Blogs and that

Mark 9:30-37 - True greatness

2012-02-01T08:33:00.004Z

With time to themselves, away from the crowds, what do you think the disciples talk about? And what does Jesus want to talk about? The two topics of conversation could not be more opposite and they collide here...

Mark 9:30-37

The disciples' topic of conversation as they stroll along the road behind Jesus is about which of one them is the greatest. It's like they're jockeying for position in Jesus' kingdom. Each one is concerned primarily with justifying themselves and they don't want anything or anyone to get in their way. When Jesus speaks to them, he has exactly the opposite attitude. He talks about his death and resurrection. It's the death he would die to serve the world. He's concerned primarily with justifying others and he won't let anything or anyone stand in his way. The disciples expect greatness whereras Jesus expects to die.

The disciples keep quiet twice in this passage. The first time they hold their tongues is because they're scared to ask Jesus about his death and what it means. Dying is not exactly what they have in mind for their great leader who they hope will lead them all to greatness. They don't want to think about it, probably because it sounds to them like a horrible idea. The second time the disciples stay quiet is because they're embarrassed about their argument about greatness. They're realising that there was something wrong with their hearts in that journey along the road as they argued. So they're quiet because they're scared of the truth of Jesus' plan and embarrassed about themselves. This is another moment for them to shut up and listen and learn from Jesus.

Jesus turns their thinking upside-down. True greatness is not about putting yourself first and trampling on everyone else (or ignoring them) but rather, it's about putting others first and where necessary, letting them trample you. Jesus is Lord of all but he's not come into the world to trample everyone or to ignore them. Jesus wants his disciples to see that he has come into the world to be trampled on and this is why he wants to talk to them again about his death. He has come to become nothing, to serve the world by dying in their place, for their sin, on the cross.

Jesus wants his followers to have the same attitude and approach in life. Having allowed Jesus to serve us on the cross, having received forgiveness and friendship with God, we are able to live in a new way. We are able to do away with power struggles, unhealthy competition and striving for wealth. We are able to enjoy people and welcome others to come to know God and follow Jesus with us. Jesus shows his disciples this by welcoming a child as the example of the humility and dependency they had failed to pursue.

This all flies in the face of our western consumerism of which we are all products to a large extent. We don't worry about where the next meal is coming from. Our concerns are about the next Jack Wills hoody and when that new Asda will be here. We think we're the greatest but in reality we're merely the richest and most selfish people on the planet, each of us living primarily for ourselves until Jesus knocks us off-course and wakes us up to the startling truth: "It's not about you!"

Let's stop trying to be great. Let's stop living primarily for ourselves. Let's start following Jesus, loving him and loving others.

Mark blog

Mark 9:14-29 - Prayer power

2012-01-31T10:02:00.011Z

Jesus, Peter, James and John return to find the rest of the group in an argument over a boy with an evil spirit...

Mark 9:14-29

What exactly is wrong with this boy? The symptoms include being unable to speak, being thrown to the ground, foaming at the mouth, gnashing of teeth, becoming rigid and uncontrollable convulsions. I wonder what a modern GP would make of it. Is it really demonic activity or can it all be explained by modern medicine? Is it possible that it's both? In other countries people talk often about exorcisms and people being under the influence of demons but not so much in England. Why is this? Are there fewer demons over here or do we just not believe in the spiritual reality as much in our materialistic culture? We could argue about these questions for quite a while and miss the main event.

Whatever the answers to these questions, here are some of the things we can be sure of, according to Mark's account of this incident:

Jesus has ultimate authority (v25-27). Whether it's demons, sickness or anything else, Jesus is in charge over it. No-one could argue with the healing results of this boy's encounter with Jesus. The exorcism is nothing as complicated as what we see in the movies either. No special equipment, no special room or chanting. The power to heal is not in those things but rather, in the person of Jesus. All he has to do is command the demon to leave and it does. No fuss, no ritual, no superstition. Just the power Jesus has because he's God.
Faith in Jesus is crucial (v23). Jesus nearly always heals in response to people's faith because he wants people to trust him and know him more. And even when he chooses not to heal, he offers us himself because knowing him is better than getting what we want, even if what we want seems vital.
Reliance on God through prayer is essential (v28-29). The disciples were arguing when they should have been praying and they were powerless as a result.

So again, it's all about Jesus and we need to recognise who he is, the authority and the power he has and the invitation he extends to everyone to trust him, know him and follow him. Let's discuss all our questions but make sure they don't distract us from the main event. Jesus changes lives and it begins with simple prayer.

Mark blog

Religion

2012-01-12T11:40:00.001Z

Questions

What do you think about religion?
What do you think about Jesus?
What's the difference between religion and Jesus?
What value is there in being religious?
What value is there in following Jesus?

Romans 4:5...
But people are counted as righteous, not because of their work, but because of their faith in God who forgives sinners.

YTH208 - Culture and Context of Youth Ministry

2012-01-11T12:48:00.000Z

As promised to SWYM Level 2 students, here's my notes, quotes and links from my lectures yesterday...

YTH208 – Culture and Context of Youth Ministry

YTH208 Topic 1 Assignment (2000 words)

A young person in your youth ministry manifests with obvious signs of depression, possibly even suicidal tendencies. Using the provided readers and notes, prepare a response to this scenario. Make sure you include current research guidelines in dealing with this issue. You’ll need to explore the issues of appropriate relationship, confidentiality, referral techniques and counselling youth in crisis.

Session 1 – Youth culture and sub-cultures – What are young people like?

What is culture/sub-culture?

What are the characteristics of youth culture/sub-cultures where we are today?

Does it matter and why/why not?

Session 2 – Incarnational youth work – What should youth workers be like?

What should be the main aim of good youth work?

What can we learn from the incarnation?

What does it mean to be ‘all things to all people’?

What about youth workers growing old?

Session 3 – The good news and young people – What is Jesus like?

What is the good news and do we know how good it is?

How can we keep learning from Jesus and loving him more?

How will young people understand the good news?

Session 4 – ‘Counselling’ models and strategies – How can we listen well?

What is counselling?

What counselling models and strategies are there and how helpful are they?

A look at the Solution Focused approach

To what extent are all good youth workers also counsellors?

Session 5 – Responding to young people at risk – How can we really help?

Why are Child Protection policies important?

How can we do safe 1-to-1 youth work?

How should we handle observations and disclosures?

What is intervention and when is it necessary?

How can we make sure we love young people without screwing up?

Session 1 – Youth culture and sub-cultures – What are young people like?

What is culture/subculture?

Watch the ‘What is culture?’ video from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=57KW6RO8Rcs&feature=related

“I understand culture as a treasure that is part of our collective memory, of our perception of ourselves.” – Lijida N, Macedonia

“It is the acquired pair of glasses through which we see life.” – Mbarek A, Morocco

“Culture is something that unites people” – Anastasiya O, Russia

“Culture is us. We make it. We shape it as we love it to be.” – Unknown

“It is a call for individuals to agree upon some common values that bind them in harmony.” – Moustafa H, Egypt

“The more we know about the cultures of others, the more open-minded, tolerant and global we become.” – Samir El A, Morocco

“Our cultural traits, values and beliefs are different and diverse. However, it is the respect and understanding we foster that makes us truly human.” – Najoua H, USA

Discuss in pairs and share definitions of ‘culture’ and write up the key ideas.

What is our culture like? What are the distinctive shared values or trends?

Watch the ‘Shocking Facts’ video from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4TKbIidbyhk

What are the characteristics of youth culture/sub-cultures where we are today?

Is there such a thing as ‘youth culture’ and why/why not? What are the distinctive shared values or trends?

“Today’s young people not only believe that they can find happiness by buying it, driving it, or chewing it – they also believe that they themselves are its that can be defined in some quantifiable way.” – Source unknown.

“The responses of youth…regarding the existence of absolute truth indicate that relatively few of our young people believe [it exists]. Fewer still refer to objective standards of truth and morality in making life decisions.” – Josh McDowell in ‘Right from Wrong’

“It is legitimate to say that young people today are a different cultural group. That means the church of Jesus Christ has things to challenge in youth culture if it is to be faithful to the gospel. Critically, though, it also has things to learn from young people. At the moment, this rarely, if ever, happens, and both the church and young people are more impoverished as a result.” – Andy Hickford (author of ‘Essential Youth’)

What can we say about so called ‘youth subcultures’ such as ‘emo’, ‘chav’, ‘punk’, ‘goth’ etc? Do they exist? What are the distinctive shared values or trends?

What impact does marketing and consumerism have on our culture and subcultures?

“We are living in an age of manipulation. We all – but adolescents in particular – are the targets of highly effective advertising, propaganda and other persuasive techniques. Adolescents are motivated so effectively by these techniques that many young people are limited in their ability to make significant choices on their own.” – Source unknown.

“Our kids [are not] passive victims ripe for commercial organisations. They are actually rather savvy, and I think understand very well what commercial organisations are trying to do when they communicate with them, particularly when it comes to engagement online.” – Paul Flatters, Researcher featured on Four Thought on BBC Radio 4 on 4^th Jan 2012 http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-16409882

“[We live] in a time when… an entire ‘punk rock’ look can be bought online from massive clothing companies (who must not be able to believe their luck that they’ve managed to mass sell a look for people who’s main object in life is to look different!)” – Pippa Wragg – Owner-manager of Exeter Cavern club

“I think it is disgraceful that such a range of people - organisations, politicians and journalists - use terrible evidence, or in many cases no evidence at all, to perpetuate negative myths about the state of childhood and family life in the UK today. I am also dismayed by how readily we as a society choose to believe them… I am not a conspiracy theorist, but the system is stacked against positive news about children reaching the airwaves and reaching our newspapers.” – Paul Flatters, Researcher featured on Four Thought on BBC Radio 4 on 4^th Jan 2012

“As a teenager myself, the view that we are all yobs is perceived more and more, especially by the older generations. We were taught to repsect our elders, and we do, but how can you get our respect if you constantly label us as trouble makers? These views have angered me for quite a few years now and thanks to this researcher he has finally put the young peoples’ view across. Thank you!” – JacquiiLouise commenting on Paul Flatters’ article

“Being a teenager myself, I can tell there is a growing anger and dismay from all of us ‘yobs’ against the older generation; whose actions are bordering on persecution. We get prejudice in the forms of muttering and dodgy looks from the older generations and are constantly being told we are thicker and more mentally unstable than any previous generation. We are not being accepted into society.” – Dan commenting on Paul Flatters’ article

Does it matter and why/why not?

Why are we bothering to think about this anyway? Is it important? How important? Discuss.

How important is it for us to know all about ‘youth culture and sub-cultures’?

“Acknowledging and operating according to changing trends allows perceptive youth workers to effectively find an adolescent's need and meet it – at the point where the need is current.” – Tim Smith, ‘Think Trends Not Tradition’, Youthworker, Fall 1992, page 68

“In the commendable effort to be relevant we must be diligent students of people and trends. We must speak the language of our generation and constantly update our ministries if we are to be effective.” – Leith Anderson, in ‘Dying for Change’, page 119

How much do we automatically know just from being close in age or just a generation older?

“I see no hope for the future of our people if they are dependent on the frivolous youth of today, for certainly all youth are reckless beyond words... When I was young, we were taught to be discreet and respectful of elders, but the present youth are exceedingly disrespectful and impatient of restraint.” – Hesiod, 8^th Century BC

What’s changed and what has stayed the same?

Is there any need to know about young people generally if you already know your young people well?

Session 2 – Incarnational youth work – What should youth workers be like?

What should be the main aim of good youth work?

Discuss the above in pairs and share ideas, write up the key thoughts.

“Perhaps the main aim of good youth work should be to love God, love young people, make disciples of Jesus and to help young people love God, love others and make disciples of Jesus. Everything is about this!” – Dave Pegg

What should youth workers be like?

Play clip of Joey acting 19 from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9mrZ16-wuWc

“Sup with the wack Playstation, sup?’ – Joey

What can we learn from the incarnation?

God is the ultimate cross-cultural missionary!

“[Jesus] being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage; rather, he made himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness.” – Philippians 2:6-7

So what does cross-cultural mission to young people look like? What would you change? What would you not change? How far would you go?

What does it mean to be ‘all things to all people’?

“Though I am free and belong to no one, I have made myself a slave to everyone, to win as many as possible. To the Jews I became like a Jew, to win the Jews. To those under the law I became like one under the law (though I myself am not under the law), so as to win those under the law. To those not having the law I became like one not having the law (though I am not free from God's law but am under Christ's law), so as to win those not having the law. To the weak I became weak, to win the weak. I have become all things to all people so that by all possible means I might save some. I do all this for the sake of the gospel, that I may share in its blessings.” – Paul in 1 Corinthians 9:19-23

“Paul was… a veritable spiritual chameleon… The task of identification with and incarnation into our contemporary paganism, of all kinds is one of the biggest tasks confronting the church.” – David Prior

Have you ever changed the way you talk or your appearance to better relate to young people?

How should young people have an influence and impact on their youth leaders?

As a youth worker, would you ever change what you wear/how you talk/how you walk/music you listen to/how you use your free time?

An incarnational theology of mission involves three kinds of journeys, each of which requires

particular skills and expertise:

On the one hand, there is the journey which all adults need to make in order to communicate with young people. The youthworker needs to be willing and able to step outside the “adult” way of relating and find a way to make contact within the natural environment of the teenager. This is a generational barrier.

The second journey involves a movement from one sub-culture to another. The youthworker

needs to be able to understand and communicate within the language patterns, social system and symbolic frameworks of a particular group. Whilst some youthworkers may have grown up in an area and are, therefore, able to communicate “naturally”, for the majority there is a journey from one sub-culture to another which has to take place. This is, therefore, a cultural barrier.

