I do not think I could put across in any one blog how important reading is. It may be one of the major methods the Lord has used to categorically change my life. I was a late bloomer on this as well...only started at about 21 to really start opening up the multi-layered, multi-generational, multi-faceted world of reading. So to put it bluntly to anyone who may be considering it: READ!!!!
I say this because I want to quickly share a quote from a book I am reading currently. A book that I think is proving more insightful and influential in my thinking than any other book I have read in a couple of years or so. Not in every way possible, primarily in how it is causing me to think upon what is the title of the book 'THE CRUCIFIED GOD!' Well let me just share it shall I? (Here the author is discussing the cross when seen through a dialectical principle of knowledge (things revealed in their opposites))...
'Applied to Christian theology, this means that God is only revealed as 'God' in His opposite: godlessness and abandonment by God. In concrete terms God is revealed in the cross of Christ who was abandoned by God. His grace is revealed in sinners. His righteousness is revealed in the unrighteous and in those without rights, and His gracious election in the damned.The epistemological principle of the theology of the cross can only be this dialectical principle: the deity of God revealed in the paradox of the cross. This makes it easier to understand what Jesus did: it was not the devout, but the sinners, and not the righteous but the unrighteous who recognized him, because in them he revealed the divine righteousness of grace, and the kingdom. He revealed His identity amongst those who had lost their identity, amongst the lepers, sick, rejected and despised, nad was recognized as the Son of Man amongst those who had been deprived of their humanity.'- Jurgen Moltmann
I would never in all of my life been able to articulate this marvelous thought because I am just a little simple, but this is glorious. Ruminate upon it, let it cause you to want to be Christlike. Love the unlovely, fix your affections on this one THE CHRIST!
Friday, November 9, 2007
Monday, November 5, 2007
Both Wrong, No Fight, Nice!!
My wife and I had one of those amazing moments in our marriage today as we crossed an important bridge (note pun later) in our relationship. It involved a journey, a coffee and the dreaded plastic.
First things first I have to share the hilarity of our journey. In London there is a road called the M25 which is the major road that orbits (no you Americans not like a satellite) the city of London. To get from where I live to the place we went today, IKEA, (wifey, Malachi and I) you have to cross a toll bridge that spans the Thames, this costs £1.
All good to get across but upon my attempt to purchase the coffee I had ordered the dratted plastic would not splurge out the cash. Yip, we did not have another penny on us. Coffee in hand, 15 miles from home, and not even a pound to get us back. SHOCK HORROR!! Here was the problem, a 'card' was in the front of the car that I presumed to be mine, and the wife asked if I had my card to which I nonchalantly replied of course. Of course the card was not mine, it was my wife's which naturally is left in the back pocket of her jeans all the time, gets bent and therefore does not work.
Well, here it was the perfect opportunity to literally destroy each other for our foolishness and our lack of consideration, inability to communicate and so on. But just then I realized we were both so very much in the wrong that to point fingers would have been extremely foolish and actually highly hypocritical. Naturally, if I had been just a little less wrong, well hell would have broken loose.
There it was I for once saw the plank in my own eye and did not try to highlight the speck (ok plank as well) in Kiralie's.
O what a happier day for it (by the way the card ended up working in an ATM) a day filled with joy which could have been distinctly different.
Count to ten peeps! See the plank, humble yourself, the outcome is far better.
First things first I have to share the hilarity of our journey. In London there is a road called the M25 which is the major road that orbits (no you Americans not like a satellite) the city of London. To get from where I live to the place we went today, IKEA, (wifey, Malachi and I) you have to cross a toll bridge that spans the Thames, this costs £1.
All good to get across but upon my attempt to purchase the coffee I had ordered the dratted plastic would not splurge out the cash. Yip, we did not have another penny on us. Coffee in hand, 15 miles from home, and not even a pound to get us back. SHOCK HORROR!! Here was the problem, a 'card' was in the front of the car that I presumed to be mine, and the wife asked if I had my card to which I nonchalantly replied of course. Of course the card was not mine, it was my wife's which naturally is left in the back pocket of her jeans all the time, gets bent and therefore does not work.
