James Corden - May I Have Your Attention, Please?

October last year – my 1^st Christmas present idea – James Corden’s autobiography, ‘May I have your attention, please?’ For someone who isn’t a big reader, asking for a book was a rather weird thing, but I’ve really enjoyed watching James Corden recently – mainly in Dr Who (The Lodger is one of my favourite episodes), but also his sketches for Comic and Sport relief. I’ve lost count of how many times I’ve watched Smithy win coach of the year. I’d never seen ‘Gavin and Stacey’, but am now part way through season 1 and it’s great!

This has been one of the easiest books I’ve ever read. I started Christmas Day when family were asleep, and finished it last week (this is fast reading for me). His story telling ability is incredible, and I laughed very loudly during the chapter about his time on the school rugby team.

His first memory was when he was just 4, at his sister’s Christening. Corden’s parents are both Christians with the Salvation Army, and the Church and Christianity have were a big part of his life growing up. Anyway, at this Christening, at just 4 years old, Corden knew what he wanted to do with his life. Due to being small, James couldn’t see what was happening at the Christening, so the vicar got him a chair, so he could see – however, what he actually saw was much different. He saw all the people looking at him, so he started to dance, pretend to sing, and pull faces, and he loved the feeling of people looking at him, and performing, so when he sat back down again, he felt bored. In his head it was simple – people looking at him = good feeling, so from then on, every day was a quest to be noticed, and to have people’s attention.

School wasn’t a great time for James – after all, it was boring. He would focus on subjects he enjoyed, and when school plays were on, but never any other time, and would make life difficult for the teachers. He was the class clown, and he can admit that looking back, his behaviour was not cool, but really immature.

After school, he really put his effort into acting, and would go to many auditions, and not get the parts. He got a part in ‘Fat Friends’, and then in ‘History Boys’ – a play which later became a film. He’d met Ruth Jones on ‘Fat Friends’, and together, they came up with ‘Gavin and Stacey’, which is obviously what he is most famous for.

He’s had rise and fall throughout his career, and he’s learned some good lessons on the way. Initially, he let the fame get to his head, and he became someone he never wanted to be, but after going through times of difficulty, he pulled through.

Life has changed now for James Corden, following the birth of his son.

“And as I look back on the boy I wrote about at the start of this book, the boy who needed all that constant attention, who craved the limelight like oxygen, well, I realise I don’t feel that anymore – not as much, anyway. I still have ambition, lots of it, and there are plenty of things I dream of achieving. But ‘attention’ is perhaps not the right word for it any more. The flame is still there; it just doesn’t burn as brightly. Now everything I need I get from Jules and my son. It’s their love and their attention that’s the most important thing to me now.” – pages 335-336

This comes right at the end of the book, and it’s great to see him realise this – and this is an incredible change when you read the preceding 300 pages. Have a look at this quote from the apostle Paul from Ephesians 2:1-10, and notice an even greater change.

“As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins, in which you used to live when you followed the ways of this world and of the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient.  All of us also lived among them at one time, gratifying the cravings of our sinful nature and following its desires and thoughts. Like the rest, we were by nature deserving of wrath. But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved.  And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, in order that in the coming ages he might show the incomparable riches of his grace, expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus. For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast. For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.” (Eph 2:1-10 TNIV)

The first few sentences aren’t an easy ready read, but this is what all of us either were or are. Dead is the word used. What makes us dead? Because we followed the ways of this world, gratifying the cravings of our sinful nature, following its desires and thoughts. Basically, going our own way, and not God’s way. Doing what we want to do, when we want to do it. By nature, deserving of wrath. Dead people can’t help themselves – our very nature is sinful and nothing we do can make us alive again.

BUT (what a fantastic word – there is hope!), and that hope is the fact that God loves us, and is merciful to us, and has provided a way for us to be made alive, and that is through Jesus. With Jesus, we have/can be made alive. Because of God’s love, we can be in a relationship with the almighty creator of the Universe, and this is a gift – we have a choice whether to accept it or not.

James Corden’s change from attention seeking to loving his fiancée and being a father is big, but the change offered by Jesus to be made alive, and to be in a right relationship with God is so much bigger and so much better, and it’s a change which I have experienced myself, and continue to experience.

Christians as Saints!

Last Sunday evening, I had the priviledge of preaching at LightHouse, our churches evening service. We first started LightHouse in September 2009, and such growth has lead to there now being 2 groups. One meeting at our house and one meeting in Haxey. Both following the same stuff, so I got to preach this twice. Although rather tired at the end, I've been thoroughly encouraged, particularly when I hear people continuing to think about it throughour the week. We 're doing a mini series on the Christians identity in Christ, and I was looking at our identity as Saints, focussing on 1 Corinthians 1:1-9

We started off with a couple of questions.
1. the word saint can be used in a lot of situations and has many uses. How many can we name?
2. when it comes to people, why do we know them as Saints?