The third journey involves the way that faith can be communicated from within one sub- culture to the sub-culture of another group. The first two journeys all youthworkers have in common, the third is unique to Christian youthwork. – Pete Ward in ‘Youth Work and the Mission of God’, chapter 5.

How would you avoid being a fake or a loser?

What about youth workers growing old?

How can we be effective cross-cultural missionaries to young people when we’re old enough to be their parents/grandparents?

How do you act your age and still relate to young people?

What aspects of youth culture will we grow out of?

What aspects of youth culture will always be important?

“As youth workers, identifying with and relating to young people shouldn’t be a deliberate strategy so much as a natural process. Love young people, spend enough time with them and you will change! They are quick to spot a fake. They are also quick to spot someone who genuinely loves them!” Dave Pegg

Session 3 – The good news and young people – What is Jesus like?

What is the good news and do we know how good it is?

Take a few minutes to reflect and find a passage/thought to share about the good news of Jesus. Maybe share what you’ve been learning about Jesus lately in your life.

Back together to share, reflect, pray and worship

Us and the good news. What is the good news?

Ready to explain it simply while a match burns?

“But in your hearts revere Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have.” – 1 Peter 3:15

Ready to explain it confidently to a group of young people in 15 minutes?

How can we keep learning from Jesus and loving him more?

Do Christians need to keep learning the gospel?

How can we keep learning? Bible study, preaching, teaching, books, audiobooks, podcasts, discussion?

Why should we keep learning? Because there’s always more to God than we already know and we love him!

“Because no-one is born into this world with a theology, each generation must rediscover the truths of scripture for itself. In doing so, it must labour to connect the unchanging answers of God’s word with the ever changing questions of its culture.” – Mark Driscoll in ‘Death by Love’.

Aggree/disagree? Have YOU done this? Are your young people doing it for themselves?

Which is more important – Coming to meetings (to hear you teach) or personal study (to learn for themselves)?

“5 ways to learn God’s word – Hear, read, study, meditate, memorise”

BASIC.Teaching trailer clip from http://player.flannel.org/contents

“Jesus didn’t say, ‘Hey! Get people to these gatherings and then have your Pastor disciple them.’ God puts that burden on all of us. He says, ‘You learn the scriptures and you teach the scriptures and you live the scriptures and then you teach other people to do the same thing. You make disciples!’” – Francis Chan

How will young people understand the good news?

How might certain aspects or trends of youth culture help/hamper young people’s understanding of the good news? RICH? CONSUMERIST? RELATIVE TRUTH? TOLERANCE? REBELLIOUS? APATHETIC?

“It is only when we are ‘being with’ a group as they relate normally that we are able

to understand and communicate within their particular sub-culture… We need to read the whole of the Bible to have firm grasp on the Gospel story. If we keep to well-trodden paths, or rely upon the immediacy of the Spirit in worship, our problem is that we have not allowed the Bible to call our assumptions about the faith into question.” – Pete Ward

“In order to bring God’s word to God’s world, we must know both really well.” – Dave Pegg

Doug Pollock in his book ‘Godspace’ (a great book about evangelism in conversations but mostly transferable for us as youth workers wanting to teach young people) suggests that people in previous generations listened their way into the kingdom of God but today, people are more likely to talk their way in.

David C Cook’s Layers of Learning

UNAWARENESS – Couldn’t care less

AWARENESS – Notice, but uncertain it’s true

INTEREST – Think it could be important

ACCEPTANCE – Tested against experience – Seems to be true

CONVICTION – Important to me and to others

COMMITMENT – Overriding importance to me – Determines how I feel and act

“Discouragement and disillusionment are the two major factors that lead teenage Christians to walk out on their faith. They simply don’t believe they can pull it off.” – Duffy Robins in ‘The Ministry of Nurture’, page 139.

Session 4 – ‘Counselling’ models and strategies – How can we listen well?

What is counselling?

What is ‘counselling’? Discuss.

British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy (BACP) definition of counseling

“Counselling and psychotherapy are umbrella terms that cover a range of talking therapies. They are delivered by trained practitioners who work with people over a short or long term to help them bring about effective change or enhance their wellbeing.” http://www.bacp.co.uk/

Primarily about good questioning and good listening (and restating to check you’ve understood).

What counselling models and strategies are there and how helpful are they?

Methods and approaches generally fall into one of three categories (but they can be blended depending on the needs of the ‘client’):

Behavioural Therapies – focus on cognitions and behaviours. Behavioural Therapies are based on the way you think (cognitive) and/or the way you behave. These therapies recognise that it is possible to change, or recondition, our thoughts or behaviour to overcome specific problems.

Questions like:

- What are you thinking about when you…?

- Why do you think you have those thoughts?

- Are those thoughts helpful or unhelpful?

- What would it be helpful to think about in those times?

- How would those thoughts be helpful?

- How can you put this into practice today?

Psychoanalytical and Psychodynamic Therapies – focus on the unconscious relationship patterns that evolved from childhood. Psychoanalytical and psychodynamic therapies are based on an individual's unconscious thoughts and perceptions that have developed throughout their childhood, and how these affect their current behaviour and thoughts.

Questions like:

- What are your relationships like with your family at the moment?

- What was your relationship like with your family as you were growing up?

- What impact do you think your family has had on who you are today?

- What are the helpful influences your family has had on you?

- What are the unhelpful influences?

- How can we hold onto what is helpful and leave what isn’t?

Humanistic Therapies – focus on self-development, growth and responsibilities. They seek to help individuals recognise their strengths, creativity and choice in the 'here and now'. http://www.onlinecounsellingservice.co.uk/therapy-methods

Questions like:

- How would you like to change this situation?

- What are you best at? What are your strengths?

- What opportunity is there for you to learn from this?

- In what ways might this situation make you stronger?

- What choices could you make that would have a positive impact on the situation?

What do we think are the strengths and weaknesses are of each?

A look at the Solution Focused approach

Explain about the solution-focused approach to conversation and problem solving (questions that can only be answered positively, like 'Tell me something good about...' or 'what would be the best outcome for...', etc) and then try some role play…

You’re 16 and your parents have just told you they’re getting divorced. You’re sad and struggling to cope with school.

You’re 17 and your boyfriend of 2 years has just finished with you and you can’t understand why.

You struggle with eating and feel fat all the time, even though people tell you you’re underweight. It upsets you but you feel totally trapped.

You want to grow closer to God but have way more questions than answers because you’ve only just realised that Jesus might be kind of a big deal.

You’ve got a short temper and everyone at the moment just seems to set you off, especially at school and sometimes it feels like you’re out of control.

To what extent are all good youth workers also counsellors?

Is counseling something a good youth worker does or not?

Are good youth workers always/never counsellors?

The eclectic approach believes that a wide variety of counselling skills best equips the counsellor to work effectively with a wide variety of people with a broad spectrum of problems… The youth pastor wishing to put together a model for counselling would be wise to take the challenge of the eclectic-integrationist counsellor to heart and after reviewing various approaches to counselling, develop an approach that uses key elements and insights from each.” – William Rowley, Equipped to Care

“Mentoring is the inevitable consequence of good youth work” – Dave Pegg

Session 5 – Responding to young people at risk – How can we really help?

Why are Child Protection policies important?

Discuss.

Basically to help us do good youth work!

- To protect young people in our youth work!

- To protect us from bad youth work and from false accusation

- To reassure parents/guardians and anyone else

If you’re doing regular youth work without following a CP policy – get one in place and get following it ASAP!

CCPAS CP training or equivalent.

How can we do safe 1-to-1 youth work?

If it’s inevitable and if it’s going to be effective, how can we make it safe? Discuss.

Myth – Boys are safer with boys and girls with girls. Discuss.

Overseen but not overheard. What are our options for where we meet young people 1-to-1?

Is youth work ever risk free?

‘Can we have a chat?’ Booklet by Jon Langford for CCPAS

YSW leaflet from Belmont (email me for this).

How should we handle observations and disclosures?

Belmont CP report form example (email me for this).

Why is it important to make written observations is these cases?

Generally but always for disclosures. Write things down for your own records.

What can we promise about confidentiality?

When is referral (telling others) necessary?

“Respecting clients' privacy and confidentiality are fundamental requirements for keeping trust and respecting client autonomy. The professional management of confidentiality concerns the protection of personally identifiable and sensitive information from unauthorised disclosure. Disclosure may be authorised by client consent or the law. Any disclosures of client confidences should be undertaken in ways that best protect the client's trust and respect client autonomy.

Communications made on the basis of client consent do not constitute a breach of confidentiality. Client consent is the ethically preferred way of resolving any dilemmas over confidentiality.

Exceptional circumstances may prevent the practitioner from seeking client consent to a breach of confidence due to the urgency and seriousness of the situation, for example, preventing the client causing serious harm to self or others. In such circumstances the practitioner has an ethical responsibility to act in ways which balance the client's right to confidentiality against the need to communicate with others. Practitioners should expect to be ethically accountable for any breach of confidentiality.” – BACP Ethical Framework http://www.bacp.co.uk/ethical_framework/ETHICAL%20FRAMEWORK%20%28BSL%20VERSION%29/Respectingprivacyandconfidentiality%20.php

What is intervention and when is it necessary?

See above – When a young person is at risk of serious harm to themselves or others.

How can Child Services help us as youth workers? Use them for qualified advice! No need to use names if you’re not sure. For Devon...

Care Direct – First point of contact for all social care calls. Information and advice

Tel. 0845 155 1007
e-mail:csc.caredirect@devon.gov.uk

Care Direct is open to take calls between 8.00 am to 8.00 pm Monday to Friday and from 9.00 am to 1.00 pm on Saturdays. Outside these hours and on Sundays and Bank Holidays, in emergency only, please contact our:

Emergency Duty Service

Tel. 0845 6000 388 (low-call rate)

http://www.devon.gov.uk/index/socialcare/contacting-social-services/how-to-contact-us.htm

How can the police help?

How can CCPAS help?

How can our CPO help?

How can we make sure we love young people without screwing up?

We can’t! We’ll all screw up! We’ll need to ask forgiveness and for help along the way.

What will help us avoid making massive or repeated mistakes?

- Listen to young people

- The team!

- Decent line management and accountability

- CPP

- Training – CP, Listening, Solution Focused Coaching

“For to us a child is born,

   to us a son is given,
   and the government will be on his shoulders.
And he will be called
   Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,
   Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.” – Isaiah 9:6

Mark 9:1-13 - A rare glimpse!

2012-01-04T18:32:00.010Z

Jesus had shown the disciples so much already that had freaked them out and amazed and confused them. You would think that by now they'd be ready for anything but Jesus had so much more to show them!

Mark 9:1-13

First we get the tail end of the conversation left over from the last chapter. Mark wasn't the one who divided his book up into chapters and verses - that was done later. But even though there's six days between verses one and two, it does make a bit of sense to start this chapter with the heads up from Jesus that there would be more of his amazing kingdom to see. Maybe he was hoping his friends Peter, James and John would remember this when they saw even more amazing things!

Jesus takes the three friends to a solitary place and is transfigured. I'll be honest - I looked it up in the dictionary to see what it actually means and it's about someone's outward appearance changing to look glorious. That makes sense and we get a bit of description in the passage too - that Jesus was 'dazzling white'. More than this, Elijah and Moses from the Old Testament appear with Jesus for a quick chat! You can understand why even Peter, one of Jesus' closest friends starts gabbling about making little tents for them. It's ridiculous when you think about it. Why would they need shelter?! But what would you or I have said? Nothing that made much sense of it, I bet!

It reminds me of that moment in the film The Truman Show where Jim Carrey's character gets a glimpse behind the scenes of his world into the real world that exists. He's been absolutely oblivious to it but he gets unmistakable glimpses that freak him out and eventually open his eyes to a world beyond the one he's known his whole life. It's almost exactly the same thing that's happening to the disciples here. There's an eternal God and an eternity that exists beyond everything they've known so far and Jesus is showing them a privileged glimpse of his kingdom, just as he said he would.

On their way back, Jesus talks about rising from the dead and they can't figure out what he means. It seems obvious to us now but in that moment, like many people today, they must have automatically ruled out the possibility that he meant actually dying and coming back to life, never to die again! Even after what they've just seen, they don't consider that Jesus literally means dying then living again.

They ask him about 'Elijah coming first' because they remembered the words of the prophet Malachi who spoke 400 years before and is at the tail end of our Old Testament in the Bible. Malachi said that Elijah would come before the 'day of the Lord' (Malachi 4:5). Jesus says 'Elijah' has already been and gone and he's referring to John the baptist who prepared the way for him (Matthew 11:13-14, 17:12-13).

This glimpse is a big deal. People today sometimes say things like, 'Well if God's real then why doesn't he show himself?' After all we've read in Mark so far, we should instead ask, 'Has God shown up already?' and maybe even, 'If God's shown up once already, what right do we have to demand that he repeats it for us?' Expecting God to show up and do tricks to prove himself for us because we can't be bothered to explore the evidence for what he's done already is the deadliest kind of laziness. Mark wrote this stuff down for a reason and it's been faithfully preserved and accurately translated for a reason too! It's a big deal!

Mark blog

Mark 8:31-38 - Cross words

2012-01-03T08:29:00.009Z

Jesus has spent a lot of time with his disciples - his closest friends. He's shown them all kind of miracles and he's included them in the delivery of some of them. He's patiently helped them come to the right conclusions about all this but they've been slow until finally Peter realises that Jesus is the 'Messiah' - God's chosen one, come to rescue his people - the one promised throughout all Israel's history. Maybe now the disciples are ready for some plain speaking from Jesus about why he's really come...

