What Sayeth

Love Jesus, Hate Church - a worthy read.

2011-12-06T20:26:00.000Z

During the past 10 years, approximately 50 million Christians left the church. In fact, the percentage of American adults who attend religious services has dropped from 49% to less than 32%. And more recent studies have shown that the problem of the decline in church attendance is actually getting much worse.
In addition, a recent USA Today/Gallop poll reported that almost half of all Americans appear to be alienated from any form of organized religion. If the current trend continues, most Americans will not call themselves religious in just a few years.

Of the roughly 140 million Americans who do make their way to church on any given weekend, an amazing 74% are not engaged in their church at all.

Moreover, a study from the Barna Institute concluded that by the end of the next decade, up to 40% of all church-attending Christians will be worshipping God, serving others, studying the Bible, etc., outside of a congregational church setting.
Clearly, the data indicates that church isn’t working.

To quote a summary of the decline:

“We find these developments truly remarkable! Some factor appears to be actively driving church-goers away from organized religion. And yet, this is happening at a time when Americans have an unprecedented interest in spirituality.”

Did you ever wonder what factor is actively driving people away from church?
We know. It’s the Love Jesus, Hate Church syndrome.
How Can You Love Jesus and Hate Church?

Some of you are probably wondering what a book titled, Love Jesus, Hate Church, is all about. Ah, I can hear your questions now: What's the point? What are you trying to say? Where are you going with this? How can you Love Jesus and Hate Church? Aren't they the same thing?

Hey, your concerns are understandable.
First, I understand some of you are probably already a bit put off by the title of this book— maybe even a little offended. I’m also keenly aware of the fact that using the words Love and Jesus and Hate and Church all in the same sentence seem contradictory.
It feels sacrilegious. Unholy. Somehow just plain wrong.

What Do You Mean When You Say, Church?

No, I’m not talking about the true church, the “called-out ones” Scripture so proudly refers to as “men and women the world was not worthy of.” But the church of our own creation, the church created in our own image— our own Frankenstein. I’m talking about the man-made institution we call church. You know, the social organization whose steepled buildings dot the landscape of our communities. The club, the structure, the established entity we vainly try to infuse artificial life into each week with our hyped-up praise music, our social programs disguised as ministry, and the self-affirming, feel-good speeches we attempt to pass off as Spirit-empowered sermons.
Or, as those of us who “bear on our bodies the Love Jesus, Hate Church battle scars” like to call it— the Well-Oiled Machine.

What is the Purpose of Love Jesus, Hate Church?

The purpose of Love Jesus, Hate Church is not in any way to slam, malign, tear down or “dis” the church. Nor is this book designed to simply point out the obvious faults, systemic shortcomings or the inherent hypocrisy that has plagued the institution of the church for the last millennium and a half.
No, the purpose of Love Jesus, Hate Church is actually quite the opposite.
The goal of Love Jesus, Hate Church is to present the church in the breathtaking splendor the Lord intended— as the spotless, chaste, virgin bride of Christ. It’s to show the church, as Paul so clearly pointed out in Ephesians 3, as the eternal vessel of Christ’s glory on earth.
Consider the praise of the Apostle Paul:

Now to Him who is able to do far more abundantly beyond all that we ask or think, according to the power that works within us, to Him be the glory in the church and in Christ Jesus to all generations forever and ever. Amen.

The problem we face, however, is the visible church— that which we see, attend, claim membership in and have known all our lives, is a far cry from the true church revealed in Scripture. It’s literally light years from the living entity Jesus promised the very “gates of hell will not prevail against.” What we see masquerading as church today is, at best, a dim reflection of the Lord’s intention. In fact, the current visible church that seems to dot every other street corner in North America is now so far removed from the example Jesus left us in Scripture, that we might never be able to divorce ourselves from our traditions, and experience the pure bride of Christ in all her fullness.
Or, to put it in the perspective of the Lord’s promise to us, we frankly may never be able to experience the abundant life He promised. Never! At least not within our current church structures and religious mindsets.
So what are we to do?
Good question. But we’ve got a great answer!

Is Love Jesus, Hate Church a Book For Me?

Love Jesus, Hate Church was written with several groups of people in mind.
First, it was written as a word of encouragement to the true, sold-out, stand-alone believer in Christ— to the genuine, real deal Christian. The “called-out ones.”
It is written for those of you who will follow Him as long as you live. For those of you who will proclaim, like the Reformers of old, “Sola Scriptura” and continually testify of His grace and mercy regardless of how the rising apathy of the church, the Well-Oiled Machine, tries to drown out your voices.
It is written to affirm those of you who have genuinely experienced, first hand, His unfathomable love, His unmerited forgiveness and His peace— the “peace that passes all understanding.” Yep, this book was written for you. Why? For it’s you who must now stand and proclaim the truth about what now is and what must be. It’s you who must weather the storm from within and without. It’s you who... well, I don’t want to jump too far ahead at this point.
Needless to say, you know who you are.

Next, Love Jesus, Hate Church was written to those of you who are living large in the land of Laodicea, those of you who have purchased waterfront property by the sea of lukewarmness. Those who have, as the Scripture states, a “form of godliness, but deny its power.” Those to whom our Lord said He would vomit out of His mouth.
To you, this book will be an indictment of what church could be, and what church should be— but what is because the personal cost seemed too high. The price for intimacy with Christ was too expensive. Too taxing. Not worth the effort.
It’s like saying to Jesus, “Lord, I see Your lips moving. But all I hear is blah, blah, blah.”
To you, my prayer is that you will see yourself in these pages and fall on your face in repentance, begging our Lord for another chance to live for Him— and to die to yourself for Him.
Oh, by the way, you also know very well who you are.

And finally, Love Jesus, Hate Church was written for any Believer in Christ that desires to find a congregation that affirms, encourages, builds-up, and “stands together as one man contending for the faith.” In other words, if you’ve ever been hurt by church or if you sometimes only go because it’s the inane “right thing to do”— boy, do we have some good news for you!
You can be different.
You can model the New Testament prototype of the church to others.
Things don’t have to stay the same! The past doesn’t have to repeat itself.

For you, be encouraged! Love Jesus, Hate Church is written to show you how church life can be, and will be, when we put God first and everything else second.
Are you curious? Interested? Good.
Then what are you waiting for?
Go ahead, take a deep breath, count to three— and jump right on in.

A Noble Geo...

2011-10-27T19:59:00.000+01:00

I bought a few titles. Take a wee look at my official letters patent. Some of my titles are German, one is British.

“Homosexuality”

