Before we start this process, I hope you might forgive a brief digression into the sort of things I might write.
When we first had a blog, I wrote a lengthy post each day, highlighting the thoughts that struck me. These are still on here in the archive, and you are very welcome to look at them and comment. Lat year, I posted more reflective thoughts, and by no means every day. This is the pattern I imagine I will follow this year. If any of you want to have items put up as posts, let me know and that can be done.
Many thanks to Paul Moynan for putting up a link to the blog from the St Paul's Tervuren website, and a pdf version of the reading plan.
If you follow this through, and if you look at last year's run through, you will see that I draw a lot on sources outside scripture as well, such as the music of Andrew Peterson. The direct relevance of a particular song may not be clear, although it probably was to me. Feel free to ignore or make use of as you will.
In general, the feel will be hopefully what you might expect from me if we were chatting over a coffee or while watching the Ashes or the ice hockey. All comments are welcome.
Thursday, 30 December 2010
On the borderland - 1 day to go
Our family is having a four day break over the New Year on the Dutch-German border near the town of Coevorden. The weather is cold and foggy, and there is not much evidence of a thaw for all the snow that lies around. But it is a pleasant spot for a few days R&R.
A Christian book I have just started is called 'Your God is too Safe' by Mark Buchanan. I am still only in the first part, where the author lays out his hypothesis that for all too many of us as Christians, we are happy to live in a borderland. Buchanan describes a crossing point between Uganda and Kenya which is a no-mans land where neither countries writ runs, where people can trade and live as they please, in a state of domesticated lawlessness. Applying it to our situation, he writes:
"Borderland is a political and geographical reality. But it's also a metaphor. There is a blood feud that divides Christ's domain from the world's, and a cross marks the crossing. Salvation is stepping over the boundary from our old life, the old land: freedom from its rules, its laws, its gods. It's coming home from the far country. But sanctification is the journey into the new land: learning to dwell gladly in the Father's house.
"It's a way of life that's hard to learn. The shape of the land is, first, cruciform. It's dangerous, difficult terrain. There are feasts, yes, but also graveyards, badlands, boot camps. It calls us to constant dying. Borderland seems safer, a land of exile when the homeland is war torn. So we refine an aptitude for lingering, malingering: for borderland dwelling. For standing out in the muddy field, as smoke mixes with twilight, and refusing to come join the Father though He pleads with us."
This 90 days could be an opportunity to move away from the borderland and into richer and closer fellowship with God. It's quite an exciting prospect, but a daunting one.
A Christian book I have just started is called 'Your God is too Safe' by Mark Buchanan. I am still only in the first part, where the author lays out his hypothesis that for all too many of us as Christians, we are happy to live in a borderland. Buchanan describes a crossing point between Uganda and Kenya which is a no-mans land where neither countries writ runs, where people can trade and live as they please, in a state of domesticated lawlessness. Applying it to our situation, he writes:
"Borderland is a political and geographical reality. But it's also a metaphor. There is a blood feud that divides Christ's domain from the world's, and a cross marks the crossing. Salvation is stepping over the boundary from our old life, the old land: freedom from its rules, its laws, its gods. It's coming home from the far country. But sanctification is the journey into the new land: learning to dwell gladly in the Father's house.
"It's a way of life that's hard to learn. The shape of the land is, first, cruciform. It's dangerous, difficult terrain. There are feasts, yes, but also graveyards, badlands, boot camps. It calls us to constant dying. Borderland seems safer, a land of exile when the homeland is war torn. So we refine an aptitude for lingering, malingering: for borderland dwelling. For standing out in the muddy field, as smoke mixes with twilight, and refusing to come join the Father though He pleads with us."
This 90 days could be an opportunity to move away from the borderland and into richer and closer fellowship with God. It's quite an exciting prospect, but a daunting one.
Wednesday, 29 December 2010
Welcome to the 2011 Read Through
As the start of 2011 approaches, it is time when a group of us from St Paul's again embark on reading through the bible in 90 days. There is no mystery or magic to this. This is not something to earn us spiritual brownie points or bragging rights. This is not a masochism or virility contest. No, it is an undertaking to take God's word seriously and to commit ourselves to spending time with God, in His word over a three month period and seeking to meet Him there and to be challenged and transformed as His disciples in the process.
Just a few basic points which I stressed before:
1. It is possible, but it requires a time commitment (just under an hour a day) and discipline;
2. The plan is divided into 88 readings, so there are two spare days built in to achieve the 90 day target. If you miss a day, it is not a disaster, but don't skip ahead intending to go back, as it is unlikely that you will. Some days will feel harder than others, but keep going;
3. This is obviously not a plan for in-depth study, but you will be pleasantly surprised by how much you do remember and retain. You will also gain a much greater appreciation of the flow of the revelation of scripture and will see the big themes and patterns emerge;
4. Be encouraged - about 20 or so people have indicated that they will try to achieve this. You are not doing this on your own;
5. The experience of previous years is that reading scripture is like any other appetite: the more you feed it, the more you want to continue feeding it.
This blog is open for you to use as you wish. Chris is willing to answer (or try to do so) any questions you may have as they arise. There is also an archive on this blog of previous runs through.
I am excited at the prospect of doing this again. It is the best fitness programme to start the New Year that I know, and it is great that there are so many of us doing this.
Let's get cracking on 1 January!
Just a few basic points which I stressed before:
1. It is possible, but it requires a time commitment (just under an hour a day) and discipline;
2. The plan is divided into 88 readings, so there are two spare days built in to achieve the 90 day target. If you miss a day, it is not a disaster, but don't skip ahead intending to go back, as it is unlikely that you will. Some days will feel harder than others, but keep going;
3. This is obviously not a plan for in-depth study, but you will be pleasantly surprised by how much you do remember and retain. You will also gain a much greater appreciation of the flow of the revelation of scripture and will see the big themes and patterns emerge;
4. Be encouraged - about 20 or so people have indicated that they will try to achieve this. You are not doing this on your own;
5. The experience of previous years is that reading scripture is like any other appetite: the more you feed it, the more you want to continue feeding it.
This blog is open for you to use as you wish. Chris is willing to answer (or try to do so) any questions you may have as they arise. There is also an archive on this blog of previous runs through.
I am excited at the prospect of doing this again. It is the best fitness programme to start the New Year that I know, and it is great that there are so many of us doing this.
