Dec | 23 | Warped Factor 7 Scotty, Warped factor 7!

Key Word:- FOCUS

Title:- Warped Factor 7 Scotty, Warped factor 7!

Philippians 4:13  
I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.

The context of our verse today lies in the strengthening of the Christian by Christ our Master, to provide us with the ability to be abased and to be abounding in every place and in every circumstance and situation. “It's no problem” says Paul in our text for today, “I have learned how to do this.” Now I do believe the reception of this truth must first be advanced by clearly seeing three important points.

First, that it is not a sign of Christ's desertion or judgement, indifference or aggression, when Paul is hungry, abased and abandoned.

Secondly, and subsequently then, it was also not necessarily a sign of Christ's faithfulness and pleasure, attentiveness and gentle care, when Paul had more than enough for himself and others.

Now these first two points are fascinating, for they produce imprints onto the spirit of a person, like convex and concave mirrors imprint images of the self onto the mind. In other words, that which we judge when we see, may give a very false representation of what is in fact true. In other words then, don’t believe everything you see! Indeed, Paul appears to be saying here that the presence or absence of either ‘much or need’ may have direct effect on his bodily and social condition, but actually has no affect whatsoever on his position in, or relationship with Christ and when we believe they do, then we are in fact staring into warped mirrors. So never judge your true stature in Jesus by your present circumstance alone! Doesn't Paul say in another place, “Mostly the Holy Spirit has bad news for me anyway so I expect it. It is my calling. None of these things move me.” Tell me, do your circumstances move you?

Thirdly now friend, think on this. Would you consider someone struggling to keep a roof over his head, on the Dole, Medicaid, Social Security; someone derided by his neighbours and near kin and scourged with various illness and misfortune, as someone blessed by God? Of course you wouldn't! However, we may well be wrong! Maybe our judgement according to Paul is not so much like seeing through a glass darkly, but more like looking into a mirror warpedly! (I may have just invented a new word there!). Bottom line is this: we might appear to see right but we rarely judge right and if we don’t judge right then maybe we don’t see right after all?

The challenge may lay in our understanding of blessing. For example, if we want to bless someone, then usually we want to see them prosper, and that prosperity we wish upon them, is for us inevitably within a material context. We at the very least want to bring them up to our level in material benefits. After all, these material things are evident signs to us of God's favor. Aren't they? Well of course they are! Every tele-evangelist tells us so in glorious Technicolor, so it's got to be true. I mean, look at the social fabric of our post Christian society! It may be collapsing in on itself and all around us whilst the chasm of secular humanism is opening it's jaws so wide, that like some great snake it is about to swallow up the people of God whole and alive down into it's torturous and confined, politically correct little belly, yet we still cry out for all the world to hear, that we are truly blessed by God and I mean, just look at all the 'stuff'' we have to prove it! Yes, the slithering is getting louder and the dead scales of the great serpent, cover our feet but we are truly blessed indeed, honest we are! Hmmm? Evidently, we are using the wrong measuring stick. How can we be blessed, possessing so much stuff as evidence of those blessings, whilst Zion-like Atlantis seems to be slipping below the waves of the secular world, forever?

How can we be blessed, sitting rich and happy at the Gates of Sodom and Gomorrah, whilst the smell of unleashed sulphur lingers in the late morning air?

How can we be blessed, when we are cocooned and cosseted into spiritual immaturity, immobility and inactivity by petty little messages from post modern, post Christian pulpits?

How can we be blessed, when our eyes are on bulls and bears and stocks and shares, instead of firmly fixed upon the coming King?

It makes you think doesn't it? Let me ask you this then, if, and God forbid this happens dear friend, but if you were to find yourself destitute, would your heavenly focus and your eternal investment be of such strength and consequence to you that you too could say with Paul, “none of these hardships move me.” Would you shout to your aghast and on-looking family friends and peers, “Hey listen, I said none of these hardships move me!”

It makes you think dear friends, it makes you think. Tell me today, what kind of glass are you looking into? To what factor is your vision warped dear Scotty?

Listen:- “You know, from the first day that I came to Asia, in what manner I always lived among you, serving the Lord with all humility, with many tears and trials which happened to me by the plotting of the Jews; how I kept back nothing that was helpful, but proclaimed it to you, and taught you publicly and from house to house, testifying to Jews, and also to Greeks, repentance toward God and faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ. And see, now I go bound in the spirit to Jerusalem, not knowing the things that will happen to me there, except that the Holy Spirit testifies in every city, saying that chains and tribulations await me. But none of these things move me; nor do I count my life dear to myself, so that I may finish my race with joy, and the ministry which I received from the Lord Jesus, to testify to the gospel of the grace of God. Acts 20:18-24.

Pray: - Two things I request of You (Deprive me not before I die): Remove falsehood and lies far from me; Give me neither poverty nor riches — Feed me with the food allotted to me; Lest I be full and deny You, And say, “Who is the LORD?” Or lest I be poor and steal, And profane the name of my God. Proverbs 30:7-9

 

Oct | 29 | 'Calling, Capacities and Cups of Tea!'

Key Word:- FOCUS

Title:- 'Calling, Capacities and Cups of Tea!'

2 Corinthians 10:13,14  We, however, will not boast beyond measure, but within the limits of the sphere which God appointed us — a sphere which especially includes you. For we are not overextending ourselves……….

