Many of my friends belong to motorcycle clubs. They have in some cases provocative names, in others just a simple statement of them being bikers. But they are judged for those names, and the perception that goes with the name. A few years back a good friend of mine refused to come to a rally with me because of the name of the club who put it on, and how it would look to those within the established church, if he was seen at this gathering. At the time i was a bit hacked off with him, and let him know i thought he was being stupid. Today it's different, we have the emergent church, we have initiatives with fancy titles for going to the fringes of society to take the Gospel to them. Initiatives that are in some cases effective, in others less so.
Being separate from the world is a requirement of the Christian walk, and over the years many well meaning Christians have taken it to mean complete separation from the day to day, the struggles and the sin that goes with day to day life. But what does it actually mean to be separate from the world? Can we be effective witnesses if we never engage with a fallen broken society, and all those people who make it up. The simple answer is no we cannot, we have to go and proclaim the Gospel, we have to go and proclaim Gods love to a shattered society, a society that we are part of.
Some of us, myself included work better on the edge, it's where i'm most comfortable. There has to be a cliff i can look over, thats when i'm happiest. When i'm staring into the void, chatting with, praying with those people on the fringes of society, thats when i'm happiest as a Christian. The run of the mill mundane drives me mad. It saps my strength and dries me up. When i'm on the edge i feel closer to God, i feel alive. Some of my friends are members of bike clubs, they have names that make Christians squirm, but they squirm for the wrong reasons. We should be squirming because we judge a book by it's cover, we judge according to a name, we judge according to our understanding. If more people squirmed for the right reasons, we could see a massive shift in the way church functions, we can move from the traditional way of doing church into a vibrant, life giving ethos. It's time for the church to decide on wether the status quo is working or wether, we get a new dynamic running parrallel to it. There is a world waiting for the church to rise up, and we have to do it.
Tuesday, 29 May 2012
Wednesday, 23 May 2012
Doing the right thing.
In the last few weeks i have had a number of conversations with people about doing the right thing. Some of these conversations have been trivial, you know the sort of thing, do i get another beer, do i have an extra serving of crumble, that type of thing. But some have required strength of character, a sense of honour, and the ability to trust in God that you are doing the right thing. A minister friend of mine who i have known for longer than he would like to remember, made a very serious decision earlier this year, he resigned his ministerial credentials, he just never renewed them. He has over the years earnt my respect and my love for him, despite him being a Liverpool fan has grown in the 22 odd years i have known him. The decision was hard to make but he felt that in all honour and integrity he had to do it.
And this brings us to the crux of the matter, over a coffee at a costa ( i do not attend these places unless i'm with him by the way), he explained his reasonings behind why etc. He had worked within his particular denomination for over 20 years, so it was no drop and run process. But he got me to thinking, as Christians we talk of integrity, we talk about honour, we talk about how we are different than the world at large, but are we? Do our actions get dictated by tradition, do they get blasted by our own desires, worse still do we neglect to consult with God on those things that matter. Integrity HAS to be a large part of who we are, wether we are Christians or not. This last month there have been times, i have been less than honourable, less than nice and far from Christian. My failings have affected relationships i have, but not to a level of destruction. Integrity is not a commodity we throw around, its not a word we chuck in to make ourselves sound superior, it's got to be a life style choice. Sometimes those choices are hard and friends, family and church can poke their well meaning noses into the pot to stir it in the wrong direction. Yes it's good to listen to people, but people can come with an agenda, an agenda of their own that maybe at odds with Gods agenda for our lives. You above all people know what God is telling you to do, you alone are going to be responsible for how you act. Yes sometimes the choice is easy and as we say in my neck of the woods a no brainer. Sometimes it requires commitment and above all sacrifice to achieve the end result. Yes we can have another beer, yes an extra potion of crumble. But lets actually be honest about where we are, where we are going and how God fits into it all. To many people will hold back on doing Gods will because it means the habits of a lifetime need to change, or we move out of our comfort zone. It's time to shape up and let the rubber meet the road