Let's get cracking on 1 January!
Friday, 19 March 2010
Jonah the ultimate elder brother
I know we have moved into the New Testament, but I have been mulling over last week's sermon about the elder brother in the parable in Luke 15. As we have read through the prophets, the character of Jonah has resonated with the lessons of that parable.
The biggest sin of both the brothers in Luke 15 was idolatry - they wanted the father's things instead of the father. The problem with idolatry is that it enslaves us. The younger brother ends up by saying that the best he can hope for is to be a slave, rather than a son. The elder brother, who is always with the father, views himself as a slave.
Jonah 2:8 sums up the elder brother's plights very well: "those who cling to worthless idols forfeit the grace that could be theirs."
The prophets spoke against false gods which people could easily see. We need to be against our own false goods, and as in the case of Jonah, our own self-righteousness and mean-spiritedness.
Why was Jonah so angry? We read in 4:1-2 it is because he knew God was a merciful God who would extend mercy and forgivenss to his enemies. This is the heart of the God we worship - the God who calls us his children, not slaves. It is we who deprive ourselves of that gift.
We may not end up in a giant fish, but clinging to our own idols can leave us in a similarly unattractive place, if we are not careful.
The biggest sin of both the brothers in Luke 15 was idolatry - they wanted the father's things instead of the father. The problem with idolatry is that it enslaves us. The younger brother ends up by saying that the best he can hope for is to be a slave, rather than a son. The elder brother, who is always with the father, views himself as a slave.
Jonah 2:8 sums up the elder brother's plights very well: "those who cling to worthless idols forfeit the grace that could be theirs."
The prophets spoke against false gods which people could easily see. We need to be against our own false goods, and as in the case of Jonah, our own self-righteousness and mean-spiritedness.
Why was Jonah so angry? We read in 4:1-2 it is because he knew God was a merciful God who would extend mercy and forgivenss to his enemies. This is the heart of the God we worship - the God who calls us his children, not slaves. It is we who deprive ourselves of that gift.
We may not end up in a giant fish, but clinging to our own idols can leave us in a similarly unattractive place, if we are not careful.
Friday, 12 March 2010
Verse to remember when reading the Old Testament
One of the comments I often hear is how difficult it is to relate to the bloodthirsty, judgemental God of the Old Testament rather than the warm, loving and forgiving God of the New Testament.
Rather than going off on a long rant on this, this verse from yesterday's passage is worth writing out and putting somewhere visible:
Ezekiel 33:11 - "Tell them that as surely as I am the living LORD God, I don't like to see wicked people die. I enjoy seeing them turn from their sins and live. "
That it is the heart of the one true God, the God of the Old Testament and the New, the unchanging, the only true God. In the words of Deut 4:39, "The Lord is God both in heaven and on earth, and there is no other."
Rather than going off on a long rant on this, this verse from yesterday's passage is worth writing out and putting somewhere visible:
Ezekiel 33:11 - "Tell them that as surely as I am the living LORD God, I don't like to see wicked people die. I enjoy seeing them turn from their sins and live. "
That it is the heart of the one true God, the God of the Old Testament and the New, the unchanging, the only true God. In the words of Deut 4:39, "The Lord is God both in heaven and on earth, and there is no other."
Tuesday, 9 March 2010
Donkeys
This morning there was a story on Sky News about a retired British couple, who have sold up in the UK and moved to Delhi to rescue donkeys who work on the various construction sites in that city. My original reaction was that this was typical British sentimentality about animals, and couldn't they use their time, money and efforts on helping people.
But the more I thought about this story, I realised that the absurdity of their lavishing love on poor dumb animals should make me think of the lavishness of our prodigal God, who sent His only Son to die for us and rescue us from our sins, when we are completely helpless to do anything about our predicament.
In one passage of the news clip, the lady tells how she was only allowed by its owner to take away a particularly weak donkey, if she brought back a donkey she had earlier rescued, and which was now recovering well. Our rescue is not cost-free exercise either. In the song, "Isn't it love", there is this:
Isn't it love to look down from the sky
And see Your only Son on the cross asking "Why?"
And somehow let Him die that way
So as I drove in to work thinking about this lavish love of God, my mind wanders as it does. In referring to World War I, you often hear the expression "lions led by donkeys", but in our case we are donkeys (or stupid sheep) rescued by the Lion of Judah, the lion who C.S. Lewis' badger tells us "is not tame, but he is good".
One final thought, St Paul's is proud to support the work of International Justice Mission in working to set slaves free in India. IJM has as its mission statement Isaiah 1:17 "Seek justice, encourage the oppressed, defend the cause of the fatherless,plead the case of the widow." You can find out more about their work at an Indian evening, which we will hold in May.
But the more I thought about this story, I realised that the absurdity of their lavishing love on poor dumb animals should make me think of the lavishness of our prodigal God, who sent His only Son to die for us and rescue us from our sins, when we are completely helpless to do anything about our predicament.
In one passage of the news clip, the lady tells how she was only allowed by its owner to take away a particularly weak donkey, if she brought back a donkey she had earlier rescued, and which was now recovering well. Our rescue is not cost-free exercise either. In the song, "Isn't it love", there is this:
Isn't it love to look down from the sky
And see Your only Son on the cross asking "Why?"
And somehow let Him die that way
So as I drove in to work thinking about this lavish love of God, my mind wanders as it does. In referring to World War I, you often hear the expression "lions led by donkeys", but in our case we are donkeys (or stupid sheep) rescued by the Lion of Judah, the lion who C.S. Lewis' badger tells us "is not tame, but he is good".
One final thought, St Paul's is proud to support the work of International Justice Mission in working to set slaves free in India. IJM has as its mission statement Isaiah 1:17 "Seek justice, encourage the oppressed, defend the cause of the fatherless,plead the case of the widow." You can find out more about their work at an Indian evening, which we will hold in May.
Monday, 8 March 2010
A couple of things from Jeremiah
I will shortly post a more personal piece on the struggles I have been having while reading Jeremiah, but I have a couple of thoughts that I don't know whether anyone has any answers to or has even thought about.
1) Should Jeremiah have gone off to Babylon with the rest of the exiles, when he is given the choice in chapter 40?
