I like to think that I am like Rocky . . .

I like to think that I am like Rocky. Obviously no one can be as unbelievably handsome and eloquent! The bar is set impossibly high in said categories.
But I like to think I am like Rocky or at least I want to be like Rocky.
In pretty much every Rocky movie, Rocky has to improve to win. He has to get fitter, get harder and gain the eye of the tiger. I guess that’s what makes them such good movies is that that the hero is humble enough to know he has to get better.
I like to think I am like Rocky. Hopefully I am getting better at being me everyday but not in an arrogant I’m-better-than-you-now way. Everyday I hope that I will get closer to becoming the person God intended me to be. That’s my hope anyway.
Trouble is I don’t alway feel like I am doing that. I don’t always feel like I am making headway. While my heart is in the right place, I can’t always say that I live with more integrity than the day before.
A few days ago I ran across a bit in the Bible that encourages me and in a sense is becoming my “eye of the tiger” moment.
I have looked into these words a little and here is my best attempt at what I think the dude who wrote it meant, Proverbs 4:18 (PUPV*)

“As those living for God travel on life’s road, the light on the road becomes brighter and brighter until it is like the midday sun on a clear and cloudless day.”

Mmmm . . . I guess that the promise of this simple proverb, which is a wise saying, is that if you are honestly living for God then the light on your path becomes brighter. The progression from dawn’s first light until the sun is at it highest, hottest and brightest point.
I find that encouraging for 2 reasons:

1. If I sincerely and am simply trying to live my life the way God intended, the road will get brighter and clearer. In other words I will make headway. I will get better. Even when it doesn’t feel like it.

2. If my path is becoming brighter then hopefully it is helping someone else along the way. Following God’s way is never set in a private chat room. It will always overflow and like the sun brings light and life to everything it’s rays touch.

I think I may just have the eye of the tiger . . .


*PUPV - Phil's Unofficial Paraphrase Version

Clear eyes. Clean hearts. Can't lose!!!

“Clear eyes. Clean hearts. Can’t lose.” A quote from one of my favourite TV shows, called Friday Night Lights. Its about a high school American Football team and before every game they chant, “Clear eyes. Clean hearts. Can’t lose!” I’m a sucker for stuff like that so I always find it very inspiring.

I know its just a show and that words like this are meant to tug at the old heart strings so that you will come back for more but the reality is that there is truth in that simple quote.

Proverbs 3:1 -12 says this, “Good friend, don't forget all I've taught you; take to heart my commands. They'll help you live a long, long time, a long life lived full and well. Don't lose your grip on Love and Loyalty. Tie them around your neck; carve their initials on your heart. Earn a reputation for living well in God's eyes and the eyes of the people.

Trust God from the bottom of your heart; don't try to figure out everything on your own. Listen for God's voice in everything you do, everywhere you go; he's the one who will keep you on track. Don't assume that you know it all. Run to God! Run from evil! Your body will glow with health, your very bones will vibrate with life! Honor God with everything you own; give him the first and the best. Your barns will burst, your wine vats will brim over.
But don't, dear friend, resent God's discipline; don't sulk under his loving correction. It's the child he loves that God corrects; a father's delight is behind all this.” The Message

Not to oversimplify things but is says:

Clear eyes: “Trust God from the bottom of your heart; don't try to figure out everything on your own. Listen for God's voice in everything you do, everywhere you go; he's the one who will keep you on track. Don't assume that you know it all.” - Clear eyes. See things God's way. Get the right perspective on things, don’t just assume that you know it all. Clear eyes.

Clean Hearts: “Earn a reputation for living well in God's eyes and the eyes of the people.” “Run to God! Run from evil!” “But don't, dear friend, resent God's discipline; don't sulk under his loving correction. It's the child he loves that God corrects; a father's delight is behind all this.” - Clean hearts! Make sure you are right with God and people. Accept God’s discipline. Not words we like to hear. How often are our hearts not clean. How often do we resist what God wants in our lives. Keep your heart clean.

Can’t lose: “he's the one who will keep you on track.” “Your body will glow with health, your very bones will vibrate with life! Honor God with everything you own; give him the first and the best. Your barns will burst, your wine vats will brim over.” - Can’t lose!!
I don’t think the point is that we will be healthy and rich, the point is that we will be blessed. If we see things God’s way and run to him then surely the result is we can’t lose in the most important arena of life. We will live in harmony with God and not to be over spiritual but when we do that we really can’t lose!!!

I guess I am left asking myself and you the follow questions:
Do I have clear eyes? Is my heart clean?