Mark 8:31-38

Jesus loves to heal the sick and feed the hungry but the miracles he's been doing are not the main reason he's come. He's primarily come to die. We all hate injustice but God hates it even more - in fact, God hates all sin, anything that falls short of the best he made us for and he is a God of justice. Jesus has come so that God's justice against all sin can fall on him instead of us. It's what hundreds of Jewish prophecies had predicted hundreds of years before about the Messiah (Isaiah 53:4-6). It's the only way for us to be saved and it's been God's plan since the beginning because he loves us so much.

As Jesus starts to speak plainly to the disciples about this, it's still too much for them to take in and Peter, as ever, is the first to speak up boldly and has a go at Jesus for freaking everyone out. Jesus' reaction (calling Peter 'Satan') may seem harsh but we have to remember that the spiritual battle and the defeat of Satan was at the forefront of Jesus' thoughts. He didn't have any trouble understanding the mission he was on and Peter's rebuke represented more than Peter himself. It was a satanic assault on God's plans to save his people and Jesus reacts strongly so that his followers could again have their understanding stretched to see that Jesus' mission was still an even bigger deal than they realised so far.

Jesus goes on to describe what it will look like for anyone who really wants to follow him. Jesus is determined to follow God's plan right to the death because he knows that death won't be the end and he expects his followers to do the same (and his death would make it possible for them to do the same). The choice is fairly clear: Live for this life in this world and lose your soul or live and die for the gospel (or good news) of Jesus and live beyond this world forever with God. The first way of living is definitely easier and many people choose it. The second brings a degree of suffering with it but Jesus is saying it's worth it because death won't be the end.

Plain words from Jesus and yet hard to accept. This was all new on the disciples and they found it hard too but they couldn't stop following Jesus to see what would happen next. And Jesus was just getting started!

Mark blog

Mark 8:22-30 - Opening eyes physically and spiritually

2011-12-31T09:36:00.006Z

After a discussion with his disciples where they still didn't understand who he was, Jesus starts healing blind people in more ways than one...

Mark 8:22-30

'Messiah' means 'God's chosen one' and was the one promised all through the Old Testament scriptures who would come and rescue God's people from all their troubles. There was a lot of history behind this title. People who saw Jesus' miracles and heard him teach started to wonder if he could be the one but not many were certain of it yet. Even Jesus' closest friends - the 12 disciples - couldn't quite see the truth.

Jesus heals another man in a very similar way to the one at the end of the last chapter (Mark 7:31-37). He takes him away from the crowd and touches the man where he needs healing - in this case - his eyes. Surely, this healing would have been ringing bells with the disciples. Another reminder of Jesus' supernatural power to heal and in such a personal and compassionate way.

As well as healing the blind man's sight, Jesus seems to be teaching the disciples something in the way that he does it. He heals the man in two stages and lets the man tell him how well he can see before healing him completely. Jesus is allowing the man to tell him how he sees things and to trust him to see things as he should. It's just like what he's been doing with the disciples - patiently showing them more and more as they trust him. After this, he sends the man away from the town. Jesus seems to be delaying the crowds here, probably because he's wants some time to talk to his disciples about what they can see.

Jesus starts by asking about the rumours about who people think he might be but he then gets to the heart of the matter when he asks, 'But what about you? Who do you say I am?' (v29). Peter gets it right - 'You are the Messiah'! At last, one of them gets it! Spiritual eyes have been opened to the truth that Jesus is the rescuer - God's chosen one - the one all of Israel's history had been longing for.

This recognition of Jesus as the Messiah was a huge deal but the truth about Jesus is even bigger than this in at least two ways worth mentioning very briefly here. First, Jesus wasn't just God's chosen one but he was God himself! Another title given to Jesus was 'Emmanuel', which means 'God with us' (Matthew 1:23). Second, Jesus hadn't just come to rescue Jews but anyone and everyone who would see the truth and trust him, including you and me today (John 3:16)!

So what about you? Who do you say Jesus is? Maybe it still seems like blurry shapes to you. Either way, let's keep going - into the second half of Mark's account of Jesus so we can get the whole story!

Mark blog

Mark 8:1-21 - Miracle meal and missing the point

2011-12-30T10:13:00.003Z

In chapter eight, things really start to move along as we see Jesus opening his disciples' eyes to who he really is and starting to teach more about what following him really looks like and about his death.

In this section of the chapter, we see Jesus doing a massive public miracle and then challenging his disciples' small understanding of who he is.

Mark 8:1-21

Jesus is God and therefore has no problem doing miracles whenever the time is right. And this is definitely a miracle. Seven loaves and a few fish would not have gone very far among four thousand very hungry people. They weren't stingy portions either. Mark says that 'everyone ate and was satisfied' (v8). And if that wasn't enough, there were seven basketfuls of leftovers too (v8).

The Pharisees who questioned Jesus really didn't get it. Asking for a sign after the massive public miracle Jesus had just done? Really? How blind could they be?

And then there's this misunderstanding in the boat where even Jesus' disciples are missing something. Jesus passes comment about the 'yeast of the Pharisees and that of Herod' and the disciples don't understand him. They wrongly assume he must be on about the fact that they've only brought one loaf of bread with them and that he must be concerned about that. Kind of a dumb thing to assume after the miracle Jesus has just done!

Jesus calls them on it by asking them if their hearts are hardened (v17). When people are confronted with the truth about Jesus and they act and talk like it's not there, a hard heart is usually the problem. It's a stubbornness of the person's will but also a blindness that they can't really help. What's needed is a willingness to see the truth but at the same time they need their spiritual eyes opening so they can see it clearly. We'll see more of this later in this chapter.

For now, it's enough to point out that Jesus is patiently challenging the disciples' hard hearts and slow minds. It's like he's saying, 'Do you really still not get who I am after all the miracles you've seen and been involved in? Come on guys! Stop thinking so small! The truth is bigger and you've seen it but you're not admitting it yet!'

The disciples' conversation showed how little they understood Jesus. It's the same today. People's conversations sooner or later show how much they really understand about Jesus. And today, Jesus still patiently challenges us and wants to enlarge our understanding of him because the truth is still bigger than we have seen or admitted so far. We need to learn more about Jesus, learn more from Jesus and ask God to open our eyes to the truth!

Mark blog

Mark 7:31-37 - Ephphatha!

2011-12-24T11:00:00.003Z

Jesus heals a man who can't hear and can hardly speak and he does this in what seems like a very weird and disgusting way...

Mark 7:31-37

Before we consider why Jesus did this miracle in the way that he did, we should make sure we don't forget that it's a miracle he's doing. Before this man met Jesus, he was completely deaf and could hardly talk and after his encounter with Jesus, his hearing and speech is completely restored. On one level, it doesn't even matter how Jesus did it. The fact is - he did! Jesus has the power to heal. He could have made the man eat a magic banana or pulled his beard off if he wanted to. It wouldn't have mattered. Jesus heals people! Let's not miss that! The people in verse 37 certainly didn't and we shouldn't either.

Having said that, it is interesting how Jesus chooses to heal this man. Some say that Jesus took the man away from the crowds to prevent embarrassment (or shock when he got his hearing back), that he stuck his fingers in the man's ears to sensitively communicate what he was about to do and used spit in the same way. The word 'Ephphatha' means 'be opened' and is very easy to lip read. Jesus was valuing this man as a person and communicating with him in the way that would have been best understood. Jesus' actions here are far from disgusting or weird but sensitive, natural, compassionate and effective.

We can draw great encouragement and confidence from the fact that Jesus has the power to heal and that he understands our personal situation completely.

Mark blog

Mark 7:24-30 - To the dogs

2011-12-21T13:16:00.002Z

If I walked up to a girl and called her a dog, I'd most likely get a slap in the face! But in this next encounter that Mark shows us, Jesus gets away with it! What's really going on here?

Mark 7:24-30

So is Jesus really adding insult to injury by not only turning her down but calling her a dog too? I don't think so. There's a lot more going on than we might realise...

A quick biblical history lesson... All the way through the Bible, God had been dealing especially with the Jews because he chose to make Israel his special people. It's not that they were any better than the other nations but he wanted to bless them so they might be a blessing to the whole world. This was the plan all through the Old Testament part of the Bible since Genesis 12. As it turned out, Israel weren't particularly obedient and so there wasn't much blessing to be shared with the world and instead, things went steadily downhill. God knew this would be the case and had something bigger in mind all along - Jesus! So when Jesus finally does turn up, it shouldn't be surprising that he gives the Jews first dibs on his kingdom, since they have been God's chosen nation for ages. Jesus' kingdom is for the gentiles (non-Jews) too but he's starting with the Jews first in order to honour the commitment God made to them in the Old Testament. God's plan had always been far bigger than the nation of Israel but it did start with them and so that's why Jesus starts with them.

So when Jesus is initially reluctant to help the gentile woman at this point, it's not because he doesn't love her but simply because he's not on that part of the plan yet.

In verse 28 we see the woman's impressive response. It's impressive because she knows she deserves nothing from Jesus and yet she has such strong faith that she asks anyway out of desperation and the hope that Jesus will have mercy on her. It also shows that she knows Jesus can help if he wants to. She has faith in who Jesus is, what he can do and faith enough to plead for mercy from him. She sees things pretty clearly and Jesus loves this so much that he jumps ahead with the plan and helps her anyway, even though she's a gentile. It's a glimpse of the fact that Jesus' kingdom is for everyone and it's this kind of faith that he's looking for.

When you don't understand God's timing or his plans, what kind of faith do you have? Are you someone who decides God must be dead, or wrong, or unloving? Or are you the kind of person who realises we're all undeserving and the best option is to acknowledge God and beg for mercy?

Mark blog

Facebook

2011-12-09T18:54:00.001Z

Questions to consider...

What do you agree/disagree with in this video? Why?
Why do people use Facebook? Why do you (if you do)?
How do friendships go deep? How deep are your friendships?
How does your online virtual self compare to your offline real self? Why?
Could you cope without the internet for a week? Why/why not?
Are face-to-face friends better than online friends? Why/why not?
Check out 3 John 1:14. What do you think it means?

Mark 7:1-23 - Religion sucks!

2011-12-05T12:58:00.007Z

How do you react to the idea of religious rules and traditions? I have to say I'm not a fan! I'm all for helpful habits and routines that do people good but the idea of having a tradition or a rule that simply exists because it always has, really grates with me. Why keep doing something unless it's actually helpful? And why keep avoiding something unless it's still unhelpful? When people start thinking that their repeated actions have value just because they're repeated, I can't stand it! When people think like this (and it can be atheists as well as theists), there's no good or bad - only repetition. Unthinking creatures of habit who think they're fine as they are or worse, better than everyone else. Yuck!

Mark 7:1-23

The Pharisees and teachers of the law were self-righteous creatures of habit who made loads of nit-picky little religious rules and regulations about almost everything to make themselves feel superior and to exclude those who didn't do the same (v3-4). Jesus hates it!

Jesus has been miraculously healing the sick, feeding hungry people, driving out demons, walking on water and teaching with amazing authority. What would your question be when you met him? How corrupt and distracted would you have to be to ask him why he hasn't washed his hands before eating his lunch? This is what the Pharisees did and it showed how far from God they really were (v5-7).

Jesus knows the Pharisees are hypocrites and verse 8 is at the heart of their problem: 'You have let go of the commands of God and are holding on to human traditions.' The Pharisees have twisted and adapted God's rules in order to do whatever they like and not feel bad. Jesus tells them, 'You nullify the word of God by your tradition' (v12).

After this, Jesus teaches the people something about tradition by explaining that the heart of the human problem is the problem of the human heart. It's not about clothes or hand-washing or diet or prayers or Bible study or church-going or meditation or education or psychology or anything else that people try in order to fix themselves. There's nothing wrong with any of these disciplines but they can't hide or solve the problem of our selfish, evil desires. Someone once suggested that piling up good deeds as a basis for our peace of mind is like spraying cologne on a corpse. If we're dead inside, no amount of discipline will ultimately help us. Jesus is so not about religion!

And what about this human heart problem that Jesus has left hanging? Maybe that's what Jesus wanted people to ask about. And he's probably got something better in mind than simply another set of religious rules. We need a better solution than that!

Are you missing the point of Jesus? If you've been reading about him in Mark's account, you've read some pretty incredible things. What's your reaction? Do you carry on as you are? I hope you're asking better questions than the Pharisees!

Mark blog

Q&A 29th November 2011

2011-11-30T14:05:00.010Z

The Exeter College Christian Union had lots of thoughtful and brave questions lately. Here they are with some relevant Bible bits under each one to help you get started in considering what God says.

And I have to say, I was reminded again just how amazing, relevant and clear the Bible is on everything asked about here. God cares and he wants us to know his word.

And keep asking questions, especially if you need support to face challenges or to live more fully for Jesus. Let’s support one another as well as trying to find answers.

What is your advice for making decisions?

JEREMIAH 29:11… For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.

PROVERBS 3:5-6… Trust in the LORD with all your heart
and lean not on your own understanding;
in all your ways submit to him,
and he will make your paths straight.

MICAH 6:8… He has shown all you people what is good.
And what does the LORD require of you?
To act justly and to love mercy
and to walk humbly with your God.

My short answer: Follow and trust God, then aim to live obediently and confidently.

How come God heals some people and not others? For example I had a friend with cancer and loads of people prayed for him but he died. What happened to 'anything is possible'? I know God heals people and I don't doubt that but why only some?