2) Isn't 9:24 fantastic? We often remember Micah 6:8, but this is equally good to memorise. In the CEV it reads:
If you feel you must brag,
then have enough sense
to brag about worshiping me,
the LORD.
What I like best
is showing kindness,
justice, and mercy
to everyone on earth
3) Knowing God - 22:15-16
"More cedar in your palace
doesn't make you a better king
than your father Josiah.
He always did right--
he gave justice to the poor
and was honest.
That's what it means
to truly know me.
4) Since we have Jesus' teaching that He and the Father are One, and that He has revealed the Father to us, we can get quite blase on this point. Yet there is much less of this theme generally in the Old Testament. However, this time reading Jeremiah, I noted two instances - 3:19; 31:9.
So three themes - justice, knowing God and God as a Father to His people.
1) Should Jeremiah have gone off to Babylon with the rest of the exiles, when he is given the choice in chapter 40?
2) Isn't 9:24 fantastic? We often remember Micah 6:8, but this is equally good to memorise. In the CEV it reads:
If you feel you must brag,
then have enough sense
to brag about worshiping me,
the LORD.
What I like best
is showing kindness,
justice, and mercy
to everyone on earth
3) Knowing God - 22:15-16
"More cedar in your palace
doesn't make you a better king
than your father Josiah.
He always did right--
he gave justice to the poor
and was honest.
That's what it means
to truly know me.
4) Since we have Jesus' teaching that He and the Father are One, and that He has revealed the Father to us, we can get quite blase on this point. Yet there is much less of this theme generally in the Old Testament. However, this time reading Jeremiah, I noted two instances - 3:19; 31:9.
So three themes - justice, knowing God and God as a Father to His people.
Jeremiah and me
In previous years, I have always found Jeremiah to be something of a hard slog. Two years ago, we were reading it over Christmas, where the unremitting grimness of the plight that Jeremiah found himself in was an interesting counterpoise to the general "jollity" around.
This time, I found there was more light in Jeremiah's situation. What does God want from Jeremiah? In a word - obedience. Jeremiah is called to speak God's word to the people of Judah, even though they will not listen. The people are told to submit to the Babylonians and accept the seventy years of exile, but they do not obey and suffer a much worse fate.
Sometimes, we are asked to do something which requires a lot of faith. It may require a lot of faith, because the task seems daunting, beyond our capabilities or simply not to our tastes, or just out of our comfort zone.
Not for the first time, I have heard a still small voice in the lyrics of an Andrew Peterson song, which I reproduce below.
No More Faith - Andrew Peterson
This is not another song about the mountains
Except about how hard they are to move
Have you ever stood before them
Like a mustard seed who's waiting for some proof?
I say faith is a burden
It's a weight to bear
It's brave and bittersweet
And hope is hard to hold to Lord,
I believe
Only help my unbelief
Till there's no more faith
No more hope
I'll see your face and Lord, I'll know
That only love remains
Have you ever heard that Jesus is the answer
And thought about the many doubts you hide
Have you wondered how he loves you
If He really knows how dark you are inside
I say faith is a burden
It's a weight to bear
It's brave and bittersweet
And hope is hard to hold to
Lord, I believe
Only help my unbelief
Till there's no more faith
No more hope
I'll see your face and Lord, I'll know
When there's no more faith
And no more hope
I'll sing your praise and let them go
'cause only love
Only love remains
So I will drive these roads in thunder and in rain
And I will sing your song at the top of my lungs
And I will praise you, Lord, in glory and in pain
And I will follow you till this race is won
And I will drive these roads till this motor won't run
And I will sing your song from sea to shining sea
And I will praise you Lord, till your kingdom comes
And I will follow where you lead
Till there's no more faith
No more hope
I'll see your face and Lord, I'll know
When there's no more faith
And no more hope
I'll sing your praise and let them go
'cause only love
Only love remains
Faith can really feel like a burden and can be bittersweet. In such circumstances, we need to remind ourselves that, in the words of 1 Cor 13, only these three things remain - faith, hope and love. And the greatest of these is love.
In the crescendo of defiance of this song, there is the willingness to embrace what Paul wrote in Phil 3:12-14, "Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already been made perfect, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. Brothers, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus."
Let us encourage each other as we commit to driving these roads in thunder and rain, singing His song at the top of our lungs, praising Him in glory and pain, following where He leads until His kingdom comes.
This time, I found there was more light in Jeremiah's situation. What does God want from Jeremiah? In a word - obedience. Jeremiah is called to speak God's word to the people of Judah, even though they will not listen. The people are told to submit to the Babylonians and accept the seventy years of exile, but they do not obey and suffer a much worse fate.
Sometimes, we are asked to do something which requires a lot of faith. It may require a lot of faith, because the task seems daunting, beyond our capabilities or simply not to our tastes, or just out of our comfort zone.
Not for the first time, I have heard a still small voice in the lyrics of an Andrew Peterson song, which I reproduce below.
No More Faith - Andrew Peterson
This is not another song about the mountains
Except about how hard they are to move
Have you ever stood before them
Like a mustard seed who's waiting for some proof?
I say faith is a burden
It's a weight to bear
It's brave and bittersweet
And hope is hard to hold to Lord,
I believe
Only help my unbelief
Till there's no more faith
No more hope
I'll see your face and Lord, I'll know
That only love remains
Have you ever heard that Jesus is the answer
And thought about the many doubts you hide
Have you wondered how he loves you
If He really knows how dark you are inside
I say faith is a burden
It's a weight to bear
It's brave and bittersweet
And hope is hard to hold to
Lord, I believe
Only help my unbelief
Till there's no more faith
No more hope
I'll see your face and Lord, I'll know
When there's no more faith
And no more hope
I'll sing your praise and let them go
'cause only love
Only love remains
So I will drive these roads in thunder and in rain
And I will sing your song at the top of my lungs
And I will praise you, Lord, in glory and in pain
And I will follow you till this race is won
And I will drive these roads till this motor won't run
And I will sing your song from sea to shining sea
And I will praise you Lord, till your kingdom comes
And I will follow where you lead
Till there's no more faith
No more hope
I'll see your face and Lord, I'll know
When there's no more faith
And no more hope
I'll sing your praise and let them go
'cause only love
Only love remains
Faith can really feel like a burden and can be bittersweet. In such circumstances, we need to remind ourselves that, in the words of 1 Cor 13, only these three things remain - faith, hope and love. And the greatest of these is love.
