The Offence of Christ

Christianity claims that there is only one way to God. And that has become a problem.

Let’s look at the offending words in the Bible. Jesus is speaking and says ‘I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.’

There it is. Black and white. No room for manoeuvre on that one.  

It looks offensive, arrogant even. And as a Christian, it’s one of the main challenges I get from those of other faiths or of no faith.

But there is another scripture I need to highlight. Jesus is speaking again: ‘the one who seeks finds.’

That’s clear too.

And it’s the key to this particular riddle. Yes, Jesus is exclusively the way to God. But yes, everyone can find Him.

The claims of Christianity would indeed be arrogant were they to be claimed as some secret way achievable only to a few (in much the same way as a secret society might claim). But the opposite is true. He is there for all and if you seek Him you will find Him.

If you’re reading this with doubt as to whether this is true, let me encourage you to carry out a little experiment over Christmas. Read Mark’s Gospel. It’s the second book in the New Testament and it’s the shortest and easiest to read of the gospels.

As you read, start with a prayer, asking Jesus to reveal Himself to you. He will. That’s His promise.

Now back to the problems Christians face today. Certainties are offensive in today’s post-modern world. The dear old BBC avoids Christian content and promotes alternative values. It’s uncool to have values that appear to be certain. Live and let live. Don’t claim to know the truth.

But that’s what I do claim. Not built upon my own knowledge but on the basis of what the Bible says.

For centuries the views I have expressed above have been the foundation stones of our nation. It is a comparatively recent phenomenon to accuse Christianity of being offensive and arrogant because of the certainty of its beliefs.

It’s Christmas, a time for carols. This is one of my favourites:

Mary, did you know
That your baby boy will one day walk on water?
Mary, did you know
That your baby boy will save our sons and daughters?
Did you know
That your baby boy has come to make you new?
This child that you've delivered
Will soon deliver you

Wonderful words. And not just for Mary of course. For all of us.

There is only one way. And it’s not arrogant to say that. Because that’s not the end of the story. Thankfully, there is life for all. That baby boy grew up, lived, died, rose again and offers us new life.

All who seek Him will find Him.

REPOST: Remember to Put the Glass Down

With fear dominating the news in these times of Covid, this Repost from 2016 seems appropriate:

A psychologist walked around a room while teaching stress management to an audience. As she raised a glass of water, everyone expected they'd be asked the "half empty or half full" question.

Instead, with a smile on her face, she inquired: "How heavy is this glass of water?"

Answers called out ranged from 8 oz. to 20 oz.

She replied, "The absolute weight doesn't matter. It depends on how long I hold it. If I hold it for a minute, it's not a problem. If I hold it for an hour, I'll have an ache in my arm. If I hold it for a day, my arm will feel numb and paralysed. In each case, the weight of the glass doesn't change, but the longer I hold it, the heavier it becomes."

She continued, "The stresses and worries in life are like that glass of water. Think about them for a while and nothing happens. Think about them a bit longer and they begin to hurt. And if you think about them all day long, you will feel paralyzed – incapable of doing anything."

Remember to put the glass down.

With thanks to Anthony Harwood in Lusaka for this story

Destroying Fear - A Call To The Church

It was the newscaster Martyn Lewis who suggested our news diet was too grim and too filled with fear. That was back in 1993.  Nothing has changed. In fact if anything, it’s much worse.

More recently, Martyn Lewis said this:

“How ironic… that a profession so committed to fairness and accuracy in the stories it [covers], does not fully extend those qualities to the news agenda - the choice of television news stories.

Good stories are there ….. But too frequently they are given low priority. News editors across the world stress the need for young reporters to hunt for conflict and criticism. If they don't find it, fewer of their stories are used. So another generation of journalists is infected with old standards and judgements.” (USA speech, 2011)

Our headlines are fear related. Pretty much each day and every day. The television news starts with the latest riots, the government failures, the lack of food, the lack of transport, the lack of petrol, the lack of toys for Christmas…. You can fill in the blanks I’m sure. Much of this is fear-mongering. The promotion of stories to provoke fear… to provoke an audience.

Many have fallen prey to fear as a result. I heard a business woman recently charging the Church to live without fear, because there was a wave of fear affected people in need of prayer, coming their way as a result of Covid.

The Bible tells us that ‘God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control.’ (2 Timothy 1:7).

There it is. That’s how we live as Christians. We appreciate the need for care. We keep to the rules. But we don’t live in fear.