Cars and Scars

Scars. I have a few. In one of the creases of the palm of my left had, I have a small one. The result of a very large splitter. Growing up we had an old painter's plank, the kind that they use on scaffolding. We used to prop it up against the wall dividing our house and our next door neighbours. It was easy access to our friends. One day I run up and my foot slipped, so I did the only logical thing . . . I grabbed the side of the plank to stop myself from falling! The result was that a huge piece of dirty wood pieced my left hand. I remember pulling out an inch long piece from my and and thinking that was the only piece and so I ran up the plank and went to play. Soon I realized that there was something wrong, as that part of my hand festered and swelled. Long story short I had to have and equal sided piece surgically removed, which resulted in the one and only 2 stitches I have ever had. I bare the scar as a reminder to be careful when climbing things.

Then there’s the very little one just above my top lip. I was playing tennis with some friends a few years ago. In a bizarre moment that will never be repeated, I attempted to hit the ball but on the follow through I whacked my face with the head of my racquet, thereby jamming the skin into my tooth and literally making a tiny hole. When I closed my mouth and puffed up my cheeks I could feel and hear the air whistling through it. Gross.

The other one is the head injury inflicted by a friend while playing cricket.
I have other “scars”. My weak knees from playing rugby and four square. My 2 front teeth that I chipped on a cricket pitch roller when I was 7 or 8. The list goes on. Some are physical, others are emotional and to be honest there are some spiritual ones too.

The other day, my wife and I took our little girl, Emily to see Cars 2. To be honest I was skeptical about it but its a Pixar movie and my thoughts are, Pixar at their worst is probably better than anything anyone else has to offer. I enjoyed it. Emily feel asleep. This however is not a review. There is this one moment when Mater, the rusted, crazy tow truck is being fitted with a disguise as he has mistakingly been confused as a secret agent (stay with me now). The car doing the work wants to fix his dents so that the disguise will work properly but Mater refuses because his dents remind him of the good times he has had with his friends, specifically Lightening McQueen. In other words, his dents are part of what defines him.

You see our scars tell our story. Think about the scars you have and generally they are wrapped up in a story that involves someone else. Whether they are physical, emotional or spiritual there is a story behind them and like it or not they play a big part in defining who we are.
Scar are important to us because:
They remind us of the people in our lives. Every one of my scars reminds of the people I was with when I got the scar. Good or bad. Positive or negative. The thing I have come to realize though is that for the most part is that those people whether I like it or not who have contributed to who I am.
They remind us of the lessons we have learned. For instance I will never again use a cricket pitch roller as a seesaw. The fact is though each scar serves as a lesson. Sometimes we learn from that lesson and sometimes we don’t.
They are in integral part of our story.
They can influence and affect others.

The interesting thing is that the Bible tells us of Jesus’ scars. Yes there were the physical ones on the cross in his hands, feet and side but his scars ran deeper than just the physical. Rejected, mocked, teased, let down by friends . . . I used to think that Jesus was somehow unaffected by all of that. He wasn’t. He couldn’t have been. If he was fully human then his scars were really and he felt them and they defined him, or how he dealt with them defined him.

Isaiah from the Bible tells that Jesus’ wounds/scars heal us. He is not talking about physical healing but is referring to the fact that Jesus' sacrifice on the cross heals our relationship with God. How he carries or uses his scars defines him as the one who brings healing.

So I guess it’s not the scar but how you carry it that defines you.

Scratching my head

There are times that I seriously doubt the evangelistic strategy that Jesus used. He never really seemed all that interested in gathering huge crowds to follow him. Yes he did some amazing stuff and clearly those that did follow were of a high standard otherwise we wouldn't have followers today, but it seems that while he was on earth he didn't want or expect large groups to actually follow. His strategy seems to have been, go into a town, do some miracles and then teach. And by teach I mean, mostly to the large crowds, he would tell stories and then leave. No explanations and to be fair some of these stories were a little awkward and weird, especially for those that thought he should be pulling in the crowds. One story that he told has had me very confused and to be honest when I first read it and took in, a little upset. I guess we all have a little pharisee living inside us? Or maybe it's just me....

In Matt 22, Jesus tells the a story of a king who is throwing a party for his son's wedding. A royal wedding party. We all want invites to one of those. He invites all his friends and dignities but on the day they all either ignore the invite or beat up his servant for coming to get them. Nice friends he has. Anyway after the king has sent his army to punish these stupid, unworthy friends, he sends out his servant to go and invite anyone who will come. They come in droves. As the king is having good time, he scans the banquet room and spots a dude who is wearing some really grotty clothes. He goes up to the man and says, "How did you get in wearing clothes like that?! How dare you insult me like this." The man who up until this point has been having a good time and is probably a little drunk, is left speechless as the king instructs his "bouncers" to tie the man up hand and foot and throw him out into the darkness . . .