In the crescendo of defiance of this song, there is the willingness to embrace what Paul wrote in Phil 3:12-14, "Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already been made perfect, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. Brothers, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus."
Let us encourage each other as we commit to driving these roads in thunder and rain, singing His song at the top of our lungs, praising Him in glory and pain, following where He leads until His kingdom comes.
Sunday, 28 February 2010
Verse for the day
Amid all the prophecies of woe against various nations, this one verse stood out:
Isaiah 26:3-4
The LORD gives perfect peace
to those whose faith is firm.
So always trust the LORD
because he is forever
our mighty rock.
.
Isaiah 26:3-4
The LORD gives perfect peace
to those whose faith is firm.
So always trust the LORD
because he is forever
our mighty rock.
.
Wednesday, 24 February 2010
An epitaph
A while back, I posted a song I'd like to have played at my funeral. Earlier this week, I read a verse which I would like to have as an epitaph. In the 19th century, prominent church figures and missionaries were often asked for a single verse as a verse for their life. I would like to have Psalm 119:141:
"Everyone calls me a nobody,
but I remember your laws. "
"Everyone calls me a nobody,
but I remember your laws. "
Wednesday, 17 February 2010
Job 37
Job 37:6-10
Snow and heavy rainstorms
make us stop and think
about God's power,
and they force animals
to seek shelter.
The windstorms of winter strike,
and the breath of God
freezes streams and rivers.
Snow and heavy rainstorms
make us stop and think
about God's power,
and they force animals
to seek shelter.
The windstorms of winter strike,
and the breath of God
freezes streams and rivers.
Tuesday, 16 February 2010
Spin, Chronicles and a Rescue Story
I am catching up on here with last week's readings, and I will post something on Job later, I hope. I found the contrast between the history in Kings and Chronicles fascinating. Chronicles covers a lot of the same ground as kings, but from a simple reading it comes from a post-exilic perspective, with very little on the Kings of Israel after the schism on the death of Solomon.
The spin doctors were at work on David's life too. My bible helpfully highlights where the story appears in another book, and so 1 Chr 20 has this note "this is also told in 2 Samuel 11:1; 12:26-31". What is the missing chunk? The story of Bathsheba, Uriah the Hittite and David's sin. Chronicles does include the story of the census however.
Chronicles has a greater focus on the priestly and temple life. Possibly this is because the author of Chronicles was a priestly scribe (I haven't looked into this, I'm afraid). It also mentions the repentance of Manasseh. I discussed this with Nick Page last year, and he said there was a theory that this was preistly spin post facto to fit into a theology that linked long life to God's blessing. If Manasseh reigned for more than 50 years, there had to be some sign of rightousness to account for this long reign. The Lynn Austin novel on this is a good read, albeit just a novel.
Reading of the problems of the people in Ezra and Nehemiah, not least the problems with inter-marriage, remind me that the great rescue that God provides is just the beginning not the end destination. It was true then for the Jews, and it is true to use as Christians. Today is the 24th anniversary of when I became a Christian. A lot has changed, but far too little of my character shows that I am new creation. I know I cannot reach perfection this side of glory, but I am so frustrated with my own failings. But I just need to KBO as Churchill said.
I have been thinking of what happened to us as a family in Sweden in 2002. At the end of the morning, we were packing up. Miriam was changing Grace's nappy, and I was making shade. I saw Ruth (who was 3and a half then) going to wash her bucket out in the lake. 10 seconds later, I turned round and she was nowhere to be seen. I ran and saw the top of her head under the surface and pulled her out. It was only 20 minutes later that the shock and impact of what nearly happened hit us. My point here is that Ruth was a very small girl when she was saved, but is now growing into a young lady with her life stretching before her. Yet, as a Christian, I am very prone to staying as an infant, immature in faith, in a comfort bubble, and not growing in maturity, with all the challenges, ups and downs, and frustrations and rewards that it brings. Have I moved on since I was rescued? Yes, but not enough.
Phil 3:7-16 "But whatever was to my profit I now consider loss for the sake of Christ. What is more, I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them rubbish, that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ—the righteousness that comes from God and is by faith. I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of sharing in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, and so, somehow, to attain to the resurrection from the dead.
Pressing on Toward the Goal
Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already been made perfect, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. Brothers, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.
All of us who are mature should take such a view of things. And if on some point you think differently, that too God will make clear to you. Only let us live up to what we have already attained. "
The spin doctors were at work on David's life too. My bible helpfully highlights where the story appears in another book, and so 1 Chr 20 has this note "this is also told in 2 Samuel 11:1; 12:26-31". What is the missing chunk? The story of Bathsheba, Uriah the Hittite and David's sin. Chronicles does include the story of the census however.
Chronicles has a greater focus on the priestly and temple life. Possibly this is because the author of Chronicles was a priestly scribe (I haven't looked into this, I'm afraid). It also mentions the repentance of Manasseh. I discussed this with Nick Page last year, and he said there was a theory that this was preistly spin post facto to fit into a theology that linked long life to God's blessing. If Manasseh reigned for more than 50 years, there had to be some sign of rightousness to account for this long reign. The Lynn Austin novel on this is a good read, albeit just a novel.
Reading of the problems of the people in Ezra and Nehemiah, not least the problems with inter-marriage, remind me that the great rescue that God provides is just the beginning not the end destination. It was true then for the Jews, and it is true to use as Christians. Today is the 24th anniversary of when I became a Christian. A lot has changed, but far too little of my character shows that I am new creation. I know I cannot reach perfection this side of glory, but I am so frustrated with my own failings. But I just need to KBO as Churchill said.
I have been thinking of what happened to us as a family in Sweden in 2002. At the end of the morning, we were packing up. Miriam was changing Grace's nappy, and I was making shade. I saw Ruth (who was 3and a half then) going to wash her bucket out in the lake. 10 seconds later, I turned round and she was nowhere to be seen. I ran and saw the top of her head under the surface and pulled her out. It was only 20 minutes later that the shock and impact of what nearly happened hit us. My point here is that Ruth was a very small girl when she was saved, but is now growing into a young lady with her life stretching before her. Yet, as a Christian, I am very prone to staying as an infant, immature in faith, in a comfort bubble, and not growing in maturity, with all the challenges, ups and downs, and frustrations and rewards that it brings. Have I moved on since I was rescued? Yes, but not enough.