Our answers looked a bit like this:
Question 1 - churches, hospitals, schools, roads, in sport, Southampton FC, Northampton Rugby, and the New Orleans Saints in NFL, when the saints go marching in, All Saints (love black coffee!!), patron saint, cannonised people in Catholicism, Saint Nicholas, something to do with a train, and there was a TV series called the saint starring Roger Moore (I didn't know about the last 2!)
Question 2 - People who have done a miracle, or something really commendable. Saints are the elite people, and nothing like us.

Introduction

So when we think of saints, I think so often we think of the dead people, and people who have done incredible things. We certainly don’t think of ourselves as Saints. In fact, most of us probably wouldn’t want the ‘pressure’ of being a saint, because we don’t think we’re good enough to be saints. After all, saints are really holy, really good and are saints because they have been recognised for what they have done is how we often think. Tonight we’ll see that this is not the description of saints that the Bible gives, and that actually all followers of Jesus are saints. The two headings on your sheet explain why we’re saints, and what that means.

But before we really get into the passage, as we look at these first 9 verses of this letter, although we’re not going to study the letter in detail, it is important we don’t want to take it out of context. The apostle Paul wrote the letters of Corinthians, and he wrote them for a reason. Paul wrote to a Church that was, to say the least, confused. They had incredible gifts, but they didn’t know how to use them. Instead they would use them to big themselves up, make a name for themselves, rather than building others up. Those who were thought of in high regard did not have time for those who were deemed lower than them, which lead to social snobbery when having communion. At a time when we remember, that only by grace and through Jesus, that we can ever be in relationship with God, that we contribute nothing except our sin, and as we eat with joy, the Corinthians had an unholy social snobbery. Nothing was shared, and the description we get in chapter 11 is that one person gets drunk and another goes hungry.

The Church was divided. Those with gifts were thought of as greater than those that don’t. People were confused about sex, marriage and how to act with regard to the customs of the day. People were boasting about which teacher they follow. If we were the Corinthian Church, some would follow Al, and some would follow Peter. And it is into division that Paul writes, and he reminds them of the gospel, and shows how out of step with it they are.

Saints because we’re saved

As we look at verse 1, how does Paul describe himself? [apostle] of who? [Christ Jesus] And what makes him an apostle of Christ Jesus? [called by will of God]. So knowing that the Corinthians are arguing over whose teaching to follow, Paul sets the tone for what is to follow, and says quite clearly, that he was called to this ministry. He’s not here bigging himself up, but rather explaining from the start, that what he has to say is authoritative. Paul did not choose to be an apostle (he persecuted the Church as Saul), he did not give himself the title, apostle, and he isn’t a one man band, but rather he is part of a ministry team, hence why the brother Sosthenes is mentioned. He was captured and constrained by God’s sovereign call, which makes him into something he was not.

That’s who the letter is from, but who is the letter to? [the church of God in Corinth]. Note a couple of things. First, it is written to the church, singular, not to the Churches, as you would see in other letters by Paul. There won’t have been just one Church in Corinth, but rather, Paul is reminding them of their unity with each other, and that they are part of something which is much bigger than their understanding of Church. Secondly, that this is the church of God. It is not the Church of Paul, or Apollos, or Peter (who they were boasting about following). It is not the church of the elders, but it is the church of God. It is God’s idea. It was God who created it. It was God who made it possible, through Jesus, and so it is to look like God’s church. It isn’t to look like any other organisation, but it is to stand out. The Church of God is to be built around God and have God leading it. It is not to be full of people who strive only to make themselves look good, or to make themselves seen, but people who know grace, and love the Lord Jesus, and want to do his work.

And how does Paul describe the people in the Church? [those sanctified in Christ Jesus]. Sanctification is a big Bible word, and it’s about being holy. Flick back in your Bibles to Leviticus 19:2, where “Yahweh says to Moses, ‘speak to the entire assembly of Israel, and say to them, ‘Be holy because, I, the LORD your God, am holy’’” Holiness has an idea of being set apart for God. Holiness is about perfection, and sanctification is about being made holy, being made clean and pure. Now this can’t be done by ourselves. We cannot make ourselves holy. We cannot make anyone else holy, but only through Jesus, can we be made holy, only Jesus can sanctify us.

