I facilitate a bible study/small group here in Ballarat on Sunday nights when I'm not out and about around the division. This bible study is based on the Nooma DVD's (which are great by the way) but the DVD is really just a starting point and the conversation can go anywhere after that.
While thinking about some of the stuff in my prep. for the study/group i began to think about what it meant to be in a right relationship with God, and also what it meant to be in a right relationship in general.
The more i thought about this the more i felt led back to where it all began; the garden of Eden.
When Adam and Eve were in the Garden of Eden, before the whole Apple incident (not the computer, for those who don't know the story grab a Bible and check out Genesis chapter 1), they had a right relationship with God. Genesis 3: 8 says that Adam and Eve heard God walking through the Garden at the time of the evening breeze. Imagine what that would have been like to walk through creation with the creator at your side. Adam and Eve spent time with God naming the animals, they knew what it was like to hear God directly, to actually be in his physical presence!!!
Adam and Eve had a right relationship with the animals. They did not have to fear any of the animals because they all ate plants (see Genesis 1: 30) and the animals didn't have to fear Adam and Eve because they too were vegetarians (as much as i hate to admit that, being firmly against not eating meat) (see Genesis 1:29). It was only after they ate the fruit from the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil, realised that they were naked, hid from and were found out by God that this changed. Because Edam and Eve ate the fruit (not necessarily and apple, but it will do for the example) God had to kill an animal to provide them with clothes (so a vegetarian caused the first animal to die!!!).
Before the 'Apple Incident' Adam and Eve had a right relationship with nature, not having to work so hard to cultivate the food that grew from the earth. After their expulsion from Eden this changed (check out Genesis 3: 17-19)
Before the 'Apple Incident' Adam and Eve had right relationships with each other. They understood each other, in fact the bible tells us that they were as one (check out Genesis 2:24). Now no one really understands each other, and peace is far from a reality in our world.
So how do we as Christians restore ourselves and our world to right relationships??
Here are a few of my ideas:
Right with God:
This side of eternity what Adam and Eve had is impossible, but, anything that vaguely resembles that would be awesome!! The best way to get right with God is to stop sinning. Christians often call this Holiness. I dont know about you, but I know that I'm not perfect, I still make mistakes, but I'm trying to make those mistakes less frequently. Also, lets try to seek God more intentionally, because the bible tells us that when we seek Him we will find Him (Jeremiah 29: 12-13). Lets try to spend quality time in devotion prayer and bible reading with God.
Right with others:
This one should be easy, Jesus taught us so much about how to be right with others (check out Matthew chapters 5, 6, and 7). Love those who hate us, care for the poor and oppressed, go the extra mile, don't retaliate, return good for evil, etc,etc.
Right with animals:
Probably not really possible this side of eternity, but lets care for them, stop cruelty towards them (it is still ok to eat them, just kill them cleanly), care for their habitat, which leads me to my next point...
Right with nature:
Let me preface this by saying that I don't consider my self to be a "Greenie" but I do think we need to be careful in what we do. I hope to have kids one day, and would like to leave them and their kids a planet to live on (assuming Jesus hasn't already come back!!). So lets look after the resources we have. The ozone hole is a perfect example of us being out of a right relationship with nature; we pollute, disrupt the natural balance and then get skin cancer because of it. Lets try to use renewable energy, reduce the energy we are using, blah, blah, blah. I'm sure you get the idea.
Being in right relationships is not going to be easy, but it will be beneficial.
Remember the right thing to do isn't usually the easiest thing to do, in fact, the right thing to do is often the hardest.
"The popular thing isn't always right, and the right thing isn't always popular."
-Someone very wise, I just cant remember who (is it in the Bible??)
Tuesday, July 24, 2007
Thursday, July 19, 2007
The Team and The Coach
First of all, oops!!
Somehow when i wrote this post on friday somewhere between me finishing the writing, finding a you tube clip and posting the blog, all of the text vanished into cyberspace.
So here is a very similar post to what i had written:
The last few weeks have been a very hectic time. There was kids camp, then basketball carnival and then officers fellowship. At onw stage i think i had spent one night at home out of a total of 12 or something like that.
The Salvo national basketball carnival was good. I had a great time, met lots of new people and learnt a lot too.
The first thing i learnt was that will power can only hold a cold at bay for so long.
Just before kids camp i started to feel that rough sore feeling at the back of my throat that so often precedes a cold.