Phil 3:7-16 "But whatever was to my profit I now consider loss for the sake of Christ. What is more, I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them rubbish, that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ—the righteousness that comes from God and is by faith. I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of sharing in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, and so, somehow, to attain to the resurrection from the dead.
Pressing on Toward the Goal
Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already been made perfect, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. Brothers, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.
All of us who are mature should take such a view of things. And if on some point you think differently, that too God will make clear to you. Only let us live up to what we have already attained. "
Sunday, 7 February 2010
Consequences and 1 Chr 1-9
Just a quick posting after more of an outpouring yesterday.
Ploughing through the minutiae of the genealogies in 1 Chronicles 1-9, I am struck by the following two thoughts:
i) these records were incredibly important to those concerned, and we will get a flavour of this when we read Ezra and Nehemiah soon;
ii) what was done has consequences. Reuben sleeping with his father's concubine led to his rights as the firstborn being passed on to the tribe of Joseph (Gen 35:22; 1 Chr 5:1). The allocation of duties to the different Levite clans in the desert remained down the centuries. The allocation of towns to Levites by Joshua. Decisions at one point in time had long term consequences. But seldom, if ever, do I think my every day decisions will have any lasting impact. Ultimately, in the end, only faith, hope and love endure, and the greatest of these is love.
As a postscript, I'd like to thank Pam Olive, anonymous, alex b and all the others, royalty or not, for all their comments. They are a real encouragement as we go through this together, nearly a third of the way through. Keep them coming.
Ploughing through the minutiae of the genealogies in 1 Chronicles 1-9, I am struck by the following two thoughts:
i) these records were incredibly important to those concerned, and we will get a flavour of this when we read Ezra and Nehemiah soon;
ii) what was done has consequences. Reuben sleeping with his father's concubine led to his rights as the firstborn being passed on to the tribe of Joseph (Gen 35:22; 1 Chr 5:1). The allocation of duties to the different Levite clans in the desert remained down the centuries. The allocation of towns to Levites by Joshua. Decisions at one point in time had long term consequences. But seldom, if ever, do I think my every day decisions will have any lasting impact. Ultimately, in the end, only faith, hope and love endure, and the greatest of these is love.
As a postscript, I'd like to thank Pam Olive, anonymous, alex b and all the others, royalty or not, for all their comments. They are a real encouragement as we go through this together, nearly a third of the way through. Keep them coming.
Saturday, 6 February 2010
What a sorry tale!
Today we reached the end of 2 Kings, and read about the sacking of Jerusalem and the people of Judah being carried off into exile. And what a depressing read this has been over the last few days, much more so than previous times. There is a sorry procession of bad kings, lots of bloodshed, and complete abandonment of God, even though he never once forgets his promise to his people. All the travails and turmoil that follow are a direct result of the people turning away, and the kings are held responsible.
In our atomised, "democratic" and empowered society, it is not a comfortable thought that a whole people can suffer because of the stupidity of its leaders. We need look no further than the vitriol still being poured on Tony Blair over his decisions on the Iraq war. It seems so unfair that the ordinary person in the street is subject to judgement because of the leaders. And when we see the misfortune heaped on the civilian population, the mass slaughter of relatives of deposed kings, often as a result of God's clear judgement, it makes us wonder just what sort of God we are supposed to worship.
As so often these days, I find that Andrew Peterson has a song for the occasion. It is really a prayer for faith in the face of the sin and darkness all around us, but just as importantly within us. As I read through 1 and 2 Kings this time, I was sad, because I was acutely aware of what was coming. Even the stories of Elijah and Elishah, the good kings Hezekiah and Josiah seemed mere brief respites in a hurricane of apostasy. But just as the main character in C.S.Lewis' Till We Have Faces wears herself out while haranguing God, I found that what started off as the question, "how could God let this happen to his people, or do these things to his people", became "how could God's peole turn away from him?" and then, "how amazing and great is God's love, that after all this He still loves them enough always to leave a remnant as proof that He has still kept his covenant."
In Prince Caspian, Aslan tells Lucy that we can never know what might have been, and what might have happened to Israel and Judah if they had been faithful to God is one of the great imponderable questions. God finds a way to save his people time and again. He sends prophets to warn, exile to rebuke and finally a Messiah to die so that his faithless people can be brought back into the Covenant relationship with him.
Last year, I read the Chronicles of the Kings series of novels by Lynn Austin, which looks at the reigns of Hezekiah and Manasseh. These books are novels, but they are written by someone who loves the Lord, and manages to convey that love and joy through the books, and my mind often wandered off to those narratives to find respite from the impending storm.
We live by faith. It is a faith that points us towards the living, loving God, when everything around us would shut us off from him, when we simply have nothing left to say. But He is there. He lives. That is all we ever need.
In our atomised, "democratic" and empowered society, it is not a comfortable thought that a whole people can suffer because of the stupidity of its leaders. We need look no further than the vitriol still being poured on Tony Blair over his decisions on the Iraq war. It seems so unfair that the ordinary person in the street is subject to judgement because of the leaders. And when we see the misfortune heaped on the civilian population, the mass slaughter of relatives of deposed kings, often as a result of God's clear judgement, it makes us wonder just what sort of God we are supposed to worship.
As so often these days, I find that Andrew Peterson has a song for the occasion. It is really a prayer for faith in the face of the sin and darkness all around us, but just as importantly within us. As I read through 1 and 2 Kings this time, I was sad, because I was acutely aware of what was coming. Even the stories of Elijah and Elishah, the good kings Hezekiah and Josiah seemed mere brief respites in a hurricane of apostasy. But just as the main character in C.S.Lewis' Till We Have Faces wears herself out while haranguing God, I found that what started off as the question, "how could God let this happen to his people, or do these things to his people", became "how could God's peole turn away from him?" and then, "how amazing and great is God's love, that after all this He still loves them enough always to leave a remnant as proof that He has still kept his covenant."
In Prince Caspian, Aslan tells Lucy that we can never know what might have been, and what might have happened to Israel and Judah if they had been faithful to God is one of the great imponderable questions. God finds a way to save his people time and again. He sends prophets to warn, exile to rebuke and finally a Messiah to die so that his faithless people can be brought back into the Covenant relationship with him.