Paul writes to those who are already sanctified, made clean, in Jesus. Christians, disciples, people who believe in Jesus, are sanctified. We are clean, we are holy, we have been made right with God. Holiness is one of those things that we cannot attain by our own merits, and own good deeds, but because of Jesus, we are holy, we are saints. In the TNIV, verse 2 has the translation, “holy people”, but that is the word, saints. We are saints. I am a saint, you are a saint. We are all saints. What makes us a saint is not all the things that we do, no matter how good they are. It’s not because we always do the right things. It’s not because we go to Church. It’s not because we read the Bible. Rather, it is because of God’s great love for us. It is because God knew that when sin entered the world, we could never again be saints, unless he did something about it. We’re saints because Jesus – God in human form, gave up his place at God’s right hand, and was born into the world. Not born in a palace. There was no red carpet, instead his carpet was made of straw. The noises heard weren’t of trumpets, but of animals. In humility, Jesus stepped into the world, as a light stepping down into darkness. For the 33 years he lived, he was in perfect relationship with his Heavenly Father. He lived a sinless life. A holy life. He obeyed God’s commands perfectly. His perfect life was not without purpose. Right from day 1, he was on a mission to reconcile man and God. And mission accomplished it was, as he was betrayed by his friends, left alone and abandoned, hung on a cross, for everyone to see. People weren’t thanking him for what he was doing; instead they were mocking him, hurling insults at him. At any point, Jesus could have come down, but because this was the only way for God and man to be reconciled, he endured. He died for me. He died for you. He died so that we could be forgiven. He died so that God’s wrath would be turned away from us, and onto Jesus. He died so that we could know God. And when we believe that Jesus really did die for us, we become saints. And this is all because of Jesus. We are saints because in Jesus, we have been saved. Now this salvation requires a response, and sanctification is not just about being saved, so we look at our 2^nd heading, ‘Saved to be saints.’

Saved to be saints

After Paul has described the Corinthians as “sanctified in Christ Jesus”, he then follows it with “and called to be his holy people.” Called to be saints. So we are saints, but we are also called to be saints, and this is in our daily lives. When it comes to life, day in, day out, I don’t think any of us could describe ourselves as ‘saintly’. However, this is what we are called to be. As we thought earlier with Paul’s calling being from Jesus himself, so our calling to be saints is from Jesus. We said Paul was captured and constrained by God’s sovereign call, which made him into something he was not, and that is exactly the same for us. That God makes us into something we are not.

Sanctification is not a one time only process, but happens daily, as we cooperate with the Holy Spirit, and are made more Christ like. Although ultimately, it is God who does this work, we must be willing to listen to what he is saying, and to act on it. We can’t grow in holiness if we are not prepared to work at it. We can’t just sit back and let God work, but we must be praying that he works in us. If you notice in verse 2, we’re called to be saints together with other believers, so God has given us other Christians, brothers and sisters, who are there to help us in our pursuit of holiness. Having other people around to challenge us, and wrestle things through with is such an incredible blessing, and it’s one I think we both take for granted, and under use. As a Church we should be building each other up, and not just being built up – we too must build others up, and in doing so, we grow as Saints. We become more Christ-like as we love our brother or sister, as we put their needs above ours.

The theory of living as a saint is easy enough, but in practice it is much harder. Earlier we said that our status as Christians was as Saints, so we’re going to put that on our graph here. [GRAPH] We said that through Jesus, we are Saints. The red line at the top is Jesus perfect holy life, which he gives to us. It is how God sees us all the time.

As time goes by, as we become more mature in our faith, as we cooperate with the Holy Spirit, as we fight sin in our lives, as we love Jesus more, we become more holy, but it is not as easy as this graph, where the more mature you are, the holier you are, and this is constant growth.

But we are not always growing in holiness, and sometimes we backslide, the line of our holiness is not constant, but is up AND down, and that is represented by the blue line.

Not every day, do we become more like Jesus. We all make mistakes, we are sinners, and so this is not a surprise to hear that we’re not perfect, and when we do find ourselves caught in sin, and we lose focus of Jesus, we find our selves growing further away from God. Not intentionally, but we lose our appetite for Jesus, we take it for granted. We don’t apply the Bible to our lives. We drift.

But, if we are true believers, then we will eventually realise this, and come back to him. With the help of others around us and more importantly the Holy Spirit, we start to love Jesus once again, and we become more holy. The Christian life is an adventure. There will be good days and bad days. Times when God is great, and times when you don’t even feel like you know where he is, but the mark of a true disciple is that they come back to God always. We are to be sanctified each day. Cleansed and purified. Made more like Jesus, and this work of sanctification cannot be done on our own. Have a look through verses 1-9 and what phrase or idea is repeated in every verse? [in Christ] [go through and emphasise]

As Paul moves into a time of thanks in verses 4-9, what does he thank God for? [the grace given them] He doesn’t praise them for anything they’ve done, but rather praises God who has blessed them with these gifts. The gifts are good, but the Corinthians haven’t used them correctly. The promise in verse 8 is that God will keep us to the end, but that is in the context of verse 7, of believers eagerly awaiting for Jesus. Believers who believe in Jesus, and are wanting Jesus to return, and are living and growing in their holiness, and striving to love Jesus more are the ones who will endure.

And God (verse 9) is faithful. He does not call us to be saints on our own, but we are called to be saints. Called to live out our identity. In Christ, we are saints, and we are to live as God’s people. We are to be marked by grace in everything, and not because we feel we should, but because Jesus was marked by grace. Jesus showed us how to live as a saint. He showed us how to live in the world, how to obey God in everything, how to love others, how to respond to situations, and we are to live as Jesus lived, knowing that we won’t be perfect, but knowing that the God we are in love with is faithful, and has been through everything we have been through.