All the way through camp and then carnival i willed myself to stay well and not get sick. I also prayd to God "Please dont let me get sick while I'm away, i need to stay well." Well God answered my prayer, and i satyed well until i got back. In hindsight i guess that i should have just prayed that i wouldnt get sick and left it at that. Now i have a cold, and although i am starting to feel better, it is really frustrating. I hate being sick.
The second, and probably far more interesting thing that i learnt, though it actually is more like i had it re-revealed to me by God was the importance of working together as a team in Christ.
It may surprise some of you to know that i am not a great basketballer. For those of you who saw me this you would already know. As far as hitting baskets and scoring points went, some games i wondered if i could have hit water if i fell out of a boat, not a single shot would go in!!
Fortunately for my team mates, i wasn't completely rubbish at every aspect of the game, and i did improve as the carnival progressed. It turns out that im not to bad at boxing out (the term used to describe keeping opposition players away from the rebounding ball after a shot) and i can take the odd rebound or two.
This is like us in the church. Not all of us are meant to be the pastor, not all of us are meant to be in the welcoming group at the front door, not all of us are meant to be yout or childrens workers. We all have a different role to play in our local church, and our local churches all have a role to play in our city/town/neighbourhood.
So if your job is making sure that the hall is clean for church on Sunday, don't feel discouraged, because your job is very important, just because everyone doent see you doing it, doesnt make it unimportant. If the church was dirty, who would want to come into it??
It's up to us to make a difference, none of us are exempt form telling our friends about Jesus, but we all do that in different ways, which is important, so that we can reach different people.
In 1 Corinthians 12: 14-20 Paul says:
Now the body is not made up of one part but of many. If the foot should say, "Because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body," it would not for that reason cease to be part of the body. And if the ear should say, "Because I am not an eye, I do not belong to the body," it would not for that reason cease to be part of the body. If the whole body were an eye, where would the sense of hearing be? If the whole body were an ear, where would the sense of smell be? But in fact God has arranged the parts in the body, every one of them, just as he wanted them to be. If they were all one part, where would the body be? As it is, there are many parts, but one body
Lets all work together for the benefit of the Kingdom of God, and if that means scrubbing a toilet or two, im ok with that.
Somehow when i wrote this post on friday somewhere between me finishing the writing, finding a you tube clip and posting the blog, all of the text vanished into cyberspace.
So here is a very similar post to what i had written:
The last few weeks have been a very hectic time. There was kids camp, then basketball carnival and then officers fellowship. At onw stage i think i had spent one night at home out of a total of 12 or something like that.
The Salvo national basketball carnival was good. I had a great time, met lots of new people and learnt a lot too.
The first thing i learnt was that will power can only hold a cold at bay for so long.
Just before kids camp i started to feel that rough sore feeling at the back of my throat that so often precedes a cold.
All the way through camp and then carnival i willed myself to stay well and not get sick. I also prayd to God "Please dont let me get sick while I'm away, i need to stay well." Well God answered my prayer, and i satyed well until i got back. In hindsight i guess that i should have just prayed that i wouldnt get sick and left it at that. Now i have a cold, and although i am starting to feel better, it is really frustrating. I hate being sick.
The second, and probably far more interesting thing that i learnt, though it actually is more like i had it re-revealed to me by God was the importance of working together as a team in Christ.
It may surprise some of you to know that i am not a great basketballer. For those of you who saw me this you would already know. As far as hitting baskets and scoring points went, some games i wondered if i could have hit water if i fell out of a boat, not a single shot would go in!!
Fortunately for my team mates, i wasn't completely rubbish at every aspect of the game, and i did improve as the carnival progressed. It turns out that im not to bad at boxing out (the term used to describe keeping opposition players away from the rebounding ball after a shot) and i can take the odd rebound or two.
This is like us in the church. Not all of us are meant to be the pastor, not all of us are meant to be in the welcoming group at the front door, not all of us are meant to be yout or childrens workers. We all have a different role to play in our local church, and our local churches all have a role to play in our city/town/neighbourhood.
So if your job is making sure that the hall is clean for church on Sunday, don't feel discouraged, because your job is very important, just because everyone doent see you doing it, doesnt make it unimportant. If the church was dirty, who would want to come into it??
It's up to us to make a difference, none of us are exempt form telling our friends about Jesus, but we all do that in different ways, which is important, so that we can reach different people.