Last year, I read the Chronicles of the Kings series of novels by Lynn Austin, which looks at the reigns of Hezekiah and Manasseh. These books are novels, but they are written by someone who loves the Lord, and manages to convey that love and joy through the books, and my mind often wandered off to those narratives to find respite from the impending storm.
We live by faith. It is a faith that points us towards the living, loving God, when everything around us would shut us off from him, when we simply have nothing left to say. But He is there. He lives. That is all we ever need.
Wednesday, 27 January 2010
Holocaust Remembrance Day
On 27 January 1945, the Red Army liberated the Nazi extermination camp at Auschwitz-Birkenau. The anniversary of that liberation is celebrated every year, and this year is the 65th anniversary. A large number of Members of the European Parliament travelled to Poland to remember the victims on the spot. In the Parliament in Brussels, I attended a remembrance event organised by the European Jewish Community Centre and the European Coalition for Israel.
The event featured testimonies from two Holocaust survivors, now in their 80s. Henri Elberg spoke of how he was transferred around 9 different Nazi camps after being deported from Mechelen in Belgium. The vividness which the horrors he lived through was achingly real even after 65 years, with the passion and hint of tears animating his voice as he spoke.
The Chief Rabbi of Russia, Berel Lazar, spoke of the need to look forward to the world of peace that the Messiah would bring in where "the Lord will judge between the nations and will settle disputes for many peoples. They will beat their swords into ploughshares and their spears into pruning hooks. Nation will not take up sword against nation, nor will they train for war anymore," (Isaiah 2:4). It was the first time I have heard a rabbi speak of the Messiah with real longing. If only the Messiah had already come .... "He was in the world, and though the world was made through him, the world did not recognize him. He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him. Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God— children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband's will, but born of God."
There were prayers of penitence from Christians, citing the example of Daniel in Daniel 9 is repenting of the sins of their fathers and forefathers, and then a moving recital of the kaddish, the key liturgical prayer in Jewish rituals of mourning.
There was also beautiful music on a flute and violin. One piece was entitled "fantasy on a hymn for violin solo", which tool as its theme the melody to which we in church sing Lamentations 3:22-23. Those verses came to me when I emerged into the sunlight after the exhibition of Yad Vashem. Amid all the horror, let us remember the inhumanity that the heart of man can inflict on fellow men. But let us also remember:
"Because of the LORD's great love we are not consumed,
for his compassions never fail.
They are new every morning;
great is your faithfulness."
The event featured testimonies from two Holocaust survivors, now in their 80s. Henri Elberg spoke of how he was transferred around 9 different Nazi camps after being deported from Mechelen in Belgium. The vividness which the horrors he lived through was achingly real even after 65 years, with the passion and hint of tears animating his voice as he spoke.
The Chief Rabbi of Russia, Berel Lazar, spoke of the need to look forward to the world of peace that the Messiah would bring in where "the Lord will judge between the nations and will settle disputes for many peoples. They will beat their swords into ploughshares and their spears into pruning hooks. Nation will not take up sword against nation, nor will they train for war anymore," (Isaiah 2:4). It was the first time I have heard a rabbi speak of the Messiah with real longing. If only the Messiah had already come .... "He was in the world, and though the world was made through him, the world did not recognize him. He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him. Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God— children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband's will, but born of God."
There were prayers of penitence from Christians, citing the example of Daniel in Daniel 9 is repenting of the sins of their fathers and forefathers, and then a moving recital of the kaddish, the key liturgical prayer in Jewish rituals of mourning.
There was also beautiful music on a flute and violin. One piece was entitled "fantasy on a hymn for violin solo", which tool as its theme the melody to which we in church sing Lamentations 3:22-23. Those verses came to me when I emerged into the sunlight after the exhibition of Yad Vashem. Amid all the horror, let us remember the inhumanity that the heart of man can inflict on fellow men. But let us also remember:
"Because of the LORD's great love we are not consumed,
for his compassions never fail.
They are new every morning;
great is your faithfulness."
Monday, 25 January 2010
Haiti and Compassion
The Mission Interest Group at St Paul's has recommended that 1000 euros be given to the relief effort in Haiti, to be channelled through Compassion international. The collection at St Paul's the Sunday after the earthquake raised nearly a further 2300 euros to the work. You read about the work which our support is helping here and here.
There is also a moving interview with a Compassion International worker, who was pulled out of the rubble of the Hotel Montana some 60 hours after the earthquake. Let us continue to hold up in prayer the people of Haiti, the bereaved, the orphans and those working to help them pick up the pieces and start to rebuild.
There is also a moving interview with a Compassion International worker, who was pulled out of the rubble of the Hotel Montana some 60 hours after the earthquake. Let us continue to hold up in prayer the people of Haiti, the bereaved, the orphans and those working to help them pick up the pieces and start to rebuild.
Joshua and Genocide
Last night at the ice hockey, Steve Horbaczewski and I were discussing some thoughts that the 90 days exercising was evoking. Steve explained that he found it difficult to get his head round the Israelites wiping out everything as hey conquered the land. He is slightly ahead, so it is in today's passage that we read these stories. There is no Alistair Campbell-esque spinning of this. The Lord commands Israel to show no mercy to the seven tribes living in the Promised Land. No living thing in any of the towns in to be spared.
How does this picture of the character of God square with the usual Christian portrayal of a loving, caring, forgiving God?
There is no easy answer. We know that God is unchanging (Deut 33:27). We also know his character is fogiving (Ex 33:6-7). Paul tells us we were children of wrath (Eph 2:3), yet by his grace, we are saved, and this is not from ourselves, but it is God's gift to us (Eph 2:8-9). We have been saved from this fate by the atoning sacrifice of Christ, and are witnesses to the reality of that rescue.
Deut 29:29 says "the Lord our God has secrets known to noone. We are not accountable for them, but we and our children are accountable forever for all that he has revealed to us, so that we may obey all the terms of these instructions."
I have no answer to Steve's questions. I just know that I was once a child of wrath, lost and subject to God's fearful justice; now I am adopted as a child of God, a beneficiary of His inexpressable grace, and rescued to everlasting glory.
How does this picture of the character of God square with the usual Christian portrayal of a loving, caring, forgiving God?
