'One of the things that frustrates me most of all is our culture's obsession with 'small talk friendship'; this weird idea that's crept up on us that relationships are all about impressing each other; whipping out the best joke at just the right moment to make everyone laugh, or just the constant exchange of nothing more then polite pleasantries and the glorified versions of lives (particularly through social media.) I definitely fall victim to this and often I will work on maintaining smooth conversation rather then actually investing in people and relationships. And our relationship has indefinitely fallen victim to this; I often care too much about trying to amuse you or impress you that I sometimes neglect actually making any emotional investment in our relationship. I'm sorry for being so shallow.'
- Extract from a letter written to a dear friend.
Tuesday, April 16
Saturday, March 16
1000 reasons
For the next 100 days, I'm doing a challenge that I've dubbed '1000 reasons.'
This year is gonna be hectic, and crazy, and stressful. So, what I've decided to do, is over the next 100 days to sit down at the end of the day and write down 10 things about my day or my week or my life or God's character that I'm thankful to God for. So, by the end, I'll have 1000 things that I'm thankful for.
I started last night, and it was actually surprisingly difficult; just to think about 10 things that I'm actually thankful for, yesterday was a pretty below average day, so it was pretty hard. But it's also really cool, it gives me a totally refreshed 'look' at the world, I'm actually being forced to look out for the ways that God has been good over the day and it means I don't just come to Him at the end of a day and just give him my 'shopping list' prayer and just ask for things that I want to happen; I actually have to praise Him. I actually HAVE to appreciate everything that He does and that He gives.
Some days there will be HEAPS, and my list will be overflowing, and I'll have so much to praise God for. Others it'll be a bit more of a struggle to find 10. But, that's kind of the point; God is good, no matter what my circumstances are.
SO, I've decided to take up the '1000 reasons' challenge; 1000 reasons for me to praise God, 1000 reasons why God is great, 1000 ways that God works. I'm excited.
"You're rich in love and you're slow to anger
Your name is great and your heart is kind
For all your goodness I will keep on singing
10,000 reasons for my heart to find"
This year is gonna be hectic, and crazy, and stressful. So, what I've decided to do, is over the next 100 days to sit down at the end of the day and write down 10 things about my day or my week or my life or God's character that I'm thankful to God for. So, by the end, I'll have 1000 things that I'm thankful for.
I started last night, and it was actually surprisingly difficult; just to think about 10 things that I'm actually thankful for, yesterday was a pretty below average day, so it was pretty hard. But it's also really cool, it gives me a totally refreshed 'look' at the world, I'm actually being forced to look out for the ways that God has been good over the day and it means I don't just come to Him at the end of a day and just give him my 'shopping list' prayer and just ask for things that I want to happen; I actually have to praise Him. I actually HAVE to appreciate everything that He does and that He gives.
Some days there will be HEAPS, and my list will be overflowing, and I'll have so much to praise God for. Others it'll be a bit more of a struggle to find 10. But, that's kind of the point; God is good, no matter what my circumstances are.
SO, I've decided to take up the '1000 reasons' challenge; 1000 reasons for me to praise God, 1000 reasons why God is great, 1000 ways that God works. I'm excited.
"You're rich in love and you're slow to anger
Your name is great and your heart is kind
For all your goodness I will keep on singing
10,000 reasons for my heart to find"
Tuesday, February 26
Clarity?
Over the years, I've had a whole bunch of friends say they'd believe in the whole Christian thing 'if God just made himself clearer, you know; BAM, letters in the sky and stuff. In lightning. Man, that would be sick. But you know, I just wish that God would make himself more obvious.' And I totally get that. Sometimes, it can be such a struggle to know if God is actually there; it doesn't look like he's doing much.
BUT!!! the crazy thing? God actually revealed himself. Whaaat? How? Well, I reckon there are two big ways:
1) Through his words. 2 Timothy 3:16 says that ALL scripture is God-breathed; so it comes straight from God to a guy who writes it down. So God reveals himself; his standards, his character, the way he interacts with his world through the bible. The bible is a tangible revelation of God himself. What even? Crazy stuff.
Not convinced?
2) Well; God reveals himself through Jesus! Jesus is God with legs! How can we possibly know that?
Well, firstly; surely, if God really was God, he would have some sort of authority/control over his creation. I mean, he created it after all. Hello? Jesus STOPPED BEING DEAD. He turned water into wine. He made people who were dying (or even already dead) stop doing that and and do other things. Like living. Again, how can we know? We have 4 seperate eyewitness accounts (or an accumulation of eyewitness reports in Luke's case) called the gospels. All of them were written within the lifetime of the generation that were being written about. So, SOMEONE surely would have been like 'actually - Jesus' tomb is over here. Yep. He's definitely in there.' Anyone could have picked up a gospel and been able to testify to it's truth, or totally derailed anything in there. On top of that, an historian called Josephus calls Jesus 'a doer of many startling deeds' and a bunch of other things like that (see my note below*) So, if there were people around who could testify to it's status as truth or lie, and it had turned out the be a lie, then the gospels would have been discredited as historical fact. The whole Christian thing would have lost all credit and popularity. But instead it EXPLODES (see Acts (no seriously, read it. It's insane) + Tacitus (below.))