And this brings us to the crux of the matter, over a coffee at a costa ( i do not attend these places unless i'm with him by the way), he explained his reasonings behind why etc. He had worked within his particular denomination for over 20 years, so it was no drop and run process. But he got me to thinking, as Christians we talk of integrity, we talk about honour, we talk about how we are different than the world at large, but are we? Do our actions get dictated by tradition, do they get blasted by our own desires, worse still do we neglect to consult with God on those things that matter. Integrity HAS to be a large part of who we are, wether we are Christians or not. This last month there have been times, i have been less than honourable, less than nice and far from Christian. My failings have affected relationships i have, but not to a level of destruction. Integrity is not a commodity we throw around, its not a word we chuck in to make ourselves sound superior, it's got to be a life style choice. Sometimes those choices are hard and friends, family and church can poke their well meaning noses into the pot to stir it in the wrong direction. Yes it's good to listen to people, but people can come with an agenda, an agenda of their own that maybe at odds with Gods agenda for our lives. You above all people know what God is telling you to do, you alone are going to be responsible for how you act. Yes sometimes the choice is easy and as we say in my neck of the woods a no brainer. Sometimes it requires commitment and above all sacrifice to achieve the end result. Yes we can have another beer, yes an extra potion of crumble. But lets actually be honest about where we are, where we are going and how God fits into it all. To many people will hold back on doing Gods will because it means the habits of a lifetime need to change, or we move out of our comfort zone. It's time to shape up and let the rubber meet the road
Wednesday, 9 May 2012
Emergency only
Last night i was eat on the loo, at our club house,when i got to looking at my mobile phone. Now in the loo, there is no signal, but my phone said EMERGENCY ONLY in big letters. Taking this to mean i could not send a text to whom i needed to, i got to wondering, with no signal how would i make an emergency call. I'm guessing if i had hit the 999 button i would have been able to get through to an emergency service, but how. This then got me thinking on a different track.
A lot of my time is spent praying for people i know who say " i can't pray myself", " i'm not religious" etc etc. So in these instances i pray for them or with them to help them along. It's what we do as Christians, it's part of our calling, to pray for those who cannot for what ever reason do so themselves.
EMERGENCY ONLY: The time when people are at the end of the rope, and cry out to God for assistance, "there is no such thing as an atheist in a Foxhole". So my thought pattern has gone down this road, is it okay to use God as an Emergency service, to call on him only as a last resort. Our ability to pray comes from our relationship with God the father through his son, if we have no real relationship, do we really know how to pray. After all what is a prayer? what does it convey? can we just chuck the odd one up towards heaven as a last resort, my thought is if we profess to be a believer in Jesus, we cannot get away with using god as an emergent number. Yes he will answer, yes he will bend his ear towards us, but is it honourable as Christians to just use God as the world does. No has to be the answer, but what of the world. Those people who struggle with the idea of praying, but get to the end of the rope and plead and cry out to God. It's not ideal but communication with our maker, no matter how small and dare i say no matter for what reason is awesome. God can be used as a 999 service, he has no problem with it. But actually what he really wants is an honest, open relationship. Where the communication is 2 way, we pray, God answers and leads us in what we feel to be right. We listen for that call, listen to hear, how why etc. God is an Emergency service, he wants and loves us to pray, we have to decide if calling on him only in our trials is honourable, or wether or not we want a dialogue with him on a day by day basis. I'm still no closer to working out how i make a phone call to the emergency services when i have no phone signal. But more importantly i really hope i never have to find out how it all works.
A lot of my time is spent praying for people i know who say " i can't pray myself", " i'm not religious" etc etc. So in these instances i pray for them or with them to help them along. It's what we do as Christians, it's part of our calling, to pray for those who cannot for what ever reason do so themselves.