No more so than with our response to Covid. It’s serious but there need be no fear. There is a significant difference between a measured and careful response to the virus when compared to one borne of fear that leaves the Church paralysed just at the point when it is needed most.

It’s time for the Church to be opening its doors wide, welcoming all, praying for those affected by Covid and seeking God and His purposes, which are way beyond the fears propagated in the press. It’s time for Christians to be back worshipping together. Online services can only take you so far. There is a need to meet, to pray, to encourage in a way that is forever limited on a TV screen.

I’m not sure the BBC or the Daily Mail are about to move away from their fearmongering. But the Church can. Let’s step into all that God has planned for us. We are the body of Christ, we are a voice for the lost, a healing hand for the hurting. And a declaration of faith in the future for those chained in fear.

The Decline and Fall of the BBC

I love the BBC. It’s all I was allowed to watch as a child- ITV had adverts and that was frowned upon in our house!

But the BBC today is a shadow of its former glory. Partly this is to do with competition but partly it’s to do with an extreme liberal agenda.

I need to qualify my blog at this point…. Those that know me will know that I am generally left wing, regularly vote Labour and have never voted Tory.

There. That’s got that out of the way. Important to say though as I may be judged to be a right wing Trump supporter in what I’m about to say.

The Eternal Wall of Answered Prayer commissioned a survey carried out by pollsters Savanta ComRes. This identified that 49% of the younger generation are praying regularly.

The BBC reported on this and then interviewed Muslims and Hindus. Despite the fact that in covering a representative slice of the population, the report mainly interviewed those leaning towards a Christian faith or no-faith.

But no mention of Christianity from the BBC. None at all. [The link to the article is here- the on camera report was worse still!] No interviews with church goers. Just Muslims and Hindus. The Muslim population in the UK is around 6%. The Hindu population is around 2%. So, BBC, where are the other 92%? Why did you ignore them?

The answer is not hard to find. The BBC is no longer the unbiased bastion of broadcasting it once was. Did they invent ‘Woke’? Probably.

I love some of their left wing slant. I love their inclusiveness. But to deliberately exclude Christianity on a poll that was commissioned by Christians and shows that church going and prayer (in person and online) is growing is appalling.

I laughed at their super inclusive Doctor Who stories at first. Until it became so invasive, the plots no longer mattered.

But this is far more serious. This does matter. A good news story about Christians has been buried. And the BBC appears to have done it deliberately.

Maybe that licence fee I have defended for so long should no longer be defended. Shame on you BBC.

Fearless

The first British woman to win a major since Virginia Wade in 1977. The youngest Grand Slam winner since Maria Sharapova at Wimbledon in 2004. The first qualifier to win a major title. Eighteen days and 10 matches without dropping a set -the last player to triumph at Flushing Meadows without conceding was Serena Williams. Ranked 345th in the world at the start of 2021, she’s just proved she’s number one.

After Emma Raducanu pulled out of her Wimbledon fourth round match, citing breathing difficulties, it brought some criticism from the tennis fraternity. John McEnroe was quoted as saying:

“How much can players handle? It makes you look at the guys who have been around, and the girls - how well they can handle it. People say: 'You were so bad on the court, you used to misbehave'. But yes, I was the norm. These guys who can keep their composure, and the girls out there, are amazing.”

The reference to others who did not give in was an implied criticism of Raducanu’s withdrawal from Wimbledon. McEnroe went on to suggest she needed to play more tournaments at a lower level to increase her resilience.

His comments didn’t go unchallenged but in his typical bullying style, Piers Morgan waded in, saying:

 “Ms Raducunu’s a talented player but couldn’t handle the pressure and quit when she was losing badly. Not ‘brave’, just a shame. If I were her, I’d tell my fans to stop abusing McEnroe and seek his advice on how to toughen up and become a champion like he was."

Well, it turns out she was tough after all. During lockdown she played outside against the local garage walls. And a month ago she was completing her A levels at school. Then she went and won a Grand Slam from an impossible situation.

I loved her never-give-in attitude. I loved the way she battled. And her understated acceptance speech after the victory too.

This is what the Queen said in a message to Raducanu: “It is a remarkable achievement at such a young age, and is testament to your hard work and dedication.”

At 18 years of age she is fearless. There’s something to be learned here. However old we are, let’s stay focussed, free from fear of failure, willing to keep going no matter what. As we age, for too many of us, we begin to consider the ‘what if’s’ of failure. Let’s not do that. Let’s be fearless. Let’s win.