2011-10-27T17:13:00.002+01:00

I must apologize for the dearth blog postings of late. I always set out a plan each month about how often I should want to blog but it never really comes to pass, despite my out-and-out unswerving love of writing. I wish I had the time to write all day, I wish I had the patience to take as much care as I would like over menial things in writing, such as the surprising little words in my vocabulary that I rarely get the occasion to vociferate.
I’d like to talk about a subject that is close to the heart of the Church. It is so close because it stands, poised, armed and ready to infiltrate truthful biblical teaching; ready to journalize the church as a prosecutor, as so institutionally old-fashioned and stuck in the past that there will be attempts to shun the teaching of God for permissible lawlessness. It may even push the boundaries of free speech, necessary acceptance, and an unhinged ingenuousness and frivolity. It is a subject that has thrown the church into debate after debate, committee after committee, assembly after assembly, board after board. In recent times it has become a prominent feature of sermons, commentaries, and prayer. It is so profound that it threatens to split the Church. It is so uncertain, so unknown, so worryingly damaging. Most of all, it is symptom of a very great problem in our world. It is homosexuality.
So far, you may be inclined to think that I am an out and out anti-gay lobbyist, unforgiving and judgemental in every respect. I want to assure you that i am not. I believe that as a Christian and as a brick in the Church of God, it is my responsibility to talk about it, and talk about it openly with the love, passion, grace and mercy that the Lord, my saviour, would have on the subject himself.
I also must reiterate the difference in Homosexual Intercourse/Sex and being of a Homosexual orientation, as the word “Homosexuality” seems to confuse the two and they become intertwined to mean the same thing. When I mean “Homosexual Sex” I mean the acts. When I say “Homosexual as in [a homosexual]” I mean the orientation.
The issue of homosexual sexual behaviour has had a lot of publicity throughout the world. You talk to many practicing Homosexuals and they will say that we are in a time where the slaves have been freed and women have been liberated and gay rights are long overdue. And a cross examination of society will show that it does seem to be moving in that direction.
Many homosexuals, including young kids are “coming out” and openly declaring their homosexuality. In many parts of the western world, homosexual couples receive the same recognition as heterosexual couples with regard to social security benefits. Some church leaders are giving their blessing to homosexual relationships, homosexual church members and of more recent discussion: homosexually active ministers.
A while ago, I received e-mails from over 40 of my readers, that claimed the following:
· They are made that way.
· Homosexuality is of no harm to the participants or to anyone else.
· If it feels right to those involved, it is nobody else's business.
· Homosexual relationships and heterosexual relationships are equally valid. (Some even claim that the Bible condones homosexual relationships.)
It is in response to these things that I’d like to continue my letter. I would like to assure you that I have done research into these writings, so you will probably find some general themes already in existence. I will discuss each point with the Lords word firmly in my head. And I will use his word to open up and deepen our understanding of the deeper church viewpoint. After all, true, bible believing churches (of which there are a great many) testify that the bible is the true, absolute, unedited, authoritative word of God to be used by humanity as a sort of, testimony and guide to how we should live.
Made that way?
Many groups these days who, in our murky past (yes and the past of the church admittedly too) , have been discriminated against (such as women, blacks, jews and the disabled) have been given rightful equal opportunity. And as a product of that, Homosexual people/couples claim that they, too, should be liberated. The difference however is that Gender, race and impairment related to what a person is, whereas homosexual activity relates to what a person does. Again, I would say that it is deplorable to discriminate against the Homosexual Orientation.

In contrast too, homosexuals claim that scientific studies have shown that there is a biological basis for homosexuality and to my knowledge, the three main studies are cited by “gay rights” activists in support of their argument: Hamers X-Chromosome research, LeVays study of the Hypothalamus and Bailey and Pilliards study of Homosexual identical twins.
In all three cases, the researchers had a vested interest in obtaining a favourable outcome due to their own homosexual tendencies. More importantly, their studies did not, and still have not, stood up the scientific scrutiny by other biological researchers. Also, the medial typically do not explain the methodological flaws in any of the studies, and they over simplify the results. There is , to date, no reliable evidence that homosexual activity is due to a genetic issue.
To the extent that biological and social factors may contribute to a person’s homosexual behaviour, this does not excuse it. Some people have a strong drive towards stealing or the abuse of alcohol, but they chose to engage or not to engage in the behaviour because the law, quite rightly, holds it against them.
In regards to the bible, there are foundational teachings on marriage and sexual issues if you look closely at Genesis Ch.1 and Ch.2. When Jesus was questioned about marriage, have a look at Matthew 19:1-12 and Mark 10-1:12. We were created to a plan: male and female complimenting each other.
Genesis also teaches that God instituted and designed marriage between a man and a woman, if you care to look at Genesis 2:18-25 for evidence. And I guess there are a few reasons why he did this:
1. The structure of the male and female anatomy, particularly the sexual anatomy, is designed for like a key and a lock. Clearly, design in human biology supports heterosexuality and contradicts homosexuality.
2. There is a responsibility to produce, go and multiply, same sex relationships cannot continue the human race. You don’t need to be a biologist to see that!
3. Man and women have specific roles, in order to support and nurture the family unit. Where women have weaknesses, men have strengths, and where women have strengths, men also have strengths- I thought I’d just fling that in there as a sort of minor witticism.
When we think about this, all of it, there is a clear viewpoint that in the very basics of design, homosexuality, contrary to the studies mentioned, simply does not fit. There is no point in two locks with no key, and there is no point in two keys with no lock. You don’t go anywhere. Simple as that.
There is no harm in it…
Throughout our history, there has been much debate on the level of harm homosexual activity has, and it is without a doubt, notoriously disease-prone. In addition to diseases associated with heterosexual promiscuity (again outlawed by God) homosexual actions facilitate the transmission of anal herpes, hepatitis B, intestinal parasites, Kaposi’s sarcoma and HIV/Aids. Research on the life expectancy of a group of homosexuals in Canada in 1990 indicated that they could expect 10-18 years less than the average heterosexual man. Startling.
I have a friend who lives with her girlfriend, and they have two children, from previous relationships. They tell me that their children will have the same characteristics such as intelligence, development, moral judgements, self-concepts, social competence and gender identity as those brought up in a heterosexual household. To an extent I agree. However, there is an important ingredient missing:
““Train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not depart from it” (Proverbs 22:6).”
Realistically, you cannot faithfully teach Gods word to your children whilst living in a lifestyle specifically condemned by Gods word. Remember, all Christians are sinners forgiven by the blood of Christ. Living in a homosexual relationship constitutes habitual, unrepented sin.
You might also hear claims from homosexual activists that it’s really none of our business, and socially, it’s not. But if we are to understand people, and create a society built around the family unit then we must abide by Gods ultimate design. After all, he knows the start, and the end of, Humanity. We don’t. These days, we live very much in and for the moment, and might I add, to our detriment.
Disobedience and falling away from Gods commands indicates rejection of Gods authority. Some people even argue the Old Testament law, was superseded by the coming of Christ (yes, some ministers!) However, we should at least consider those laws which Jesus and his apostles reaffirmed with great certainty in the New Testament.
In the very basic sense, its right in a way, that the law is superseded by Jesus, however he came to fulfil the law and not to abolish it, so reverence and understanding of it is necessary, especially if one is committed to following the Lord.
Equally Valid?
There is a claim, by some, that homosexual behaviour was only condemned in the bible because it was associated with Idolatry, for example in 1 Kings 14:24. However, if you look at Leviticus 18:22 (yes, that old gripe again!) it is described and condemned apart from idolatry as an unnatural and immoral perversion.
“For even their women exchanged the natural use for what is against nature. Likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust for one another…” (Romans 1:26-27).
I have been making a study of Hebrew recently, and in 1 Corinthians 6:9 the phrase “Homosexual Offender” in Hebrew is mishkav zakur which has a literal translation of “Man who sleeps with Man”
There are also some that claim the sin involved in Sodom was rejecting hospitality customs rather than homosexual behaviour. It is clear, the outcry against Sodom and Gomorrah was great and their reported sin was indeed significant to the Lord.
Another part of my recent Hebrew lessons that have allowed me to re-interpret some scripture is the scene from Genesis 19:4-5 about the angels sent to Sodom:

“Now before they lay down, the men of the city, the men of Sodom, both old and young, all the people from every quarter, surrounded the house. And they called to Lot and said to him, where are the men who came to you tonight? Bring them out to us that we may have sex with them”
The Hebrew word used here is Yadha, and it does not mean the literal sexual intercourse, it infact means “to know sexually” Regardless, as you will see, Lot refers to his daughters in order to appease the mob. You do not offer virgins to a mob because of their lack of hospitality but because of their sexual desire.
The Bible not only describes homosexual behaviour as detestable, but it also calls for the punishment of those involved. Their unrepentant attitude caused God to destroy Sodom and Gomorrah for example. Just as homosexual conduct has been punished in the past, so it will also be punished by God in the future. In his letter to the Corinthians, Paul explicitly states that the behaviour will prevent access to Heaven.
And as I draw to a close this article, I want to ensure you understand the great hope. For ALL sin, not just Homosexual sin. Remember, once again, that the Homosexual is loved and adored by God, but his homosexual practices are punishable. God forgives and cleanses a person who repents and turns from their sin, including the sin of homosexual behaviour (1 Corinthians 6:11).
As well as forgiveness, God's grace brings with it the power to live a life that is pleasing to God (Romans 6:6-7). If repentance and reform are genuine, prior homosexual actions should not be a bar to church membership or ministry, as all Christians are reformed sinners.
“Liberal” churches espouse tolerance of homosexual behaviour in the name of “love.” They plug for the acceptance of homosexual conduct as normal, “because they can't help it.” They are not only wrong about the latter, but they are actually not being at all loving towards homosexuals, because, contrary to the Bible, they reduce the homosexual person to the level of an animal, driven by instinct. In removing moral responsibility from the person, they dehumanize them, whereas the Bible says we are made in the image of God with the power of moral choice.
Furthermore, the gospel proclaims liberation from the bondage of sin, including homosexual sin, whereas the “liberals” tell the homosexual that they cannot help it, and they can't help them either, so they will accept them as they are! However, many a person has been gloriously rescued from the bondage of homosexual sin (and other sin) by the power of the Holy Spirit.
Conclusively, as with all moral issues, our beliefs about where we come from and where our place in the world is indefinitely determine our attitude. If we have a capacity which believes we arose from slime and a combustion of events somewhere in space, and by a random 50/50 chance of survival I guess it is understandable to say there is no higher authority than ones self and as a result we can make our own rules. But I say this, if there is that loving God who has planned us and “knitted us in our mothers wombs) and gave us his law and his son in order to follow and be like him, then we must do so. I have raised a few issues in this article today, and some might have offended you. I am deeply open to discussing your faith with you, and if, by chance, you are a homosexual man, woman, boy or girl and would like to talk to someone more about this, please email me and I will get back to you as soon as possible. Please do comment on this article, I enjoy reading them. Thank you.

Research completed at Lesmahagow Library, Christiananswers.net, and Encarta

Irans Ali Khomeni Supreme Leader.

2011-10-05T21:12:00.000+01:00

I took a little browse of http://www.leader.ir which is the official website of the Supreme Leader of Iran. There is a part of his website where he gives advice to Muslims, in his role as the countrys spiritual leader. I initially thought of this as a good idea, until i viewed some of the questions in the "Practical Laws of Islam" section. The questions were about dealing with "non-muslims" and i was reminded of how abhorrent this religion is. Without a shadow of a doubt, the religion, or its preachers more-so, are so against everything that the democratic, free world, stands for. Here' s some of the questions i found. Pay attention to the way he addresses the State of Israel:

Q1339: Is it permissible to import Israeli goods and advertise them? If it happens out of choice, is it permissible to sell such goods?
A: It is forbidden to embark on any dealings that may serve the interests of the usurping state of Israel which harbors enmity towards Islam and Muslims. It is not permissible for anyone to import and promote its goods, production and selling of which benefits the Israelis. Nor is it permissible for Muslims to buy such goods, because it entails bad effects and is detrimental to Islam and Muslims.

Q1340: Is it permissible for merchants to import and promote Israeli goods in a country that has lifted the boycott of Israeli goods?
A: They have to refrain from importing and promoting goods whose production and selling would benefit the deplorable state of Israel.

Q1341: Is it permissible for Muslims to buy Israeli goods that are on offer in a Muslim country?
A: It is incumbent on every Muslim to refrain from buying and making use of goods whose production and sale would benefit the Zionists who are at war with Islam and Muslims.

Q1342: Is it permissible to set up travel agencies in Muslim lands with a view to selling tickets for travel to Israel? And is it permissible for Muslims to buy tickets from such agencies?
A: It is not permissible, for it is detrimental to Islam and Muslims. Nor is it permissible for anyone to do anything that may constitute a violation of the Muslim boycott of Israel which is the enemy of Muslims and is at war with them.

Q1343: Is it permissible to buy the products of Jewish, American, or Canadian companies if there is a probability that they are supportive of Israel?
A: If the proceeds from the sale and purchase of these goods would contribute to supporting the occupying, wretched state of Israel or to opposing Islam and Muslims, it is not permissible for anybody to buy or sell such things. Otherwise, there is no objection to it.

Q1344: Should Israeli goods be imported to a Muslim country, is it permissible for retailers to buy some of them and sell them to the public and advertise them?
A: It is not permissible for them to do that because it constitutes corruption.

Q1345: Should Israeli goods be available on the open market in a Muslim country, can Muslims buy them, especially when it is possible to buy other goods imported form other countries?
A: It is incumbent on every Muslim to refrain from buying and making use of goods, production and sale of which would benefit the Zionists who are at war with Islam and Muslims.

Q1346: Some importers of Israeli goods falsify the documents and re-export such goods as though they belong to another country, such as Turkey and Cyprus, which imported them in the first place. They do so to deceive Muslims who, once they know that the goods are of Israeli origin, would not buy them. What should the Muslims do in these circumstances?
A: Muslims should refrain from buying, promoting, and using such goods.

Q1347: What is the ruling in the matter of buying and selling American goods? Is the ruling universal, i.e., does it cover other Western countries, such as France and Britain? Is it to observe this ruling only in Iran or is it universal?
A: Should the buying of goods, which have been imported from non-Muslim countries, and using them contribute to strengthening the infidel and colonizing states which are the enemies of Islam and Muslims or provide them with financial support they may use to attack Muslims or Islamic lands all over the world, it is the duty of Muslims to refrain from buying and using such goods. The nature of the goods or their countries of origin is immaterial so long as such countries harbor enmity towards Islam and Muslims. The ruling is not confined to Iranian Muslims.

Q1348: What is the position of people working in factories and establishments that would generate income for the infidel states and that would in the end render them strong?
A: In itself, there is no objection to dealing in legitimate business, even if it leads to generating profits for non-Islamic states unless the state is at war with the Muslims and exploits their labor to serve its war machine.

Speaks volumns, doesn't it?

Simply Cindy

2011-09-30T21:58:00.003+01:00

Thanks George for asking me to be a guest blogger. My name is Cindy Mackenzie and I am 53. I have had the priviledge to visit many countries through my work with our Charity SAM Chernobyl Relief. Through my work I love to visit families listen to people stories as well as preach the gospel.

I am a simple ordinary woman who loves the Lord with all her heart. My mission in life is to encourage and inspire people to be the person that God wants them to be. " years ago I was asked to write a book and at the time I was not sure what subject it would be on. So as I started to pray the Lord led me to write about angels. The following is an introduction to my book.

My fascination with angels began when I was a very young girl. My grandfather died in North Carolina when I was 2 ½, but I can still clearly remember his wonderful ever-smiling face.

He had become very ill with uremic poisoning and I remember Mom asking us children to be very quiet so he could rest. One day he was so sick the doctor called for an ambulance to take him to hospital. The paramedics had already put him on a stretcher and were making their way to the ambulance when he asked them to stop for a moment so he could reach out to me and give me a kiss. That kiss was the last time I saw him alive.

The next time I saw my grandfather he was in a shiny wooden box, and my dad lifted me up so I could give him a kiss, as he had given one to me when he left the house. He was very hard and cold - I will never forget that experience.

Pa-paw, as I called him, had been a minister, but from what I have been told he was a real rascal in his early years until he met Jesus and his life changed forever.

As he lay dying in hospital Pa-paw told both of my aunts sitting at his bedside to be very still and quiet because there was an angel standing at the bottom of the bed. The nurses came in and he told them the same thing. All those in the room said there was a peace that surrounded him despite his suffering.

As my Aunts Wanda and Sonja sat there, Pa-paw told them it was his time to go and the angel was here to take him home. He then said all his goodbyes, and as he shut his eyes my aunts knew that the angel had taken him home to be with the Lord; had taken him out of pain and misery and into the presence of Jesus.

Was it truly an Angel? I believe with my whole heart and without question that my Pa-paw saw an angel and was escorted into Heaven. In this book you will read many first hand accounts from people who have had genuine experiences where they believe they saw or heard angels sent by God.

What is an angel? Simply, a messenger from God.

In the Bible you will find stories of angels from the book of Genesis right through to Revelation. I believe that God is the same yesterday, today and forever and as you read these pages I pray that you too will feel the presence of Jesus and know beyond a shadow of a doubt, that God uses His angels to give messages, and to protect, deliver, guard and guide us.

I became a Christian in 1968 when I was ten years old, and during these 40 years of my life I have had many wonderful experiences, along with some very difficult ones. Through it all though, God has never left me or let me down.