Being a saint is a good thing. It doesn’t mean we’re dead, it doesn’t mean we’ve done exceptional and we’re really holy, but it means that Christ died for us and made us holy. Our identity is in Christ, so the next time we sin, and we think that we are not good enough, we remember that we are saints, that Jesus died to make us saints, and our status doesn’t change. We remember it is not our sin that gives us our identity, but Jesus. The flip side of this is that when we feel we do something particularly well, and feel like a saint, we must remember that still, our identity is in Jesus, and that we are only saints because of him.

We then had time for some questions, and then I had 3 prepared:

1.       What is a saint. What is the opposite, and what is in between?

2.       What steps are there on the road from sinner to saint? (Think personally about the steps you have taken)

3.       How will knowing our identity is in Christ change the way we think and do things this week?

I'll not give you the answers to these last ones, but feel free to comment anything or drop me a line, and I'll be more than happy to respond and think things through with people.

Me and the lottery

In my last job, I had a friend who most weeks would say something like, "I hope I win the Euromillions tonight - then I'll not be back here Monday." I'm sure it won't have escaped your notice, but tonights draw has a jackpot of about £166 million. That is incredible! If it is won by a single winner, they would be alongside The Beckhams and Theo Paphitas in how much they have and be the 418th name on the Sunday Times rich list. The National Lottery is expecting to sell 3 million tickets an hour in the lead up to tonights draw, which is over 900 per second. That's a lot of people in the draw. (By the way, I got these stats from here, I didn't spend ages working them out, though it is something I would do!)

Anyway, I've been thinking this morning about buying a ticket. It's only £2 after all, which let's face it, isn't that much. I spent £2 on Wednesday on a cup of sweets, £2 on 4 crunchies and 4 flakes (£1 each), £9 on the Noah and the Whale album (Could of had 4.5 tickets!), I'll pay £2.50 to play football tonight, £4 on Monday, so £2 for one ticket isn't that much of a drastic amount given I'm used to spending it, and quite regularly. But does that give me permission to buy one? As someone who is wanting to please God, and serve him, is it right to play the euro millions?

I've read a few peoples blogs and opinions on the question, 'Should the Christian play the lottery?' Most people say no - it's gambling, and is bad stewardship (since everything comes from God <including money>, we are to use it wisely). There is no verse in the Bible directed at gambling, so you have to try and find the Bible principles which can be applied. I completely agree that everything comes from God, and that we are to use it wisely. I guess the question then becomes, "Well what does this mean?" Is it OK to spend £2 on a lottery ticket since I spent £2 on sweets. Was it wrong to buy the sweets in the first place? Sure, I enjoyed them when I watched my brother and his girlfirend in West Side Story on Wednesday, and I gave them the ones that were left, but did I need them? Probably not, but I enjoyed them.

People argue for playing the lottery saying it is for entertainment purposes. I can see this as well. It is quite fun watching to see if your numbers come up, and I'm used to spending money for entertainment purposes. My big question when I look at myself is, "am I playing because I want to win £166million? Is it the great prize that is tempting me to play? Would I want to play if it was just a 'normal' jackpot amount? The other question I have is, "Hypothetically, if I won, what would I do with the money?" As a Mathematician, I'm very aware that the odds of my 6 numbers coming up are very small indeed. Throw in the frenzy surrounding this draw, and the number of other people playing, the chances of a unique winner - again very very small. But if I played and somehow beat the odds (someone has to) then what would I do? I'd be in a very fortunate position financially, and the temptation would be to keep it, to save it.

I know that keeping it all wouldn't ever be an option, but how much do you keep, and where do you give money to? I think we'd probably pay off any debt we have, but would a new house be bought, what about a new car (current one only had for 7 months, but its done a lot of miles)? Would money be put aside for future generations, and how much would we keep for ourseleves and a rainy day? Surely I would continue looking for work, but would I be as willing to take a very basic, low paid job, or would I wait and wait? Would I ever need to work again? I've got a friend cycling from Bournemouth to Bicaz (Romania) to buy a minibus for the Romanian camps they do. I could give to him. (You could to by following the above link!) I'd give some to my local Church, and needs in and around Doncaster. But how much of the £166m would that use? Perhaps I could widen my giving to my family, clear their debts, and set aside for their futures?

It's questions like these that really make me wonder whether or not I should play the lottery tonight. Yes, it's only £2, and it wouldn't be that dearly missed, but if I won, I just wouldn't know what to do with the money. I have friends around me who would help me, but do I want that pressure? The Bible warns against money, and greed, and I think to guard myself, playing the lottery isn't a good idea.

That's how far I've got in the last hour or so, in between a gas safety check, but would be interesting to know other peoples thoughts. Comment below!