I had actually gotten to the end of the last book of the series! Finally, I fumbled through the last few pages entitled, 'about the author,' to find that he'd written over 30 books and had them translated into 50 languages. Impressive! He'd also attained a doctorate from one prestigious Seminary and a Masters from another world famous institution, and that, in a completely separate discipline. Wow! He'd also pastored for many years, one of his country's fastest growing churches which was now spanning several locations; founded a couple of accredited high schools and networked together a bunch of others; he was also a much sought after international speaker, father of five children (all in the ministry) married to his beautiful wife for 35 years (who didn't look at day over forty in the picture), had eleventeen grandchildren, yes eleventeen godly little poppets, all of which visited regularly and had a great and respectful time with grandpapa, especially at Thanksgiving and Christmas when they rejoiced together at his holiday home in the Florida Keys.
The author was also a world recognized specialist in his field, writing for several magazines and appearing on many talk shows despite for the last 20 years, speaking faithfully and daily on his own radio and T.V show. And if that wasn't enough, the information also reported that he enjoyed 'snow skiing, water skiing, mountain climbing, motorbike riding, mahjong, marching in the Rockies, as well as canoeing and golfing among his many leisure activities. Good grief Charlie Brown! Reading this dust cover led me to think that this man must be on a stunning combination of viagra and crystal methamphetamine!

I was in my special reading room at the time of reading all this. So after closing the book and placing it back on the white porcelain shelf, I pulled my pants up, flushed ( it seemed appropriate), washed my hands and stumbled blurry eyed into the kitchen. If I didn't get hot tea with two sugars in the next few minutes, my right eye, which at the moment refused to follow my left in fully opening, would remain in this rebellious and redundant position all day. Arriving at my computer I cleared some clutter to place the cup down, (one day I would defeat these papers that constantly mocked me from my overflowing desk) when the mundane tasks of the day, like yapping puppies, began to remind me of their need for attention. Time to add to the list: vehicle tag chasing, teeth brushing, (must remember to floss today) fence mending (after the argument I had with my wife yesterday, that was going to take some time, after all, I had a lot of humble pie to eat, again!...), food finding (we needed to shop), feet washing (I had a couple of pastoral visits), and financing. Ah financing. Another red letter to deal with. Yes better get to that today. Then, work on my message for Sunday, write, be victorious, and rule and reign in Jesus precious name. Amen! After just one more cup of tea, I shall begin to do just that and especially take authority over this blessed paper work!

I opened up my electronic personal organizer and the items above my most recent list (additions which I had failed to deal with yesterday and the day before by the way) had also turned 'outstanding red' on my digitised task list. I hated those exclamation marks the computer insisted on placing alongside the overdue items. They looked like that rude gesture the well groomed little woman in the large Landrover threw my way just yesterday, when I stormed out of the house after the argument and maybe wasn't driving as attentively as I should. Oh dear. I was so angry. It was just a little bird the well groomed Landrover lady threw me but it hurt and it was all I could do to bless her through my gritted teeth! It wasn’t a good day yesterday and today wasn’t looking so promising.

The day had not even started, and truly, I wanted to just to crawl back into bed, pull the covers over my head, and escape once more into the warm darkness of unconscious thought. Mahjong, mountain climbing and motor biking indeed! I didn't know how I was going to make it through the day! Maybe, if I got a personal secretary, a better computer, more respectful kids, a proper job that paid well, an understanding wife, a faithful car that had well under 100,000 on the clock instead of well over; and maybe if I got; and maybe if I went; and maybe if I did; and maybe....no wait, wait! What I needed was to stop. Stop comparing myself. It's always bad news when we do that, isn't it? And we all do it. No, what I needed was to focus on my three C's. My divine calling, my personal capacity, and as many cups of tea as was needed for me to function effectively. 'Calling, Capacities and Cups of Tea!' This was enough for me.

Dear friend, find out what is 'enough' for you today to function effectively in the field to which you are divinely called. This is enough. Enough for anyone. (PS. Don’t believe everything you read on the dust covers of books, especially if they are Christian, for far too many ministers and their publishers have the gift of exaggeration!). Now go on, measure your capacity, get on with your calling and go put the kettle on.


Listen:- .. But they, measuring themselves by themselves, and comparing themselves among themselves, are not wise. 2 Cor 10:12


Pray: - Oh Lord, my Lord, love me today and let me rest in You and Lord please make sure I have as many cups of tea as I need to make it through the day, in Jesus name I pray, amen.

 

Sep | 20 | Magnetism, Money & Magnificent Muscle

Key Word:- FOCUS

Title:- Magnetism, Money & Magnificent Muscle

Psalm 73:7 Their eyes bulge with abundance; They have more than heart could wish.

If you have ever been bullied as a young boy, then one thing you might eventually come to desire is muscle and fear. You will want to look like as much ‘bad news’ as you can so you can instill fear in other people; fear that will ‘keep them away’ and make them ‘leave you alone’. If you have experienced the debilitation that comes from physical weakness, then you may want to acquire this. Magnificent Muscle after all, is might! Right?

If you have experienced the desperateness of poverty, then you may also want to posses the power of money. It’s true that Jacuzzis contain desperate and lonely people but my suspicion is, not many. Money of course does bring you happiness. Let’s not lie about that one friends. If you have experienced the closed doors, limitations and inabilities that financial frugalness finds you in, then maybe you will want to get money and lots of it!

Mighty money and magnificent muscle may be the standard tools for your average megalomaniac, but they are also the chief sources of sought power and protection amongst us all! So, we find arms manufacturers always doing booming business, fitness centers packed to the gunnels with grunting sweaty men, supplement shops stacked with steroids and the property market will of course once again always be moving towards record highs, as each day the power of possession tells its lies of ‘safety’ and ‘security’, forcing men and women to work every hour under the sun to gain more and more sterling, dollars, bucks, clams, MONEY and MUSCLE.