EMERGENCY ONLY: The time when people are at the end of the rope, and cry out to God for assistance, "there is no such thing as an atheist in a Foxhole". So my thought pattern has gone down this road, is it okay to use God as an Emergency service, to call on him only as a last resort. Our ability to pray comes from our relationship with God the father through his son, if we have no real relationship, do we really know how to pray. After all what is a prayer? what does it convey? can we just chuck the odd one up towards heaven as a last resort, my thought is if we profess to be a believer in Jesus, we cannot get away with using god as an emergent number. Yes he will answer, yes he will bend his ear towards us, but is it honourable as Christians to just use God as the world does. No has to be the answer, but what of the world. Those people who struggle with the idea of praying, but get to the end of the rope and plead and cry out to God. It's not ideal but communication with our maker, no matter how small and dare i say no matter for what reason is awesome. God can be used as a 999 service, he has no problem with it. But actually what he really wants is an honest, open relationship. Where the communication is 2 way, we pray, God answers and leads us in what we feel to be right. We listen for that call, listen to hear, how why etc. God is an Emergency service, he wants and loves us to pray, we have to decide if calling on him only in our trials is honourable, or wether or not we want a dialogue with him on a day by day basis. I'm still no closer to working out how i make a phone call to the emergency services when i have no phone signal. But more importantly i really hope i never have to find out how it all works.
Thursday, 3 May 2012
Where grace and judgement meet
The other day i received an email, bemoaning the fact that my theology was wrong, and i had no understanding of God. This came about because i stated that God was in the business of Judgement as well as grace. For those of you who want to turn off now and read the paper or watch tv.
I stand by what i said and heres why. God when he applies his grace to our lives and when we accept it, we accept there is a reason behind it. Normally the grace we receive is when we have sinned or done wrong, but this is not exclusive. So lets put this into ways we can understand it, and look at Judgement, grace and restoration.
We do wrong and a judgement has to take place, i know i have spent a lot of time in courts, being guilty of one thing or another. Then Grace gets applied to the situation, a loving hand, a helpful word, but somewhere along the line grace gets applied. Then we have restoration, the reason for judgement is that restoration can take place, this is a biblical precedent. Any time Judgement is meted out, it's to restore the person back to where they were, but with a better understanding of their mistakes. The Prodigal son, the thief on the cross. Discipline brings restoration, Judgement brings restoration it has to do so.
I'm a parent i think i'm pretty good at it, if you ask Jacob he will have a different take on what i'm like. But we have an odd relationship, we are best mates first and foremost, I'm his dad i embarrass him, because i'm meant to do so.
When i left his mother and he was growing up i was awful as a father, i let him down regularly, and our relationship was non existent for a long time. But over time i have learnt some valuable lessons, some of those things i wad doing had to be bought to account (Judgement) i had to clean up my act, leave the peruvian marching powder behind, and straighten out. After that initial period of straightening out, grace was put into action and the discipline i had undertaking started to pay dividends to me as an individual. Restoration followed. Firstly to my God whom i still let down, but also more importantly to my son, as a friend and a father. My family who had disowned me are now back in my life.
That process that i went through, the judgement, the grace, the restoration of my body and soul was needed.
Yes God is a God of grace, but he is also a God of judgement, he does it to restore us back to himself. It's never for any other reason. If you remove judgement, you remove grace they are intertwined. As the song by the great Frank Sinatra says "love and marriage, go together like a horse and carriage". We may not like it, but these things go hand in hand. You cannot have one without the other.
I stand by what i said and heres why. God when he applies his grace to our lives and when we accept it, we accept there is a reason behind it. Normally the grace we receive is when we have sinned or done wrong, but this is not exclusive. So lets put this into ways we can understand it, and look at Judgement, grace and restoration.
We do wrong and a judgement has to take place, i know i have spent a lot of time in courts, being guilty of one thing or another. Then Grace gets applied to the situation, a loving hand, a helpful word, but somewhere along the line grace gets applied. Then we have restoration, the reason for judgement is that restoration can take place, this is a biblical precedent. Any time Judgement is meted out, it's to restore the person back to where they were, but with a better understanding of their mistakes. The Prodigal son, the thief on the cross. Discipline brings restoration, Judgement brings restoration it has to do so.
I'm a parent i think i'm pretty good at it, if you ask Jacob he will have a different take on what i'm like. But we have an odd relationship, we are best mates first and foremost, I'm his dad i embarrass him, because i'm meant to do so.