As I look back on my early childhood I am grateful that I was brought up in a Christian home where I learned about Jesus and the importance of strong moral values. My Mom faithfully took us to church and taught us about Jesus and I will always treasure the times my Dad played the organ or my Aunt Wanda got us to sing around the piano. There were many hours of gospel singing which brought such joy along with teaching us wonderful Christian principles.

I believe that the word of God, faithfully passed down by many Pastors, together with many wonderful hymns with their rich teachings and assurance of God’s love helped to mould me into the woman God created me to be.

When my husband Colin became a Pastor it was both a gift and a sacrifice as we sought to serve the Lord together. Both of us have a real heart for people, which saw us become involved in setting up a charity to help people from Eastern Europe.

You will read about some of the people we have met and their remarkable stories of unbelievable courage and of how God sent His angels to guard and protect in wondrous circumstances.

The time writing this book has been one of real blessings and encouragement to me in my walk with God. As I have sat with people, listened to them, prayed with them and written their stories, I am reminded of what an awesome, powerful, loving and caring God we have.

To God be the glory, great things He has done and great things He will do - if only we allow Him to do so.

I would love you to jpoin me each day and hear a very short video devotion. www.cindy-mackenzie.com

Is exile an option?

2011-09-21T22:21:00.000+01:00

It is my personal view that you see this, for exactly what it is. This man, who works for The Daily Record, reportedly stands up for peace, makes statements, then deny's them. Shouts incontrollably to fear his opponents into submission. This man is not a politician. Take a look for yourselves...

A Shoulder to cry on...

2011-09-20T23:14:00.000+01:00

I had to lend my shoulder tonight. Nothing better to help than a wee cuppa! True British style...

Porn free

2011-09-20T17:58:00.000+01:00

I just want to spread some word about a project that i've been made aware of. Alot of my readers are young Christian guys who suffer a real problem of Internet Porn.

For those guys and many others with an achilles heel for pornography, (a small analysis of some of those CVNT.net meet across the UK suggests this to be 1 in 5 men), the internet has quickly become the "preferred supplier". (Raw TV, videos, magazines and mobile phones are also avenues).

With the internet being 'always on', anonymous availability of over 260 million pornographic webpages there are few hurdles for those struggling with pornography. So what's a struggler to do? Disconnect the internet in his home and office - never to return to it? Install a filter that isn't always watertight and can usually be circumvented?

CVNT.net believe the answer lies in internet accountability - and Covenant Eyes offers precisely that. It is a programme that, once installed on your PC, records every single website visited from your PC without fail and passes this information in a report that scores sites for potential pornographic content to two accountability partners - perhaps your wife or dad or son, perhaps your vicar/pastor or your best Christian mate.

And perhaps they in turn send their report to you! This system of accountability not only works; it is also the biblical pathway to healing (James 5:16).

Autumn/Winter Menswear

2011-09-20T17:51:00.000+01:00

A Plain mint chocolate displayed in
a mirrored baroque trinket box.

I don't know about you, but we all like a little bit of variety. Sometimes, something special can be so captivating when dressed in something fabulous. Check out my evening mint chocolate box for example.

It doesnt matter how plain you are, what you wear on the outside will simply change your whole perspective.

In the first of my - hopefully helpful - blog entries on Fashion for men, i'll be looking at this years trends, from head to toe. I'll cover jackets, suits, shirts, cardigans, belts, accecories, scarfs, briefs and underwear, socks and end finally with shoes. I want to give you all a rounded understanding of what Male fashion is, and where it should be.

The hairstyles for the upcoming season is a natural and almost minimalist look often appearing bereft of idea. According to Vogue and Toni&Guy, 2011 Autum/Winter will see a revival to continue the combination of shorter side and rear sides and longer lengths above. I was reading the other day in Septembers Vogue that shorter styles are being strengthened by the difference between their lengths. The shorter sides and longer hair on top of the head, the sharper and more "edgy" your look. Fact.

Long hair for men for the upcoming season is not really a trend, although some of the shoots in GQ show the more distinguished models with longer hair, such as Iceberg and Ermanno Scervino. Longer hair creates a distinctive look and these models (including Marlon Teixeira Brazilian top model who is just outstanding!) does not remain unnoticed. Long hair is now more choice and an individual characteristic of a certain lifestyle.Careful, you guys out there, who like a quick and easy style. Long hair needs care and attention. Ask your girlfriend/partner/wife...

The trend for the coming season is clear: short (er) hair at the sides, back, and long (er) over lengths. Try it out.

Next week: The Perfect Casual Look.

Mess with Israel, Mess with the USA.

2011-09-20T14:50:00.004+01:00

As the United Nations takes up a vote on a unilateral Palestinian declaration of statehood this week, Americans need to understand what a Pandora’s box this opens – and how it’s a threat to both American and Israeli security. Infact, world security.

First, U.N. recognition of a Palestinian state simply throws away years of peace talks with Israel and sets both peoples on a collision course for violent conflict.

We’ve all seen the results of intifadahs, loosely translated as “uprisings” in the early 2000s. When Palestinian hard liners didn’t get their way through the Oslo peace process – waves of suicide bombers blew up buses, cafes, markets and shops, tearing apart two societies.

Like any sovereign state, Israel has a right to defend itself. It vigorously did so, taking out family homes of suicide bombers and tightening a variety of restrictions in the West Bank and Gaza. In the process Palestinians who truly want peace have had to face the consequences along with those who are bent on destroying Israel.

Second, such a move by the U.N. would only embolden radicals and add internal legitimacy to their attacks on Israel.

U.N. recognition of a Palestinian state would in all probability lead to a third Intifadah, meaning the deaths of thousands and cycle of violence playing itself out on television sets and newspapers every day throughout the world.

Let’s recall that one of Osama Bin Laden’s main issues with America has been their support for Israel – Al Qaeda propagandists have relied upon images of Palestinian casualties as a chief recruiting tool in their war against us. And as we saw on September 11, Islamic radicals don’t just target Israel – they have a bulls-eye painted on America’s back as well.

Speaking of September 11, President Obama ought to remember who our friends are. I remember watching news reports of the Twin Towers falling, a smoldering Pentagon, and the remains of United Flight 93 in a Shanksville, Pennsylvania field – and feeling even more outrage witnessing TV coverage of Palestinians dancing in the streets as these attacks occur.

If i was President Obama right now, my top foreign policy priority would be to stand united with Israel. I would not allow the Arab Spring to be the fall of Israel. A nation that shares deep spiritual bonds with the west, our love of democracy, freedom and personal liberty, Israel has been one of America and Britains strongest allies for decades – at least until President Obama took office.

On a visit to Israel, last month, Hermann Cain met with the country's deputy prime minister about the many security challenges threatening the country’s existence – from Iran’s pursuit of nuclear weapons – to the prospect of U.N. support for a Palestinian state. His somber message was this, “Israel will defend itself.”

The Obama administration’s insistence that Israel return to pre-1967 borders, which are militarily indefensible – shows its enemies that the United States may not stand with Israel in times of crisis. The lack of clarity towards Israel shown by the Obama administration demonstrates weakness and only invites attack, which makes the situation more volatile.

And when Iran’s leaders say that Israel should be wiped off the map, we ought to take them at their word. Hitler said things like that about Poland when he came to power – and guess what -- he wasn’t bluffing.

Finally let’s remember how the U.N. has singled out Israel for punishment in their new world order, so its support for Palestinian statehood is just the latest blow.

Resolutions condemning Israel have become pro forma, notably with 22 coming in the 61st General Assembly (2006-07), during a time in which none were passed against the genocide in Sudan's Darfur. My message for the U.N., Iran, Palestinians and anyone else is this: “If you mess with Israel, you’re messing with the U.S.A.”

It’s the radical element among Palestinians that is keeping peace out of reach. If extremists lost internal legitimacy and their people took the path of non-violence -- both societies would be able to co-exist. They could start by not electing Hamas -- a terrorist organization, to power in Gaza as they did in 2006. By not sending their sons and daughters out to blow themselves up in Jerusalem and Tel Aviv, taking with them as many innocent Israeli civilians as they can.

