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.