Forbes biggest givers

This week, Forbes magazine has published its list of the worlds biggest and most generous givers, which got me interested and made me take a look. You can look at the article yourself here. They have found 19 people in the world who have given over 1 billion US dollars to charity. The biggest giver is Bill Gates, who has given $28 billion, which is over 3 times more than the next person in the list. Forbes also put the person’s net worth in there as well so you can see how much they’re giving in relation to what they’re worth. One of the guys has given about 95% of his wealth away, which is pretty incredible. He still has hundreds of thousands to live off, but it’s still very good giving. The richest man in the world, Carlos Slim Helu has given $4 billion, but with a suggested worth of around $74 billion, it’s only about 5.5%. He believes more good can be done by creating jobs than band-aided charitable giving. It was a fascinating list, but it got me thinking.

Some people think that God would be pleased with us if we were a good person. If we do enough good stuff to outweigh the bad stuff, then we will have earned God’s approval. But is it possible to earn this? What makes a ‘good person’ - surely giving to charity would be one trademark of a good person? Obviously they can’t give away as much as these 19 people, but they give. But the question is then raised, “Well does that please God?” Is there a certain amount you can give which would earn God’s favour? Is there a percentage that God requires from us? Surely James Stowers, who gave 95% away, is in God’s very good books? Is giving to charity good enough to be in a right standing with God?

Well, actually, giving 95% of our wealth away doesn’t make us right with God. The Bible is pretty clear that we can’t earn God’s favour through what we do. Being made right with God has nothing to do with what we do, but is only possible because of what Jesus has done. When Jesus came to Earth, he was on a rescue mission to save us, and to open up a way to be made right with God. In John 14:6, Jesus says “I am the way, the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” Verse 7 doesn’t then say, or you can just be a nice person and give money away, and that is also acceptable. The only way to be made right with God is through Jesus. Believing that we are sinners, that we have done things which separate us from God, and that we can’t correct these ourselves. Jesus never sinned, and he gives us that perfect record so we can stand before God, as if we’d never sinned. Then, and only then, are we made right with God.

Ephesians 2:8-9 says this, “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith – and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God – not by works, so that no one can boast.” Giving money away is not a bad thing, it is good to do, but it does not make us right with God. Only through Jesus can that be made possible.

It’s been great to remind myself of these truths, and they were backed up this morning at Church, as I was challenged to remember that I am not attractive in any way before God. All I can give is my need for forgiveness.

Don't hold your breath - Nicole Scherzinger

I keep hearing this song on the radio, and I've been meaning to write a blog about it for some time, but have only just got round to it. Don't hold your breath is the latest song from Nicole Scherzinger, and is very catchy. We're used to love songs in the charts, people singing about how much they love someone and are unable to so anything without them, but we're not as used to hearing songs like this, about some kind of break up. The song starts with the chorus:

You can't touch me now
There's no feeling left
If you think I'm coming back
Don't hold your breath
What you did to me
Boy I can't forget
If you think I'm coming back
Don't hold your breath

 and the verses explain some of the stuff which has lead to such a strong sense of rejection. It's pretty clear that Nicole doesn't want to be in relationship with this man. As I kept hearing this song, I also kept thinking about Luke Chapter 15. This is a great chapter in the Bible, and one of my favourites. In it, Jesus tells 3 parables (stories) about being lost and then found. The 3rd of these is most commonly known as the prodigal son, or lost son. Here it is:

The Parable of the Lost Son

 Jesus continued: “There was a man who had two sons. The younger one said to his father, ‘Father, give me my share of the estate.’ So he divided his property between them.

   “Not long after that, the younger son got together all he had, set off for a distant country and there squandered his wealth in wild living. After he had spent everything, there was a severe famine in that whole country, and he began to be in need. So he went and hired himself out to a citizen of that country, who sent him to his fields to feed pigs. He longed to fill his stomach with the pods that the pigs were eating, but no one gave him anything.

   “When he came to his senses, he said, ‘How many of my father’s hired servants have food to spare, and here I am starving to death! I will set out and go back to my father and say to him: Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son; make me like one of your hired servants.’ So he got up and went to his father.

   “But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion for him; he ran to his son, threw his arms around him and kissed him.

   “The son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son.’

   “But the father said to his servants, ‘Quick! Bring the best robe and put it on him. Put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet. Bring the fattened calf and kill it. Let’s have a feast and celebrate. For this son of mine was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.’ So they began to celebrate.

   “Meanwhile, the older son was in the field. When he came near the house, he heard music and dancing. So he called one of the servants and asked him what was going on. ‘Your brother has come,’ he replied, ‘and your father has killed the fattened calf because he has him back safe and sound.’

   “The older brother became angry and refused to go in. So his father went out and pleaded with him. But he answered his father, ‘Look! All these years I’ve been slaving for you and never disobeyed your orders. Yet you never gave me even a young goat so I could celebrate with my friends. But when this son of yours who has squandered your property with prostitutes comes home, you kill the fattened calf for him!’

   “‘My son,’ the father said, ‘you are always with me, and everything I have is yours. But we had to celebrate and be glad, because this brother of yours was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.’”