I believe long term peace is achievable between Israelis and Palestinians – we just need to identify the right leaders to get it done. I am still convinced however, that Palestinians are a falsehood that we've just come to accept. Historically there has never been a Palestinian state to be occupied. What other leaders of Palestine have there been prior to Arafat for example?

And from the American perspective, by turning away from Israel when the going gets tough, President Obama is not only failing to get the job done, he is doing more harm than good.

So much for hope, it’s time for a change in Washington....

Hebrews 2:1-18 - The Servant King

2011-09-20T11:23:00.000+01:00

"I will declare your name to my brothers, in the presence of the congregation..." (Psalm 22:22)

Todays reading is from Hebrews 2:1-18, and one of the most startling images that resonate from these passages is the exemplary humanity of our Lord Jesus:

¹ We must pay the most careful attention, therefore, to what we have heard, so that we do not drift away. ² For since the message spoken through angels was binding, and every violation and disobedience received its just punishment, ³ how shall we escape if we ignore so great a salvation? This salvation, which was first announced by the Lord, was confirmed to us by those who heard him. ⁴ God also testified to it by signs, wonders and various miracles, and by gifts of the Holy Spirit distributed according to his will.
⁵ It is not to angels that he has subjected the world to come, about which we are speaking. ⁶ But there is a place where someone has testified:    “What is mankind that you are mindful of them,
   a son of man that you care for him?
⁷ You made them a little lower than the angels;
   you crowned them with glory and honor
⁸ and put everything under their feet.”
   In putting everything under them, God left nothing that is not subject to them.Yet at present we do not see everything subject to them. ⁹ But we do see Jesus, who was made lower than the angels for a little while, now crowned with glory and honor because he suffered death, so that by the grace of God he might taste death for everyone.
¹⁰ In bringing many sons and daughters to glory, it was fitting that God, for whom and through whom everything exists, should make the pioneer of their salvation perfect through what he suffered. ¹¹ Both the one who makes people holy and those who are made holy are of the same family. So Jesus is not ashamed to call them brothers and sisters.^[¹² He says,
   “I will declare your name to my brothers and sisters;
   in the assembly I will sing your praises.”
¹³ And again,
   “I will put my trust in him.”^[i]
   And again he says,
   “Here am I, and the children God has given me.”
¹⁴ Since the children have flesh and blood, he too shared in their humanity so that by his death he might break the power of him who holds the power of death—that is, the devil— ¹⁵ and free those who all their lives were held in slavery by their fear of death. ¹⁶ For surely it is not angels he helps, but Abraham’s descendants. ¹⁷ For this reason he had to be made like them, fully human in every way, in order that he might become a merciful and faithful high priest in service to God, and that he might make atonement for the sins of the people. ¹⁸ Because he himself suffered when he was tempted, he is able to help those who are being tempted.

It was Jesus' mission to provide Salvation for Human beings (Abrahams decendants). Jesus hels in a very real way by seeing his people through whatever they are facing. He relates to Human suffering because of his incarnation. He had to take on human form in order to die, and by doing so he also experienced the emotions, pains, trials and tribulations every one of us goes through. His experience perfectly qualifies him to act as high priest - an intercessor between sinful mankind and perfect and holy God. No one can rightly claim that God doesnt understand them, or how they feel, because Jesus lived through everything any human being can face - and worse!

Hebrews 1:1-14 - The Supremacy of Christ

2011-09-19T14:00:00.002+01:00

I'm going to start telling you about my daily reading. Daily readings are important for our spiritual maturity and our spiritial wellbeing. It is like a daily telephone call to the Lord, just to talk over some things; discussions freestyle and you end up getting something from the conversation that you never expect.

I insist that when doing my daily readings i have a Bible, a commentary and i set aside some time for prayer. These things are absoloutly essential for me in order to get it right. Let me reassure you, that i continually say "me" because it might not be right for you, and as i am staunchly opposed to Legalism, you can do what you feel your heart is telling you to do.

So todays Bible reading is from Hebrews 1:14 and i have my little commentary before me called, "Hebrews thru Revelation - Wisdom today and forever" by Dr Robert Rayburn, Dr Stephen Leston, accompanied by Dr Mark Strauss.

1 After God spoke long ago in various portions and in various ways to our ancestors through the prophets, 2 in these last days he has spoken to us in a son, whom he appointed heir of all things, and through whom he created the world. 3 The Son is the radiance of his glory and the representation of his essence, and he sustains all things by his powerful word, and so when he had accomplished cleansing for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high. 4 Thus he became so far better than the angels as he has inherited a name superior to theirs.

5 For to which of the angels did God ever say, “You are my son! Today I have fathered you”? And in another place he says, “I will be his father and he will be my son.” 6 But when he again brings his firstborn into the world, he says, “Let all the angels of God worship him!” 7 And he says of the angels, “He makes his angels spirits and his ministers a flame of fire,” 8 but of the Son he says, “Your throne, O God, is forever and ever, and a righteous scepter is the scepter of your kingdom. 9 You have loved righteousness and hated lawlessness. So God, your God, has anointed you over your companions with the oil of rejoicing.” 10 And, “You founded the earth in the beginning, Lord, and the heavens are the works of your hands. 11 They will perish, but you continue. And they will all grow old like a garment, 12 and like a robe you will fold them up and like a garment they will be changed, but you are the same and your years will never run out.” 13 But to which of the angels has he ever said, “Sit at my right hand until I make your enemies a footstool for your feet”? 14 Are they not all ministering spirits, sent out to serve those who will inherit salvation?

The passages are directed towards the Jews, to align them with the pre-jesus history and the current Christian history. He is dotting the I's and crossing the T's of Jewish religious history. You'll notice that throughout the passage, whilst raising Jesus importance above everything (vs 1&2) he never says Jesus message was any different to that of the Prophets or Moses. It is only the dignity and authorty of Jesus Christ that is far greater than any other because he is no less than the SON of God, creator of all things (again vs.1-2)

I want to point out a comment made by the writer to the Jews, about Jesus "inheriting a better name" as in 1:4. This didn't mean he did not have it by right all along. After all, the writer has just attributed the whole universe to Jesus. The rewards and inheretance that are due to Jesus because of his incarnation, death and ressurection will be shared by those who place their faith in him. What a blessing!

Shimon Peres Speaks...

2011-09-17T21:22:00.002+01:00

The Passion for Afghanistan

2011-09-17T17:40:00.001+01:00

Like a tortoise shell on Asia's back, Afghanistan lies athwart the spiny Hindu Kush mountains, sloping northward to the Oxus River and Russia, eastward to the Khyber Pass. Perhaps no land has been so trodden upon by history and yet kept its independence. Darius, Alexander, Genghis Khan, Tamerlane, Babur all invaded it. In the 19th century the British Empire, following a north-westerly course, approached the Hindu Kush and southward-marching Russians. In the end, Britain and the Czars, fearful of what might happen if their armies met, agreed to keep Afghanistan as a buffer state.

Chafed Afghanistan's Amir Abdur Rahman: "This poor goat, Afghanistan, is a victim at which a lion on one side and a terrible bear from the other side are staring and ready to swallow."

The lion has since gone away, but the bear has not. Left on its own, the goat has been dreaming dreams of grandeur.

Recalling Afghanistan's big moment in history, when the 18th century's Ahmad Shah made himself first King of the nomadic Afghan tribes and conquered all of northern India, Afghans still dream of spreading out once again. Last week Afghanistan's King Mohammed Zahir Shah rode solemnly through Kabul's dusty, unpaved streets to the Shora-e-Milli (House of Representatives). There he urged his acquiescent Parliament to support the revolts of the Pathan tribes across the border in Pakistan, who are flesh and blood of King Zahir's own royal family. The British, in their old boundary-drawing days, had once separated the fierce Pathans (or Pakhtoons) from Afghanistan. Since the British never subdued them, say Pathan agitators, Pakistan has no right to claim their lands as a legacy from the British. "Pakhtoonistan," King Zahir told his Parliament last week, "remains a basic demand of Afghanistan."