In 1 Corinthians 12: 14-20 Paul says:
Now the body is not made up of one part but of many. If the foot should say, "Because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body," it would not for that reason cease to be part of the body. And if the ear should say, "Because I am not an eye, I do not belong to the body," it would not for that reason cease to be part of the body. If the whole body were an eye, where would the sense of hearing be? If the whole body were an ear, where would the sense of smell be? But in fact God has arranged the parts in the body, every one of them, just as he wanted them to be. If they were all one part, where would the body be? As it is, there are many parts, but one body
Lets all work together for the benefit of the Kingdom of God, and if that means scrubbing a toilet or two, im ok with that.
Thursday, July 5, 2007
Transformers
When i was a kid i loved the Transformers cartoons. Throughout the years the Transformers concept has changed, with different series using new and different characters. But this year i was excited to hear that there would be a new Transformers movie released. I found this out at about the same time that i was beginning to plan Kids Camp. When someone suggested the idea of using the Transformers theme for kids camp it really appealed to me. Transformation is one of the major themes in the bible, salvation obviously the major theme, but transformation is related to that.
Little did i realise that the new Transformers movie was targeted at us nostalgic 20 somethings who grew up watching Transformers on Saturday mornings and not at the kids who now watch cartoons on Saturday mornings.
All of that aside though, Camp was FANTASTIC!!!
The kids all seemed to have a really good time. And a BIG THANKS to the leaders who were a great help to me and the kids also.
Check out the photos from camp, hopefully we will be able to release a dvd from camp once we are able to work out a few technical difficulties.
Romans 12: 2 says: "Do not be conformed to this world but be transformed by the renewing of your minds, so that you may discern what is the will of God - what is good and acceptable and perfect."
Transformation can be a 2 stage process. There is the initial instantaneous transformation that happens when we accept Jesus as our Lord and Saviour and then there is the continuing process of transformation that occurs as we walk with Jesus and try to become more Christ like. If i were talking in Christianese (the language those really religious people always seem to be talking in) i would call this redemption and sanctification.
Redemption is the first transformation where we chose to no longer conform to this world but to transform ourselves in to followers of Jesus.
Sanctification is the second transformation where we constantly ask the Holy Spirit to help us change our thinking from that of the way the world thinks, to the way God thinks, often vastly contradicting thought processes.
How are you going in your transformation experience, how transformed are you??
Little did i realise that the new Transformers movie was targeted at us nostalgic 20 somethings who grew up watching Transformers on Saturday mornings and not at the kids who now watch cartoons on Saturday mornings.
All of that aside though, Camp was FANTASTIC!!!
The kids all seemed to have a really good time. And a BIG THANKS to the leaders who were a great help to me and the kids also.
Check out the photos from camp, hopefully we will be able to release a dvd from camp once we are able to work out a few technical difficulties.
Romans 12: 2 says: "Do not be conformed to this world but be transformed by the renewing of your minds, so that you may discern what is the will of God - what is good and acceptable and perfect."
Transformation can be a 2 stage process. There is the initial instantaneous transformation that happens when we accept Jesus as our Lord and Saviour and then there is the continuing process of transformation that occurs as we walk with Jesus and try to become more Christ like. If i were talking in Christianese (the language those really religious people always seem to be talking in) i would call this redemption and sanctification.
Redemption is the first transformation where we chose to no longer conform to this world but to transform ourselves in to followers of Jesus.
Sanctification is the second transformation where we constantly ask the Holy Spirit to help us change our thinking from that of the way the world thinks, to the way God thinks, often vastly contradicting thought processes.
How are you going in your transformation experience, how transformed are you??
Wednesday, June 27, 2007
What Are You Hiding Behind???
Have you ever had one of those weeks where you wake up Monday morning and instantly wish that a) you were still asleep and b) it was Friday night?
I've had one of those weeks.
The problem is, even when the proverbial hits the fan and all you want to do is crawl back into bed, pull the covers over your head and pretend that the rest of the world doesn't exist, life continues to go on around you.
As a result of this many of us have to take a deep breath, pull ourselves together and move on. But how?
Many of us put on a mask, or veneer of normality on the outside when we are around others, while on the inside we are a mess, with so many thoughts and emotions rolling around just wanting to escape.
And so we feel exhausted at the end of the day when we finally get home and can take that mask off and be exactly how we are feeling.
Masks can be good. In Ice Hockey people wear masks to protect their face from serious injury/disfigurement. Superheroes wear masks to protect their identity and those they care about.
Sometimes masks are fun, they allow us to pretend we are someone or something different and we can let our hair down without fear of what people think of us.
But masks can be bad. Sometimes we wear a mask (figuratively speaking) so that people don't see who we really are or what we are really thinking.