Simply, the parable Jesus tells is of someone completely rejecting his Father (God), wishing he was dead, wanting his inheritance early so he can get the most out of life. However, he blows all his money, and ends up feeding pigs. Realising his mistake, he practices and practices his apology, and goes back to his Dad. I'm sure the walk would have been slow, as he keeps working out exactly what he will say. He realises he is no longer worthy to be called his son, but just wants to work for him. The amazing thing is that while he is still a long way off, the Father sees him, runs out to meet him (probably embarrassing for an old man!), throws his arms around him and welcomes him back as a son.
Scherzinger sings of grudges, and holding things against others. God forgives us. He loves us so much that he forgives us, and welcomes us back into his arms, and into his family. We don't deserve it, and it's only by grace, a gift from God.
God does not say to us, "Don't hold your breath" to us. His arms are always open for us to come back to him.

Jessie J feat B.O.B - Price Tag

If you listen to the radio, watch mucic channels, or generally keep updated with the music scene, one of the newest names on it is that of Jessie J. Winner of both the 2011 critic's award at the Brits, and BBC's sound of 2011 award, she has released 2 songs, Do it like a dude, which reached #2 in the UK chart, and Price Tag, which currently sits on top of the UK charts. I have to confess to being a bit of a fan of Price Tag. I heard it on the radio coming back from work, and it is incredibly catchy. With a chorus going like,

It's not about the money, money, money
We don't need your money, money, money
We just wanna make the world dance,
Forget about the Price Tag.

Ain't about the (ha) Ka-Ching Ka-Ching.
Aint about the (yeah) Ba-Bling Ba-Bling
Wanna make the world dance,
Forget about the Price Tag.

I wondered what on earth the song was actually about, if it was not about the money. Having listened to it a couple of times this evening, and looking at the lyrics, it seems to be a bit tongue-in-cheek, with elements of truth, and thought provoking stuff.

Jessie wrote the song herself, and it seems to be her thoughts on current things, particularly in the music industry, where people could be described as trying to go one up on their competitors, wearing more and more provakative clothing in videos, and doing everything they can to get more and more media spotlight. Here's the second verse:

We need to take it back in time,
When music made us all UNITE!
And it wasn't low blows and video Hoes,
Am I the only one gettin... tired?

Why is everybody so obsessed?
Money can't buy us happiness.
If we all slow down and enjoy right now
Gurantee we'll be feelin
All right.

Jessie is basically saying that people in music are not in it for the same reasons as they used to. She wants to go back to the days when people made music to entertain people. I guess now, people are entertained in different ways, and perhaps some people don't feel that the songs themselves are enough. People seem to be in this business for the money, and not because it is something they love.

It is true when Jessie sings that money can't buy us happiness. Happiness is an interesting thing, and people feel happy because of different things. I was in a rotten mood at work earlier this week, and when someone asked me how I was, it cheered me up, as it was really thoughtful of them to notice and ask. If Sheffield Wednesday start winning, I'll be happy when I look at the results (could be a while). When I think of mine and Rachels first 6 months of marriage, it makes me happy. Would having lots of money make me happier? I doubt it. Sure, I could buy more stuff - a better house, newer car, wii games, but the danger is, that the more we have, the more we want, and the more we feel we need to keep up with th proverbial Jones's. I doubt that this would make me happy though.

The Bible warns us about money on more than one occasion. 1Timothy 6:10 says this, "For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs. [As an aside, note how the love of money is A root of all kinds of evil, not THE root]. When we make money our aim in life, we lose focus of everything around us. We won't unite with anyone, but will berate people, and climb all over them to get to the top. The Bible would tell us to focus on God, to keep our eyes fixed on Jesus (Hebrews 12:1-3). When we focus on pleasing God, and serving him, we look around us, and pick people up, encourage them, and as Church family, we strive to help others serve him as well. True happiness is found in Jesus - I know it sounds cheesy, but its true. Giving your life for something you know to be eternal gives your life meaning, and purpose, and a reason to be happy.

Grilled Cheesus - Glee and Religion

You may look at the blog title, and think that sounds weird. Glee and religion? I thought they just did singing and stuff. Alex watches Glee? Whatever your thoughts I watched the 3rd episode from the 2nd series of Glee earlier today, which was entitled 'Grilled Cheesus'.

Plot summary:
Finn Hudson, one of the Glee members, is making a grilled cheese sandwich, and believes he sees the face of Jesus in it. Finn then decides to pray to this sandwich for 3 things - 1st, that the football team would win their first game, 2nd, he would get to 'second base' with his girlfriend, Rachel, and 3rd, that he would be reinstated as the football quarterback. When the first of these prayers is answered, he suggests the Glee group sing songs of Jesus and spirituality.
While all this is going on, another Glee member, Kurt, is dealing with the shock news of his father's heart attack. As the group try and support Kurt with prayers and spirituality, it soon becomes apparent that Kurt does not belive in any of it, saying God made him gay, and all Christians and Churches hate gays (and women), and say its his choice to be gay - how could God allow him to go through all the torture he goes through each day?
Sue Sylvester (the school Cheerleaders coach) also does not believe that prayer works. When she was younger, her sister, the one person she truly loved, became ill. Sue prayed for he to get better every night, and when that wasn't working, she prayed harder, and now has the attitude that if God does exist, he's going to have to prove it somehow.
As the episode progresses, its interesting to see how different people react to everything that is going on. Glee members with faith pray for Kurt's Dad when he is at the hospital. With representatives from different religions and denominations, surely some prayers willbe listened to? Finn's prayers are answered but not in the way he wants them, as the new quarterback is injured during a game on a play that Finn called, causing him to feel responsible. Finn then doubts his new found faith.