Channel surfing, I recently stopped upon a daytime chat show, (Mogadon for the miserable!) showcasing two mothers who had been at one time, thieves. One had stolen $18k and served her ‘time’, the other, a diamond thief, had never been caught and boasted about spending over $40million. The first ‘straight’ money she was earning was coming through her book and riding high and proud on the back of the rights of the film, which will be released soon, having a famous Hollywood actress playing her as 'the thief.' So get this, the women who steals $18k to pay her debts and to keep the roof over her head and feed the kids, gets caught and ‘goes down’, the other woman, steals simply because she’s an evil witch and then boasts about it freely, because as she puts it, she “has been clever enough to make sure that there is no proof to indict her"! Both are thieves, one for the right reasons, if you know what I mean, the other for the wrong ones and she’s the one that becomes a rich paid celebrity guest on a daytime chat show?

It’s a strange world we live in but not a new one. David with consternation writes in Psalm 73:2-5 that his feet had almost stumbled and his steps had nearly slipped because he was envious of the boastful, having seen the prosperity of the wicked. As he puts it “For there are no pangs in their death, But their strength is firm. They are not in trouble as other men, Nor are they plagued like other men.” David says in effect, “What is happening here?! Where is God in all this injustice?!” You see friends, the deception of might and muscle is not a new one.

The magnetism of money and muscle amongst us must not be underestimated. Daily we are faced with their pull and daily, we must reset our thinking with the words of Jesus. Remember, in a moment a mere microbe can fell the tallest and toughest of individuals. In a moment, the desperate search to find a cure for a debilitating disease can rob you of all your money. In a moment, the stock exchange can crash and with it all your walls come falling down and all your streets be filled with mire. In a moment, both muscle and might can be seen for the dead and deceiving, dreadful idols they truly are.

Meditate upon the Word today and degauss your mind, for undoubtedly it has been warped with the magnetism of money and muscle. Let me ask you today, “Who’s your daddy?"

Listen:- My flesh and my heart fail; But God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever. For indeed, those who are far from You shall perish; You have destroyed all those who desert You for harlotry. But it is good for me to draw near to God; I have put my trust in the Lord GOD, That I may declare all Your works. Psalm 73:26-28

Pray:- Lord, be the strength of my heart and my portion forever. Take me to the sanctuary of Yourself and help me see correctly. O Lord, scour my eyes and scour my soul and help me tear down every false deceptive thought that has taken residence in my brain and root in my heart in Jesus name I ask it, amen!

 

Aug | 15 | No More Macbeth Mourning’s

Dream Word – FOCUS

Ecclesiastes 1:1-2 The words of the Preacher, the son of David, king in Jerusalem. “Vanity of vanities,” says the Preacher; “Vanity of vanities, all is vanity.” NKJV

No More MacBeth Mourning's

Tomorrow, and tomorrow and tomorrow
Creeps in this pretty pace from day to day
To the last syllable of recorded time;
And all our yesterdays have lighted fools
The way to dusty death. Out, out brief candle!
Life’s but a walking shadow, a poor player
That struts and frets his hour upon the stage
And then is heard no more: it is a tale
Told by an idiot, full of sound and fury,
Signifying nothing

Of course this is from the pen of the great bard himself, Mr. William Shakespeare, Macbeth Act V, Scene V. Here king Macbeth, out of utter despondency counts his life as nothing, and in so doing of course, counts all life as nothing. It is of course most reminiscent of the lines from our Bible text of for this evening, which have in turn been pulled out from the journal of the richest, most wisest and yet most self indulgent man that ever lived- King Solomon himself.

Age creeps up on you. Young person I say to you again, age creeps up on you. Despite all your creams, wrinkles will still appear like unwanted maggots, crawling and wriggling on the crinkle cut surface of what was once your soft and supple skin. Despite the years of trying to shoo away the birds from your brow, Crow’s feet will still imprint themselves around your eyes yet they shall never assist you by pecking the smoky cataracts of discoloration from the once clear lenses of light imprinted beauty. Yes indeed and despite all those tens of thousands of abdominal crunches, your belly, your porky little penguin plump balloon, unbeknownst to you, has secretly made a pact with gravity and will fall in love with your belt, fondly folding its pink flesh wantonly over the top of the hot brown leather. Despite the alluring sound of this last sentence, getting old is just not that sexy!

Did I tell you that age creeps up on you? Well so does illness and incidents and accidents and all the other soft brown goo. There are days, maybe you have had one today and if not, then just wait awhile, for they shall surely come, yes, there are miserable Macbeth-like days, days that make life seem but a walking shadow, a poor player that struts and frets his hour upon the stage and then is heard no more; that make life appear like a tale told by an idiot, simply a passing noise, full of sound and fury, which in the end, as far as you are now concerned, signifies nothing! These miseable Macbeth-like days come upon us all eventually, but God help the person who has them day after day, after all the long dark day.

There are but two ways that you can stop the dawning of such miserable Macbeth-like days in your life and they are to both 'Fear God and Focus’

Let’s deal with Focus First of all.

Focus. Tonight, number your days. Three scores years and ten might just be yours, and if so, how many of them might you now have left? Don’t count sheep tonight, count your days. Yes, Focus. Now you know how many you might have left, be sure to choose to enjoy each moment, live in each NOW moment, for the past was once but a NOW moment upon which you built your present and your future, should God grant you a future, is simply a phantom extrapolation which is built only upon what you shall do in the NOW. Enjoy NOW. Live NOW. Choose NOW.

Secondly, be sure to Fear God. Yes, number your days and focus upon your limited time span, your final destination, your gifts and callings and the living beat of your heart, but do it all in the sight of a Holy God!