Well, here it was the perfect opportunity to literally destroy each other for our foolishness and our lack of consideration, inability to communicate and so on. But just then I realized we were both so very much in the wrong that to point fingers would have been extremely foolish and actually highly hypocritical. Naturally, if I had been just a little less wrong, well hell would have broken loose.
There it was I for once saw the plank in my own eye and did not try to highlight the speck (ok plank as well) in Kiralie's.
O what a happier day for it (by the way the card ended up working in an ATM) a day filled with joy which could have been distinctly different.
Count to ten peeps! See the plank, humble yourself, the outcome is far better.
Friday, November 2, 2007
Does 'Nice' mean Lukewarm?
In the middle of what may have been a migraine, although knowing me it wasn’t as I freak out at any type of headache, I began to reflect on something that disturbed me. Thinking about it now some of my thoughts may have actually led to the migraine as a sort of judgment for crossing lines with my ideas of people. That which disturbed me: ‘Nice’ Christians.
These are those people who would most certainly claim a relationship with Jesus and who probably have a remarkable attendance record at all sorts of Christian events. In fact, there is no horrific sin (you know all the nasty ones like smoking, wearing short tops and stuff that we are disgusted by) like involvement in massive sexual orgies that you could level against them. They smile beautifully talk all the good talk and just seem to offer a presence in any meeting but very little else.
Yet, there is so much about this version of Christianity that is starting to grate me the more I think of it. I am not sure why but the sanitization of their faith seems to be a primary factor. There is very little, if no, cost to their following Jesus, and there is certainly no chance of their Christianity interfering in their perfectly planned journey to settled middle-class life. You know what I mean: Two salaries, two cars, two kids, two stupid mortgages, need I go on? Well I wonder if this was ever meant to be the Christian hope, and salvation that Christ gave up all to buy at the price of His own life for us. Not likely!
When Jesus commands John to write to the angel of the church in Laodicea He highlights this concept of being ‘neither hot nor cold’ otherwise known as lukewarmness. I, like many others I hope (although thinking as a Christian is becoming increasingly unpopular so maybe not), think upon what Jesus has against this church. Equally, I wonder if there is any chance of an accusation like that being brought against me, or people that I know. Could this have anything to say to ‘nice’ Christianity? Is a sanitized faith a lukewarm faith? Is being nice what Christ died for? Is nice Christianity a Christianity that would make any person looking in on this whole faith thing of ours want to take a second look?
These are those people who would most certainly claim a relationship with Jesus and who probably have a remarkable attendance record at all sorts of Christian events. In fact, there is no horrific sin (you know all the nasty ones like smoking, wearing short tops and stuff that we are disgusted by) like involvement in massive sexual orgies that you could level against them. They smile beautifully talk all the good talk and just seem to offer a presence in any meeting but very little else.
Yet, there is so much about this version of Christianity that is starting to grate me the more I think of it. I am not sure why but the sanitization of their faith seems to be a primary factor. There is very little, if no, cost to their following Jesus, and there is certainly no chance of their Christianity interfering in their perfectly planned journey to settled middle-class life. You know what I mean: Two salaries, two cars, two kids, two stupid mortgages, need I go on? Well I wonder if this was ever meant to be the Christian hope, and salvation that Christ gave up all to buy at the price of His own life for us. Not likely!
When Jesus commands John to write to the angel of the church in Laodicea He highlights this concept of being ‘neither hot nor cold’ otherwise known as lukewarmness. I, like many others I hope (although thinking as a Christian is becoming increasingly unpopular so maybe not), think upon what Jesus has against this church. Equally, I wonder if there is any chance of an accusation like that being brought against me, or people that I know. Could this have anything to say to ‘nice’ Christianity? Is a sanitized faith a lukewarm faith? Is being nice what Christ died for? Is nice Christianity a Christianity that would make any person looking in on this whole faith thing of ours want to take a second look?
Thursday, October 18, 2007
Ethical Dilemma Numero Uno
So, I am not sure if you get moments of revelation on a day to day basis. There are guys on TV (and a couple of super-spiritual folk that I know personally) who hear God speaking audibly to them and have words which you and I could only dream of… Well, I see things, sheer revelation. On Monday, I saw an ethical nightmare that is taking the nation of Britain, and the US if I remember correctly, by storm. This thing, this thing that I saw, could send even the ‘most goodest’ person into terrifying tremors of ethical confusion. It haunts grocery stores and beckons you by name begging you to consider doing things its way. Were you to wander over into its grasp, well there the dilemma begins.