Thats not the kind of story you tell someone if you want them to follow you. You see Jesus never made it easy for people to follow because he wanted them to be aware of the reality of it all. Following is not for the faint hearted.

Either way this story disturbs me. I did find this out after a few clicks in good old google. The custom of the day was that when you went to a wedding party, the host would provide you with the acceptable (right) clothing for the occasion. You didn't need you own party dress or suit, so you never had to worry about being dressed right because the host made sure you were. So if the man in the story is in his own cruddy clothes, then its his own fault because he has chosen them over the host's expensive garments. Mmmmm . . . he has been invited to a royal wedding, given every opportunity to enjoy the occasion but decides that his clothes are better. I wonder how long he sat at the wedding enjoying all the food and drink? What did he think he was doing? Perhaps he wanted to enjoy the party but in his own way. He wanted the invite but he also wanted to come on his own terms. It doesn't work like that unfortunately. Not for important royal events and definitely not with God.

I think what Jesus was getting at is this. All are invited, anyone can come but you cannot do it on your terms. You can't receive all that Jesus has to offer but hold anything back or receive it your way. It has to be his way because he is the only one able to make the offer. Like it or not that's the way it is. You cannot follow Jesus on your terms. It is the reality, though not the best tool to attract and keep the crowds . . .

I knew it would end that way!!!!?

I went to see the latest and last of the Harry Potter series, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2, last night. Definitely worth seeing. Possibly my favourite of the series but then I loved the book and thought that the JK Rowling did a great job in ending the series the way that she did. But its what happen after that got me thinking. About 2 rows down from us a lady says to her friend, "I knew it would end like that?!" My wife and I thought that was an hilarious statement, I mean thats the statement of someone who doesn't know how it ends and the only way they no that is that they haven't read the book!!! Someone on this planet has not read the Harry Potter books! I just assumed that everyone had and that the ending was not a surprise to anyone but I was wrong.

But I'm guessing that it isn't usual when I think about it. I mean how many people have actually read The Lord of the Rings for example? Here are fans of the stories who to be fair haven't really "heard" the full story. They quickly admit they like the story and enjoy it but really haven't experienced all the joy story has to offer. WOW!

How many of us say that we have faith in God? That we are followers of Jesus? That we base our lives on his teaching but actually haven't read the book or don't really have an adequate knowledge of the book? How much do we miss out on when we don't know the whole story because we haven't really experienced it?

I'm not judging because I am just as much to blame but there really is no excuse. I realise that reading is not everyones favourite past time and I think its great that books are made into movies so that more people can be impacted by them. But when it comes of God, the movie, someone else's interpretation of him, just won't do. The book should be where it starts surely. Perhaps I need to put my nose into it more often.

Beginnings: You can't hug a porcupine part 1

You can’t hug a porcupine

Adam looked around. Checking to see if anyone was watching. He check again just in case and then remembered that there were no other people around. He looked lovingly at George the porcupine. George who liked and respected Adam as much and the next animal was suspicious. He had heard the rumours. Floppy the bunny had apparently been eating some lettuce when he was grabbed by Adam and squeezed. The poor little rodent had, had to go to therapy after the random hugging had taken place.
Roger the lion was luckier, he had seen Adam coming and had ran for his life.

George backed away ever so slightly from the man. He was cornered. What would he do! Adam reached down. George closed his eyes and tried to think of a happy place. Adam got down on his knees and extended his two large arms around the porcupine.

“OWWWWWWW!!!!!” screamed Adam as 30 porcupine spines shot out of George’s body into his. “For the love of Pete, what did you do that for?”
George was a little baffled, Pete was a donkey and he didn’t love him, that would just be wrong.
“I’m sorry Adam but it just happens when someone invades my personal space.”
Adam went off apologetically and didn’t come out of his house (actually it was more like a tree) for days.

“That’s it!” exclaimed George, something has to be done. He called a meeting of all the animals and they talked for hours about the threat that Adam was beginning to pose. Floppy tried to talk about his torment but just burst into tears. The animals chittered and chatter but no one came up with any good ideas.
“How about we call the Creator and ask him to have a little talk with Adam?” asked one of the Pandas, fearing that her kind would be the next target.

“You don’t have to tell me,” came a voice from above, “I saw it all for myself.”
“Well can you do something about this weirdo please?” Came a cry from among the now twenty million rabbits.
The Creator explained to the animals that Adam wasn’t weirdo but that he was just a little lonely and wanted someone to hold him. That’s all that people really want a lot of the time, someone to hold them and tell them that its going to be alright.
“I will deal with it,” the Creator assured them.
Suddenly the animals’ disgust turned into sympathy. “Y, y , you know I have brothers, sisters, cousins, uncles, aunts, grandparents, a wife and children” said Floppy, “but poor Adam doesn’t have anyone. Perhaps we judged him too soon.”

