In My Name

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!

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

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

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

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

Check out the Advent Conspiracy

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

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

Matthew 25:31-46

Snow day

[Photo from BBC]

So last night we had about 6 inches of snow - brilliant!  But why does so much in this country grind to a halt when it snows?  For what it's worth, here are my 3 theories...

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

How good is the good news of Jesus?

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

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

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

Loving that.

Mark 6:6-12 Bible study questions

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