There is no easy answer. We know that God is unchanging (Deut 33:27). We also know his character is fogiving (Ex 33:6-7). Paul tells us we were children of wrath (Eph 2:3), yet by his grace, we are saved, and this is not from ourselves, but it is God's gift to us (Eph 2:8-9). We have been saved from this fate by the atoning sacrifice of Christ, and are witnesses to the reality of that rescue.
Deut 29:29 says "the Lord our God has secrets known to noone. We are not accountable for them, but we and our children are accountable forever for all that he has revealed to us, so that we may obey all the terms of these instructions."
I have no answer to Steve's questions. I just know that I was once a child of wrath, lost and subject to God's fearful justice; now I am adopted as a child of God, a beneficiary of His inexpressable grace, and rescued to everlasting glory.
Sunday, 24 January 2010
So long, Moses
So, we are a sixth of the way through and have completed the first 5 books - the Torah. I wonder how many people are still with us. I know there are at least three, but there are probably more.
What am I taking away from the books of Moses? As others have said, the sheer amount of animals required to atone for my sins is humbling. But the impression I took away from Leviticus is of a God who has taken inordinate pains so that his people could know Him. He thinks of so many situations, and sets out a way that they can please Him, and continue to have Him in his midst.
The end of Leviticus shows a God who not only will not forget His covenant promises, but will do everything He can to restore that special relationship, even aftr his people have turned their back on Him and worshipped false Gods.
From Numbers, I see a people very similar to me - moaning, grumbling, ungrateful and quick to forget what God has done for them. The stories there are so remarkable, so hard for our modern rational minds to accept, because we are so stupid that God has to shout to make himself heard.
Finally, from Deuteronomy, we see Moses lay on with a trowel, repeatedly, how faithful God is, and how fickle his people are. He stresses that they were not called because they were anything special. Indeed, they were a weak nation of slaves, yet He chose them to live among and bless. All this is from God, and all He asks is their obedience. They do not know all of God's plans - He has ideas for the Amalekites, Edomites and various others - but His people have no excuse. Their task is to obey Him and serve Him wholeheartedly (Deut 29:29).
Their task is our task today - love the Lord your God with all your heart, sould, strength and mind.
What am I taking away from the books of Moses? As others have said, the sheer amount of animals required to atone for my sins is humbling. But the impression I took away from Leviticus is of a God who has taken inordinate pains so that his people could know Him. He thinks of so many situations, and sets out a way that they can please Him, and continue to have Him in his midst.
The end of Leviticus shows a God who not only will not forget His covenant promises, but will do everything He can to restore that special relationship, even aftr his people have turned their back on Him and worshipped false Gods.
From Numbers, I see a people very similar to me - moaning, grumbling, ungrateful and quick to forget what God has done for them. The stories there are so remarkable, so hard for our modern rational minds to accept, because we are so stupid that God has to shout to make himself heard.
Finally, from Deuteronomy, we see Moses lay on with a trowel, repeatedly, how faithful God is, and how fickle his people are. He stresses that they were not called because they were anything special. Indeed, they were a weak nation of slaves, yet He chose them to live among and bless. All this is from God, and all He asks is their obedience. They do not know all of God's plans - He has ideas for the Amalekites, Edomites and various others - but His people have no excuse. Their task is to obey Him and serve Him wholeheartedly (Deut 29:29).
Their task is our task today - love the Lord your God with all your heart, sould, strength and mind.
Sunday, 17 January 2010
A song for my funeral
I have been in a strangely contemplative mood today, and driving home I came across a song that I would like to have played at my funeral. What is the relevance to today? Today we have been looking at the sacrificial system, and see that in order for atonement to be made, blood must be shed. This system persisted for over a millennium, until a one-and-for-all perfect sacrifice was made. At the moment of Jesus' death on the cross, the curtain in the temple was torn in two, and God and all mankind could be joined in union for ever. There truly is power in the blood.
Andrew Peterson - Lay Me Down
I suppose you could lay me down to die in Illinois
Bury me beneath the rows of corn
Or in-between the maple trees I climbed on as a boy
Where in the Land of Lincoln I was born
Oh, and I recall
We rode the combines in the fall
And there comes a time
For gathering the harvest after all
So when you lay me down to die
I’ll miss my boys, I’ll miss my girls
Lay me down and let me say goodbye to this world
You can lay me anywhere
But just remember this
When you lay me down to die
You lay me down to live
Well I asked a girl to marry me on a dock out on the lake
Our babies came to life in Tennessee
And the music of the mountains is still keeping me awake
Yeah, but everything that rises falls asleep
We are not alone
We are more than flesh and bone
What is seen will pass away
What is not is going home
When you lay me down to die
I’ll miss my boys, I’ll miss my girls
Lay me down and let me say goodbye to this world
You can lay me anywhere
But just remember this
When you lay me down to die
I’ll open up my eyes on the skies I’ve never known
In the place where I belong
And I’ll realize His love is just another word for Home
I believe in the holy shores of uncreated light
I believe there is power in the blood
And all of the death that ever was,
If you set it next to life
I believe it would barely fill a cup
‘Cause I believe there’s power in the blood
When you lay me down to die
So long, boys, so long, girls
Lay me down and let me say goodbye to this world
You can lay me anywhere
But just remember this
When you lay me down to die
You lay me down to live
End of week 1
So we have arrived at the end of week 1, and have covered both Genesis and Exodus. What are my impressions this time through?
- Patience is such a big theme. There is such a long period of time between some of God's promises and their fulfilment. How did Abraham keep going without losing his faith that God would keep his promises? The reaction of the people who build a golden calf when Moses disappears up the mountain is so much more typical of my response.
- Moses appreciates that what makes the people special is not anything they have, but the fact that God is with them - "if you do go with us, everyone will know that you are pleased with your people and with me. That way, we will be different from the rest of the people on earth" (Ex 33:16).
- I am struck by something very obvious, but which I all too often ignore. God is holy and not to be taken lightly. The priests had to purify themselves every time they came into the tent (tabernacle), only Moses could go into the tent of meeting, noone can see God and live, and even Moses could only see God's back.
- God is a personal God. In Ex 33, God tells Moses, "I am your friend". Elsewhere we read that Moses talked to God face-to-face. God, even though He is holy , is knowable.
Ex 40:38 - "No matter where the people tracelled, the Lord was with them."