And so the Creator went to find Adam.
Adam was sitting against his tree which he called his sofa for some reason he couldn’t explain. He had plasters and bandages all over his arms and chest. The scares would remain to remind him that he was all alone. Well knew that he wasn’t really, the Creator was a great friend who could do some pretty awesome things, and if he ever had a problem with bullies . . .
He liked the animals to but they just didn’t get him sometimes. They could never understand that simple quantum physics and as for there attempts to answer life greatest question . What he needed was someone like him. Another Adam! That’s was the answer!
Adam jumped up, “I will run to find the Creator and ask him for a clone of sorts!”
He didn’t get very far for two reason:
1. The creator was already there and anywhere Adam he could possible think about going to.
2. He suddenly felt really, really tired. He couldn’t understand why, he had gotten 8 hours sleep, just like the manual (How to make the most of your body by JC) the Creator had given him said. He hadn’t done much exercise.
It was all too tiring, so Adam decided that he would have a power nap for a bit. He crawled under his tree and fell fast asleep.

(keep looking back for part 2 . . .)

Beginnings

Every story has a beginning right? It doesn’t matter what it is, whether it’s history, fiction, science fiction, fantasy, romance and even a lie, they are all stories that have beginnings. There has to be a starting point, right? Well this story doesn’t have a beginning. You can’t pinpoint and exact starting point. It’s the greatest story ever told and it transcends time and space and a beginning.

The best place to start is with an entity. That’s already wrong, entity belittles him, she, it or whatever politically correct or incorrect term you want to use. I guess for this story we will call him, she, it, them, the Creator.
The Creator always was and is. That statement will and has confused many over the millennia, but its just one of the many things that cannot be explained away. Sure there are theories and legends but in the final analysis they all fall short. How can the Creator just have been? If you have the answer please, please let me know and together we will make millions!

Since we are human, I will use human terms to tell this story as best and as accurately as I can. There will be those who disagree with me and feel that this is way to flippant but hey I know the Creator to be merciful and I feel he is ok with this.

Since there isn’t an exact start, there is a need to start when the Creator decided to create this rock we lovingly call Earth.

So there he, she, it, them was/where. . . Again I have to stop at this point. You see the Creator is the ultimate power in all the universe and there are many things about him, she, it, them that we don’t understand. Where did he (I won’t go through it all again, I don’t want to run out of paper and kill all the rainforests in the Amazon! So please note that when I refer to the creator as him, I mean the politically correct collective terms of him, her, it, them.)
The Creator is one but three. Now I have you attention and your head spinning. No he isn’t schizophrenic! For thousands of years wise people have tried to explain this and have helped, but also confused us. One bright spark said that the creator was like an egg. An egg is made up of 3 parts (yolk, white and shell), all are different but at the same time all are egg. Well that might help you but it caused a stir among those who believe that the egg came before the chicken and lead to the Great Poaching Inquisition of 1538. The fact is that the Creator likes to keep us guessing about some stuff and this is one of them. He is one person but also three. Very confusing but fact. That isn’t a simple answer and I hope that you struggle with it but don’t leave the egg in the fridge just cause you don’t quite understand it, there will be stuff that you do get, I promise.

Now that we have the confusing stuff out of the way, let go on. . .

At the start of the universe (that’s as close to a start point as I will get), the Creator decided to create. And so that’s what he did. There was no one else around to see it yet except him.
How long he took to create we don’t know, it’s not really the point. What we do know thanks to the Creator showing a guy called Mo is that he created. No one else did and I sincerely hope that I wasn’t a germ, blob, fish, tortoise, frog, shrew, squirrel, bush-baby, chimpanzee, cave person, human. That’s not what the Creator showed Mo anyway.
That’s were our first mini story within this vast saga (I hope George Lucas hasn’t copy-written that word), starts.