Don't Ask me For The Answer, I've Only Got One

I was singing an old Larry Norman song this morning. One phrase has stuck with me through the day:

Don't ask me for the answer, I've only got one: 

That a man leaves his darkness when he follows the Son. 

Yep. That’s pretty much sums it up as I look around me. A world pandemic. The killing of George Floyd. Climate change. And now the Taliban. 

Add to that earthquakes, volcanoes, hurricanes and forest fires. Myanmar, Hindu fundamentalists, terror attacks, random shootings.

To claim to have answers to the politics, the science or the religious hatred is to claim to be foolish.

I have no answers. But one.

Yet that answer overcomes every political motive, every advance of violence, every voice of hatred.

That answer is Jesus.

He had no servants, yet they called Him Master.

He had no degree, yet they called Him Teacher.

He had no medicines, yet they called Him Healer.

He had no army, yet kings feared Him.

He won no military battles, yet He conquered the world.

He committed no crime, yet they crucified Him.

He was buried in a tomb, yet He lives today.

 

His name is Jesus.

He came as God’s Son. He died for you and me. And He’s still changing lives today. Ask Him to change yours.

When Worlds Collide

It’s rare that three worlds collide at once. But that’s what happened this weekend, and it was glorious.

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In 1970 as a brand new Christian, I found myself walking home when a girl called Linda shouted out to me ‘Hey are you a Christian?!’ The big ‘Jesus Loves You’ sticker on my bag was the giveaway – these were the days of the Jesus Revolution, Larry Norman, Arthur Blessitt and …. Jesus stickers.

I admitted I was and as a result, Linda introduced me to the Streetly Evangelical Church Youth Group. It was there that I was befriended by Alan, later my Best Man, and by Godfrey and Sue.

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On Wednesday 5^th September 2012, I met a guy called Jonathan Conrathe for coffee (I keep a daily diary). I’d been asked to ‘sus him out’ as he and his wife Elaine were joining the church I was part of at the time. Nearly ten years later and I have the privilege of serving him as Team Pastor for Mission24. I guess I must have sussed him out then….

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On Sunday 27^th May 2018 (yes, that diary again!) Roh and I walked in to Chroma Church Leicester for the first time and instantly felt at home. Having had to leave our last church we were a little bit fragile. Juliet spoke with us. She had a prophetic word for us that we’d got our answer. Not knowing our story, she was so accurate. Our answer was Chroma.

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This weekend all three worlds collided. Mission24 held its annual conference at Chroma. And on Sunday, we welcomed Chroma Birmingham over as they start their journey – and among those attending from Birmingham…. Godfrey and Sue from around 50 years ago.

Three worlds colliding in the most amazing of ways and all on one weekend.

When worlds collide, creation results.

To be working with friends old and new. To see the synergies; to see the friendships forming, to see God glorified is just wonderful.

And all I can do, with a grateful heart, is to worship the One who created the collision.

Hope To Inspire

 My thanks to the Eternal Wall for inviting me to speak as part of their Hope To Inspire series. 

I hope you enjoy the talk and that you will be inspired to keep on with the small things that so affect the big picture.

One Year On

It was a year today. One year since two young girls had the courage to film his death. Kaylynn Gilbert, aged 17 and Alyssa Funari, aged 18 saw what was happening. Despite the threat of mace spray from the murderer, they kept filming as George Floyd died in front of their phone camera.

Their bravery meant that the world is changing. Black lives matter. They always have. But that day showed that they didn’t seem to matter that much and that something needed to be done.

The response around the world was immediate.  We’ve seen black men dying before at the hands of the police, but usually it’s a far-off grainy image. The fact that this was a few feet away changed everything. This couldn’t be hidden. In 21^st century America, racial prejudice was rife. And lest we pat ourselves on the back, it’s rife around the rest of the world too.

In the UK, the Government’s recent report was a bit of a white wash. Literally. A chair that was sensitive to the Government’s rosy blushes on white cheeks presented something that meant they didn’t have to do much. Shame.

There is so much more to be done. I applaud the efforts of the Black Lives Matter movement. It needs to continue. It still needs to be heard still.

Some responded in a disappointing way when George Floyd died. Some used the platitude ‘all lives matter.’ A thin veneer of respectability over a statement that was blatantly racist. Others pointed to the Black Lives Matter movement and some aspects of it that they didn’t like. Sure, there will always be points of disagreement with any movement. But just as we vote for a political party that is as close to our views as possible, whilst accepting there will be points of disagreement, so with Black Lives Matter. Points of disagreement on other matters don’t neutralise the central message.