Footnote: I will update the list of promises when I have time. I agree that the categories of promises I started with is not necessarily clear cut or ideal.
- Patience is such a big theme. There is such a long period of time between some of God's promises and their fulfilment. How did Abraham keep going without losing his faith that God would keep his promises? The reaction of the people who build a golden calf when Moses disappears up the mountain is so much more typical of my response.
- Moses appreciates that what makes the people special is not anything they have, but the fact that God is with them - "if you do go with us, everyone will know that you are pleased with your people and with me. That way, we will be different from the rest of the people on earth" (Ex 33:16).
- I am struck by something very obvious, but which I all too often ignore. God is holy and not to be taken lightly. The priests had to purify themselves every time they came into the tent (tabernacle), only Moses could go into the tent of meeting, noone can see God and live, and even Moses could only see God's back.
- God is a personal God. In Ex 33, God tells Moses, "I am your friend". Elsewhere we read that Moses talked to God face-to-face. God, even though He is holy , is knowable.
Ex 40:38 - "No matter where the people tracelled, the Lord was with them."
Footnote: I will update the list of promises when I have time. I agree that the categories of promises I started with is not necessarily clear cut or ideal.
Sunday, 10 January 2010
Promises, promises!
Having devised a complicated scheme for highlighting different themes previously, this time I have decided just to focus on God's promises this time.
Why? I am doing this because I know how feckless, fickle and inconstant I can be, but the God we worship is faithful and keeps his promises. So I have decided to highlight them, and categorise them as best I can. I am sure that I will get some of my categories wrong, and others are open to debate, but here goes:
Promises of blessing for everyone:
Gen 1:26 - "they will be like us"
Gen 1:29-30
Gen 8:21-22
Gen 9:3
Gen 9:9-17
Gen 12:3
Specific promises of blessing to one person or group:
Gen 12:2-3
Gen 12:7
Gen 13:14-17
Gen 13:14-17
Specific promises of judgement to one person or group:
Gen 2:17
Gen 3:14
Gen 6:18
Gen 9:24
Gen 11:7
Gen 15:1
Gen 15:4-5
Gen 15:13 - "Abram, you will live to an old age and die in peace" (CEV, but I can't find it in the NIV)
Gen 15:13-16
Gen 15:17-21
Gen 16:10-11
Promises of judgement for everyone:
Gen 2:17
Gen 3:15-18
Gen 4:10
Gen 6:3
Gen 11:7
Gen 16:12
Messianic promises:
Gen 3:15
Day 1 - a new start, a new bible and fresh eyes
This is my 4th time doing the 90 days, each with a different bible.
The first time, I used the NIV with the daily sections clearly marked off. The second time, I changed translation to the New Living Translation, and had a complication colour scheme with which I marked up the whole bible from start to finish. Two weeks after we finished, that bible was among our bags which were stolen and I never saw it again. Last year, I used a different NLT, but this time I am using a Bible I picked up from the Bible Society at Spring Harvest called "the poverty and justice bible," in the Contemporary English Version.
Why change versions? For someone lazy like me, if I change the translation the temptation to skip passages because they are too familiar will hopefully be diminished. I also wanted an excuse to look at this bible, with its various notes and "2000+ verses highlighted to wake us up to issues of poverty and justice".
Early impressions are that this is indeed a very different translation. A couple of times I have had to check with an NIV or NLT to see what the version with which I am familiar is. One example is in Gen 10:13, where the CEV says "Egypt was the ancestor of Ludim ...", whereas every other version I have seen has this rendered as Mizraim. I recall from passover meals when growing up that Mizraim was Egypt or Egyptians, but there was no footnote in the CEV.
My initial impression is that this is a very readable version, but it has a very distinct editorial policy that risks diluting the impact of the passage or changing the meaning. Two examples - Gen 1:26 says "God said, "Now we will make humans, and they will be like us." The NIV has "Then God said, "Let us make man in our image, in our likeness." This is close enough to be capable of conveying the same meaning. Gen 2:24 in the CEV says "That's why a man will leave his own father and mother. He marries a woman, and the two of them become like one person." The NIV on the other hand says, "For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and they will become one flesh." This reference to one flesh is referred to in their teaching by both Jesus (Matt 19:5, Mk 10:8) and Paul (1 Cor 6:16 and Eph 5:31), and I wonder whether how much depth is lost to that treatment.
I also wonder how Gen 6:2 got through the editorial committee, and I would love to know how they arrived at their preferred solution. The NIV says "When men began to increase in number on the earth and daughters were born to them, the sons of God saw that the daughters of men were beautiful, and they married any of them they chose." The CEV says, "more and more people were born, until finally they spread all over the earth. Some of their daughters were so beautiful that supernatural beings came down and married the ones they wanted."!!!!! This was a question raised by Jane McBride last time.
In its defence, the CEV does give an excellent translation of chapter 16, which really conveys the bitterness of the recriminations in Abram's household. Miriam and I listened to an excellent podcast on this part over Christmas, which you can get hold of here.
Another year - another run through
So here we go again. This is the third time we have decided to read through the Bible from cover to cover in 90 days. In the previous years, not every one who has started has finished in the time scale, and yet more have done so than thought they would be able to.
So what are my expectations this time?
So what are my expectations this time?
I am looking forward to doing this with hope, expectation and dread. The dread comes from my natural laziness and lack of self-discipline, as I know that this will require a significant sacrifice on my part. At weekends in particular, I shall have to get up earlier, and during the week, I shall have to be much more disciplined in my time in the morning than I have grown accustomed to.
But form past experience, I know this to be a worthwhile sacrifice. I have felt the Holy Spirit lift me and give me energy throughout the months I have done the reading, proof that his word is living and active. I am looking forward to experiencing the effect that the more I read of his word, the more I want to read it. It really is an appetite that grows with feeding and shrivels with starvation.
The year at St Paul's has started with Chris talking to us from Romans 12. The challenge that I have felt strongly is the call not to be conformed to the pattern of the world, but to be transformed by the renewing of the mind. With the 90-day exercise, I see a means to carry out part of that daily offering of myself as a living sacrifice, which is an act of spiritual worship.
So please feel free to join us as we start on this journey again. This blog is available to all, and all the posts from a previous time are readily available in the blog's archive.
In the words of Galatians 6:9-10, "Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up. Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers."
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