Mo was a brave man for reasons that you will find out a little later. One day he was on a mountain talking to the Creator and the Creator said, “Mo I you need to write some stuff down, it may take a week to do so clear your calendar.” Now you don’t want to get the Creator mad, so Mo set the time aside and picked up his pen and paper (more like chisel and flat piece of rock).
The Creator with the aid of a system he called cinema, which he told Mo would become popular only in the 20th Century, showed Mo what he done.
Mo was dazzled by the images of the Creator just speaking and things being created out of nothing because there was nothing. He said light and Mo saw the sun explode into space, stars popping up all over the sky and a weird grey rock appear that men would later think going to was worth spending enough money on that could have prevented starvation in Africa for twenty years.
The creator said lion and a lion happened. And so on until Mo saw mountains, seas, fish, canyons, rivers, birds etc. He was so dazzled by it all that he didn’t realise how long they had been watching the screen.
“That’s amazing. I don’t have words,” he told the creator. The Creator just smiled, “You haven’t even seen the best bit yet.”
The Creator explained that for the next creation he had to get his hands dirty. He didn’t just speak he actually sculpted something. “Look here,” he showed Mo what looked like a lump of mud and how he shaped it. At first Mo didn’t quite get it but soon it became clear what the creator was making. It was a person, a male person to be exact. In is best narrator voice, the Creator echoed, “Now that the dude is shaped he needs to live so I will give him extreme CPR.” Soon the new person was taking huge gulps of air, getting up and looking around.
“This was the first person that I made.” Spoke the Creator, “People were my best works of art as I made the world. I made them a bit like me,” he continued, “you see Mo, unlike everything else that I made, people will live forever like I do. They will never cease to be, even when the world ends and let me tell you Mo that’s a spectacular finale.”
Mo found out that the Creator called the first man Adam and that he was put in charge of the everything else. When Adam came along everyone knew that the boss had put him in second in charge and they gave him the respect due. Wild animals were his friends, he was kind of like the ancient original Saint Francis of Assisi.

Mo sat listening, watching and writing for 6 days, without sleeping or eating. Finally the Creator had a look at him and said, “You look shattered! Have something to eat and rest here for a day.”
The Creator liked that idea so much that he decided to make that the way that people function best, i.e. work 6 days and rest on the seventh.

And so creation had happened. Mo was flabbergasted by it all and struggled to take it in. “I can’t do this justice. Can’t you just show this to every new person? Perhaps have a ‘Welcome to the world: This is how it came to be!’ seminar when kids turn 18 or something?”
The Creator laughed so hard that the earth shook. “Mo I have always like your sense of humour! Just do your best and make sure that they get the point.”
Mo scratched his head, “. . . and that would be??”
Again that Creator burst into fits of laughter, rolling on the ground. The mountain shook so hard that the people waiting for Mo at the foot thought that it was going to crumble and moved a mile back.
“The point,” chuckled the Creator wiping tears from his eyes , “is that I created this all and that it belongs to me. And that I love people and my Creation.”
Mo gathered his notes and dragged them down the mountain. “I will do my best. Thank for the great show. I really wish you would reconsider letting people now experience this cinema effect?”
The creator went into fits of laugher once more.

Something new.

In the light of my last post I have been really challenged about using this blog more. So I am going to take a risk and start posting some stuff that I have written over the years. Among the usual bloggy (is that even a word?) sort of things I will post a series of short stories that I have written. I hope you find them entertaining and insightful. These stories inspired the name of this blog. Most are stories are from reading between the lines of the Bible. That means they are fiction and simply my attempt to understand the Bible better. Please read them that way. Theology is life, we are doing it all the time. While my stories reflect my understanding of God and the story that he has written in the Bible, I am all too aware of my imperfect understanding of it all. So here goes . . .

It lives!!!!!

Today I had a look at my blog. It’s been over 2 months since I posted a new blog! I can’t believe that! Now I am sure you just love hearing this kind of sob story from someone who writes a blog. Well this isn’t an apology for now updating my blog, I am sure that you are busy enough in your life to actually care.
But the reason I started writing this thing was more for me than anyone else. About a year ago read a book that changed my life. It’s a book by Donald Miller called “A Million Miles in a Thousand Years.” Basically its a memoir about how Donald Miller learned to live a better story. Its not intended to be a self help book but the principles in it made sense to me and inspired me to try and tell a better story with my life, not just for me but for my family. Me sharing my thoughts via the blog media was one of the small outcomes of this. The reality is that I want to tell a better story but sometimes I get bogged down by other things. Its easy to allow the things I want to do to be overshadowed by the things I have to do or especially by the things I think I have to do!

Priorities is the bottom line. What is really important? Mmmmmm . . . lets hope I can do better in the future. The great thing is that a fresh start is always available.

My big Matrix moment

A few years ago, and by a few years ago I really mean along time ago, but not in galaxy far far away. Let me start again. I attended the Baptist Theological college of Southern Africa (BTC) between 1994 and 1997, but I’m okay now! Seriously I studied at this esteemed place of spiritual learning in Randburg, South Africa. It’s a great place. The course is great, the lecturers were amazing and I learn some really great and sometimes tough lifelong lessons there. In all I would say I am a better person and closer to God for having studied at BTC.
Today I was taking a walk, listening to some music and thinking about old times, when I remembered an event that took place while at BTC that has taught me many lessons about life. I thought I would share it.