When i left his mother and he was growing up i was awful as a father, i let him down regularly, and our relationship was non existent for a long time. But over time i have learnt some valuable lessons, some of those things i wad doing had to be bought to account (Judgement) i had to clean up my act, leave the peruvian marching powder behind, and straighten out. After that initial period of straightening out, grace was put into action and the discipline i had undertaking started to pay dividends to me as an individual. Restoration followed. Firstly to my God whom i still let down, but also more importantly to my son, as a friend and a father. My family who had disowned me are now back in my life.
That process that i went through, the judgement, the grace, the restoration of my body and soul was needed.
Yes God is a God of grace, but he is also a God of judgement, he does it to restore us back to himself. It's never for any other reason. If you remove judgement, you remove grace they are intertwined. As the song by the great Frank Sinatra says "love and marriage, go together like a horse and carriage". We may not like it, but these things go hand in hand. You cannot have one without the other.
Sunday, 29 April 2012
Mission possible or getting the balance right.
Sat looking out over our back garden, the rain today is lashing down, and has been all morning so far. Our garden is a mess, over grown, and it seems like it will be a thankless task to get it done and sorted. But we have Mission Possible on the horizon, next weekend various friends are coming over to lend a hand, eat some food, drink some beer, and more importantly help with the garden clear up. It is for me a God send as i cannot stand gardening, our friends will help out, and in return be fed and watered, it's a good deal for all concerned. It's a mission that will be accomplished.
This month our group of churches are running podcasts on the book of Acts, and some of us have recorded a 3 minute study on the subject, mine is on Acts 5 and deals with a harsh reality, that as people we do not want to deal with, but as Christians we run hiding from it, try and justify what it means, and how we can make it more palatable for a world that is looking for answers. Getting the balance right between showing God in all his power and glory, is an art that at time i sadly do not possess. Tending to lean one way or the other, it's not a crime, but it does do God a disservice of sorts.
We all want to look at the God of love in the Bible, we all like the gentle Jesus meek and mild, and the Jesus who wants us for a sunbeam (so wrong on so many levels). But what do we do when we are confronted with a God who actually is going to call us to account for our actions? We can run and hide, we can deny god as judge, which far to many Christians do. God is a God of balance, the universe, life, it's all a balancing act. If we accept Gods grace we automatically accept his judgement on the issue in hand, we are saying "okay God i want you to forgive me, because i know i have done wrong", then God in his grace forgives us, but to forgive us he passes judgement on the matter.
Acts 5 tells the story of Ananias and Sapphira husband and wife and very well to do. The church had just been born and people were flocking to join it's numbers. Then hubby and wife tell lies to the disciples, they hold back what they had no reason to lie about (money) and are struck down dead. It's harsh it's brutal and judgement is passed automatically ( read it, its only about 14 verses long). We try and worm our way out of this story by making all kinds of reasoning behind it, we try and take the onus from God for his actions, and try and sugar coat the pill. The fact is God is in the business of judgement as much as he is in the business of grace.
It is a balance, if we deny some of the actions God takes to make them sweeter, we detract and take away an element of his power. If we labour too long on death and destruction we take away his grace. Balance is key, balance is what makes it work. Our friends will help us do the garden this weekend, and it's also Pam's birthday, balance. The Garden gets done, our friends come over to help and to celebrate her birthday. Think on this Mission impossible, is actually mission possible if we get the balance right. In areas of our life wether we are Christians or not, balance work , rest and play are what is needed.
This month our group of churches are running podcasts on the book of Acts, and some of us have recorded a 3 minute study on the subject, mine is on Acts 5 and deals with a harsh reality, that as people we do not want to deal with, but as Christians we run hiding from it, try and justify what it means, and how we can make it more palatable for a world that is looking for answers. Getting the balance right between showing God in all his power and glory, is an art that at time i sadly do not possess. Tending to lean one way or the other, it's not a crime, but it does do God a disservice of sorts.
We all want to look at the God of love in the Bible, we all like the gentle Jesus meek and mild, and the Jesus who wants us for a sunbeam (so wrong on so many levels). But what do we do when we are confronted with a God who actually is going to call us to account for our actions? We can run and hide, we can deny god as judge, which far to many Christians do. God is a God of balance, the universe, life, it's all a balancing act. If we accept Gods grace we automatically accept his judgement on the issue in hand, we are saying "okay God i want you to forgive me, because i know i have done wrong", then God in his grace forgives us, but to forgive us he passes judgement on the matter.