Talk with Molotov. All this puffing up by the goat would not much matter were it not for the "terrible bear" to the north. Three years ago, backward* Afghanistan would not have dared to make demands on bigger and well-armed Pakistan. At that time Afghanistan was governed by two of the King's pro-Western uncles. Then Daoud Shah, brother-in-law of the King, began to get ambitious. In Moscow for Stalin's funeral, Daoud talked to Molotov long and earnestly. Six months later, backed by army leaders, Daoud ousted the King's uncles, installed himself as Prime Minister and named his brother Nairn as Foreign Minister.

At Daoud's invitation, shoals of Russians arrived in Kabul with new offers of economic aid. Their plans contrasted with the U.S.'s aid program, which, at Afghan request, has been concentrated on building remote dams in the southern desert.

The Russians built highways, silos and oil-storage tanks—works which few Afghans could fail to note. Besides, said one Russian confidently, "the roads, gasoline and grain will be useful to our armies when they march."

Daoud also made friendly contact with the Pathan independence leader in West Pakistan, frail, bearded, lumbago-plagued Mirza Ali, also known as the Fakir of Ipi. The Fakir of Ipi's impetuous followers, who love their girls second only to their guns and woo them with a ditty which begins, "Your eyes are two loaded pistols," thereupon increased their pressure on the Karachi government. By now, Prime Minister Daoud, expanding his notion of Pakhtoonistan to include more than half of West Pakistan, was demanding all the territory west of the Indus River, right down to the Arabian Sea.

Stewed Fruit. Irked by this Pakhtoon-foolery, Pakistan last week effectively closed the historic Khyber Pass, through which passes 80% of Afghanistan's external trade, including shipments to the U.S. of pistachio nuts, wool, and karakul fur (which becomes "Persian lamb" on Manhattan's Seventh Avenue). At the pass, Pakistani customs stopped grape, peach and pomegranate-laden trucks and told them to await clearance from Karachi—which, they blandly confided, would "take some time." While the truckers fretted, the fruit rotted.

At this point, another country got into the act. India, which has its own grievances against Pakistan, prepared to set up an airlift from Amritsar over the Khyber Pass to Kabul. The ambitious Afghans were grateful, but even more gratified by a handsome offer from the Russians: a five-year transit guarantee for their goods. Glowed Afghanistan's Foreign Minister Naim: "If one door is slammed shut and another is opened, we will go through it." After 100 years, the Russian bear's long vigil on the Oxus was beginning to pay off.

History in the Attic

2011-09-17T17:30:00.001+01:00

Sometimes thinking about your past is bad, and other times it’s really good. The past shapes us, physically and mentally, into who we are today and allows us, when we dip into it, to remember why we became who we are.

We went shopping today, me and the mother, just to, you know, buy a carpet, and we were putting the old rug which has been replaced up the attic.

Our attic is not extensive by any sorts, because we don’t live in a sprawling mansion (anymore! ha-ha) but its quaint and absolutely crammed with bits and bobs preserved in time. Items from the past. I took the opportunity to sit most of this morning sieving through old photographs, old toys, old books (the things i used to read!) I thought i’d share five things with you that i can’t believe i found!

King James Bible

A Masterpiece. This bible was created in 1932. It is so antique. Listen to this piece from Mark

”And he sayeth unto them, But whom say ye that i am? And Peter answereth and saith until him: Thou art the Christ!”

Buzz Lightyear and Woody
These are my childhood favourites. When i was a 13, i badly wanted one of the Disney Store Buzz Lightyears but because i was deemed “too old” my parents never got me one. I had to trade my Sega Mega Drive at school to get this bad boy!

Antique Clock from Lennoxlove House
An old possession of my grandmother. It is beautiful and the way i treat it is poor, but i have now cleaned it up (i hope you notice) and it still keeps the time(Not!) The clock face was replaced when i was a little boy. I remember its pride of place in the grandmothers oak cabinet. I should get it valued!!! There is a “Awarded by the Duke of Hamilton” on the back, and it apparently took pride of place in Lennoxlove house at one point. Who knows if thats true!

The Tri-Wizard Tournament Wands

These are from my collection of Harry Potter Movie wands. I went through a phase about 5 years ago when i bought every single wand featured in the films. I still bring them out, and dress up as Snape, only now and again…

The HSBC Beginners Staff Manual

Five and a half years ago, i started HSBC Bank as a Customer Service and Sales representative. I remember getting this manual on my arrival there, just before i got my induction. I don’t even know if the new people we train actually get this document anymore. I assume they will, because its your contract, but i get so amazed at the ever changing environment in which i work. I have the privilage to work amongst some of the most wonderful people i have ever met. I work with some of the most highly driven colleagues that seek to just be the best at every time. I have been a CSR, and met some wonderful CSR’s. I was a Coach, and i met some amazing Coaches, i was a Teamleader, and i’ve met some outstanding Teamleaders. I am a Manager there now, and i work with some of the most brilliant minds in our business.

So there you go, theres five items from a little treasure digging into the past that i did today. Items from the 1930’s to items only bought 5 years ago. Your loft tells your story better than you!

Tell me what your historic items are? What items will you find in your loft that sum you up?

Be Steadfast, Oh Israel

2011-09-15T20:28:00.001+01:00

Israel has rarely been so isolated. Consider the forces ranged against it:

• Jihadi entities – Hizbullah and Hamas – on its northern and southern borders that are itching for the moment when, behind their own civilian populations, they can rain down death upon Israeli civilians, forcing Israeli retaliation that inevitably causes Palestinian civilian casualties.

• An Arab Spring that has unleashed waves of anti-Zionism and empowered the Muslim Brotherhood, one of the first and most constant enemies of the Zionists.

• “Allies” in the Muslim world who are now turned or turning against it – Turkey, and Egypt following in the lead of Turkey: the closing of the Israeli embassy in Ankara, followed soon after by the takeover of the embassy in Cairo, illustrating how both bottom-up and top-down forces in the Muslim world militate for confrontation.

• A newly empowered Muslim media that spreads lethal narratives at lightning speed around the globe.

• The “progressive” West, especially the global tribe of the “Left,” and the “human rights” NGOs saturated with anti-Zionist diatribes, about to hold Durban III, commemorating one of the ugliest incidents in its depressing, demopathic career of betraying the very humanitarian causes they were created to protect.

• A Western news media and academia, enamoured of post-modern, post-colonial paradigms that present Israel as the Goliath victimizing the Palestinians, the paragon of an imperial and racist colonialism for which the West is trying to repent, and with whose sacrifice it might atone.

• A diplomatic elite that has long preferred to side with the oil-rich Arabs over a tiny, troublesome state.

• An internationally weak American president who, for reasons ideological, psychological, and practical, considers making friends with the Muslim world a far greater priority than protecting Israel.

• And now, in a few days, a Palestinian authority about to use the UN – currently a bastion of anti-Zionism – as a means to further isolate Israel diplomatically and legally.

Rumours are that it’s so bad that the stiff-necked, Right-wing Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, is under heavy pressure to be more placating, to calm the storm.

Of course, in so doing, Israel would be playing the role of sacrificial offering on the altar of jihadi warfare. Contrary to the exceptionally naïve expectations of the proponents of such a conciliatory stance, a reasonable, apologetic, concessionary Israel will not appease Muslim hatred, nor calm the roiling waters of Arab anger. On the contrary, it will play directly into the hands of the jihadis who aim at the – to us – ludicrous goal of world domination.

And any Western country that thinks sacrificing Israel in this manner will improve the situation, rather than weakening itself profoundly in a global battle it should be winning hands down, is deluding itself. Instead of pouring water on the fires of religious war – something virtually every thoughtful Westerner considers the most dangerous and destructive of forces – they would be pouring oil on the jihadi apocalyptic forest fire that grows with every passing year. If you’re worried about global climate warming, shouldn’t you also be worried about global jihad warming?

