if your life is more important than just another sausage in the factory?

        Let's make sure we're watching God's every move rather than trying to inflict our expectations on him.  Let's watch what Jesus does next and be ready and willing to drop things if that's what we need to do!

        Mark blog