Acts 5 tells the story of Ananias and Sapphira husband and wife and very well to do. The church had just been born and people were flocking to join it's numbers. Then hubby and wife tell lies to the disciples, they hold back what they had no reason to lie about (money) and are struck down dead. It's harsh it's brutal and judgement is passed automatically ( read it, its only about 14 verses long). We try and worm our way out of this story by making all kinds of reasoning behind it, we try and take the onus from God for his actions, and try and sugar coat the pill. The fact is God is in the business of judgement as much as he is in the business of grace.
It is a balance, if we deny some of the actions God takes to make them sweeter, we detract and take away an element of his power. If we labour too long on death and destruction we take away his grace. Balance is key, balance is what makes it work. Our friends will help us do the garden this weekend, and it's also Pam's birthday, balance. The Garden gets done, our friends come over to help and to celebrate her birthday. Think on this Mission impossible, is actually mission possible if we get the balance right. In areas of our life wether we are Christians or not, balance work , rest and play are what is needed.
Friday, 27 April 2012
Potholes and Manholes
Being on a motorcycle is a great thrill, it requires skill, determination, experience and a certain amount of luck. Your concentration levels need to be high and the determination of some car drivers to be blind to your presence on the road is a pain. But onto the title, potholes and Manholes. When our road system was designed, I'm sure the designers thought to themselves lets make it purposely difficult for those people who insist on being on 2 wheels. You rarely notice the Manhole in a car, but on a bike every single one is always in your riding line especially on corners and roundabouts. When wet they are lethal, and require skill to navigate them. Potholes are much the same hit one wrong and you can say hello to the tarmac, and watch your bike slide up the road. This has been done by myself on numerous trips sideways up the road and has resulted in broken bones and A&E visits.
So why do i carry on?, simple really it's in my blood i come from a long line of bike riders and it's something i enjoy with all my soul. Being a Christian is like riding a motorcycle, it requires skill, determination, and the steady hand of God. Experience because we learn how God operates, what he expects, his ways etc. Determination because sometimes when things go wrong we wonder "why God why?" and need to rethink certain things we believe, certain ways of doing things. Also when we have been on the road for a while, we can get lazy with God, we take our eye of the prize and drop the ball or fall in someway. In the same way that on a bike you need to be 100% commited to what you are doing and the line you are taking. The same thing applies to God we need to stay focused on him, on what we know of him, what we understand of him. At the bottom of our road is a mini roundabout, when i turn right at said roundabout, there is a man hole cover right in my line of riding, followed very closely by a pothole the size of a moon crater (well thats how it appears to me). Even though i know it's there i keep alert and treat it with respect, because i know one false move and i'm kissing tarmac. If we stay concentrated on God, keep our eyes on him, stay alert. We will not spend our time kissing dirt or in A&E, but have a long fulfilling relationship with him. We will have trials and problems, but they will never be more than we can handle. Even if at the time they seem insurmountable, they are all overcomable in God
So why do i carry on?, simple really it's in my blood i come from a long line of bike riders and it's something i enjoy with all my soul. Being a Christian is like riding a motorcycle, it requires skill, determination, and the steady hand of God. Experience because we learn how God operates, what he expects, his ways etc. Determination because sometimes when things go wrong we wonder "why God why?" and need to rethink certain things we believe, certain ways of doing things. Also when we have been on the road for a while, we can get lazy with God, we take our eye of the prize and drop the ball or fall in someway. In the same way that on a bike you need to be 100% commited to what you are doing and the line you are taking. The same thing applies to God we need to stay focused on him, on what we know of him, what we understand of him. At the bottom of our road is a mini roundabout, when i turn right at said roundabout, there is a man hole cover right in my line of riding, followed very closely by a pothole the size of a moon crater (well thats how it appears to me). Even though i know it's there i keep alert and treat it with respect, because i know one false move and i'm kissing tarmac. If we stay concentrated on God, keep our eyes on him, stay alert. We will not spend our time kissing dirt or in A&E, but have a long fulfilling relationship with him. We will have trials and problems, but they will never be more than we can handle. Even if at the time they seem insurmountable, they are all overcomable in God
Thursday, 26 April 2012
Life is a Rollercoaster
Fear not dear reader, i have not been listening to Ronan Keating songs. But this week has been a hell of a ride. Passport problems, people messing about with Pam's bike and mine. It's been interesting to say the least. My anger at times this week has been immense, when people mess with things i care about, and if your'e a biker you understand this. Mess about with my pride and joy, pouring oil over the tyres etc, you have no understanding of the level of contempt i have for the idiot who is doing this.