ISAIAH 55:8-9… “For my thoughts are not your thoughts,
   neither are your ways my ways,”
   declares the LORD.
“As the heavens are higher than the earth,
   so are my ways higher than your ways
   and my thoughts than your thoughts.

2 CORINTHIANS 12:8-10… Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me. But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.

LUKE 18:1-8… Then Jesus told his disciples a parable to show them that they should always pray and not give up. He said: “In a certain town there was a judge who neither feared God nor cared what people thought. And there was a widow in that town who kept coming to him with the plea, ‘Grant me justice against my adversary.’

“For some time he refused. But finally he said to himself, ‘Even though I don’t fear God or care what people think, yet because this widow keeps bothering me, I will see that she gets justice, so that she won’t eventually come and attack me!’”

And the Lord said, “Listen to what the unjust judge says. And will not God bring about justice for his chosen ones, who cry out to him day and night? Will he keep putting them off? I tell you, he will see that they get justice, and quickly. However, when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on the earth?”

REVELATION 21:1-5… Then I saw “a new heaven and a new earth,” for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and there was no longer any sea. I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Look! God’s dwelling place is now among the people, and he will dwell with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. ‘He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death’ or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.”

He who was seated on the throne said, “I am making everything new!” Then he said, “Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true.”

My short answer: I don't know but he does heal sometimes and when we can't have God's healing, we still have God himself, so we can have peace.

Where do angels come from?

JOHN 1:1-3… In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made.

GENESIS 1:27... So God created human beings in his own image,
in the image of God he created them;
male and female he created them.

My short answer: God made angels. They're cool but not as important as human beings. We're the only ones made in God's image according to the Bible.

Why did God choose one group of people in the Old Testament and the others were left out?

GENESIS 12:1-3… The LORD had said to Abram, “Go from your country, your people and your father’s household to the land I will show you.

“I will make you into a great nation,
   and I will bless you;
I will make your name great,
   and you will be a blessing.
I will bless those who bless you,
   and whoever curses you I will curse;
and all peoples on earth
   will be blessed through you.”

My short answer: No-one deserves God so the real question is, 'Why did God choose anyone at all?' God's gracious intention was for Israel to be a blessing to the whole world but they disobeyed. It's all a pointer to what God had planned for later when he sent Jesus to 'be a blessing' and to die for the sins of the world

Is killing ever justified?

EXODUS 20:13… “You shall not murder.”

MATTHEW 5:21-22… “You have heard that it was said to the people long ago, ‘You shall not murder, and anyone who murders will be subject to judgment.’ But I tell you that anyone who is angry with a brother or sister will be subject to judgment. Again, anyone who says to a brother or sister, ‘Raca,’ is answerable to the Sanhedrin. And anyone who says, ‘You fool!’ will be in danger of the fire of hell.

MATTHEW 5:38-48… “You have heard that it was said, ‘Eye for eye, and tooth for tooth.’ But I tell you, do not resist an evil person. If anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to them the other cheek also. And if anyone wants to sue you and take your shirt, hand over your coat as well. If anyone forces you to go one mile, go with them two miles. Give to the one who asks you, and do not turn away from the one who wants to borrow from you.

“You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be children of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. If you love those who love you, what reward will you get? Are not even the tax collectors doing that? And if you greet only your own people, what are you doing more than others? Do not even pagans do that? Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.

PROVERBS 31:8-9… Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves,
for the rights of all who are destitute.
Speak up and judge fairly;
defend the rights of the poor and needy.

My short answer: Yes when we're defending the weak from being killed by the strong and it's the only effective option left open to us

How do you forgive yourself for your ex-girlfriend having an abortion twice?

ROMANS 8:1-2… Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit who gives life has set you free from the law of sin and death.

ROMANS 7:24-25… What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body of death? Thanks be to God, who delivers me through Jesus Christ our Lord!

1 JOHN 1:9… If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.

My short answer: We need Jesus for this. Jesus can forgive us for anything and he can give us a clear conscience and peace with God. It's a promise.

Can our name ever be rubbed out from the ‘book of life’? Or if we are a Christian once, and then decide not to be, do we still go to heaven?

2 CORINTHIANS 5:17… Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!

JOHN 5:24… “Very truly I tell you, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life and will not be judged but has crossed over from death to life.

REVELATION 3:5… Those who are victorious will, like them, be dressed in white. I will never blot out their names from the book of life, but will acknowledge their names before my Father and his angels.

My short answer: Once Jesus saves a person, he doesn't ever lose them. He doesn't take his forgiveness back, even if they are crazy enough to walk away from him in this life. The 'book of life' bit in Revelation is about not blotting people out. It doesn't mean that some people are.

Should we put our lives at risk for our faith?

MATTHEW 5:11-12… “Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.”

DANIEL 3:16-18… Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego replied to him, “King Nebuchadnezzar, we do not need to defend ourselves before you in this matter. If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God we serve is able to deliver us from it, and he will deliver us from Your Majesty’s hand. But even if he does not, we want you to know, Your Majesty, that we will not serve your gods or worship the image of gold you have set up.”

ROMANS 12:18… If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone.

1 PETER 3:15-17… But in your hearts revere Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect, keeping a clear conscience, so that those who speak maliciously against your good behaviour in Christ may be ashamed of their slander. For it is better, if it is God’s will, to suffer for doing good than for doing evil.

PHILIPPIANS 1:21… For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain.

My short answer: Yes absolutely so long as it's really for Jesus and not because of our own fault (being annoying, arrogant, pushy, selfish, etc).

Is it right to drink alcohol and if so, how much?

EPHESIANS 5:18… Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery. Instead, be filled with the Spirit.

PROVERBS 20:1… Wine is a mocker and beer a brawler; whoever is led astray by them is not wise.

PROVERBS 23:29-35… Who has woe? Who has sorrow? Who has strife? Who has complaints? Who has needless bruises? Who has bloodshot eyes? Those who linger over wine, who go to sample bowls of mixed wine. Do not gaze at wine when it is red, when it sparkles in the cup, when it goes down smoothly! In the end it bites like a snake and poisons like a viper. Your eyes will see strange sights, and your mind will imagine confusing things. You will be like one sleeping on the high seas, lying on top of the rigging. “They hit me,” you will say, “but I am not hurt! They beat me, but I don’t feel it! When will I wake up so I can find another drink?”

JOHN 2:1-2, 7-10… On the third day a wedding took place at Cana in Galilee. Jesus’ mother was there, and Jesus and his disciples had also been invited to the wedding… Jesus said to the servants, “Fill the jars with water”, so they filled them to the brim. Then he told them, “Now draw some out and take it to the master of the banquet.” They did so, and the master of the banquet tasted the water that had been turned into wine. He did not realize where it had come from, though the servants who had drawn the water knew. Then he called the bridegroom aside and said, “Everyone brings out the choice wine first and then the cheaper wine after the guests have had too much to drink; but you have saved the best till now.”

1 TIMOTHY 5:23… Stop drinking only water, and use a little wine because of your stomach and your frequent illness.

My short answer: It's fine to drink alcohol but not to get drunk. Why give control over to a substance with no moral sense? It's not being more yourself - it's being less!

Why is there suffering in the world and how do you explain this to your non-Christian friends?

ROMANS 1:18… The wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against all the godlessness and wickedness of people, who suppress the truth by their wickedness.

ROMANS 5:12… Therefore, just as sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin, and in this way death came to all people, because all sinned.

ROMANS 8:20-22… For the creation was subjected to frustration, not by its own choice, but by the will of the one who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself will be liberated from its bondage to decay and brought into the freedom and glory of the children of God. We know that the whole creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time.

COLOSSIANS 4:6… Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone.

PSALM 34:18… The LORD is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit.

My short answer: Because of sin. This world is broken and everyone who lives here is broken too. We need forgiveness and we need real hope. We need Jesus and Christians need to share him courageously but with humility too. 'Evangelism is one beggar telling another beggar where to find bread.'

It seems like there are so many people and things you could pray for. How do you deal with this?

MATTHEW 6:5-13… “And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full. But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you. And when you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words. Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him.

“This, then, is how you should pray:

   “‘Our Father in heaven,
hallowed be your name,
your kingdom come,
your will be done,
   on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us today our daily bread.
And forgive us our debts,
   as we also have forgiven our debtors.
And lead us not into temptation,
   but deliver us from the evil one.

EPHESIANS 3:16-19… I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the Lord’s people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.

EPHESIANS 6:18… And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people.

My short answer: Pray for what's on your heart but also grow your heart with what's on God's heart. Remember it's a relationship and the conversation grows the more we know God.

Do you think it’s ok to play ‘violent’ games or ones over the recommended age?

ROMANS 12:1-2… Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is true worship. Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.

1 CORINTHIANS 6:12… “I have the right to do anything,” you say—but not everything is beneficial. “I have the right to do anything”—but I will not be mastered by anything.

PHILIPPIANS 4:8… Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.

LUKE 12:34… For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

My short answer: Yes in moderation. I think it's about balance and finding good in everything wherever possible. Also about making sure we're in the habit of feeding our minds well!

Why are some characters such as Abraham and Jacob allowed to commit adultery?

EXODUS 20:14… You shall not commit adultery.

ROMANS 3:25… God presented Christ as a sacrifice of atonement, through the shedding of his blood—to be received by faith. He did this to demonstrate his justice, because in his forbearance he had left the sins committed beforehand unpunished.

My short answer: They weren't. Adultery was wrong. God chose to let this one slide. He does this a lot. It's called grace.

Do you think sex is only for reproduction?

GENESIS 2:24-25… For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and they will become one flesh. The man and his wife were both naked, and they felt no shame.

1 CORINTHIANS 7:4-5… The wife does not have authority over her own body but yields it to her husband. In the same way, the husband does not have authority over his own body but yields it to his wife. Do not deprive each other except perhaps by mutual consent and for a time, so that you may devote yourselves to prayer. Then come together again so that Satan will not tempt you because of your lack of self-control.

SONG OF SONGS 7:6-12… How beautiful you are and how pleasing,
   my love, with your delights!
Your stature is like that of the palm,
   and your breasts like clusters of fruit.
I said, “I will climb the palm tree;
   I will take hold of its fruit.”
May your breasts be like clusters of grapes on the vine,
   the fragrance of your breath like apples,
and your mouth like the best wine.

   May the wine go straight to my beloved,
   flowing gently over lips and teeth.
I belong to my beloved,
   and his desire is for me.
Come, my beloved, let us go to the countryside,
   let us spend the night in the villages.
Let us go early to the vineyards
   to see if the vines have budded,
if their blossoms have opened,
   and if the pomegranates are in bloom—
   there I will give you my love.

My short answer: No. Sex is for pleasure as well as reproduction. Song of songs is a celebration of sex in its proper place and Paul advises married couples to not 'deprive each other'.

Is it ever justifiable or acceptable to lie in a situation where lives are at stake? Or just everyday situations?

EXODUS 20:16… You shall not give false testimony against your neighbor.

JOSHUA 2:1-7… Then Joshua son of Nun secretly sent two spies from Shittim. “Go, look over the land,” he said, “especially Jericho.” So they went and entered the house of a prostitute named Rahab and stayed there.

The king of Jericho was told, “Look! Some of the Israelites have come here tonight to spy out the land.” So the king of Jericho sent this message to Rahab: “Bring out the men who came to you and entered your house, because they have come to spy out the whole land.”

But the woman had taken the two men and hidden them. She said, “Yes, the men came to me, but I did not know where they had come from. At dusk, when it was time to close the city gate, they left. I don’t know which way they went. Go after them quickly. You may catch up with them.” (But she had taken them up to the roof and hidden them under the stalks of flax she had laid out on the roof.) So the men set out in pursuit of the spies on the road that leads to the fords of the Jordan, and as soon as the pursuers had gone out, the gate was shut.

HEBREWS 11:31… By faith the prostitute Rahab, because she welcomed the spies, was not killed with those who were disobedient.

My short answer: Lying's always wrong. Rahab lied before she knew God's laws and didn't know any better, so she's not blamed for that.

If someone held a gun at your head and said, ‘Burn the Bible!’, would you?

ISAIAH 40:8… The grass withers and the flowers fall,
but the word of our God endures forever.”

HEBREWS 4:12… For the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.

My short answer: Yes, because it's just a book and God's word lives on.

What is your favourite Bible verse and why?

Dave Pegg – For me, it varies all the time but I like 2 Corinthians 5:21 because it talks about what Jesus was doing for us on the cross – offering us the best swap ever!

Dave Poulson - Like Dave, my ‘favourite’ varies, but I particularly like Luke, Acts and James, and if pressed, might go for James 2:14-18.

Do unborn children or people who die never knowing God or hearing about him go to heaven?

PSALM 51:4-5… Against you, you only, have I sinned
   and done what is evil in your sight;
so you are right in your verdict
   and justified when you judge.
Surely I was sinful at birth,
   sinful from the time my mother conceived me.

ROMANS 1:20… For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that people are without excuse.

ROMANS 2:14-15… (Indeed, when Gentiles, who do not have the law, do by nature things required by the law, they are a law for themselves, even though they do not have the law. They show that the requirements of the law are written on their hearts, their consciences also bearing witness, and their thoughts now accusing, now even defending them.)

PSALM 9:8… He rules the world in righteousness
and judges the peoples with equity.

ROMANS 4:3… What does Scripture say? “Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness.”

My short answer: I'm not sure but my guess based on the above would be 'yes'. God expects people to believe everything he's shown them (creation means there's a creator, conscience means we're guilty, etc).

Why does the Bible seem so sexist, everything so male-orientated?

GENESIS 3:16… To the woman he said,

   “I will make your pains in childbearing very severe;
   with pain you will give birth to children.
Your desire will be for your husband,
   and he will rule over you.”