It was warm sunny Randburg morning. Our class happened to have a few free lectures. I believe it was because a lecturer was sick or something like that. The fact is we had the time to ourselves. Most of my classmates decided to do the mature thing and “hit the books.” Assignment deadlines were looming and it made good sense to to use the time productively. But that’s not what I did. My friend, Ed and I decided to head over to the Randburg Mall to have some coffee and a chat. The mall is about a 7min walk from BTC. So took the walk. We were enjoying the nice day and the chat as we approached a wide and busy road. As we approached I looked to my left and didn’t bother to look to my right because in a bizarre moment of real stupidity and ditziness I decided that this road, a road I had cross numerous times before, was a One Way road! I did not therefore expect a black Golf GTI with a driver who was wearing groovy Rayband’s to be coming at me from the right. So, looking left I looked and saw there was a gap to run across so I stepped in the road . . .

All I can say is that in that moment time slowed down, like it does in the Matrix, the only problem was that I did not have the skill of Keanu Reeves to avoid my inevitable fate. In the 1 or 2 seconds that it followed I took in all the information I needed to know. I heard the hooting. I noticed the colour and make of the car. I even had a quick envious though about the car. I noticed that the driver was male with short dark hair, that he was well dress and was wearing really trendy sunglasses. I also processed the consequences of my actions and remember thinking “Oh c . . . . . “ You get the picture. All in 1 or 2 seconds tops!
Next thing I remember was hitting the floor, my head bashing into the curb and my friend Ed shouting something like, “Phil! Phil!! Are you okay?!” I bounced up onto my feet in a state of shock and remember having a short conversation with the driver in which I apologized profusely for my act of random stupidity.

The fact is I came off easy. The car thankful had just pulled away for the traffic lights and so it wasn’t traveling fast yet (it was a Gold GTI, those drivers never stick to speed limits.) I didn’t damage the car and apart from having a huge bruise on my hip and very large headache, I was okay to drive home and see my doctor.

As I thought about that today it became clear to me that I learned some big lessons from that incident:

1. Always look left and right and left again. Never assume anything! This is something I have put into practice and sometimes I feel like an old man crossing roads. It helps too in real life though. Never assume anything and it never hurts to have another look or take some more time to think about a big decision.

2. Make sure that you are where you should be in the first place. We should have been at college working. That’s the harsh reality of it. Even though we would have had a very good and productive chat in terms of our friendship, our place was in the college library (sorry Ed). Life is about making sure you are in the right place. The place God wants you be in. And its not always geographical. A Place can be your relationship with God, or people or things. Be in the right place.

3. Our minds are amazing things. If I could process all that information in such a short moment, imagine how much more I could do if I “put my mind to it.” So often we limit and restrict ourselves but God has made us capable for amazing things. How we use that capability is what counts.

4. Good friends are important. They laugh with you and at you but in the end they are the ones who help you up and make sure you get to where you need to be.

What's your favourite scary movie??

I am a sucker for scary movies. I have to be honest about that. I love the rush you feel when and after watching a scary movie. Not that I watch them very often. Having a toddler in your life means you don't really get to do what you want to do a lot of the time. If I'm not pretending to be the voice of Cinderella, then I am playing with plastersine or watching the
latest Disney movie or Dora the Explorer. Forget about a scary movie, I have a hard time keeping up with world news!!
Back to scary movies though. I recently found a gem of a scary movie. It's called The Hole and was directed by the guy who gave us the classic movie Gremlins. It's not the scariest movie in the world, although it does have the creepy moments and scares. Judging from how the discipleship group at my church called The Core reacted when watching it, it probably is a bit scarier and funnier than I thought but how I was I to know!?! Yes you did read that right. I did inflict a scary movie on a group of unsuspecting young people. Why you say? Because I am sick . . . No because this movie actually spoke to me.
You see I believe that truth can be found anywhere and that God can and does speak more often then we think and sometimes its in the most usual places.
So what did God say to me in The Hole? Well, I don't want to ruin it for you in case this inspires you to watch it but the basic message of the film is that we all have fears in our lives and that we tend to build them up into these huge overwhelming things that suffocate us and stop us from moving forward. The main characters in the movie have to face their fears in order to survive (there is this great scene with a clown puppet. Movie making genius) and move forward in their lives.
It made me examine my own fears, past and present. How much control over my life do I give to them? Am I running from them? How do I face up to them? The answer to the last question is, with God's help and in my experience that tends to me he uses other people to support.
So what is your greatest fear and are you facing up to it?