And so many of his closest followers are led to their death because they claimed that Jesus was God, and that he rose from the dead - and they would have seen him die, and seen him rise. If it was a lie, if it wasn't true, if Jesus didn't really rise, why would you die for it? Surely at the point where the executioner is getting ready to kill you, you'd 'fess up. Surely, they believed that Jesus ACTUALLY rose. And history points to it as well. Who would be the only person able to do that, able to physically raise someone from the dead? God. Surely. Who else??
God has revealed himself. On pages, and on earth.
*Josephus, Antiquities, Book 18.63-64
'Now there was about this time Jesus, a wise man, if it be lawful to call him a man, for he was a doer of startling deeds, a teacher of such men as receive the truth with pleasure. He drew over to him both many of the Jews, and many of the Gentiles. He was the Christ, and when Pilate, at the suggestion of the principal men among us, had condemned him to the cross, those that loved him at the first did not forsake him; for he appeared to them alive again the third day; as the divine prophets had foretold these and ten thousand other wonderful things concerning him. And the tribe of Christians so named from him are not extinct at this day.'
BUT!!! the crazy thing? God actually revealed himself. Whaaat? How? Well, I reckon there are two big ways:
1) Through his words. 2 Timothy 3:16 says that ALL scripture is God-breathed; so it comes straight from God to a guy who writes it down. So God reveals himself; his standards, his character, the way he interacts with his world through the bible. The bible is a tangible revelation of God himself. What even? Crazy stuff.
Not convinced?
2) Well; God reveals himself through Jesus! Jesus is God with legs! How can we possibly know that?
Well, firstly; surely, if God really was God, he would have some sort of authority/control over his creation. I mean, he created it after all. Hello? Jesus STOPPED BEING DEAD. He turned water into wine. He made people who were dying (or even already dead) stop doing that and and do other things. Like living. Again, how can we know? We have 4 seperate eyewitness accounts (or an accumulation of eyewitness reports in Luke's case) called the gospels. All of them were written within the lifetime of the generation that were being written about. So, SOMEONE surely would have been like 'actually - Jesus' tomb is over here. Yep. He's definitely in there.' Anyone could have picked up a gospel and been able to testify to it's truth, or totally derailed anything in there. On top of that, an historian called Josephus calls Jesus 'a doer of many startling deeds' and a bunch of other things like that (see my note below*) So, if there were people around who could testify to it's status as truth or lie, and it had turned out the be a lie, then the gospels would have been discredited as historical fact. The whole Christian thing would have lost all credit and popularity. But instead it EXPLODES (see Acts (no seriously, read it. It's insane) + Tacitus (below.))
And so many of his closest followers are led to their death because they claimed that Jesus was God, and that he rose from the dead - and they would have seen him die, and seen him rise. If it was a lie, if it wasn't true, if Jesus didn't really rise, why would you die for it? Surely at the point where the executioner is getting ready to kill you, you'd 'fess up. Surely, they believed that Jesus ACTUALLY rose. And history points to it as well. Who would be the only person able to do that, able to physically raise someone from the dead? God. Surely. Who else??
God has revealed himself. On pages, and on earth.
*Josephus, Antiquities, Book 18.63-64
'Now there was about this time Jesus, a wise man, if it be lawful to call him a man, for he was a doer of startling deeds, a teacher of such men as receive the truth with pleasure. He drew over to him both many of the Jews, and many of the Gentiles. He was the Christ, and when Pilate, at the suggestion of the principal men among us, had condemned him to the cross, those that loved him at the first did not forsake him; for he appeared to them alive again the third day; as the divine prophets had foretold these and ten thousand other wonderful things concerning him. And the tribe of Christians so named from him are not extinct at this day.'
*Tacitus, Annals, 15.44
‘Christians derived their
name from a man called Christ … the deadly superstition, thus checked for the
moment, broke out afresh not only in Judea, the first source of the evil, but
also in the City of Rome, where all things hideous and shameful from every part
of the world meet and become popular'
P.S. Did I mention how much I love history??
Friday, October 26
A Radical?
My biblestudy leader tonight asked us; what things in your life are you tempted to love more than Jesus? And it forced me to confront this niggling fear that I have; that I am far too attached to my comfort. There's a part of my heart that yearns to live a life that's not too offensive; that's defined by striving for conformity and social security; you know? I don't want to live too 'radically' because then I might feel awkward and uncomfortable; so I'll go to school, get a job, retire. Don't put a toe out of line. Live life by default.