LUKE 7:44-48… Then he turned toward the woman and said to Simon, “Do you see this woman? I came into your house. You did not give me any water for my feet, but she wet my feet with her tears and wiped them with her hair. You did not give me a kiss, but this woman, from the time I entered, has not stopped kissing my feet. You did not put oil on my head, but she has poured perfume on my feet. Therefore, I tell you, her many sins have been forgiven—as her great love has shown. But whoever has been forgiven little loves little.”

Then Jesus said to her, “Your sins are forgiven.”

My short answer: It was written in largely sexist cultures and it often shows when the Bible is being descriptive. Male dominance is part of the curse mentioned in Genesis. There's a difference between 'descriptive' and 'prescriptive' though. The Bible describes a lot of things that aren't right and the fact that they feature, doesn't make them any less wrong.

How do you speak to someone who isn’t a Christian and going through a tough time, especially when you’re not sure where they are spiritually and don’t know how they will respond to being given scripture etc? Do you avoid the risk of upsetting them and pushing them further away from Jesus or do you do it anyway?

JAMES 1:19… My dear brothers and sisters, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry.

JOB 16:1-5… Then Job replied:

“I have heard many things like these;
   you are miserable comforters, all of you!
Will your long-winded speeches never end?
   What ails you that you keep on arguing?
I also could speak like you,
   if you were in my place;
I could make fine speeches against you
   and shake my head at you.
But my mouth would encourage you;
   comfort from my lips would bring you relief.

COLOSSIANS 4:5… Be wise in the way you act toward outsiders; make the most of every opportunity.

EPHESIANS 4:15... Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will in all things grow up into him who is the head, that is, Christ.

My short answer: Listen first and when you speak, use truth and love. People need both. Love without truth is less loving. The truth without love is less truthful.

Do the Old Testament and New Testament contradict each other?

MATTHEW 5:17… Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them.

HEBREWS 1:1-2… In the past God spoke to our ancestors through the prophets at many times and in various ways, but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed heir of all things, and through whom also he made the universe.

JOHN 5:39… You study the Scriptures diligently because you think that in them you possess eternal life. These are the very Scriptures that testify about me,

LUKE 24:25-27… Jesus said to them, “How foolish you are, and how slow to believe all that the prophets have spoken! Did not the Messiah have to suffer these things and then enter his glory?” And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he explained to them what was said in all the Scriptures concerning himself.

My short answer: No. The new fulfills the old.

Mark 6:45-56 - Walking on water

2011-11-29T12:28:00.001Z

The action never stops as Mark uses that word 'immediately' again and we're off...

Mark 6:45-56

Jesus - the man who is God - still needs time alone to pray (v46) and we see again that he draws all the strength he needs from his relationship with the Father. And the implication for us is clear: If Jesus needed to pray and spend quality time with God, what hope do we have of living the life he has for us if we don't do the same?

I love how 'matter-of-fact' Mark is in verse 48 when he says Jesus walked over to the disciples on the lake. It's no big deal at this point for Jesus to walk on water instead of going through the bother of finding a boat. Mark wants us to think, 'So Jesus is walking on water now is he? Sure! Why not?' After all we've seen from Jesus in Mark's account so far, we shouldn't be surprised.

It still comes as a bit of a shock for the disciples though. Mark says they were terrified when they saw Jesus walking on the water (v50) and he says they still hadn't really grasped Jesus' power because their hearts were hardened' (v52). Surely the disciples of all people would be getting it by now but apparently not. And the same thing happens today. People who should really know better, after all God has shown them in their lives, still doubt him. People who've seen miraculous healing, seen evidence for the resurrection of Jesus, seen the order and extravagance of this universe, still doubt God and come up with alternative explanations. It strikes me also that these alternatives naturally lead to the same reaction the disciples had when faced with the unknown - fear.

When Jesus and the disciples reach their destination, people know who he is and they bring loads of people to him to be healed. And people who know Jesus today are still doing the same.

Mark blog

Mark 6:30-44 - Feeding 5000

2011-11-21T11:26:00.001Z

The twelve have just returned from their mission where Jesus gave them his power to heal the sick, cast out demons and tell people about him. But the work is far from over and as Jesus continues to teach people, he's still delegating to his disciples so they can learn the job he's doing - bringing the kingdom of God!

Mark 6:30-44

It looks like the intention is to take a break after the mission and to get some well-earned rest (and probably debrief about all the things they'd learned) but they don't get the chance because people are all stirred up about Jesus and that's what it's about anyway so he goes with it (v30-34).

Verse 34 is key and in particular, the word that's translated, 'compassion'. In the original Greek language, the word literally means 'a tearing of the insides'. Jesus' emotional reaction to the crowds is a gut-wrenching compassion for them because they are blind and lost in life and need his guidance, teaching and love.

So instead of a quiet lunch with friends, it becomes a hungry mob of thousands (5000 men plus everyone else, so probably at least double) and when Jesus' disciples come to him for a solution, he tells them to get on with it themselves (v37). It's like he's testing them to see if they're ready to act in his power all the time. They've had plenty of practice on the mission and he wants them to keep going. They're not sure what to do, so Jesus graciously instructs them and gets them involved in the miracle of stretching a boy's packed lunch to feed the huge crowd.

The end result is a well-fed crowd, twelve baskets of leftovers (and I reckon twelve disciples even more amazed and empowered by Jesus)!

If you're a Jesus follower already, it's another reminder for us to be amazed and empowered by Jesus to serve with him on the mission like the first disciples.

If you're not yet a Jesus follower, this story shows us that Jesus feels a gut-wrenching compassion for people who are 'like sheep without a shepherd' and he invites you along with the crowd, to hear his teaching and follow him.

Mark blog

Carlsberg

2011-11-15T08:14:00.000Z

Questions to consider...

None of the couple looked like they wanted to sit in the middle of the bikers when they saw them. Why do you think that was? Would it have been different if the crowd weren't bikers?
What other kinds of people get a hard time because of how they look?
To what extent do we ALL judge people on appearances? What kind of conclusion or thoughts do YOU come to about people you don't know in the street, at school/college or online just because of how they look?
Should we judge people at all by appearances? Why/why not?
The Bible says, 'The LORD does not look at the things human beings look at. People look at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart.' (1 Samuel 16:7b). What do you think about this?
Martin Luther King Jr famously said, 'I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character.' How does this idea help us?
Is there anyone you owe an apology for how you've judged them on their appearance rather than 'the content of their character'? If so, will you do it and when? And how will they know you mean it?

A prayer...
God, thank you that we are more than the clothes we wear and more than the colour of our skin. We know this and yet so often we make decisions about who we think people are and what they're like based on things that don't matter. Please forgive us for this and help us to enjoy diversity and take the time to get to know people for who they really are on the inside. AMEN.

Transient Global Amnesia

2011-11-04T11:23:00.000Z

Take a look at this very strange video footage of a woman and her mum in hospital. The mum is suffering with transient global amnesia, which means she's struggling to form new memories and so the conversation is looping about once every 90 seconds...

Amazing and very strange isn't it? By that evening the mum was remembering quite a bit more but it was a slow process of clawing back more and more memories.

Questions to consider...

The human brain is a complex thing! Some people have asked, 'Will the human brain ever be able to fully understand the human brain?' What do you think?
We're probably not stuck in a 90 second loop right now (or at least I hope not) but in some ways perhaps we do find ourselves repeating the same mistakes rather then learning from them. Can you think of examples of this from your own life?
How we think affects everything we say and do. Our minds are important. What are you feeding your mind that is helpful? Are you feeding your mind unhelpful things?
The Bible says, 'Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind' (Romans 12:2). What do you think of this idea?

A prayer...
God, thank you for giving us complex and amazing minds that absorb incredible amounts of information and are capable of all kinds of creativity. We know that our minds are freely capable of incredibly negative things too so please help us to think carefully, to feed our minds well and to never stop learning. Amen.

Mark 6:14-29 - Herod's guilt

2011-10-29T11:15:00.004+01:00

Jesus' disciples' mission causes quite a stir and news reaches Herod - a man still affected by a guilty memory.

Mark 6:14-29

We're introduced to the menacing Roman leader, Herod and he, like many others has heard about Jesus and has also heard the various conclusions people have come to about who he is and how it is that he has such power to do miracles. He has his own conclusion too, but it's not right (v16). All of the conclusions ("He's Elijah", "He's like an old prophet", "He's John the baptist raised to life") are pretty thin and stretchy (they really are clutching at straws) but none of them come close to the even more startling truth - God has turned up as a man!

Herod's conclusion was based on a guilty conscience he had because John the baptist had challenged him about the immorality of having his brother's wife, Herodias (v17-18). Herod also had an interest in John's message though and we're told that 'he liked to listen to him' (v20). There was something about JB that Herod liked but obviously not enough for him to really listen enough to act on what he said. Herod hid JB away in prison instead and eventually against his better wishes JB was killed (v21-29). And now, even though Herod had an interest in the truth because of Jesus, he again hasn't got the courage to pursue it enough to reach the right conclusion.

How determined are you in your pursuit of the truth about Jesus, life and everything, when what you discover might mean changes in your own life?

John spoke out against immorality where he saw it and it eventually led to his death. How much do you speak out against injustice and wrong actions and what's the best approach?

Mark blog

Mark 6:6-12 - Over to you!

2011-10-28T09:44:00.003+01:00

Recently I had the privilege of seeing a Beatbox Jam event at a local secondary school in one of the lunch breaks where a ridiculously talented beatboxing vicar took the stage and wowed everyone with his mad skillz (yes with a 'z'). At one point he invited some of the students to come to the front to freestyle some singing or beatboxing and there was a long pause as one girl tried to find the courage to sing out something. It was her turn now, and the eyes of everyone in the room were on her. I started to worry that the vicar had let himself in for an unavoidable disaster. Why did he give up the mic and risk the show?

Jesus (not unlike the beatboxing vicar) does something similar in today's passage...

Mark 6:6-12

We said already yesterday that Jesus' miracles aren't just a show to impress people but a way of revealing God to them so they might come to know him personally. Jesus turned up because of God's kingdom family and that means it's about people knowing God and growing to be more like him. So it's not entirely surprising that Jesus shifts focus onto 6 pairs of disciples to go out and do what he's been doing. It's about multiplication and this way, more people can see the power of God and be invited to find out more about Jesus and God's kingdom family. It's about reaching more people.

It's also about the twelve disciples getting valuable experience in trusting Jesus. Jesus gives the team his authority and power to do the work and so they have everything they need but they have to believe Jesus is right when he says evil spirits and various forms of sickness will submit to them. It's a big sign of faith that they obey and go out on this mission and I'm sure that's part of the point. Jesus is training them to always be on a mission for him and God's kingdom family and it's the same for followers of Jesus today.

As I watched along with a crowd of about two hundred students, the shy girl with the mic seemed to be getting herself ready to sing something and when she finally did, it was AWESOME! She let rip with a strong vocal solo that stunned the room and made the beatboxing vicar breathe a huge sigh of amazed relief. She took the opportunity and made the most of the moment to shine and it caught everyone's attention.

If you don't yet follow Jesus, how do you feel about the idea that he's sending his followers to reach you with his love and invite you to know God personally? How do you react when his followers fail to do this with humility and love or fail to point you to Jesus at all? Should it stop you finding out about the real Jesus? I hope it doesn't!

If you already follow Jesus, how much are you stepping up for him on your daily mission to invite people into his kingdom family? Do you think the disciples thought they were ready? Not likely. Did they look ready? Definitely not. Did they fail in some cases? Of course! But Jesus sent them. And he sends you and me too so that means we don't have any good excuses.

The beatboxing vicar
tyte.bandcamp.com
Bible study questions

Mark blog

Mark 6:1-6 - Prophet or loss?

2011-10-26T15:52:00.002+01:00

Ever been frustrated by those who should know you best? Jesus heads back to his hometown of Nazareth and you'd expect a warm reception after all he's been doing and the following he's gained but instead it's a bit of a dead end...

Mark 6:1-6

Again Jesus amazes people but sadly on this occasion the people aren't ready to accept who he really is because they aren't ready to have their small understanding enlarged by what they see and hear. Jesus is teaching them amazing things (v2) but they're not ready to listen because of who it is (or who they think it is) that's speaking.

The result is two things that we wouldn't expect to read about Jesus. 'He could not do any miracles there...' (v5) and 'He was amazed at their lack of faith' (v6). It's strange to think of Jesus not being able to do something and it's also strange that anything would amaze Jesus and yet this is what we read here.

Jesus is all-powerful. We've seen that much already from Mark's account. Jesus has healed the sick, calmed storms, cast out demons and forgiven sin as God himself. Why can't he do miracles in Nazareth then? And why should people's faith make any difference? Surely if he's God, he can do miracles anyway, can't he? Well, apparently not. And it can't be because Jesus lacks any power (we know he doesn't from the story so far) but people's faith (or lack of it) does seem to have a significant bearing on the extent God chooses to act. Why should this be the case?

The thing is, Jesus' miracles aren't simply a show to impress people but a way of revealing who he is and helping them know God more. This requires faith. Not the kind of faith that is blind and unthinking but precisely the opposite. The staggering thing here is that people aren't drawn to believe Jesus after all the amazing things he's taught them. And if they're not going to trust him, what's the point in wasting miracles on them? It's not a show. He loves them too much to reduce his power to a pointless performance. Their lack of faith amazes Jesus and I suspect it was a painful amazement because they were actually rejecting a relationship with God himself.

Do you want God or just what he can do for you?