The Vultures are circling

It's not often that I feel able to think at 10:15pm but as I am on holiday and pretty much spent the day playing playstation, my brain is more active than usual at this time of night.
Anyway, so I have been playing this game called, "Red Dead Redemption." It is so big that you can get lost in it but my thought today hasn't been of how often we can create our own little world that we lock ourselves into and get lost in, no, my thought has been about vultures.
The vultures circle whenever someone is in trouble or has been shot in the game. You see vultures and you know that your path is about to become a bit more complicated and bit more "troublesome".
Mmmmmmm . . . ever notice how that happens in real life? I don't write this out of current experience but I have experienced it often. Just when you think you might be comfortable, or have something figured out or have made a big decision, the vultures circle and complicate it.
In the game its not always a bad thing, it usually means progress possible (that's if the vultures are not circling around your corpse). It might mean that but it is never nice or comfortable to have to deal with in real life. I guess that's the problem with life . . . it's messy and complicated and fuzzy. At the same time that's what makes it worth it.

Jesus said, "Do you finally believe? In fact, you're about to make a run for it—saving your own skins and abandoning me. But I'm not abandoned. The Father is with me. I've told you all this so that trusting me, you will be unshakable and assured, deeply at peace. In this godless world you will continue to experience difficulties. But take heart! I've conquered the world." John 16

Vitamin String Quartet

I've been listening to the Vitamin String Quartet on Spotify this week. Yeah, I know, you are familiar with who they are! Well if you have fallen off the end of the world and have no idea who this fantastic string quartet are, let me explain. VSQ as they are known are a very talented string quartet whose main purpose in life is to rearrange modern pop, rock, metal and alternative music into really great string quartet type music. So for instance you can listen to "Enter Sandman" by Metallica or "Thriller" by Michael Jackson or "Mood Rings" by Relient K, and the list goes on. I reckon they churn out about a zillion albums a year judging from the pain in my right hand from all the scrolling down I had to do in Spotify. The thing is they are very good. The arrangements are well thought out, fun and nice to listen to. Good background sort of stuff. But I have been left wanting more if I am honest. I found myself wanting to listen to James Hetfield singing, and actually at some point I swapped to the REAL thing. I gave up on the "reworked" imitation because the real thing is far more inspiring and impacting on my life.
I know what you're thinking and yes its only music but it made me wonder about how often we settle in our lives for a "reworked" image of someone else's inspiration and creativity? How often are our desires, values, aspirations and actions simply are reaction to what we have seen in someone else's life? How often are our lives simply a re-imagining of what someone else has done or said?
I know why we do it. It because it's easier. The other way is much more work. It is much easier live in Mark Driscoll's thoughts and opinions on faith (by the way I love Mark Driscoll in case you think I am slamming him) than to actually experience what God has to say to me in his Word. And it isn't just about faith stuff, it applies to all of life.
It's a challenging thought. It seems to me those that make the most impact in their world are the one's who don't settle for someone else's life or someone else's thoughts on things.

"No one's ever seen or heard anything like this,
Never so much as imagined anything quite like it—
What God has arranged for those who love him."
1 Cor 2:9

Burnsdown Day #10

Today is Burnsdown Day. My own personal holiday. Not that I ever get to take it off but still it's my day! On 7 Feb I remember one of the most significant events in my life, the day my flat burned down. Depressing right? Not really. You see for me Burnsdown Day is a marker that set a lot of God's plans in my life into motion. Most importantly it is marks the beginning of my relationship with my beautiful wife, Monique. You see when I was homeless, I was taken in by Monique's family and our friendship grew from there. It's not often that someone is thankful for a personal disaster, and believe me I wasn't at the time, but looking back 10 years I am so thankful for that night and would not change it for the world.
So today is the tenth Burnsdown Day. The tradition I keep on Burnsdown Day is to replace one of the CD's that I lost in the fire. It's become a difficult task 10 years down the road, mainly because I have forgotten so many and also because so many of them are not in "print."
So what to do . . . As it's 10 years I think that means I can change the rules a bit. So iTunes is fair game and perhaps I will start to look forward slightly and get something that I have always wanted but have never gotten around to getting.
I guess what I am trying to say is that I think its important in life to look back and see what God has done but there comes a time to use what you have experienced and learned and move forward or in a new direction.

"I'm not saying that I have this all together, that I have it made. But I am well on my way, reaching out for Christ, who has so wondrously reached out for me. Friends, don't get me wrong: By no means do I count myself an expert in all of this, but I've got my eye on the goal, where God is beckoning us onward—to Jesus. I'm off and running, and I'm not turning back."
Philippians 3:12 - 14

Noisetrade

I have this week been discovering the joys of an awesome website called Noisetrade. It is a site where you can download free music. Yes I said free music. Yes you can "tip" the artists but ultimately if you don't want to then you are still able to download the entire album. The only thing they ask for is a trade. You have to give them your email address!
The site is all about giving "indie" artists exposure so they are happy for you to have their music and hope that you will tell others about it using Facebook etc.
Its a great idea!
The downside, if any, is wading through the heaps of music to find stuff that you like but there is certainly something for everyone.