Then i have had problems due to past illegalities, with getting my Passport sorted out, so this weekend i am meant to be in Germany with my Brothers from the club, but will be at home in England, what goes around comes around. So all in all i have had the week from Hades and am still in it to a certain degree.
But what have i learnt, in truth probably very little what so ever, but i have seen people help and support me, through all of this and have made me smile and laugh, so for that i'm very thankful.
This brings me to the spiritual dimension, over this week i have had a few debates with other Christians where i have been called names, and branded in one case demon possessed, because i dared to say that being a Christian did not exempt me from lives difficulties. The so called prosperity gospel is a twisting of the bible to make people feel good if they are receiving. If they are not God has let them down, God has forsaken them. None of which is Biblical, in fact it's a very dangerous idea, that if you are not rolling in blessing then, you are some how in sin. This is wrong WRONG WRONG on every level. If you do not have the valley's then you never learn how to appreciate the mountain tops, you never learn what is important, and what is temporal.
My friends mean the world to me, they make my life what it is. Wether they are believers or not, they all make the tapestry of my life what it is. If i go through valley's, if i stumble and fall, they help me out, they rally around me and pick me up. Being a Christian for me is not about being perfect, because i will never be perfect. It's a path i'm on, i'm aiming to perfection, I'm aiming to be the best i can be. Yes i will screw up, yes i will let people down. But those that matter, know my heart, they know me. They know Andy can be a pain in the butt. More importantly my God knows, he knows everything about me, good, bad, indifferent, and the darn right nasty, because i can be at times. My walk, my pilgrimage is based on honesty, between God and me, and to be honest thats all that matters. Yes it's good to be liked, it's good to be loved. But it's more important to Love, to show love and to say hey i'm here for you.
Then i have had problems due to past illegalities, with getting my Passport sorted out, so this weekend i am meant to be in Germany with my Brothers from the club, but will be at home in England, what goes around comes around. So all in all i have had the week from Hades and am still in it to a certain degree.
But what have i learnt, in truth probably very little what so ever, but i have seen people help and support me, through all of this and have made me smile and laugh, so for that i'm very thankful.
This brings me to the spiritual dimension, over this week i have had a few debates with other Christians where i have been called names, and branded in one case demon possessed, because i dared to say that being a Christian did not exempt me from lives difficulties. The so called prosperity gospel is a twisting of the bible to make people feel good if they are receiving. If they are not God has let them down, God has forsaken them. None of which is Biblical, in fact it's a very dangerous idea, that if you are not rolling in blessing then, you are some how in sin. This is wrong WRONG WRONG on every level. If you do not have the valley's then you never learn how to appreciate the mountain tops, you never learn what is important, and what is temporal.
My friends mean the world to me, they make my life what it is. Wether they are believers or not, they all make the tapestry of my life what it is. If i go through valley's, if i stumble and fall, they help me out, they rally around me and pick me up. Being a Christian for me is not about being perfect, because i will never be perfect. It's a path i'm on, i'm aiming to perfection, I'm aiming to be the best i can be. Yes i will screw up, yes i will let people down. But those that matter, know my heart, they know me. They know Andy can be a pain in the butt. More importantly my God knows, he knows everything about me, good, bad, indifferent, and the darn right nasty, because i can be at times. My walk, my pilgrimage is based on honesty, between God and me, and to be honest thats all that matters. Yes it's good to be liked, it's good to be loved. But it's more important to Love, to show love and to say hey i'm here for you.
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