Mark blog

Story from North America

2011-10-26T09:34:00.001+01:00

A very weird but interesting music video I think. And some great logic in there about fear.

Questions to consider...

What reasons does the son use to ask his dad to kill the spider?
What reasons does the dad use not to kill the spider?
It's not just about spiders. This song is about violence between countries too. What do you think is the main message of the song?
There are also lessons here about violence between individuals. How do you respond to people around you who are different, especially when they're VERY different from you and it's difficult to understand why? What would the song suggest?
How might Isaiah 1:17 from the Bible help us with this?

A prayer...
God, please help us to value all life and all those around us. Help us not to respond in fear and weak hatred but in the strength of love that enjoys diversity and is always ready to listen, understand and learn from others. Amen!

Mark 5:21-43 - Touch

2011-10-25T10:04:00.002+01:00

Jesus moves on again and his growing reputation continues to bring crowds and now a desperate plea from a synagogue leader...

Mark 5:21-43

At least two people in this passage because of their faith, have concluded that all they need is the touch of Jesus to heal. The synagogue leader Jairus, when he asks Jesus to come and heal his daughter says, 'Please come and put your hands on her so she will be healed.' (v23). The woman in the crowd on the way also had a similar thought, 'If I just touch his clothes, I will be healed' (v28). Why did these two have such confidence that all it would take was a touch from Jesus? It's because they recognised that Jesus is far more than just another good teacher. He's God!

Consider the people later on who say to Jairus, 'Your daughter is dead. Why bother the teacher any more?' (v35). They've come to a very different conclusion because of who they think Jesus is. They haven't realised he's not just 'the teacher' and they don't have the hope that Jairus has.

Jesus says, 'Don't be afraid; just believe' (v36) and he says the same to us today through these accounts of what happened. It's not the vain 'belief in believing' that many people mean when they say 'just have faith' but it's faith in Jesus, knowing who he is and what he can do.

Mark blog

Mark 5:1-20 - Not about pigs

2011-10-21T07:30:00.002+01:00

Do you know anyone who's different now (in a really good way) because of Jesus? It's hard to argue with a changed life.

Mark 5:1-20

So there's a couple of things that people can get hung up on in this story and they're worth mentioning briefly before we get to the main point.

People get hung up on the idea of demons and demon-possession and there's plenty the Bible teaches us about them, which we'll leave for another time. In this passage, what we learn is that they're busy destroying a life and that they are no match for Jesus. He's not just in charge over sickness and nature - he's in charge over demons too and they have to do whatever he tells them. They're scared of him because they oppose him and they know who he is (v7).

People also get hung up on the fact that cute little piggies die in this story but they miss the point. As much as we love pigs, they're not as important as people. A man's life is saved in this story (that's the point) and to Jesus a man's life is worth many pigs (even cute ones).

So the main point then!

The facts before meeting Jesus: The man lived among the dead (v3), broke every restraint - even chains and irons (v3-4), fought off everyone who tried to help him (v4), spent night and day in the hills wracked with grief and cutting himself (v5).

The facts after meeting Jesus: The man sat still and calm (v15), wore clothes again (v15), was in his right mind (v15), wanted to follow Jesus (v18) and ended up amazing everyone by telling his story (v20).

It was such a changed life that people were shocked and even afraid at first (v15). These people had all sorts of ideas about who they thought Jesus was but they found it impossible to dispute the changed life that confronted them.

Another story of a changed life - Brian 'Head' Welch (ex-Korn guitarist)

Mark blog

Thou shalt not

2011-10-20T20:07:00.002+01:00

'Thou shalt always kill' by Dan le Sac vs Scroobius Pip...

Dan le Sac vs Scroobius Pip getting things off their chest as usual and effectively firing off a list of things people do and say that really annoy them.

Questions to consider...

What do people say and do that really winds you up?
The song mentions small things (like spelling 'phoenix' wrong) and big things (like how we think about disasters in non-English-speaking countries). What BIG things do you think are wrong and shouldn't be allowed?
If you were making your own 'Thou shalt not' list, what would be in the top 5?
What do you think of God's 10 Commandments in the Bible? Are they a good top 10?
What are you going to do about any of this to make a change?

A prayer...
God, thank you for giving us minds of our own. Please help us think, speak and act well and where we find things that are wrong, help us to take action to change them. Amen!

20-20 Campaign

2011-10-18T08:18:00.003+01:00

Simon (the voice in this video) is out in Berundi doing great work...

www.greatlakesoutreach.org
Donate to the 20-20 Campaign

Mark 4:25-41 - Quite a storm!

2011-10-17T13:34:00.002+01:00

Mark continues his account. Jesus again demonstrates his power but this time it's nature that submits...

Mark 4:25-41

It's worth noticing that it was Jesus' idea to cross the lake (v35), so it was a journey he initiated and was confident of finishing. This is something big that we learn about Jesus from elsewhere in the Bible too. He finished his plan to defeat death on the cross (John 19:30), he's the pioneer and perfecter of faith (Hebrews 12:2) and he will finish the work he's started in his people (Philippians 1:6). In other words: Jesus finishes what he starts!

The contrast between Jesus and the disciples in verse 38 is dramatic. Jesus clearly isn't worried about (or even aware of?) the storm whilst he sleeps peacefully 'on a cushion' (love that detail!), whereas his followers' reaction to the storm lead them to conclude that they have almost no hope of survival! Jesus knows better and they should too, especially after all they'd seen and heard so far.

Then the miracle. Jesus tells the storm to stop and it immediately stops (v39). That's it.

Jesus lovingly tells his disciples off for not trusting him more (v40). After all they've seen (driving out evil spirits, healing many people instantly and obviously, forgiving sins and proving it with miracles and loads more), they "still" (v40) don't get it. In fact, the knowledge and experience of Jesus they've gained so far lead them to fear Jesus rather than trust him at this point (v41) and Jesus is disappointed... but patient. He doesn't ditch them.

In the end, the disciples asked an important question, as everyone should in response to what can be known about Jesus: 'Who is this?' Intellectual apathy or indifference would have been a ridiculous response and it still is. Jesus' actions had left them with only two options: fear or faith. They had to keep following him, finding out more and trusting him to lead. And so do we!

Mark blog

Mark 4:26-34 - Seeds

2011-10-15T15:52:00.003+01:00

I've just finished watching JCVD, a film where Jean-Claude Van Damme plays himself, delivers a moving 6-minute monologue to the camera (breaking 'the fourth wall') and presents a strange and confusing (for me) mix of fact and fiction. It was another story where I enjoyed the ride but was left thinking, "What???"

Jesus tells a couple of stories about seeds to teach us about God's kingdom family and it's not immediately obvious what he means by them...

Mark 4:26-34

No wonder Jesus' hearers were only just about following it (v33) and he had to explain further to the disciples later on (v34). What's the meaning of these two stories?

The growing seed (v26-29)
We know it's about 'the kingdom of God' because Jesus says so. And there's three key parts to the story: sowing, growing and reaping. Jesus is saying that God has 'sown' the world and the people in it and he's let it 'grow' but there will come a time where he 'reaps'. In other words, God's kingdom is not of this world. This world is not it. God has something even bigger and better planned and the time will come for this world to end.

This means two things for those listening to Jesus (then and now):

We shouldn't live as if this is all there is.
We need to keep listening to Jesus about what more there is!

The mustard seed (v30-32)
This time Jesus describes God's kingdom family specifically as a mustard seed and the main point is about scale and size. A mustard seeds starts tiny but ends up massive and a big enough home for many birds (v31-32). So presumably, the same is true of God's family. It starts small but grows to be HUGE and big enough to be a safe home for multitudes of people.

This means two more things for those listening (again then and now):

God's plans and kingdom family are way bigger than we can comprehend and we shouldn't think that we have understood everything yet. God wants to show us more!
God wants us to know him and be part of it! Why else would Jesus be sharing this and trying to help people understand? This is good news!

Jesus tells these two brief stories to whet people's appetite for what he's come to show them. It's not the whole story but he's not finished yet. He's still setting the scene and getting our attention.

Some questions to consider...

Has Jesus got your attention?
How much are you getting to know him?
Are you happy enough to settle for this world?
What if Jesus is right about there being a 'harvest'?

Mark blog

Mark 4:21-25 - Show time!

2011-10-14T11:02:00.006+01:00

The 'reveal' is something we get very excited about when it's a magic trick or a lengthy TV drama series but what about when it's our own lives? Jesus tells a swift parable about the fact that he's come to shed light on life itself...

Mark 4:21-25

Go back and read it a couple of times and let it sink in. Try and figure out what Jesus means by this.

I think Jesus is saying that he's come to shed light on life and reveal truth to people that was previously a mystery to them. He's come to show people what life is really all about and to invite them into it - into God's kingdom family. In the story of the sower immediately before this, Jesus has been teaching about what it takes to decide to follow and keep following him and after this lamp illustration he goes on to teach about his kingdom family and what it's like. So he's gearing up to this by explaining that he's here to make known things that were previously hidden - to shine light on things that were previously in the dark.

Jesus challenges his hearers to consider carefully what he says and to consider their response too. If they hear his words and continue to live small lives without God, they'll get little back. In fact, Jesus warns everyone like this that they'll get less than nothing. But to those who consider Jesus' words and respond in faith, Jesus promises much in return.

So have you considered carefully the words of Jesus yet and made your response? Have you asked all your questions? How's it going? And if you're already follower of Jesus, how much are you passing on Jesus' love, light and teaching to others so they can do the same? It's still show time!

Mark blog

Make it stop

2011-10-12T18:15:00.001+01:00

Questions to consider...

What are the impacts of bullying, prejudice and rejection in your school that you know about?
What might be the impacts you don't know about?
The Bible (in Isaiah 53:3) says Jesus knows exactly what it's like to suffer rejection. Why would he allow himself to feel like that?
How can you stand with those who feel alone or rejected? What hope is there for those who feel this way? Psalm 121:1-2.

A Prayer...
God please help see that bulling, prejudice and rejection really are killers and that we can stand against them. Please help us not to hate those who are different from us, either by our action or inaction but rather to care for and value all life, including our own. Amen.

Outdoors

2011-10-12T16:02:00.001+01:00

Questions to consider...

What's so good about the outdoors and experiencing nature? Why do people enjoy it?
How important is it to you to make the most of opportunities to get outdoors and enjoy it?
What does Psalm 19:1-2 in the Bible suggest that we can learn from nature?

A prayer...
God, with all the comfort, convenience and entertainment modern technology brings, help us not to miss out on the natural playground you've given us to enjoy and help us to see your power in all of it too. Amen.

58

2011-10-07T09:42:00.002+01:00

58 is a film that comes out this month. It raises some big questions for us...

What do we know about extreme poverty?
Is it really possible to see it end?
What can we do to help end it?
Will we do anything at all?

The film's called 58 because of Isaiah 58 in the Bible and it challenges us to live it out. Have a look at the chapter and imagine what it would be like if we started living like this.

A prayer
Lord, please help us to learn more about the reality of extreme poverty and to do everything we can about it. At the very least, help us to each do something meaningful to contribute to stopping it. Amen!

Christian

2011-09-28T12:58:00.000+01:00

What is a Christian? What would would you say makes someone a Christian? Why?

God doesn't want the meaningless rituals. He wants our hearts.

Colossians 1:15-23 (The Message version)

A Christian is someone who...

Recognises Jesus (v15-20). Christianity is not about religion - it's about a person - it's about Christ. How is Jesus described here? How true do you think the description is and how can you be sure?
Trusts and follows Jesus and is friends with God (v21-23). What do these verses tell us about what a Christian really is? Could this describe YOU? How would you feel if your relationship with God could be described in this way?

I heard a conversation today where someone was asked if they were a Christian and they hesitated and said, 'Um, well I was christened and I used to go to church.' They were trying their best to answer the question but they clearly weren't sure what a Christian actually is and the best they could come up with was about religious traditions.

I was recently involved in surveying about 180 people about Jesus and only 1% thought that Jesus was all about religion. Why is it that so many people think being a Christian is about being religious when nearly everyone recognises that Jesus wasn't?

Someone once said, 'Going to church doesn't make you a Christian any more than going to McDonald's makes you a hamburger!' They're right. Going to church, reading the Bible, praying, singing worship songs - all of these can be great but none of them make you a Christian.

Christianity is not about religion or about traditions. It's about a personal relationship with God through Jesus. It's about believing that Jesus is who he says he is (God!) and trusting him for forgiveness, friendship with God, life to the full and life forever. Rob Bell (the guy from the video) is right. God wants our hearts!

Why not take some time to check out 2 ways to live - the choice we all face and respond?

Lecrae music video - Don't waste your life

Lecrae

2011-09-28T11:38:00.002+01:00

A 10-minute video this time - of a powerful story. Make yourselves comfortable...

"I just couldn't wrap my head around this being true - this being real... For me, church wasn't about God. It wasn't for me. It was probably not real - probably something people just use as a crutch."

"My car flipped over again and again. The roof caved in, the windshield caved in, no seatbelt, glass everywhere, my glasses that I had on were molded into the frame of the car... and I didn't have a scratch!"

"I've learned to stay close to my source of significance, to my source of worth: to God."

Questions to consider

What do think of Lecrae's story?
What would you ask about it?
What do you think of Romans 8:37?
What's impact could all this have on your story?

A prayer
God, thank you for Lecrae's story. Help us to consider the journey we're on and to consider our next step forward. Please guide us into the truth about you. Amen!

More Lecrae
Lecrae music video - Don't waste your life
Album trailer

Refugee

2011-09-23T15:28:00.000+01:00

Keep quiet no longer,
We'll sing through the day,
Of the lives that we've lost,
And the lives we've reclaimed

Questions to consider...