The Apostle Paul went with confidence into his future. How about you? Whoever gives your euology at your funeral, will it be told in such a way that your life will be seen to be but a tale told by an idiot, full of sound and fury, signifying nothing! If in all your deathbed dreams, God allows you to listen to such a eulogy tonight, will you feel that you have laboured like a woman in child birth and simply given birth to wind?

Tonight I want you to lie in your coffin, and imagine you are finally at the front of the church, your eyes closed, but your casket lid and crumpled-cartelidge ears, both open and listening. What will the eulogist say about your life, your loves, your achievements, your impact, yes your large cratered impact upon the once blue-lit wondrous world in which you walked?

Maybe tomorrow, it’s time for the comet to begin to change course. Maybe? For tonight it’s time to both Fear and Focus. Let’s get rid of those Macbeth-like mornings and death-like evenings once and for all time. Fear and focus friends, fear and focus. That's the key.

Listen:- For I am already being poured out as a drink offering, and the time of my departure is at hand. I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Finally, there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will give to me on that Day, and not to me only but also to all who have loved His appearing. 2 Timothy 4:6-8 NKJV

Pray:-Lord, tonight may I change any despondancy I might carry, for the gifts of faith, hope, fear and focus, so that all my Macbeth-like mournings would truly wilt away. In Jesus name I ask it, amen.

May | 13 | Crossroads and Crucial Conduits

Key Word:- FOCUS

Title:- Crossroads and Crucial Conduits

Matthew 4:13-17 And leaving Nazareth, He came and dwelt in Capernaum, which is by the sea, in the regions of Zebulun and Naphtali,...... From that time Jesus began to preach and to say, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.”

Leith Anderson in his book, ‘Leadership That Works’, (page 75) compares the priorities of people of the 1950’s with people of today. It’s an interesting list:-

Yesterday’s Priorities
Institutional
Church
Duty
Showing Up
Faithfulness

Today’s Priorities
Individual
Family
Opportunity
Significance
Effectiveness

I suppose the danger of such a listing is to assume that people in the 1950’s and from that generation, had and maybe continue to have, no real priority for Themselves, their Families, Opportunity, Significance or Effectiveness? I certainly don't believe that to be the case. In any event, the priorities of the 1950's Christian are also the priorities of Jesus! For when planting seeds, He especially took the opportunity to plant effectively with great present significance and, I would suggest, He also planted for a much greater future harvest.

The Scriptures are clear that Jesus went to Capernaum to fulfill prophecy! A good question then, is why such a town is the subject of such specific prophetic disclosure and Messianic decision? Well, Moody Bible Atlas calls Capernaum, a ‘Crucial Conduit’, and so it was, for “Unlike the sleepy, obscure village of Nazareth, Capernaum was at a crucial Junction,… through which coursed a steady stream of humanity from many diverse sectors and countries………it pulsated with the activities and congestion of internationalism.”

Interestingly enough folks, though the early apostolic movement surged to the North West, the earliest archaeological evidence of churches are however, found in the North East. Maybe this was due to Jesus taking the opportunity of placing Himself in that Crucial Conduit of Capernaum which had both great significance and eternal effect?

We all need wisdom in finding and placing ourselves in or at, significant and effective Crossroads and Crucial Conduits! To influence our families, our friends and our world, we must prayerfully seek out these points of ‘cruciality’ in our physical and spiritual geography, so that we can effectively spread the seed, shine the light, and shake the salt with both eternal significance and infinite effectiveness. Look around and ask yourself, “Is where I am placed today, a crossroads or a conduit? Is where I am standing today, of any real significance and eternal effect? ”


Listen:-“Behold, I send you out as sheep in the midst of wolves. Therefore be wise as serpents Matthew 10:16

Pray:- Lord, help me to 'box clever' and find and position myself in the best place to be for me, my family and the people of the world that You require me to touch. Make me both significant in You and effective in Your mission for me. Amen!

 

Apr | 14 | Words of a Different Kind & Work of a Different Kind

Dream Word – FOCUS

Acts 20:24 But none of these things move me; nor do I count my life dear to myself, so that I may finish my race with joy, and the ministry which I received from the Lord Jesus,.........NKJV

Words of a Different Kind & Work of a Different Kind

When Noah Webster went to Philadelphia for the first time, Dr. Benjamin Rush met him and said, “I congratulate you on your arrival at Philadelphia,” to which Webster replied, “Sir, you may congratulate Philadelphia on the occasion.” Yes, one of the many failings of Noah Webster was the fine clothing of arrogance! Indeed, arrogance is one of my own failings and yet I do not have 1000th of the intellectual abilities, annunciative prowess, determination and stick-ability that this great man had towards his known calling, vocation and destiny. Good grief, Noah Webster learned over twenty more languages JUST so he could better understand the root and real meanings of the words explained in his dictionary.

This haughty arrogance began to be laid aside when Webster was 49 years of age, for it was then, that the writer of Webster’s Dictionary, the true founder (not Bill Gates) of American English, the prophet of real republican pronunciation, was swept into the kingdom of God on the wonderful wave of the second Great awakening, upon whose great wash of the Holy Spirit, also rode that great ship ‘revival and revivalism,’ with Charles Grandison Finney as its smiling figurehead.

It was Dr. K. Alan Snyder, in his book, ‘Defining Noah Webster’ who when writing about Webster’s conversion experience, says that his own so thorough and well written examination and explanation of his own conversion was so well received, that the fundamental Christian community encouraged him to enter the world of apologetics. This, Webster declined to do, knowing that God had called him to the world of ‘Words of a different kind, and works of a different kind’ and my goodness, now God had become the centre (sorry about the Queen's English spelling Noah) of his life, everything to do with his life was punctuated and permeated with the God of the Bible. Thus Webster became THE American Lexicographer, spelling reformer, even ‘Father of American Scholarship and Education!’ I tell you tonight, it has been on more than one occasion when I have counselled people not to enter the ministry, for God had far greater and more important things for them to do. Noah Webster is evidence to that great fact.