Israel, paradoxically, is also in a particularly strong position. Few alliances last long in this part of the world, and no sooner are reconciliations announced than they begin to fray. The very countries that, in their move to Islamism, have turned against her, have, at the same time, gutted their armies of their military professionals. Even as they strut on the international stage, making threats and demanding abject apologies, their military ability to confront Israel wanes. And of course, the Israel he’d meet would not be the wounded, defensive one with which he shadow-boxes daily. Israelis have always had more heart for fighting real wars than for constant low-grade battles with terrorists who hide behind civilians in order to gain a propaganda victory.

Indeed, the situation of the Turks is so perilous, that one (typical) conspiracy theory circulating in among them now is that Obama has been encouraging Erdogan’s intransigence so that Turkey will enter into a disastrous war with Israel and end up losing not only to them, but to their troublesome neighbours, the Kurds. Have Egyptians really believed their fantastic narrative about defeating Israel in 1973, a victory snatched from them (rather than from the Israelis) by meddlesome Westerners? Is the mob mentality in the street and in the media, so much in evidence in 1967, still capable of driving them to a war with Israel?

Behind the military weakness lies economic weaknesses. High wheat prices from drought-stricken China played a major role in both sparking the “Arab Spring” and the weakness of Arab economies (with and without oil) pose major threats to the largely dispossessed people. With problems like this, only fools and tyrants would resort to scapegoating one of the most economically successful and productive nations in the neighbourhood, as a way to move forward. If the Turks continue their belligerence, their Jewish population will leave Turkey, and the unemployment rate will, according to some estimates, almost double.

Israel should, if anything, hold fast and let the Arabs and Muslims vent their impotent rage; even to challenge them. Israel should call Turkey’s morally repugnant bluff about concern for Palestinians even as it crushes its own minorities. Western human rights activists would do everyone a favour by spotlighting Turkey’s troubling record, for more than just the purpose of keeping them out of the EU. I’m quite sure the Kurds and the Greek Cypriots would much prefer Israel as a neighbour than Turkey – indeed, honest Arab inhabitants of Jerusalem, like those who would say they would move out any parts of Jerusalem given to the PA, would admit the same.

Of course such pushback might lead to war. No one in Israel wishes for war. Every soldier’s death and every dead civilian, on both sides, is experienced as a national tragedy. Unfortunately, even impotent venting can lead Muslim leaders down dark tunnels that they can’t escape. The extremist street can and has propelled them into following through on their rhetorical flourishes and drum rolls. Foolish Arab leaders, fuelled by false pride, will lie to each other about their capabilities, as Nasser did to the Jordanians in 1967, forcing themselves into confrontations that will cost them, the West and Israel dearly.

Of course, Israel needs help. It will need sound and sane nations and peoples who, looking at the global situation, can distinguish between firemen and arsonists, between those who show concern for both their own citizens and those of their foes, and those who willingly sacrifice their own children in order to target those of their foes. It needs outsiders who can understand that turning on one’s friends and supporting one’s enemies, reveals to any many an observer not courage, but weakness. Israel needs outsiders who understand that they are the targets of jihad just as much as the Israelis. It does not need ideologues who can’t learn from catastrophic past mistakes.

In other words, Israel needs allies who love life, freedom, and critical intelligence. It needs them the way the Dutch needed the English as they tried to survive 80 years of vicious warfare that went on around them, and the assaults of the imperial neighbour, Spain. It needs them as the Czechs needed the Western democracies to protect them from the Nazis’ insatiable appetite. Israel needs people with discernment and a lively instinct for self-preservation.

If the West had the courage of its democratic convictions, it would make it clear to the representatives of the “Arab Spring” that the barrel of the gun only makes it possible to build democracies, but that sustaining them demands far more. It would tell the Palestinians – not just the leaders, but the people – to start doing the kinds of things that will lead to peace rather than conduct a war of ethnic cleansing masquerading as peace. It would explain to the Egyptians that scapegoating a neighbor when your own government continues to fail its people only makes the problem worse. Nato would tell the Turks to keep their ships out of the eastern Mediterranean.

Of course that would mean that we in the democratic West begin to understand our own political history, and appreciate that democracy is not merely giving the people the vote, that military alliances don’t give a free hand to hostile partners. Without a democratic culture of fairness, tolerance, ability to self-criticize, and respect for the “other,” and ability therefore to enter into positive-sum relations with the other – all attitudes for which there is little evidence (and much counter-evidence) in current Arab political culture – one can expect those newly empowered voters to fall prey to the first demagogue who sounds the right notes.

A Westerner can say to me, “Forget it. They’ll never change. And if we criticise them, we’ll just alienate them, even provoke them. Israel is lost.” Of course, that also means we Westerners are lost, that we just delay our place on the crocodiles' menu.

We have the choice between genteel suicide and mental battle.

For the Soldier who fights for Truth, calls his enemy his brother:
They fight & contend for life, & not for eternal death!
But here the Soldier strikes, & a dead corse falls at his feet,

William Blake, Jerusalem, II.41-43.

Do we have the resources for mental and moral strife, and the courage to think and act clearly?

Favourite Things

2011-09-12T22:11:00.001+01:00

Hi everyone.
I hate to admit that i haven’t been using or updating my blog for quite a while. I want to thank my readers who continually visit this website in the hope that they might, one day, see a new post. Ha-ha. I’m so sorry. I actual can’t believe I've not typed a blog for months.

Today though, i want to share some of my favourite things. Just 10 things that i hold really dear to me. I will say this though: this doesn’t include family or people okay? Just things. things!

PS. You will also be glad to know that yes, i did indeed get promoted at my work! Go me!!!

So here goes…

Number 10
Mulled Wine Christmas Candle
This is one of my “look forward to” Christmas moments. I love lighting a few of these on Christmas Eve and just relaxing with Mariah Carey’s Merry Christmas II You album jingling away in the background, and watch their sweet aromatic little flames deliver that sticky Christmas incense! Delish!

Number 9
’Bleak House’ by Charles Dickens
This novel always inspires me to write. It deals with an interesting array of complicated Characters that go so deep that they become, quite literally, part of your world. Dickens cleverly constructs his imagery that the environment he pens out becomes almost real. Even talking about it makes me salivate over the thought of reading it again! I try to read it at least once a year!

Number 8
Paco Rabanne ‘Ultraviolet’
For years, Ultraviolet has been my signature aftershave and it remains unrivalled in that title. I love the idea of it being focused on being revolutionary & technological. PR describes it as a “futuristic lively scent full of new sensations.”
Its top notes are Black Pepper and ambergris. Its middle notes are Russian Coriander and Italian Mint and its bottom notes are Indonesian patchouli and oak moss giving it that woody, sensual and confident aura. Just like me. :)

Number 7
Egyptian Cotton Fresh Bed sheets
I’m not trying to sound like a Diva. That's absolutely not what this one is about. I wonder if you’ve ever been in a Hilton Hotel in one of their deluxe rooms. In every deluxe room or suite, Hilton lovingly dress their bed in fresh Egyptian Cotton that just pours over your skin coldly in hot weather, and warmly in cool weather. Either way they’re just superbly refreshing, clean, and pristine. Hand in hand with Duck feather pillows (which aren't in my top 10, but defo in my top 20) you just can’t not want to go to bed.

Number 6
Eton Mess
The first food entry in my top ten sits beautifully in a heaped mess of sheer deliciousness. Eton Mess is a traditional English dessert consisting of a mixture of strawberries, pieces of meringue and cream, which is traditionally served at Eton College's annual cricket game against the students of Winchester College. It’s just made to be lustfully drooled over.

Number 5
My Blackberry
I don’t think i honestly could do without this little item. It services my every requirement communicationally and is so devilishly clever that it throws up a new surprise every day. There's always a technique, a button, an app, a sound, a tone that you never knew about. There's always a feature, infact there are many features, that you will never use, but love to have. Its a little briefcase, filing cabinet and oh…a telephone all at the same time. Fabulous. Well done RIM.

Number 4
The Preachers Wife

The Preachers Wife–Scene.