How much thought do you give to those in our world who are extremely poor and why?
What does our shopping have to do with the poor and how can buying 'Fairtrade' help?
What do you think of the command in Proverbs 31:8-9 in the Bible?

A prayer...
Lord, please open our eyes to how rich we are. Save us from mindless greed and help us to think of those who have little or nothing. Help us consider the consequences of our actions and to use them to help the poor more than ourselves.

Fairtrade
Lift the Label
Exeter Foodbank

Bungee

2011-09-14T18:03:00.001+01:00

Classic! Doing a bunjee jump must be scary enough without your mates making it even worse by playing a prank like this. On the serious side, facing our fears and challenges is arguably a crucial part of growing (and even having fun) in this life.

Questions to consider...

What fears or challenges have you faced head on and how did it go?
Think of a time when you've overcome a fear or a challenge. What helped you? Who helped you? How do you feel about it now?
What challenges are you facing right now or what challenges lie ahead for you and what/who will help you face them?
What would your life be like if you never did anything challenging or difficult?
How can you help others with their challenges?

A Bible verse to consider...
There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear... (1 John 4:18)

A prayer...
God, whether the challenges we face are good or bad, please show us how to rise to them and overcome them. Show us who can help us and how we can help others. And help us to trust you above all. Amen!

Firework

2011-09-09T09:40:00.000+01:00

The PS22 choir singing Katy Perry's 'Firework' at a press conference, promoting their appearance at the Oscars! Denise does a fantastic job standing in for an absent-from-school-that-day Kurria!

'Cause baby, you're a firework
Come on, show 'em what you're worth
Make 'em go, oh
As you shoot across the sky

Questions to consider...

How do you calculate what a person is worth?
Is one person worth more than another?
How much are YOU worth?
Jesus says something similar in Matthew 5:16. What do you think?
How can you show people what you're worth today?

A prayer
God, please show us how much we are really worth. Help us to see ourselves the way you see us. Help us to value ourselves and others. Amen.

For a bit of fun, check out Human For Sale

A response to Penn on atheism...

2011-08-29T15:37:00.005+01:00

I love Penn & Teller! Awesome magicians and a lot of fun! I love Penn's attitude and fondness of Christians in this video but I do think he has a few important things wrong about the Bible...

1. The Bible never says that God approved of the idea of Lot's daughter being 'gang raped'. In fact, God's messengers strike the people with blindness so that Lot and his daughter can get away without anything like that happening (Genesis 19:1-29).

2. Abraham recognised that God is God and he has the right to ask for anything - even the sacrifice of a son. Abraham was willing to obey and God stopped him before the actual sacrifice. He'd been testing Abraham's obedience (Genesis 22:1-19).

3. The 'talking snake' in Genesis is not necessarily literal. The creation account in Genesis is widely held by Christians as allegory. Penn knows this. The distinctive themes of the story are far more important than the literal details.

4. God loves homosexuals. The Bible is clear that the reason God hates sin (including same-sex sex in Leviticus 20:13 and anything else that falls short of what's best for us) is because he loves the people he has made. Christians can get this wrong but it doesn't change God.

5. God loves women. Just because the prevailing cultures seen in Bible were sexist does not mean that God is. God created men and women as equals (Genesis 1:27) and Jesus' love and respect of women in the gospels was extremely anti-cultural (e.g. Luke 7:36-50).

6. God's slavery in the Bible was meant to be good slavery. It was part of his 'welfare state' provision for the poor so that everyone had meaningful work for which they were rewarded. This is why it is 'celebrated' in the Bible. God's slavery was never about mistreating people. Quite the opposite (Deuteronomy 15:12-18)!

7. 'Thou shalt not murder' (Exodus 20:13) is about personal vengeance. Killing in war is seen as something very different from murder (with malice aforethought). This is also reflected in our laws today.

I'll leave it there. Like any piece of historical documentation, the Bible deserves to be read and understood in its proper context.

Penn has done his own investigation and has drawn his conclusions and that's exactly what we all should do. His encouragement of personal investigation of source material is excellent and although the video is thought provoking and helpful to a point, we'd be ignoring real wisdom (including Penn's advice) if we let this short video clip convince us completely.

The other thing is Penn never really mentions Jesus. This is quite strange considering that Christianity (and the Bible too!) is all about him. The best way to understand the Bible is to explore who Jesus was and the evidence for his resurrection etc. If Jesus is God then the rest of the Bible makes a lot more sense (it has too) and if he's not, then it's not worth bothering with.

Go investigate!

Is this it?

2011-07-21T07:46:00.002+01:00

Romans 12:1 (The Message version of the Bible)
So here's what I want you to do, God helping you: Take your everyday, ordinary life—your sleeping, eating, going-to-work, and walking-around life—and place it before God as an offering.

Questions to consider (there's a lot so maybe pick just a few)

How does buying fairtrade promote justice?
How does reducing CO2 reduce climate change? Do you cycle/walk whenever possible?
How does living sustainably and recycling more help?
How can you make your voice heard and influence decisions made by those in authority (including teachers as well as politicians)?
What would be a good reason to lobby a local shop?
How does banking ethically have an impact on people?
How does shopping differently and buying local help (food miles)?
How much do you engage with people and care about others?
To what extent do you live generously?
How could praying for the world be a good thing?
Do you speak out for those who have no voice?
What impact is your life having on the world?

A prayer
Dear God, please help us to care about this world and everyone living in it, especially those near to us but also anyone who is in great need of stuff we take for granted. Help us to live grateful and generous lives that have a deliberate positive impact. Please change us. Please change this world. Amen.

Questions

2011-07-14T11:18:00.003+01:00

Questions to consider...

How do you think the vicar did?
Who do you think Jesus was/is?
The Bible says, 'everyone should be quick to listen and slow to speak' (James 1:19). How might this be helpful when responding to questions people have about Jesus?
How would you have answered the kids in this clip?
What questions do YOU have about Jesus?

A prayer...
Dear God, please help me to be quick to listen and slow to speak. Help me to listen to questions people have and help me not to think I have all the answers. Help me to ask big questions too and to find out more about who you really are. AMEN!

A normal day

2011-06-23T14:13:00.001+01:00

Here's some questions and comments I've had from young people about this video and about people's idea of a perfect day...

Q: What do YOU think a perfect day should be?
A: In 2 words: 'With God.' Knowing God and being with him (with others too) without anything getting in the way. Psalm 84:10.

Q: Why is it better with God?
A: I believe God made us for a relationship with him and when we're not in a relationship with him, we miss out (kind of an understatement!) - It's like a fish is made to live in water and when you take it out of the water, it dies. We were made to be in God and when we're not in God, we die. There's 2 ways to live.

Q: Does God even have a house?
A: The verse (Psalm 84:10) is talking about being with God in the temple. In the Old Testament part of the Bible, that's where God said he'd meet people. These days God says we can each be like his temple if we follow Jesus, so he lives in us and we're his 'house' (1 Corinthians 6:19).

Q: How is this anything to do with God?
A: I believe God's interested in everything we do because he loves us and made us to enjoy life with him. Our ideas matter to him and there's lots that he would want to encourage as well as challenge and change.

Q: Why is God stereotypically a man?
A: In English we only have 'he', 'she' and 'it' and God is not really any of those. The best parts of male and female come from God because the Bible says we're made in his image (Genesis 1:27) but that doesn't make God a guy or a girl. Maybe we say 'he' traditionally because the Bible says he made Adam first or because Jesus was a man, or maybe just because we live in a pretty sexist world. Say 'he' or she' if you like. God's neither a bloke, nor a lass. He's God.

A day where I act respectfully towards everyone.
When everything goes right for me.
Winning the lottery.
Fun, happy, seeing friends and family, sun.
Talking to friends.
Going to town with friends.
Being with friends.
No school and a lie-in.
Making videos.
Xbox all day.
I find £400,000,000 in a hedge.
Doing what I want, when I want.
Free to do whatever I want.
When nothing bad happens.
Doing cool stuff that is impossible.
Life is not about one day - it's about your whole life.
Beach.
Watching TV and eating chips.
No homework.
Shopping.
Playing football.
Being lazy.
Being with my best friend.
Driving and F1 car.
Sleep.
Cheese on toast for tea.
Watching films.
Smiling and making others smile.
A day of dance.
In bed with music.
No such thing.
A day when I resolve all my problems.
It's nice to be at your home where you feel safe.

Good news on the streets?

2011-06-11T21:30:00.000+01:00

I said I'd post these two videos that disagree compellingly about street evangelism. Interesting...

Fighting injustice

2011-06-09T15:55:00.001+01:00

A quick answer to the question one young person asked me recently because of this video...

Q: What is this kid achieving?
A: The answer's in the clip. He got the school to review its sexist uniform policy.

Comments on the video and the injustices people care about...

This guy's a legend. Brave.
Not being allowed to wear jumpers at school.
Paying for university.
Not allowed to wear make up in school.
Flowers being taken away in school.
Human rights.
Not allowed a phone in your bag.
I don't like it when people get judged for who they are.
World poverty
Too much homework
Bullying
Naivety
Girls and boys aren't treated the same
Homelessness

Symmetry (life & death) - Quick questions and comments

2011-05-17T14:16:00.000+01:00

Some quick answers to questions young people have asked me recently because of this video...

Q: Why do people die?
A: I don't know anyone who's happy about the fact that people die. We hate death. Jesus hated it too (John 11:33). The Bible says people die because of sin. Everybody sins, so everybody dies. God offers us forgiveness and life though (Romans 6:23).

Q: What does John 10:10 mean? If Jesus hadn't said this, would we not be able to have life to the full?
A: Jesus said part of the reason he came into the world was to bring people life to the full. The Bible says, Jesus was God in human form (Colossians 1:19-20) and the only one qualified to rescue us from sin and death (see last question). If God hadn't sent Jesus, we'd be lost and with no hope of peace in this life or hope beyond death.

Q: What is love?
A: Someone once said, 'Love is more often an action and only sometimes a feeling. If you want to feel love, choose to love and be patient.' I think they're right. The strongest love is about loving actions, even when we don't feel like it. 1 Corinthians 13:4-7, 1 John 4:10.

Q: What was the point of the video?
A: I used it because I thought it was an interesting idea and I was hoping it would get people talking. I thought the final image of birth and death was powerful and would spark some discussion about why we're here.

Q: What happens after you die?
A: The Bible says judgement (Hebrews 9:27-28). We face God and he decides if we should be with him or not. People think he weighs up the good and bad and if we've done more good things than bad things, we get into heaven. This idea is nowhere in the Bible though. Instead, God offers forgiveness for free to those who want it (1 John 1:9) because it's the only way anyone could ever be good enough to live with God (Isaiah 64:6).

Comments on the video and what life and death are all about...

Living and dying - basically see what you can achieve in that time.
You get born, then you live, then you die.
Into the world and out again.
Life and death are opposites.
To live and love and to die.
Not dying until you're ready.
Being born, then live to your potential, then die.
I understood that the film is saying that when you die, you go into a new life.
Start and end of life.
Being epic.
New beginning or end. Journey.
Enjoy life while you can.
While an old life ends, a new one begins.
Coming into the world and then leaving.
Life and death are all about the bit in the middle.
Helpful.
Death is the end.
When you die you go to heaven.
I don't believe in God. He's imaginary.
It's about recognising it but not focusing on it. Use that perspective to live a good life.
Death is about giving someone else a chance.
Life is fun.
A beginning coming to an end and an end becoming the beginning.
Have ambition. Inevitability.
Live it to the full.
Live each day like it's your last.
It's for you to decide personally, so it's different for everyone.
We live life to the full anyway (unless you can't be bothered).
Live life the way you want to live it because one day it will be over.

G.O.S.P.E.L. - Quick questions and comments

2011-05-11T08:41:00.002+01:00

Some quick answers to questions young people have asked me recently because of this video...

Q: Why do we learn about Christianity at school? It's boring.
A: I guess partly because RE is a legal requirement until you choose your GCSE options but I think this shows that the real reason is that people in education think it's important to teach people about different beliefs and values at school. I would suggest when it's taught well and people engage with it, it helps people develop their own beliefs and values and make sense of life more. In a way, it's the most important subject because it's an opportunity to explore the truth about why we're here.

Q: Where is God?
A: Short answer: everywhere (Psalm 139:1-18). The Bible says God is Spirit (John 4:24) so we can't see him with our physical eyes, except when he came to earth as a man (Colossians 1:15).

Q: Is the Bible 100% true?
A: I believe all the Bible is true and comes from God (2 Timothy 3:16-17). This doesn't mean it's all literally true. There's loads of different kinds of writing and we need to understand the intention of the writers in order to understand what they've written.

Q: How can he save everyone?
A: Another short answer: Because he's God and by definition he can do anything he wants (Luke 18:27).

Q: Why were Christians hated by the Romans?
A: Jesus taught about his kingdom and rule and Christians believed him, which meant they had another king other than Caesar - which was a big problem for Caesar because he was meant to be everyone's king. So Jesus basically presented a threat to his kingship (John 18:36-37). This was the main reason Romans hates Jesus and Christians.

Q: How do we know it's true?
A: Have a look here, here, here, or here!

Some of their comments on the video and the gospel message...