What I learned from writing Switchfoot off.

About 4 years ago I wrote Switchfoot off. Let me back up a little for those who don't have a clue what I am talking about. Switchfoot is a band. A very good band actually. Anyway, I wrote them off. Up until then, you see I had tried desperately hard to like them. I had a number of their CD's and really liked one or two songs on each but for some reason I just didn't "get" them. And so I wrote them off and decided to never buy another Switchfoot album again. I'm not sure this was an actual decision that I make consciously but I did make it because somewhere deep inside when their new CD at the time came out I didn't even bother listening and it came and went without me giving it a chance.
Just over 2 years ago now they released, "Hello Hurricane" and I stumbled across the first single by accident. I absolutely love it! In fact I would even say that it is in my all time top ten songs! This made me rethink my decision and I bought 'Hello Hurricane", saw them in concert and I guess I am now a groupie. I am even enjoying their older stuff. It seemed so easy to write the off and give up on them, only to be proved wrong along.

Makes me think how often I do that with people. How often do we "write people off" by labelling them, thinking that they will never change or will always be the same. How often do we miss out on what people have to offer all because we have simply put them in a little box of our making that does not allow us to benefit from who they really are? The fact is that it is probably us who miss out and not them!

I am excited for the new material that Switchfoot are currently recording and that challenges me.

Redemption

I have been thinking a lot about redemption lately. Not surprising for someone in my profession I guess. I mean it kind of comes with the job description. Perhaps when people apply for ministry they should have to sign a contract that says, "Thou shalt think about redemption at least 2 a day, salvation all day and while continually talking to Jesus."

I don't know about signing a contract but I do try at least talking to Jesus as much as I can
.

But still have been thinking about it loads. The thing about redemption is that it is like an onion (not parfait), it has many layers. Yes at the core is the wonderful news that Jesus has redeemed us by his death and resurrection. I live in that wonderful news every day. The other aspect to it is that it covers what I need redeeming for and from. Both past and future. WOW.
There's another layer though that has really gotten me thinking recently and it is sort of dealt with the 2 films that I recently saw. Gran Torino with Clint Eastwood playing a "Dirty Harry-like" figure who hates the world and everyone in it, especially those of different cultures. He is "forced" into an uncanny friendship with a boy who tries to steal his car. As the movie expands on this friendship Eastwood's character changes and its is in helping that he is set free from his bitterness. Mmmmm . . . and redeemed.

The other film that made me think is "Man on Fire". A movie I have wanted to see for a long time but just never got around to it. I guess it could be God's timing in me seeing it now.
The 2 films tell very similar stories. Of 2 men finding redemption in a loving, caring and sacrificing for someone else. That makes me think. Perhaps redemption isn't just about me having a clean slate so that I can be in heaven. Perhaps God intended it to be more than that. Maybe there is a very real sense of us working out our redemption while we are still breathing. Not earning our redemption, we can't do that but working it out. How is it worked out? In our relationships with others, as we care for, love and make sacrifices for them.

I think the Bible say it best in Phil 2:12 "Work hard to show the results of your salvation, obeying God with deep reverence and fear. 13 For God is working in you, giving you the desire and the power to do what pleases him." (NLT)

Just something I have been thinking about.

I'm a faker

"Love from the center of who you are; don’t fake it. Run for dear life from evil; hold on for dear life to good." Romans 12:9 (The Message)

I found out today that I am a faker. It was news to me. I thought that for the most part I was a pretty up front and real person. What you see is what you get (you see the floor in my thinking already don't you, fakers out there?), that is until I read and fully took in Romans 12 today. Never read the Bible if you don't want to be challenged.

It's a tough bit of the Bible because it set such a high standard for those who follow Jesus. But it's verse 9 that caught my attention.

"Love from the center of who you are; don’t fake it. Run for dear life from evil; hold on for dear life to good." Romans 12:9 (The Message)

Did you get it? It tells us to love from the centre of our beings and not to fake it. Centre meaning the part that make us who we are. Its where our passion lies. It's who we are!

And so I am a faker. I don't always love that much!
I don't always give you my full attention. I don't always tell you the whole truth. I don't always let you know how I feel. Sometimes I hide things. Probably more often than I would like to believe.
It's not because I don't want to. Hopefully it's not because I am a bad person. It's because I am human and not perfect.

So my challenge for the day . . . try not to be fake. Does that give me licence to be mean to people for the sake of the truth? I don't think so but it does mean that I will be aware that God requires me to love with everything I have and sometimes that hurts. Reality sucks!

I pledge not to be a faker anymore.

How about you? Have you been faking it? Have you not been loving from the core of who you are?

Maybe it's time to be real?