But I'm becoming increasingly frustrated by it. I just don't if I can justify living like that! I want to live life as a radical for Jesus! For ages now; I've been toying with this idea to just drop out of school and become a missionary somewhere or do something crazy and radical after I finish; but the tiny voice from my heart feels totally overpowering as it says to stay where I am; keep my cool. Keep my comfort. Keep up the default life. Don't do anything too rash. But maybe, in some ways my heart is whispering rightly, maybe I shouldn't drop out of school, maybe I need to learn to use my mission field right now; where I'm at. Learn to do the things I would want to do as a missionary on the playground and in the classroom. So maybe I need to live a 'radical' life now; wholly devoted to Him who redeemed me; rather then waiting for my indecision to clear up (and therefore never actually make any sort of decision.)
Father; teach me to be a radical.
But I'm becoming increasingly frustrated by it. I just don't if I can justify living like that! I want to live life as a radical for Jesus! For ages now; I've been toying with this idea to just drop out of school and become a missionary somewhere or do something crazy and radical after I finish; but the tiny voice from my heart feels totally overpowering as it says to stay where I am; keep my cool. Keep my comfort. Keep up the default life. Don't do anything too rash. But maybe, in some ways my heart is whispering rightly, maybe I shouldn't drop out of school, maybe I need to learn to use my mission field right now; where I'm at. Learn to do the things I would want to do as a missionary on the playground and in the classroom. So maybe I need to live a 'radical' life now; wholly devoted to Him who redeemed me; rather then waiting for my indecision to clear up (and therefore never actually make any sort of decision.)
Father; teach me to be a radical.
Friday, June 22
Things I've been learning
Sometimes, its ok to just say 'I have no idea!' But this barely happens. When I'm asked a question that I don't know or haven't decided the answer to yet, I just feel obliged to fill the air with my random answers that I've just drawn from nowhere to express a view I probably don't have or an idea I never came up with me. The result is generally just me being ridiculously embarrassed.
I'm stupid. And I say stupid things, and I do stupid stuff that I know I shouldn't. I'm stupid. I realise this all the time. I often feel totally debilitated by my own foolishness, and that makes me feel worthless. Totally worthless, as though my entire worth hinges on how well I speak.
Now, that sounds stupid, but, frustratingly, my self-worth is often founded on other people's opinion's of me, and the majority of their opinion is based on how I speak, how I articulate my thoughts, and generally my thoughts don't come out in an eloquent stream but rather more like ... vomit into their brains. So, how well I speak kind of affects my self worth.
I'm foolish, I'm flawed and I'm generally too proud to admit that, but there's a verse that I love in Paul's 2nd recorded letter to the Corinthian church that shows that because I'm weak, and for some reason God shows mercy and grace (unmerited favour) to me, that God doesn't base his love on who performs the best, or presents their thoughts most articulately or whatever, but that it's just that. Grace! God, choosing me for no merit that I have, no 'great thing' I've achieved.
'But he said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me.' - 2 Corinthians 12:9
I'm stupid. And I say stupid things, and I do stupid stuff that I know I shouldn't. I'm stupid. I realise this all the time. I often feel totally debilitated by my own foolishness, and that makes me feel worthless. Totally worthless, as though my entire worth hinges on how well I speak.
Now, that sounds stupid, but, frustratingly, my self-worth is often founded on other people's opinion's of me, and the majority of their opinion is based on how I speak, how I articulate my thoughts, and generally my thoughts don't come out in an eloquent stream but rather more like ... vomit into their brains. So, how well I speak kind of affects my self worth.
I'm foolish, I'm flawed and I'm generally too proud to admit that, but there's a verse that I love in Paul's 2nd recorded letter to the Corinthian church that shows that because I'm weak, and for some reason God shows mercy and grace (unmerited favour) to me, that God doesn't base his love on who performs the best, or presents their thoughts most articulately or whatever, but that it's just that. Grace! God, choosing me for no merit that I have, no 'great thing' I've achieved.
'But he said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me.' - 2 Corinthians 12:9
Sunday, February 26
Sunday, January 8
Steel and Fire
I just came back from the most amazing week away leading on a holiday program with a bunch of amazing people, but often with Christian camps you get back and you have this fiery passion thats great, but then after the camp high you kind of slowly fizzle out, and you lose the 'camp high' and you start missing camp like crazy, and you organise reunions but its never quite the same until next year when you do it all again.
But this time, I was the leader, I was a respected authority and an appreciated equal. This made a massive difference in the way I related to people and the way that people related to me, and so I got into some amazing discussions about how the world was created, who Jesus actually died for and all that jazz, and I've walked away not with a fiery passion that'll soon be doused but with a determined steel that'll hopefully last longer.
It's also happened with a few other things, my resolution to help end slavery has gone from a newly impassioned excitement to help out to a steely resolve to end it.
This is quite irrelevant.
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