In this day in 1818 Webster published the first edition of his dictionary. Selling only 2,500 copies, he would later remortgage his home, spending the rest of his life in debt and years of dedicated work, revising his original work to produce a second and more substantial, even more Biblically rooted work in 1840, some 22 years later. Noah Webster died in 1843 just a few days after completing an appendix to his second edition.

If you are confident of your holy calling, whatever that may be, then do it with all your might with the aid and unction of the Holy Spirit, to the glory of God the Father, in the name of Jesus His Son. Noah Webster, assured of his calling, certain of his goal, dedicated to his task, leaves, along with many others, an example of that old adage which says, “If you keep heading in the direction you started out for, in the end, you might just get there!”

Listen: - Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with your might; for there is no work or device or knowledge or wisdom in the grave where you are going. Ecclesiastes 9:10 NKJV.

Pray:- Lord, I want to be confident in my holy calling, clear in my goal, dedicated to the task. So help me in these things, O Lord I dearly pray, amen and amen.

Mar | 27 | Cow Zombies

Dream Word – FOCUS

1 Samuel 6:3-9 So they said, "If you send away the ark of the God of Israel, do not send it empty; but by all means return it to Him with a trespass offering. Then you will be healed, and it will be known to you why His hand is not removed from you." Then they said, "What is the trespass offering which we shall return to Him?" They answered, "Five golden tumours and five golden rats, according to the number of the lords of the Philistines. For the same plague was on all of you and on your lords. Therefore you shall make images of your tumors and images of your rats that ravage the land, and you shall give glory to the God of Israel; perhaps He will lighten His hand from you, from your gods, and from your land. Why then do you harden your hearts as the Egyptians and Pharaoh hardened their hearts? When He did mighty things among them, did they not let the people go, that they might depart? Now therefore, make a new cart, take two milk cows which have never been yoked, and hitch the cows to the cart; and take their calves home, away from them. Then take the ark of the Lord and set it on the cart; and put the articles of gold which you are returning to Him as a trespass offering in a chest by its side. Then send it away, and let it go. And watch: if it goes up the road to its own territory, to Beth Shemesh, then He has done us this great evil. But if not, then we shall know that it is not His hand that struck us — it happened to us by chance." NKJV.

Cow Zombies

So God desired to kill the sons of Eli. Thus Hophni and Phineas were killed when the Ark of God, that box of the presence of the Lord amongst His people, was also lost to the Philistines in battle.

Like just another Trophy of just another locally conquered God, the Ark was then placed by the Philistines in the presence of their own god, Dagon. After all, surely two gods = double the power. What follows however, is nothing short of disastrous for the Philistines in that they were plagued with testicular tumours and overrun with rats and all their associated infestations and infections. To top it all, their idol of Dagon was found on several occasions to be laid prostrate and broken before the Ark of the Lord. This didn’t do too much for the reputation of their own local god in that “...neither the priests of Dagon nor any who come into Dagon's house tread on the threshold of Dagon in Ashdod to this day.” 1 Samuel 5:5. Yes, the Dagon shrine at Ashdod was forever rubbished by the presence of the real and only God.

The five Lords of the Philistines seemed to be passing the problems associated with the presence of the Ark of God, from one of their ruling provinces to the next. That is, until a vocal group of NIMBY’s (Not in My Back Yarders) kicked up such a fuss, that the problem needed to be properly addressed at last. Thus through divination, the priests of the Philistines came up with the solution laid out in our text for tonight and so, they loaded up the cart and watched the outcome from afar.

God now did what Dagon could never do: He guided the cows, who unaccustomed to the yoke newly placed upon them, never the less, under God’s guidance, drew the load equally and securely, kept their attention on the right road, overcame their strong and natural desire to go to their calves, and brought them in a straight line, without missing one turn in the road, straight away to the priestly city of Beth Shemesh.

Let me emphasize that these cows went contrary to their own inclinations in that they had not forgotten their offspring and were not therefore moved ahead in some disassociated Zombie Cow-like state, no, they were still lowing for their young ones, calling them, even pining for them. It would appear then that these cows knew their true master, knew their great owner, and were following His commands, even to their death, above and despite their own natural cow-like inclinations. The following and watching Philistines, in observing these continually lowing kine, saw the majesty and the power of God over nature. It was enough to cause them to acknowledge that the judgement of God, had indeed been upon them.

We all, in our home nations of this day, seem to neither know nor even consider that the Judgement of God may be upon us. Unlike the pining cattle of our text, we are in fact “Zombie-like Cows” trotting not so merrily but like a drug and voodoo’d zombie, we lumber in Frankenstein-like steadiness, in stupor to the slaughterhouse, being covered in tumours of STD’s (did you know a 2003 federal study revealed that 25% of American teenage girls carry a sexually transmitted disease!) and piling up our young men like so much dead meat on various battlefields around the watching world. I cannot help but believe that this is but the beginning of our sorrows, for zombie-like cows, lost in a self-indulgent, cud-chewing, mindless, mooing stupor, rarely listen to the Gospel of Jesus Christ presented to them for God has hardened their heart and settled them in their Christ rejecting state.

The whole truth of the Bible, presents a disturbing picture of a Holy and a good God, coming into contact with a dirty and a bad mankind. Our only hope is to pray God’s mercy over our Zombie Cattled Nations, which are moving headlong to the slaughterhouse. You see truly the answer to our problems is not better programmes to pander to the masses, not hipper presentations to hype them into the Kingdom, not the coolest of music to con them into more consumerist tendencies, but rather to pray to God that He would unharden their hearts and unblock their ears before they are slaughtered before His presence. It's not a merry message, but it is one that needs proclaiming.