The anger and grief I witnessed from my black brothers and sisters was and is real. The racial prejudice remains just as real. One year on, let’s keep raising the fist in defiance of hatred. And as Christian’s, let’s keep praying.

My Lectio365 bible study this morning captures it well:

‘This season calls out for clenched fists raised in peaceful protest. But the solutions call out for raised hands clasped in persistent prayer.’

#BlackLivesMatter

The Step Back

I’m not particularly pro-royalty. But I’m not a republican either.

Some of the Royals get on my nerves. Others seem a little assuming of their position. But the Queen and her consort have shown how it’s done. For 73 years of marriage and 69 years of reigning.

It was in 1952 that he voluntarily took a step back. The Duke of Edinburgh could have had a glittering career. He could have turned his hand to anything. A survivor himself of war and exile, he had steel, that’s for sure.

He chose to hone that steel into a shield of protection.

With the Queen’s accession to the throne, he took a permanent step back. Always the companion, always the consort. Always there in the background. But always ready to step forward and deflect criticism, helping with the weight of serving a nation.

And to do that for the rest of his life.

At their Golden Wedding, the Queen commented:

"He is someone who doesn't take easily to compliments but he has, quite simply, been my strength and stay all these years, and I, and his whole family, and this and many other countries, owe him a debt greater than he would ever claim, or we shall ever know."

As a nation mourns today, we can be grateful for a man who showed how to serve, how to prefer others.

A life of service indeed.

The Serendipity of the Fantasy Trilogy

Where does the concept of a book trilogy come from? And in particular, the vast market for fantasy trilogies?

The idea of a trilogy goes as far back as Greek literature but it found its recent popularity through serendipity.

When JRR Tolkien finished his book The Lord of the Rings, his publisher had a problem. One look at the vastness of the book Tolkien had written caused Allen & Unwin to look at a different route to market.

The year was 1954. War rationing was still a thing. And there was a real problem with publishers being able to source quality paper for printing. In addition there was a concern with a potential financial loss due to the high cost of type-setting and the publisher’s calculation of the modest sales resulting from such an unusual book.

Tolkien actually tried another publisher but in the end accepted that whatever Allen & Unwin said was better than no book at all.

The publisher suggested splitting the book into three. For this they had to agree to new titles - something Tolkien was reluctant to do, not least because he saw the book being formed from seven smaller parts. But Allen & Unwin got their way and the first volume, The Fellowship of the Ring went to press in October 1954. The Two Towers followed in 1955 and the final book, The Return of the King in 1956.

And so was born the modern concept of the fantasy trilogy. Many have been the acolytes to Tolkien’s work, though in my view none have come close.

It all happened because of a cautious publisher. And boy did they get their projections wrong with the modest estimate on sales. To date the trilogy has sold over 150 million copies, making it one of the top five best-selling books of all time.

The fantasy trilogy - all because a publisher was reluctant to fund the costs for one book. Serendipity indeed.

Why, Who, What - A Lockdown Narrative

I hope it’s here now. The end of a year of lockdowns, viruses and fears. As we step out of our doors, it’s a good time to assess what we want from our future freedoms. Is it just more of the same, or have things changed?

A technique I use with potential clients for autobiographies/biographies is to ask them three questions.

When someone wants help in writing a book, I ask WHY, WHO and WHAT. In that order.

WHY do you want to write a book? WHO is it aimed at? And WHAT is the content. Too many go straight for the story - the WHAT. But the other two questions are more important.

WHY write at all? What’s your reason? The
same can be asked as we come out of lockdown. Are you just going to go back to what you did before? The same old job? The same old patterns? The same old activities? That may be fine, but lockdown has given us an opportunity to ask WHY, to take a look at reasons and motives. To check that WHAT we were doing before is still worth doing today. (I recommend Simon Sinek on this – his book Start With Why is worth your time).

WHO are you writing for? Or to turn it around to a lockdown discussion, when you do what you do, WHO is it for? Just for you? For family and friends? Why not look wider? Maybe consider activities that help society? There will be a massive need for more Foodbanks in the UK coming out of lockdown. Around the world, with rich countries using lockdown as a reason not to give, there are immense needs in developing countries. And if you have a Christian faith, there are ways to support those working in the hardest of conditions around the world.

WHAT is the easy bit. The stories we tell in book terms. Too many start here. But as lockdown ends, before we do what we do, before we return to doing what we always did, ask WHY and WHO first.

As lives open up again, as hugs become possible again, as this time of lockdown becomes history, determine to make history.