This week, as i have struggled to deal with the stuff going on in my own life, i have found myself reaching for a mask to cover my inner feelings and maintain the character i usually portray to those around me, strong, confident, energetic, joyful.
The thing is, even though this is what i am trying to look like, there are some people that still noticed that things weren't right and asked me if i was ok; to which if i was honest, the answer was no!
As i was thinking about this stuff last night on the way home from a meeting in Melbourne, i began to wonder if this is what we sometimes do when it comes to God stuff.
We pretend that we are ok, we keep doing things on the outside, hoping that no one will notice that things are not ok inside.
But the thing is, that even though people may only see what is on the outside, God can see whats going on on the inside. God knows our deepest thoughts, dreams, hopes, desires, fears and failings. And He loves us anyway.
While i struggled to deal with all that has been going on over the last week, God has been there. When i've screamed out WHY? He was there. When all i wanted to do was get away from everyone around me and retreat to the safety of solitude, and couldn't, God gave me the strength i needed to push on.
Now, my problems, while hugely significant in my life, didn't rally rate on the scale of the world around me. This week countless people have died in wars and from famine, I heard this morning of over 100 babies in Kazakhstan that were infected with HIV because doctors, nurses, and hospital officials were negligent in their jobs. We have global warming, floods, droughts and countless other problems that occur around us every day. But it is so easy to get caught up in our own problems that the rest of the world seems to fade away.
Sometimes we need to take off our mask, admit that things are not ok (some people call this confession), make the necessary changes (sometimes this is called repentance) and walk towards our future, trusting God to go ahead of us and prepare the way, one step at a time.
As I overheard someone say yesterday; "Life sucks, and it's not funny."
Bad stuff happens, even to good people, but God is faithful. Even when we don't know why stuff happens, we need to trust that God will work all things for the good of those who love Him, and follow Him into our future!!
As my old high school motto says: "In Faith and Hope and Love."
I say: "Amen"
Monday, June 18, 2007
Tell The World
In the final chapter of the Matthew's Gospel Jesus tells the disciple to: "Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptising them in the name of the Father and, of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age." (Mt. 28: 19 - 20)
So we know what Jesus said, but how we do it is still the subject of much conjecture.
Some say that it is best to take time to get to know someone, build a relationship, and then to share the gospel. Others prefer the smack 'em in the face with the gospel message every chance you get approach. And many others sit somewhere in between the two.
I recently purchased a book from Word titled; How To Talk About Jesus Without Freaking Out. It is described as a practical, challenging and compelling read.
While i have only just started reading this the book makes some good points. Like that the danger we in western countries fear when we talk about God or Jesus is mostly imagined, because in reality, if we present the gospel message clearly, concisely and without prejudice, most people will respect our thoughts.
I love the clip above, it speaks of an upside down world. Just like the Kingdom of God that Jesus proclaimed. Lets: Aim Lower; Think Smaller; Give Up and Go Have A Cup Of Coffee.
Lets build relationships with people, and show them the gospel in our lives, BUT, never stop telling the gospel. Take every opportunity to share the message of Jesus and the Kingdom of God. The Kingdom where to be first, we must put ourselves last, where the least are the greatest, where you love those who hate you and bless those who persecute you. Let's give up our "Empires" and do what is needed for the kingdom, not what is needed for the health of our own egos.
I say: To God be the Glory, not anyone else!!
Wednesday, June 13, 2007
Kids Camp Promo, & other stuff
Well, I've finally done it, the Kids Camp Promo is on You Tube, Expect more videos to follow.
Things have been pretty busy lately, the division has a few events coming up; the 2 Love G.P. and launch is a little over a week away, I'm really looking forward to that, it's going to be lots of fun!! I mean, who doesn't love Go Karting?? Also Kids Camp is just over a fortnight away. This camp is going to be soo much fun, I wish I was a Kid and not a leader so that I could get in on all of the fun!! And basketball carnival isn't far away either, I'm really looking forward to that. It's going to be great to play sport full on and also see a bit of Adelaide when we get the time!! We have had a few cancellations from the Mens B Team, so in you're interested in playing, or know someone else who might be, let me know and we will get them registered.
I was sitting at home last night, before i went to basketball, and i saw a bit of Heroes, and the time travelling thing got me to thinking...