Listen: - The ox knows its owner And the donkey its master's crib; NKJV

Pray:- What passing-bells are there for these who die as cattle? Lift O Lord, the zombie-like stupor that has fallen like death cauls around all the newborn of these wayward generations. Lord, grant to your church the right kind of cattle prod to issue a most timely wake up call to one and all, in Jesus name we pray, amen.

Mar | 09 | Singleness of Heart

Dream Word – FOCUS


1 Corinthians 7:1 Now concerning the things of which you wrote to me: NKJV

Singleness of Heart

Q:- Why can a Pirate intending to celebrate,
      Never proceed on a life that is totally celebate?

A:- Because there is no ‘ahRrrrrrr’ in Celebate.

From 1 Corinthians 7:2-6, The gifted single, the apostle Paul himself, by His wisdom in the Holy Spirit, gives God’s view on the Holy service of sex in marriage. If I didn’t believe this book was God’s revelation to us, as a married person I would be somewhat ‘niffed’ at a single bloke trying to give me some advice. However, this book is the Word of God and therefore I sit up and take notice.

It’s worth remembering that in writing this book, God did not take folks and turn them into human automatons or fleshly dictating machines, just to string together a few letters of the alphabet. No, rather, the breathed out word of God came to us through the full personality, life situation, geographical and historical context, of all the various writers including the apostle Paul.
That being the case, Paul here places for us at verse 1 and verse 7 of this passage, his own personal book ends for the context of the central verses of 2-6. Here they are:-
Verse 1- “It is good for a man not to touch a woman.” NKJV
Verse-7 “ For I wish that all men were even as I myself.”NKJV

The apostle Paul, that gifted, single minded, single person, was most definitely placing a personal preference of single lifestyle above marriage. In the context of his laser-like focused apostleship, although marriage was good, for him being single was better. It was better for him because he had free range over the gigantic ranch of his time, yes he had all the time in the world to focus on one thing, and that was pleasing his heavenly Father and pursuing His calling on his life. To that end, he regarded his singleness as a precious gift, a gift of value and everyone must agree, that it was indeed a gift well spent. Whether the great apostle was a widower is irrelevant for in terms of his calling, he intended to be single and he called this a good thing.

I have been a single man and should my wife depart to glory afore me, then I shall be a single man again. I write therefore out of some experience and much observation. In light of this I have observed that there are four states of singleness, defined as Looking, Waiting, Resigned and Chosen.

You can be single and looking for a future spouse. The majority of younger folk are in this hunting mode. Prayerfully of course! Be sure that you keep in the God ordained hunting grounds, that is, if you are a Christian, then be sure to find a Christian spouse. Hunting outside of the parameters will get you into trouble and cause untold problems among family, friends and the fellowship of the local church. Be sure of this!

You can be single but in a relationship where you are waiting to take those oaths of commitment in the context of community and faithfulness. You better be saving your money at this point. Be faithful and watchful in all your waiting. Oh, and keep your hands to yourself! Remember, you get to take the wrapping off on the wedding night. You never unwrap the gifts until Christmas. Never.

You can be single and reluctantly resigned to that state, daily struggling to give God the glory no matter what. You singleness may be a result of death, catastrophe, illness, ugliness, both internally or externally, the decision of others, or what we glibly call the providence of God. In any event, you didn’t want to be single, but there you are. Oh hard condition. May God grant you change in it soon. Meanwhile, well done in seeking God’s greater glory. You shall not go unrewarded.

Finally, you might be single because you have chosen to be so. Yes, there is a rise in postmodern Christianity of the young celibate. Healthy, young folks, choosing to dedicate themselves to their service of God in prayer and the service of God in the service to others. This troubles me, for unlike Roman Catholicism celibate lifestyles, (which by the way, have nevertheless harboured the worst of sexual perverts, mostly homosexuals) we Protestants, have no structure, no community, no mentoring accountability, with which to maybe properly express the celibate lifestyle. That’s a statement for further consideration for sure, yet here is an equation, which I believe to be certain.

Singleness + Purposelessness = Idleness
Idleness + Indirection = Personal Disaster!
In other words, if you choose singleness and, despite the contradiction in my words, I do believe this is a chosen gift, then you had better have a singleness of heart toward your own laser-like, focused calling. For if your singleness is not poured out in the service of God and others, then it shall find a festering fistula of fulfilment, in sinful and selfish indulgence and I tell you, that for you can only spell utter disaster.

On reflection, I suppose the advice of the last paragraph applies to each and every one of us, single or otherwise. Know your calling and follow it with singleness of heart.

Listen: - Do you not know that those who run in a race all run, but one receives the prize? Run in such a way that you may obtain it. And everyone who competes for the prize is temperate in all things. Now they do it to obtain a perishable crown, but we for an imperishable crown. Therefore I run thus: not with uncertainty. Thus I fight: not as one who beats the air. But I discipline my body and bring it into subjection, lest, when I have preached to others, I myself should become disqualified. 1 Corinthians 9:24-27 NKJV
 
Pray:- Lord, with singleness of heart, I pull back the bow of my anointing and let loose the arrow of my calling into the target of Your desire and Your destiny for me. I ask for a bulls eye! So give me a steady arm, a focused eyes and a singleness of heart, in Jesus name I pray, amen!