“Such is of the course of deeds that move the wheels of the world: small hands do them because they must, while the eyes of the great are elsewhere.” JRR Tolkien

The God of the Rocks on Mars

Take a look at the picture for a moment. Pick a rock and look more closely. Observe its shape, how it fits to the ground.

Now consider that as someone who lives in the 21^st century, you are looking at something no one from centuries past has been able to see. The estimated 108 billion people that lived before you never got to see that rock.

What you’re looking at, of course, is the amazing view from the latest NASA Perseverance Rover which landed on Mars earlier this month.

Those rocks on Mars have always been there since creation, waiting to be discovered. Waiting for you to look at them through the window of a space probe.

When the Bible talks of God making the heavens, it’s almost a throwaway line in Genesis. As the passage describes Him making the sun and moon, it says ‘He also made the stars’.

And not just the stars. The planets, the solar system, the fringes of space. And that rock you have chosen to look at.

God is a creative God. Just as he made the stars – and the rocks on Mars – so He made you and me. Not only that, he made a way for us to know Him. Despite our best efforts to ignore Him and do our own thing, He made us to love Him and showed His love in sending His Son, Jesus.

God, who is from eternity, was born in Palestine, lived and died a man, and created a way for us to know Him, through death on a cross. The tragic moment was also a creative moment. As Jesus rose from the dead, His enemies were defeated and even today, even in the fast tempo, know-everything 21^st century, the invitation is the same.

The God who made the rock you are looking at made you. Made you to know Him as a Father, made you to be loved and cared for as a child. He shaped you, formed you, made you. Loved you.

And still loves you.

At the same time as that rock is being viewed for the first time, each of us have faced a year when all around us became seemingly less solid than that rock. A time of contagion, of economic breakdown, of separation and loneliness.

But there is One, steadier than a rock, who still cries out: ‘Who told this long ago? Who declared it of old? Was it not I, the Lord?  And there is no other god besides me, a righteous God and a Saviour; there is none besides me.’ (Isaiah 45: 21)

During this time of lockdown, with a realisation that there must be more to life, thousands have prayed a prayer for the first time, asking for forgiveness and for a new life. You can pray it too:

Lord Jesus, I know you are alive and are still changing lives today. Please change mine. Forgive me Lord for my life lived without you. I invite you in right now as my Lord and Saviour. Please come and change me. Amen.

May the God who formed you and who made the rocks on Mars be your Father too. May the God who sent His own son Jesus be your Lord. May the God who loves you be known by you.

And if you prayed that prayer, do message me and let me know.

Conspiracy Theories – The Danger of Rabbit Holes

It’s a couple of weeks after Joe Biden became President. And the conspiracy theories are still flying. Trump was cheated. Biden is a paedophile. And a favourite Christian one – the vaccine for Covid is the Mark of the Beast.

All these conspiracies are the result of rabbit holes. By that I mean, when we have a certain point of view, we tend to go down a hole and surround ourselves with like-minded people. That’s all well and good if we were also to be surrounded with other views, including the actual news from trusted sources. But rabbit holes don’t allow for that.

The sadness of recent times is that many who have a strong view have turned to conspiracy theories to support their view. These theories give a perception of control by providing a channel for anger or fear.

The result is an even stronger view with those same people then removing themselves entirely from any contrary views. If, for example, I were to post onto a Facebook thread of someone saying that Trump won the election and highlighted a neutral news article that showed otherwise, it’s likely that I would be asked not to post at all on that thread.

Hence there can be no argument, only one point of view.

This has become worse still with many taking themselves off the broader reach social media such as Facebook and Twitter and joining lesser known services such as Telegram, Gab and Parler (the latter now closed), that tend to specialise in conspiracy theories. Deeper rabbit holes in other words. It means that people are being misled and lied to. They are surrounding themselves with those lies and - of course - no one else can possibly be correct.

We have a social media problem. Already Facebook sends us posts it thinks we might like, along with adverts we may respond to. So there is an immediate filter supporting our views and limiting access to contrary views. The new social media families are taking this a stage further.

As a consequence, people genuinely believe some of the QAnon theories in the States. Crazy stuff. No, Hilary Clinton does not sacrifice babies.

I saw a sad one the other day that leached out onto Facebook from one of the new sites. A right-wing website plagiarized an Associated Press article to falsely claim that Pope Francis was arrested on human trafficking charges. And thousands believed it. Seemingly they still do.

I love the post from my friend Anna (shown here). Yes, believe in the mainstream media. Make sure you get your news from a variety of sources. And allow those with different views to interact with you.

No more rabbit holes!