It's a good way for some people to express their views.
It's ok. Everyone has their own religion. That guy was cool. It's good he used music to explain!
I don't really know. It's alright. That guy was pretty cool.
Boring.
Life changing.
It's powerful, life-changing. I am a Christian. Great, inspirational video.
It's for whoever believes and even if you don't believe, it's still there. The video was good.
I'm not sure.
Don't really understand the Bible.
It seems alright.
I'm a Christian so I believe.
Don't understand much about it.
Interesting.
An old-fashioned way for the king to collect extra taxes.
Not really sure yet!?
Christianity is a belief.
Don't believe. You've got nothing to be saved from unless you believe.
I don't really think about it.
It's cool.
The religion that was hated by the Romans.
I think Christianity is a religion that inspires some people but not everyone believes in God.
For some people it leads them through life.
I don't believe in it but I think there's a heaven.

The Big Question

2011-03-24T11:10:00.005Z

This week I went along to an event called The Big Question at King's School, Ottery. The questions were...

Is religion good for society?
Should same sex couples be allowed to adopt?
Does prison work?
Should fertility be left to nature?

I said I'd post up my notes based on a little bit of research. I'm no expert on all this and I'm still figuring out what I think but these are my initial thoughts...

Is religion good for society?

Overall: YES (but let’s value truth)

Personally: Relationship more than religion

I wouldn’t describe myself as religious. As a Christian, I’m more about relationship with God than about mere religion (e.g. Jesus and the religious leaders of his day). Is God good for society? Yes!

Religion is beliefs and values

And yet, religion is about beliefs and values. Are beliefs and values good for society? Yes!

Religion is people

Religion is also full of people. Are people good for society? It’s a mixed bag!

Truth matters

Value of specific religions for society? Depends how much their beliefs and values are based on truth (especially if believing God is a banana leads people to kill anyone who doesn’t like eating bananas!). We should all look for objective truth when weighing up certain sets of beliefs and values. Truth is good for society but made up stuff can be dangerous!

Dictionary on ‘religion’

1. A set of beliefs concerning the cause, nature, and purpose of the universe, especially when considered as the creation of a superhuman agency or agencies, usually involving devotional and ritual observances, and often containing a moral code governing the conduct of human affairs.

2. A specific fundamental set of beliefs and practices generally agreed upon by a number of persons or sects: the Christian religion; the Buddhist religion.

The Bible

Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world (James 1:27).

Should same sex couples be allowed to adopt?

Overall: YES (because of the urgent need)

We should consider what’s best in regard to what’s needed

People say a male and female couple make better parents and I agree with this because that’s how the Bible says God made us to be. But because of the 48,000 children currently needing permanent homes, we shouldn’t ask, ‘Is LGBT adoption as good as MF adoption?’ but ‘Is LGBT adoption better than the care system?’ And I think, providing LGBT couples satisfy the usual strict requirements of the adoption process, the answer is yes!

Current UK law (according to Wikipedia)

Same sex adoption – Legal in England and Wales since 2002, since 2009 in Scotland, unclear in Northern Ireland
Same sex sexual activity – Legal since 1967
Recognition of same sex partnerships – Civil partnership since 2005
Same sex marriage – No but under consideration
Allow gay people to serve openly in military – Yes
Bans all anti-gay discrimination
Laws concerning gender identity/expression – Gender Recognition Act 2004

Stats

There are over 80,000 children in the UK care system. Over 60% of these are living in temporary foster care (according to Foster Care Associates 2011). That’s 48,000 children without a permanent home.
53% of children in care leave school with no formal qualifications (The Guardian 2009).
13% get 5 A*-C grade GCSEs compared with 47% of other children (The Guardian 2009).

The Bible

So God created human beings in his own image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them (Genesis 1:27).
Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world (James 1:27).

Does prison work?

Overall: YES (in most cases)

3 purposes of prison

Protection of society, punishment and rehabilitation/reform. These are the things we should consider when measuring levels of success.

Are prisons effective in protecting society from dangerous criminals? In other words, are they good at not letting people escape? Yes. UK prison breaks are rare!
Are prisons effective punishment for criminals? Despite the arguments over what privileges inmates should receive, their freedom is definitely limited and their lifestyles are also limited. The level of punishment is up for debate but the effectiveness of punishment should be measured by the level of re-offence but this is tied up with the effectiveness of rehabilitation.
Are prisons effective at rehabilitation/reform? From the re-offending stats, it seems that rehabilitation is 60.7% effective and slowly climbing.

Stats

81,156 men and 4,263 women in UK prisons (Ministry of Justice 18^th March 2011 weekly bulletin)
Since 2000 the proportion of offenders who were re-convicted has fallen from 43% to 39.3% – a fall of 3.7%. Since 2008, the proportion has fallen by 0.8% (Ministry of Justice 2011).

The Bible

Do not take revenge, my dear friends, but leave room for God’s wrath, for it is written: “It is mine to avenge; I will repay,” says the Lord (Romans 12:19).
You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbour and hate your enemy.’ But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you (Matthew 5:43-44).
There is no-one righteous, not even one (Romans 3:10).

Should fertility be left to nature?

Overall: YES (because the alternatives are an expensive luxury)

We should consider adoption first

Maybe we have a moral responsibility to the 48,000 children in the UK currently without a permanent home before we consider bringing more lives into the world (especially with the risk of bringing several lives at once into the world through IVF).

Embryos

As a Christian, I believe the Bible teaches us that life begins at conception (not every Christian would necessarily agree) and that God is involved in every new life that is made. To my mind, this means that we should avoid any research that treats embryos as anything less than human and we should definitely avoid throwing away ‘spare’ embryos following IVF too.

Money ethics

IVF costs £4-8k. Alternatively, for £4000 you could...

Save the lives of 655 children with malaria (www.nih.gov)
Provide access to clean water for 4,440 people (www.oxfamunwrapped.org.uk)

Stats

IVF live birth rate for under 35s was 33.1% in 2008 (Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority – HFEA).
IVF costs £4-5k. The NHS provides funding for 1 cycle of IVF for women who have met the clinical definition of infertility (www.fertilityexpert.net).
There are over 80,000 children in the UK care system. Over 60% of these are living in temporary foster care (according to Foster Care Associates 2011). That’s 48,000 children without a permanent home.

The Bible

For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well. My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place. When I was woven together in the depths of the earth, your eyes saw my unformed body. All the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be (Psalm 139:13-16).

In My Name

2011-01-26T17:06:00.000Z

Quick 5 minutes - thought I'd explain the name of my band - In My Name.

We're a punk band (we think) and we want to sing about solutions and not just problems. Punk is often about protesting injustices and at its best it's awesome and can really change things but at its worst it can just be useless moaning that doesn't do anyone any good. One of the big protests of the recent past has been people against Bush and the whole 'war on terror' and loads of people held signs in the air that proclaimed 'NOT IN MY NAME'. Brilliant stuff and I wouldn't want to knock it but when we were thinking about what we want to sing about - the stuff that really gets the pen moving is what we're FOR and not just what we're against and so that's why we're called 'In My Name'.

Check out our noise and let me know what you think and maybe we'll see you at the Cavern sometime!

In My Name on MySpace

I'm loving it!

2011-01-05T11:04:00.001Z

Woke up this morning at 5am and couldn't get back to sleep, which is very weird for me and it was all because I couldn't help dreaming about my work. Sounds sad I know but it's been Christmas holiday for ages and I've been really enjoying being lazy but this morning I just couldn't wait to get back to work. I love my job working with young people and trying my best to be helpful and it's all reminded me again how fortunate I am.

It does also make me wonder about what everyone else does. Why should it be the fortunate few who enjoy their jobs? I know circumstances mean we have to do things we'd rather not do sometimes just to earn money but I also think there's probably a trend of people doing what's expected of them in their career choices rather than what they would choose to do if money was no object. How many people can say they'd do their jobs for free? Not many and that's a shame. Most people seem to head into jobs where they're constantly watching the clock, waiting for 5pm or waiting for the end of Friday so that their life can start. And before you know it, you've wasted your life - or even worse - you feel content enough with it and never realise there's anything better.

Anyway, I don't want to sound ungrateful. I'm humbled that I get to do what I do and get paid for it. But let's all want the very best for ourselves and others and not necessarily follow the trends and expectations. If I'd have done that, I'd be a solicitor/architect by now - crikey!

Colossians 3:23

Advent Conspiracy

2010-12-24T12:45:00.000Z

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

2010-12-20T13:04:00.000Z

[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...

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?
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.
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?

2010-11-19T14:56:00.000Z

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

2010-11-04T12:54:00.000Z

Jesus is sending his disciples on a mission. How is the mission organised and what does he give them for the job (v7)?
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?
What does he tell them to take with them (v8-9)? Why do you think this was all they needed?
If the welcome was good, what should they do (v10)? Why do you think this is?
If the welcome was bad, what should they do and why (v11)?
Miracles were part of it but what was the main focus of the mission (v12)?
What can we learn from this about our mission if we're following Jesus?
How is our mission going?
What kind of things should we be saying/doing? What kind of questions might help?
What should we be praying for?

Small is beautiful?

2010-10-31T19:51:00.001Z

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.

1 John blog

2010-10-14T10:33:00.000+01:00

Back to Bible book blogs

James blog

2010-10-14T09:42:00.001+01:00

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Mark blog

2010-10-13T20:38:00.023+01:00

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Micah blog

2010-10-13T20:31:00.002+01:00

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Ecclesiastes blog

2010-10-13T18:59:00.002+01:00

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Q&A blogs

2010-10-12T18:41:00.001+01:00

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

Bible book blogs

2010-10-12T18:36:00.006+01:00

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

Tutor group blogs

2010-10-12T18:21:00.006+01:00

Brief blogs with videos, discussion questions and prayers for tutor groups.

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

2010-08-21T10:31:00.003+01:00

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...

Path - People hear it but it just bounces off and makes no difference.
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.
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.
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

2010-08-06T19:15:00.012+01:00

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!

2010-05-20T08:47:00.007+01:00

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!

2010-05-13T08:48:00.005+01:00

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:

Simon (fisherman, Peter = Rock)
James (son of Zebedee, 'son of thunder')
John (son of Zebedee, 'son of thunder')
Andrew (brother of Simon/Peter, fisherman, former disciple of John the Baptist)
Philip
Bartholemew
Matthew (tax collector = hated traitor)
Thomas ('doubting Thomas' later on)
James (son of Alphaeus)
Thaddaeus
Simon the Zealot
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

2010-05-07T08:21:00.003+01:00

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)

2010-05-04T08:20:00.005+01:00

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)

2010-04-19T14:23:00.014+01:00

Micah Chapter 1 - Mad God!

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.

Micah Chapter 2 - Lies for beer!

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!

Micah Chapter 3 - Raging against the machine!

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?

Micah Chapter 4 - God's way

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?

2010-03-26T11:38:00.015Z

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 of knowing God personally (John 14:6).

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.

1. The gospels (a brief blog)
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.

2. The resurrection (a brief blog)
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.

3. Two Ways to Live (a website)
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?
Get in touch and let me know how you get on. I'd be happy to be of any help I can!

Mark 2:23-3:6 - Troublemaker

2010-03-23T08:59:00.004Z

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!

2010-03-16T08:59:00.003Z

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

Mark 2:13-17 - Sick and stuck!

2010-03-05T08:46:00.009Z

I'm training for the Great West Run (a half marathon) at the moment. You can even sponsor me if you like! Or at least, I'm supposed to be training but at the moment it's all had to stop because I've got these chest pains left over from a nasty cough I had and they won't go away. Training was going well. I'd done a couple of 9 mile runs and it was all feeling good. But now these chest pains mean I can't even jog a few yards without feeling pain. It's infuriating, worrying and beyond my control but will I go to see my doctor? I haven't yet. Typical bloke!

Mark 2:13-17

This word 'sinner' needs explaining and we need to understand how it's used in the passage too (where it's synonymous with 'tax collectors' because they were seen as 'selfish traitors' working for the Romans and cheating to get rich in the process). 'Sin' is the problem that ALL humans have where we are trapped by our own desire to be selfish and do things our own way instead of God's way. Sin is the stuff we all think, say and do wrong. It's the stuff we ought to think, say and do but don't! But these things are just symptoms. Sin is also the sickness we all have that causes them!

So if we're all 'sinners', why does Mark use this word to describe only certain people (verses 15 and 16)? Well it's partly because he's describing the 'sin symptoms' of the people he's talking about. These people Jesus chose to spend time with had more obvious problems with sin than others. But mainly, it's because these people were seen and judged by others as 'sinners' because their symptoms appeared to be worse than the rest of society. They were seen as second class because their struggles with sin were clear to all rather than hidden away secret. Wrong, unfair and cruel? Absolutely!

Jesus spends time with these people who are sick with sin and stuck without hope. Actually it's true that everyone's in this situation without Jesus but the thing that made Jesus want to hang out with these particular sinners is that they REALISED they had a sin problem and wanted help! Everyone else was maybe not as desperate for help or too stubborn to admit they had a problem.

I think the teachers of the law and the Pharisees must have thought that Jesus (if he really was someone special) should have been spending all his time with them. After all, they were the religious ones who'd got it all figured out. Surely Jesus would want to be friends with them! But Jesus isn't interested in the self-righteous or the stubborn and instead he makes a priority of those who are ready to ask for his help because they realise they're stuck in sin and see Jesus as their only hope. And is there a worship song that's cheesy but hits the nail on the head for this one? Yes there is.

So who are you more like? The religious people sitting in judgement on others and not admitting they have a sin problem? Or are you like the so called 'sinners' who were only too quick to realise their need of help from Jesus and trust him? And if you're a Christian reading this and you want to be like Jesus, think about the people you invest the most time in - Is it other Christians or people who really need the good news? Would Jesus be hanging out with you and your mates or would you be left where you are because he's busy with people you don't bother with because they're not like you?

And will I suck it up and go to the doctor? We'll see!

Mark blog