Feb | 15 | ‘True Friendship is Eternal’

Dream Word – FOCUS

2 Samuel 19:30 Then Mephibosheth said to the king, "Rather, let him take it all, inasmuch as my lord the king has come back in peace to his own house." NKJV
 
‘True Friendship is Eternal’

Once upon a time, there was a midget of a man, longing to make a difference. No, not much is known about Johnnie Ring, save that he was small, underdeveloped and in many respects, unwanted. Never the less, Johnnie’s amiable nature led him to be pitied. This pity and the subsequent kind condescension of others toward him, was however powerful enough to produce a revolving and fanatical faithfulness, the expression of which, would so turn a man to power the light of change, that this dark world still bathes in the light of it, even to this present day.

John Brown, the enormous abolitionist, had stayed with the Conwell’s just weeks before his hanging. Now, eighteen months later, that which Victor Hugo referred to as ‘America’s uncorrectable sin,’ Brown’s murder, had indeed ‘created in the Union a latent fissure which was now shaking American democracy to the dire dislocations of civil war. Now, just nineteen years of age, Russell Conwell had signed up to fight for the second time, his local militia this time electing him as their Captain and banding together to buy him a shiny sword of ceremonial office. At nineteen, Captain Conwell looked like a fighting man, a veteren even, sword in hand.

Johnnie ring was so underdeveloped that he looked like a boy! So much so that this precluded him signing up himself to fight in the regular forces and so the only way he could get to war, was to plead with Captain Conwell to take him along as his servant. Conwell, neither wanted nor needed a servant, yet pitied his big-hearted, little neighbour so much, that he took him along with him. The thankfulness and devotion of Johnnie ring towards Conwell for this act of kindness toward him was all-surpassing in its devotion and complete in its faithfulness, finding a particular expression in the shining and care of that sword purchased for Conwell by his comrades.

Johnnie Ring, was also a devoted Christian and when Conwell, a committed atheist took to laughing at Ring’s consistent evening reading of the Bible and his constant praying, Johnnie Ring simply took to reading his Bible outside of his Captain’s tent and polished his commander’s glittering sword, more vigorously every day!

A surprise Confederate attack on their position near New Berne led to a hasty retreat across the river by the Captain and his union soldiers , the covered bridge of which, was lit in fierce and fiery flames behind them, forming a barrier which their pursuing enemies would not and indeed, just could not pass. Through the smoke and flying shot, Johnnie Ring had not retreated, but had charged back to the Captain’s tent and retrieved the glittering sword left hanging on a pole in his comrades and Captains' most hasty retreat. Carrying his precious emblem, Johnny ran toward the burning and blazing bridge. The shooting stopped and both Union and Confederate soldiers watched the little man run headlong into the crackling flames of the frightful furnace. After some time, to the fearful cheers of all, Johnny Ring emerged out of the other side, all his clothes ablaze. He lingered in this life just a day or two after the event and awoke but once from his unconsciousness state to embrace the sword, laid so respectfully at his side, upon whose steel was etched the words, ‘True Friendship is Eternal.’

Captain Russell Conwell said that it was through Johnnie Ring, giving his life in devotion to him, that he later became a Christian. The Captain, for the rest of his life, hung this sword above his own bed. Each day the over- diligent Conwell, worked 8 hours for himself and 8 hours for Johnnie Ring. The Rev. Russell Conwell became the founder of Temple University and in his lifetime alone, he spoke to and influenced well over 10 million people! His legacy in Temple University and his many printed sermons have influenced millions and millions more since his death.

Yes, once upon a time, there was a midget of a man, longing to make a difference.

Listen: - Now when he had finished speaking to Saul, the soul of Jonathan was knit to the soul of David, and Jonathan loved him as his own soul. Saul took him that day, and would not let him go home to his father's house anymore. Then Jonathan and David made a covenant, because he loved him as his own soul. And Jonathan took off the robe that was on him and gave it to David, with his armour, even to his sword and his bow and his belt. 1 Samuel 18:1-4 NKJV

Pray:- O Captain O my Captain, I give myself to You in heartfelt dedication and service that my life, even through the flames, would release blessing to the world. Amen.

Feb | 04 | A Man With His Wholeness Wholly Attending

Dream Word – FOCUS

John 8:29
 And He who sent Me is with Me. The Father has not left Me alone, for I always do those things that please Him." NKJV

A Man With His Wholeness Wholly Attending

I am re-reading again, one of my favourite books of all time, which is, ‘The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat, and Other Clinical Tales,’ by Oliver Sacks. Apart from being a genius of a man and a most engaging writer, I have consistently found his clinical neurological analyses to contain profound spiritual and pastoral content.

In part four of his book entitled ‘The World of The Simple’ in section 22, he recounts the story of Martin A., a 61 year old ‘idiot savant’ or known more nicely today as an ‘autistic savant’ who was admitted late in life to Sack’s hospital, with Parkinson’s disease. Whilst in infancy, Martin also had near fatal meningitis causing retardation, impulsiveness, seizures and some spasticity on one side. Never the less, because Martin’s father was a famous singer at New York’s Metropolitan Opera, Martin consequently had amazing musical gifts, musical sensibilities and an eidetic, photographic, vivid and total recall, musical memory!