Hopefully by now you are inching ever closer to the screen of your computer to discover the identity of this horrific thing. Well here goes: THE SELF CHECKOUT MACHINE.
As I walked past one of these perfectly designed ‘ethical confrontation’ contraptions it struck me how powerfully this object could confront every moral fibre in your being. Certainly, every time you casually amble in the general direction of the Self Checkout Machine rising up within you will come thoughts of maybe sneaking even the cheapest, smallest thing on your shopping list past the scanner and into your bag the other side. Apparently the machine weighs everything that is in your basket and as you take it out ‘expects digitally’ it to go through the scanner and be placed in the bag on the scale the other side. Amazing thought here, but if you never put it in your basket in the first place there will be no expectation.
“Simon,” you ask, “If someone wanted to shoplift something they would do it anyway?” Yes, but this elevates things to an entirely different level. Any decent person will now be overwhelmed with new morally dubious thoughts. What is this world coming to?
Seriously though, it was something that struck me as I considered the general consensus that our society is surfing upon a moral landslide, yet here is something that only works assuming an old school honour system. A risk the supermarkets are taking? Maybe not; maybe the ‘supermarket powers that be’ have developed these machines upon principles gleaned from Romans 2:15. Who knows? Anyone give us a clue?
Hopefully by now you are inching ever closer to the screen of your computer to discover the identity of this horrific thing. Well here goes: THE SELF CHECKOUT MACHINE.
As I walked past one of these perfectly designed ‘ethical confrontation’ contraptions it struck me how powerfully this object could confront every moral fibre in your being. Certainly, every time you casually amble in the general direction of the Self Checkout Machine rising up within you will come thoughts of maybe sneaking even the cheapest, smallest thing on your shopping list past the scanner and into your bag the other side. Apparently the machine weighs everything that is in your basket and as you take it out ‘expects digitally’ it to go through the scanner and be placed in the bag on the scale the other side. Amazing thought here, but if you never put it in your basket in the first place there will be no expectation.
“Simon,” you ask, “If someone wanted to shoplift something they would do it anyway?” Yes, but this elevates things to an entirely different level. Any decent person will now be overwhelmed with new morally dubious thoughts. What is this world coming to?
Seriously though, it was something that struck me as I considered the general consensus that our society is surfing upon a moral landslide, yet here is something that only works assuming an old school honour system. A risk the supermarkets are taking? Maybe not; maybe the ‘supermarket powers that be’ have developed these machines upon principles gleaned from Romans 2:15. Who knows? Anyone give us a clue?
Malachi Update
Firstly, sincere apologies for the severe lack of blogs in the month of October. Not even sure why that is. A major part is played by my ‘not friends’ at Sky Digital whose See Speak & Surf deal for us has actually turned out to be See & Speak. Surf has apparently given up on his two mates and there is certainly mutiny on board the Sky Digital ship serving the LJ household. Don’t even try rectify the problem because that would be a foolish assumption on your part… Why would you expect something for your money??
Ok, on to the little dude—Malachi. Remember we were spending a morning about 3 weeks ago grabbing his arm and yanking him with the intention of enabling him to roll from his back to his front. Hey ho, the little guy has learned to do it all by his little lonesome. In fact if you don’t watch him it is fully possible that he will do a full circle around the focal point of his head which does not move as readily as the rest of his body. The little guy apparently assumes he has achieved legendary status through this dynamic development. Really can’t work up the strength of mind to tell him that other people have been doing it for ages. I think he’s too young to handle the shock.
Ok, on to the little dude—Malachi. Remember we were spending a morning about 3 weeks ago grabbing his arm and yanking him with the intention of enabling him to roll from his back to his front. Hey ho, the little guy has learned to do it all by his little lonesome. In fact if you don’t watch him it is fully possible that he will do a full circle around the focal point of his head which does not move as readily as the rest of his body. The little guy apparently assumes he has achieved legendary status through this dynamic development. Really can’t work up the strength of mind to tell him that other people have been doing it for ages. I think he’s too young to handle the shock.
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