People have many views of prayer. In Glee, Sue believes it doesn't work because of past experience. Finn uses it for his own benefit, and keeps God at arms length. Kurt does not believe there is a God, but does eventally accept the prayers of his friends.

For me, prayer is none of these. God does not want to be distant from us, he wants to be close to us. God does not want us to come only when we need help, but all the time. Prayer is simply talking to God, having a conversation with him. God wants to be involved with all our lives, and prayer is how we allow him to do that. I think I've made prayer more complicated than it is. I've made it some super spiritual thing, when actually, as I pray, I come as a little child to his father, speaking to him. Whenever I've gone up to my Dad, or Mum, to speak to them, they always listen. They don't turn away. They didn't always give me what I asked for, but they listened, and acted in a way they seemed appropriate. God is my Heavenly Father. As I pray, he listens, ans he answers in a way which he knows is best. How does he know what is best? Because he made me. He knows me better than I know myself, so of course knows what is best. He is all knowing, and soveriegn, and that is such an ecouragement to know that there is someone bigger than me, who is in control of everything, not just my life. As I pray, I strengthen my relationship with the Almighty, All-knowing, Creator God, who I can call my Father.

Glee has helped me to be reminded of the theory - the practice of this is much harder, and something I continue to work on.

Nothing physically left - From Amazon to Jesus

For the last 2 months, I've been working at the Amazon.co.uk warehouse (no I don't know where your parcel is!), and each day I had several little reminders of 3 words Jesus said. I was a 'stower', which basically meant I took things as they came into the warehouse and stored (stowed) them in the correct place (sounds easy - it was!). Anyway, everything was done with an electronic scanner gun thing (very cool!), and when I'd stored everything, the words on the scanner would read, "I have finished. I have nothing physically left" to which you would confirm. Each time I read these words, and confirmed, which would have been several times a day, I couldn't help but think of Jesus' last words as he hung on the cross, "It is finished"

What exactly was finished as Jesus said these words? Jesus was born to save us. He was born to repair a broken relationship. A relationship with God the Father, which humans once had, but lost because of sin - all those times we put something in God's place. Our greatest need in life is not food or clothes, but to be in a relationship with God the Father, and that is only possible through Jesus' death on the cross.

Jesus couldn't just live any old life while he was on Earth though. It had to be perfect, sinless, which it was. As a man, he was subject to everything we go through. Hunger, thirst, temptation, hurt, pain, rejection by people, betrayed by a friend. Jesus gave everything for us, and held nothing back. He loved us so much that he died for us. As he hung on the cross, Jesus literally had nothing pysically left. Nothing left to do. Nothing left to give. It was mission complete for Jesus, as he opened up a way for us to be back in relationship with God.

How great it was when working to be continually reminded of what Jesus did for me in the few words, "I have finished. I have nothing physically left."