When Martin entered the hospital he regressed into the form of a dirty, belligerent and snotty child. Consequently no-one liked him and his nurses knew that he was in fact killing himself, as something seemed to be gnawing away inside of him, even eating him to death. Eventually Martin blurted out the reason for his sad and forthcoming demise saying “I’ve got to sing, I can’t live without it, and it’s not just the music, I can’t pray without it...Music to Bach was the apparatus of worship...I’ve never spent a Sunday without going to church, without singing in the choir. I first went there with my father when I was old enough to walk, and I continued going after his death. I’ve got to go! It’ll kill me if I don’t”

Sacks ensured that Martin was at church, singing in the choir every Sunday thereafter. Sacks writes that Martin “Became a different man...recovered himself, recollected himself, became real again. The pseudo persons–the stigmatized, the snotty, spitting boy, disappeared; as did the irritating, emotionless, impersonal eidetic. The real person re-appeared, a dignified, decent man, respected and valued now by other residents. But the marvel, the real marvel, was to see Martin when he was actually singing, or in communion with music-listening with an intentness that verged on rapture – ‘a man in his wholeness wholly attending.’....Martin was, in a word, transformed. All that was defective or pathological fell away, and one saw only absorption and animation, wholness and health”.

Oh to have the ability, the capacity, the opportunity, to be ‘people in our wholeness, wholly attending.’ There is a glimpse of heaven in that phrase, there is a sniff of what is to come, the enjoyment and focus of being, without any destructive distractions. The pain we see in those we love, evil expressed in the world in our world, need, want, unfulfilled desire, the daily mocking of often years of particular prayers still remaining unanswered, yes, it is these kind of destructive distractions, that rob most Christians of their focused wholeness. Is a savant sickness the only way for us to become so enraptured?

I think we need a “fool for Christ,” kind of servant sickness to help us in our focus. Let is discover the Father's desire for us, in gifting, in providential opportunity, in sacrifice and satisfaction. Let us then pursue it with all our might and in the so doing pursue Him our Lord, as His most willing servants. He must become our focus, our pleasure, our delight. I am convinced that it is only when we have such a servant’s sickness, that we shall become a people in their wholeness, wholly attending. It’s worth contemplating. It’s worth trying. Don’t you think?

Listen: - No one engaged in warfare entangles himself with the affairs of this life, that he may please him who enlisted him as a soldier. And also if anyone competes in athletics, he is not crowned unless he competes according to the rules. The hardworking farmer must be first to partake of the crops. Consider what I say, and may the Lord give you understanding in all things. 2 Timothy 2:4-7 NKJV

Pray:- Father, remove far from me all my busy work and help me to be truly focused, even a man in his wholeness, wholly attending. In Jesus name I ask it, amen!
 

Jan | 19 | Jam & Jerusalem

Dream Word – FOCUS

Revelation 21:2-4 Then I, John, saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from heaven saying, "Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and He will dwell with them, and they shall be His people. God Himself will be with them and be their God. And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away." NKJV

Jam & Jerusalem

As a former village Pastor I remember going to my first local W.I. Christmas party and being entertained by several emerald green leotarded and spangly clad, high- kicking older women in their sixties, singing old war songs whilst wearing black top hats and tapping silver canes on the dirty, old and creaky wooden floor of the village hall . My cheek muscles suffered severe giggle-ation that afternoon and I was facially, forever ruined by that laughter, for my cheeks have never returned to their former firmness since that fun-filled and fateful afternoon!

It was during WWII whilst running government sponsored Preservation Centres and making and canning jam from excess food produce, that the W.I. acquired their mythical focus on Jam making! Interestingly, it was some thirty years previous to this, during the Great War, when in the United Kingdom, the disappearance of men from the land, especially from rural areas, began to take a toll on the economy of the country, when John Nugent Harris, secretary of the then Agricultural Organisations Societies, met with Mrs. Madge Rose Watt, formerly of British Columbia, to begin in these Islands, the famed Women’s Institute. As I write today, the W.I. have over 225,000 members nationwide and for ninety years or more have been a force and influence in local communities as well as at a national level. Yes indeed, though many local W.I. meetings begin with the singing of Blake’s ‘Jerusalem,’ this organization is far from being just about ‘Jam and Jerusalem.’ The list of issues the W.I. have tackled is enormous and as a couple of examples, it was in 1986, that it became the first organisation to lobby the Government into tackling the Aids crisis and who can forget the year 2000 giant ‘handbagging’ of Prime Minister Tony Blair, with the longest, most public and most broadcast, slowest handclapping of disapproval ever given! On both counts, the nation took notice of the W.I.

As a Christian, I do seek ‘Jam Tomorrow.’ I am looking for a better time to come, in the better world to come, where I also seek my new Jerusalem, my eternal home, my city, whose builder and maker is God. In many respects then, the Christian life is indeed about embracing that old jocular of ‘Jam and Jerusalem.’

To the watching world of course, well they are not watching us so much nowadays that’s for sure, but to the world, we the church must never allow ourselves to be consigned to the irrelevant and the laughable “tea at three brigade”. No, we can take a leaf from the W.I. manual here and organise ourselves into both cells of local goodness and a growing body of national influence. We Christians need to get organised like never before. Yes, let’s support the organizations we’ve got but quite frankly, they’re just not enough to do the job! We need to organise yet more and more. Good grief, I mean there is a war on folks after all

The difference between us and the W.I. however, is that in the end, all our organisations, all our local goodness projects must point to heaven’s hope! All our national pressure must be about the jammy goodness of God toward us in Christ Jesus. Yes dear friends, without the superb silliness of emerald green leotards and the tea at three brigade, in the end, we Christians must indeed, be all about ‘Jam and Jerusalem’ and let me tell you tonight that being so, is a long, long way from being old, out of date and irrelevant!

Listen: - If anyone among you thinks he is religious, and does not bridle his tongue but deceives his own heart, this one's religion is useless. Pure and undefiled religion before God and the Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their trouble, and to keep oneself unspotted from the world. James 1:26-27 NKJV

Pray:- Lord, thank you for Jam and for Jerusalem. Now with this hope of Your goodness and this vision of our completeness, help us to offer hope and goodness to others, in Jesus name we pray, amen.