Bad stuff happens to good people; we all know that. Why is a bit harder to figure out. My thoughts are that much of this is a consequence of God's gift of Free Will and the laws of physics, you know; "For every action there is an equal and opposite reaction." I also know that "...all things work together for good for those who love God, who are called according to His purpose." Romans 8: 28. So God works his plan in the good and the bad times, and even though Satan might mean something for his evil purposes, God can take that and use it for His good purposes. BUT. What if we had the capacity to go back and change the past, not that I think we ever will (unlike TV, reality has no reset button) but what if we did. Would changing the bad stuff in the past really affect the future in a serious way??
Maybe it all comes down to how powerful we really think God is. If God is All Powerful, All Knowing and Ever Present, surely He can adapt his plans to what ever we may do. Alternatively, where and when does our responsibility come in to actually do something in order to see the world changed??
I know what I think, what about you??
I leave you with the words of Chuck Holton, a former U.S Army Ranger, author and Christian: "Whatever happens in my life is either God's plan or my mistake." -or something to that effect
Tuesday, June 5, 2007
Whose God Is He Anyway??
Recently I have been working through the minor prophets of the bible during my devotional time. For those who don't know, the minor prophets are the shorter prophetic books of the Old Testament like Micah, Habakuk, Hosea, Zechariah, etc. Now, despite their funny names, these minor (because they're small books, not 'cos they were under 18) prophets aren't afraid to tell people what God thinks. And it's not all good news.
One of the biggest themes in these books is the problem of Idolatry.
At that time the people of Israel weren't worshipping God, they were following after other gods that were images that someone had carved into wood or stone. And, to make matters worse, some of the few that claimed to actually follow Yahweh (what the Israelites called God) were only using it as a cover for some even shadier business stuff than the idolaters!!!
Reading these prophets words set me to thinking.
I have just finished Hosea (I'm not reading them in the exact order that they are in the Bible) and the last few chapters have gotten me to thinking.
Typically an idol is an image of an animal, person or mythical/supernatural being that has been drawn, painted, carved or sculpted by another person and then worshipped.
Sometimes these idols are big and hard to move, but they can also be small and easy to carry around with you. In bible times each house had their own idols and people would often carry them around with them.
Hosea 14: 3 says: "Assyria shall save us; we will not ride upon horses; we will say no more 'Our God' to the work of our hands. In you the orphan finds mercy." (Italics and bold mine)
This set me to thinking.
When we say "Our God" what do we mean.
Do we mean that God is Our god, a thing that we carry around with us to bail us out when things get tough, to pray to like Santa to get what we want when we want it? Are we trying to control God, shrink Him down to size so that we can control and manipulate him for our own plans?
OR
Do we mean that God is the God we follow, that we are His not that he is ours? If this is the case are we willing to listen to Him when he asks us to do something? We need to remember that God is infinite. He is so much bigger than our human minds can comprehend.
Let's not try and shrink God down to our size, but open our minds to the enormity of God and allow Him to move us where we need to go.
Remember that we are a work of Gods Hands, not that God is a work of our hands.
Idol or God, you choose!!
One of the biggest themes in these books is the problem of Idolatry.
At that time the people of Israel weren't worshipping God, they were following after other gods that were images that someone had carved into wood or stone. And, to make matters worse, some of the few that claimed to actually follow Yahweh (what the Israelites called God) were only using it as a cover for some even shadier business stuff than the idolaters!!!
Reading these prophets words set me to thinking.
I have just finished Hosea (I'm not reading them in the exact order that they are in the Bible) and the last few chapters have gotten me to thinking.
Typically an idol is an image of an animal, person or mythical/supernatural being that has been drawn, painted, carved or sculpted by another person and then worshipped.
Sometimes these idols are big and hard to move, but they can also be small and easy to carry around with you. In bible times each house had their own idols and people would often carry them around with them.
Hosea 14: 3 says: "Assyria shall save us; we will not ride upon horses; we will say no more 'Our God' to the work of our hands. In you the orphan finds mercy." (Italics and bold mine)
This set me to thinking.
When we say "Our God" what do we mean.
Do we mean that God is Our god, a thing that we carry around with us to bail us out when things get tough, to pray to like Santa to get what we want when we want it? Are we trying to control God, shrink Him down to size so that we can control and manipulate him for our own plans?
OR
Do we mean that God is the God we follow, that we are His not that he is ours? If this is the case are we willing to listen to Him when he asks us to do something? We need to remember that God is infinite. He is so much bigger than our human minds can comprehend.
Let's not try and shrink God down to our size, but open our minds to the enormity of God and allow Him to move us where we need to go.
Remember that we are a work of Gods Hands, not that God is a work of our hands.
Idol or God, you choose!!
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