Listening to God

As I mentioned yesterday, I was challenged by the Bible talk at Church yesterday. We were looking at Hebrews 3:7-19. Helpfully, Al has put his notes online here, so others can see them. The audio of the talk will be on the Church website today or tomorrow I would imagine if you want to have a listen, but here's what I was particualrly challenged on:
GOD SPEAKS TO ME/US. If you had asked me before I heard the talk if I agreed with that, I would have said absolutely! It's so obvious, why does it even need saying? However, being reminded that God speaks to me TODAY (present tense of verse 7) was encouraging and refreshing. Some people would argue that the Bible is outdated and irrelevant, but I don't see that, as the Bible, written by people and inspired by God still speaks to us, not neccessarily in an audible voice, but through the words. (I'm not speaking to you now audibly but I am speaking my thoughts to you as you read this). As I read the Bible, God is wanting to speak to me. The Bible is relevant today, and as we looked at the danger of 'hardening our hearts', although written to a first century audience, the danger is still applicable.
When we dug deaper into the quotes and uses of Psalm 15, we saw how thatwas written about Numbers 13 and 14. The Israelite's are at the door of the promised land, but don't believe God could get them in - the city is guarded, the walls are big and thick, the people look strong, and numerous, and they just don't believe (with the exception of Caleb and Joshua). We then thought about what these people had seen and witnessed before their very eyes. While they were slaves in Egypt, they had seen God send 10 signs and wonders to show people who he was, bringing illness and turmoil among the Egyptians. The last of these signs was to kill all the first born males, and yet protected the Israelites with the blood of the passover lamb. As they were fleeing, they came to the Red Sea, trapped, with Pharaoh and his army hot on their tails. God moved a cloud to protect them, and then continued to part the Red Sea, allowing an entire nation of people to pass through on dry land, and then wiping out the greatest army of the time in the waters. It's not like the Israelites hadn't seen God do amazing things, and yet, unbelief was still their reaction.
I realised how similar I am to the Israelites. I have seen God do wonders in my own life, as prayers have been answered. I know first hand that God protects and provides, that He is sovereign over all things - He is in control, and yet, when I come upon something that seems hard, unbelief is my reaction. There is no way out of this - this is a helpless situation - there's nothing that can be done. Actually Alex, there is something that can be done, but not by you! The sovereign creator God who is personal(A Praying Life) can do all things, and can work miracles in your heart, and the heart of others. In Matthew 19:26 Jesus says this, "With human beings, this is impossible, but with God all things are possible."
So I was reminded at how great God is, and that he wants to speak to me, but then there was one more thing that was exposed and that was the question of how we listen. Listening takes time and concentration. It is not something squeezed into a morning, or into a 5 minute window, but something that is time is made for, and days built around. If God speaks to me through the Bible, then I must be wanting to listen as I read it. If the words of the Bible are relevant and applicable today, then I'm not going to fully get the lessons unless I spend time with it. So often at the minute, Bible reading is a chore and hard work, but this must change, and that change only happens with a change of attitude. When I come to the Bible,I mustn't sigh and think about other things, I mustn't grudgingly put it into my day as a 'There God, you happy now?', but I should love to read it as I know that the God who loves me wants to speak to me, and spend time with me. I must now stop writing about reading my Bible, and actually do it. :)

A Praying Life

I've realised that I've stopped reading, so this afternoon I picked up my most current book (I have lots of books on the go, but rarely do I finish any), A Praying Life, by Paul E. Miller. In it, Paul writes and explains the 'secrets' of prayer, as let's face it, prayer is hard. I'm up to Part 3, which looks at some of the big issues we have with prayer, and the first one, Chapter 12 is called Why is asking so hard. Throughout the book, Paul has said that we need to learn to pray like a child, without fear of rejection, or stupid requests, but being helpless as a child asks Mum or Dad.
Paul argues that we view the world very secularisticly, and we currently lump God with feelings and subjective opinion, which leads to God being marginalised, and therefore, prayer feeling odd. We relegate God to the sidelines where he becomes a feel-good cheerleader. God is distant and seperate from the world we live in, and our mind set doesn't permit God to connect with this world or us. We think we know the answers and how to do everything, so we don't ask for help. Why ask God for help when you can do it yourself? Simple, because we can't!
Truth is, we can't do anything ourselves. Everything we have comes from God, everything we can do is a result of God giving us the abilities. It is because God created the World, and us, that we can explore creation, and it is the wonder at how everything happens that has given us science. If a stream is a result of accidental natural forces, then you just see water, rocks and dirt. If God equals the stream, then you worship the stream god, not the creator of the stream. But if God created the stream, then wonder and curiosity naturally flow into the study. Science is a result of a God who created everything, and gave us curisity to explore it. We must see God behind all things, and that is done by becomming like a child again, and never losing our awe at the simplest of things. Childlike behaviour is simple, and faith is strong as they know they cannot explain everything away. A humbling thought. So often I see things that are just fact, they just happen, cars go past, food appears in Supermarkets, the water comes on when I turn on the tap. These only happen because of an almighty creator God.
The next Chapter looks at Why we can ask God. We define prayer as personal and private, and don't think it could make any difference. We have confidence in Science, but not in God. The issue of power-the ability to make a difference, to change something - is at the heart of asking. We need to know that God is powerful, infinite and truly awesome. This sits OK with people, until we then say that the infinite God is interested in me. We're fine with an infinite God as long as he doesn't get too personal. Psalm 23 opens with "The Lord is my Shepherd". Infinite is personal. Paul says that one of the reasons we struggle with prayer is because majesty and humility are such an odd fit. We just don't think that God could be concerned with the puny details of our lives. We either believe he's too big or that we're not that important. Both are mistakes. The infinite God of the universe made us each in his image, and wants to be intimately involved in our lives. We are his children when we believe in Jesus saving work, and as any parent wants to listen to his children, God the Almighty, wants to listen to us, which we do as we pray.
Prayer is simply communication with God. We struggle to talk to God for various reasons, whether it be the very word 'prayer' with all it's negative assumptions, or whether it is a wrong view of God himself, or ourselves. But, for any relationship, communication is vital if it is to grow. We must communicate with God, talking to Him through prayer, and listening to him as we read the Bible (we thought about this at Church this morning, and I'll write about it at some point).
Knowing that the infinite God of the Universe who created me, and wants to be intimately involved in my life isn't a problem for me theoretically. Practically, however, it is much harder. The further I get in the book, I'm learning how simple prayer actually is, and that it is my mindset that is the problem, a mindset that I am learning to change.