The first movie of the list, and in its rightful place at Number 4 in my favourite things list. The story is simple, and it reflects my life story a little. A ministers church is failing, his marriage is failing, his life is falling apart in front of him and he reaches for the only thing left. Something he talks about all the time. He reaches for the mercy of our Lord to save him, save his church and save his soul again. The Lord sends a messenger to revive this broken man and his life. In doing so, he transforms him into a vibrant evangelical preacher, and puts him at the helm of a thriving Christian community. Belter! I’ve included my favourite scene. Just for the nostalgia.

Number 3
Rose and Lemon Turkish Delight (Lokum)

Turkish delight was created for an Ottoman Sultan who wanted something sweet to chew on throughout the hot middle eastern summers that wasn’t chocolate. He sent one of his cooks to come up with a recipe and lo and behold he invented what the Turkish call Lokum. In English, we have Turkish delight. I think the English translation describes it perfectly and i have no need to elaborate. Nuff said.

Number 2
E=MC2 Album

I have been a huge Mariah Carey fan for years. I love every single one of her albums, but i have never been able to surpass my favourites albums list that with this 2009 effort. She absolutely excels herself in the album in every way, whistles in and out of all of her musical registers. Amazing record. Stand out tracks are: Touch my Body, Cruise Control, I stay in Love and I Wish you Well. Check it out.

Number 1
Doublju Clothing

Doublju is a recent addition to my top 10, but my far, my favourite. Ever since i was a young boy flickering through the pages of Vogue, GQ and Cosmo i always dreamt of having a unique style and fashion sense. Doublju is a South Korean Designer label, one that is held with very high regard in China, Japan and Hong Kong. The style of clothing is trim, fitted and different from the norm. They’re collection is superb and i dream of the day they open up a boutique in the UK. That would just compliment our fashion industry marvellously. One selfish downside though: i wouldn’t be the only individual dressing male around. The best thing about this label being abroad is that nobody i know has these kinds of clothes. That is exactly why its so valuable.

Sh'ma Israel Elohai (Hear Israel, My God!)

2011-09-03T12:20:00.002+01:00

"Therefore thus saith the Lord, the God of Israel... Behold, I will gather them out of all the countries, whither I have driven them, in mine anger... and I will bring them again unto this place, and I will cause them to dwell safely: and they shall be my people and I will be their God..."

When the heart cries
only God hears
The pain rises out of the soul
A man falls down before he sinks down
With a little prayer (he) cuts the silence

Shma (Hear) Israel my God,
you're the omnipotent
You gave me my life,
you gave me everything

In my eyes a tear,
the heart cries quietly
And when the heart is quiet,
the soul screams

Shma (Hear) Israel my God,
now I am alone
Make me strong my God;
make it that I won't be afraid

The pain is big,
and there's no where to run away
End it because I can't take it anymore
(make the end of it because I have no more energy left within me)

When the heart cries,
Time stands still
All of a sudden, the man sees his entire life
He doesn't want to go to the unknown
He cries to his God right before a big fall

The Art of

2011-08-02T19:43:00.002+01:00

Alot of people in our world suffer. I've seen it and heard it on television and radio and newspaper. Sometimes a Christian will struggle even more than others because they have an unbalanced view of God, life and what Jesus did for us… and what we still have to do. The deeper the damage, sometimes the deeper the passivity and immobility.

In other words, when someone is very damaged they rely very deeply on Jesus and have may have very great faith… but still they struggle terribly.

This post explains the need for a biblically based balance in our lives. The bible itself describes the components we need to have. We need all of them, together. I’ll explain…

If a person has low self esteem they may be highly focussed on loving God and loving others, but they may choose not to love themselves. They may see themselves as unimportant to God, they may think He wants them to “deny yourself” or “I must become less (while He becomes more)” and in fact those may be some of the pious crowds most quoted verses. Plus “its not I that lives (but Christ in me)” may be frequently quoted as well.

If the emotional damage goes deeper – where their very survival was threatened - they may have gone further with their thinking and they may have decide that we are called to only love God and have “faith”, but not even love others and not love themselves. They may not realize that this is how they think, they just focus exclusively on God alone.

This kind of thinking is a survival strategy, because the person wants God to save them (and they usually don’t want to be saved by anyone else).

Their fav verse may be “return to your first love” but because the haven’t experienced real love in their lives, they confuse romance with love. They therefore see God as a romance – and their Christianity becomes highly emotional and terribly unbalanced. They experience emotional swings from excitement to dis-illusionment. Music is relied on to lift them up on bad days.

Love God, others, self

Jesus replied, “‘You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. A second is equally important: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ The entire law and all the demands of the prophets are based on these two commandments.” – Matt 22:37-40 (see also Deut 6:5 and Lev 19:18)

What is missing is biblical balance. We need all three, not just our fav one. We can only really perform well in our lives when we love God AND ALSO love others AND ALSO love ourselves. All three (God, others, self) are needed to function in a balanced way as a human being.

Faith, hope and love

And now these three remain: faith, hope and love - 1 Cor 13:13 (see also Col 1:5, 1 Thess 1:3, 1 Thess 5:8)

The same problem can be seen in the balance needed for faith, hope and love. We may value faith over love or hope, but then we have problems later on. Some problems are healed by loving yourself enough to have boundaries to protect yourself. Some problems need hope to be given by a kind trusted friend. Some problems can only be dealt with by having faith in the blood of Jesus shed on the cross.

Law, grace and truth

For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. – John 1:17 (see also John 1:14, Col 1:6 , 2 John 1:3)

Another three concepts that must be kept in balance is law, grace and truth. Law in it’s very nature is religious and puts us into bondage if we don’t add grace (aka love/compassion). But grace doesn’t make sense without law. Together the law of Abraham plus the grace of Jesus Christ make up TRUTH.

If you only focus on law, you won’t get it. If you only focus on grace you won’t get the whole picture, you won’t even understand WHY you needed to receive grace. If you can see both you can receive truth.

We need a biblical balance in our every day lives. We need to combine things and keep them together in balance.

Social Points.

2011-07-27T15:04:00.004+01:00

I frequently recieve e-mails about Christians who face persecution. This is a natural part of being a Christian. Recently though, i recieved an e-mail that really made me think. I had been waiting on it coming, and i had, on brief, addressed the issue before. However, the letter (which i won't share) is too important for me to set aside. So here goes...

I've called it "What Happened?"

This is a question that many Christians ask after they find themselves on the outside of a church community that was once a central part of their life.

It’s been my experience that while there are many scenarios that result in a Christian being dechurched - excluded from their church or faith community, the main reason will fall into one of the following larger categories:

Differences in Doctrine
Church Change Decisions
Power Plays
Social Popularity

Let’s take a quick look at each one, so you’ll have an idea where your situation might fall.

Differences in doctrine

One would think this wouldn’t be too common. If a person has chosen to make themselves part of a particular church community, then it stands to reason he must generally accept the doctrines of the denomination that church represents.

The operative word here is “generally.”

Churches are first and foremost groups of people who share relationships with one another. Very few church relationships are founded on doctrine. The doctrine of a church is more akin to what neighborhood someone wants to live in than how close I am to a particular neighbor on my street. For instance, a Baptist would be very unlikely to attend a Catholic service. It’s not the religious neighborhood where they want to spend time every Sunday – but this Baptist might have very dear Catholic friends. Similarly, a Methodist might attend the same Methodist church her family has attended for three generations. This doesn’t mean she likes everyone in her congregation. In fact, there are probably a few people she doesn’t like at all!

So, once a person has made a decision to be a part of a particular church, certain general assumptions are made about doctrine that don’t usually come up in conversation. They are considered to be “a given.” This is like a group of guys planning on attending a Rangers vs Celtic football game. They are going to wear Rangers tops and bring Blue hats (or something, i'm not read up in Footie) to support their team. They don’t discuss which team fan flair there are going to bring – it’s going to be stuff that supports Rangers. That’s “a given.”

But, guess what? People move in and out of churches and other people change with age and experience. Pretty soon someone will have a different view on a key doctrinal point, like women preaching from the pulpit, believing the world took longer than six days to create, or that abortion might be necessary to save the life of a mother. That someone might be the pastor or church leader, which can create a serious rift in the congregation. Or that someone might be a member of the congregation, in which case this person becomes reviled and excluded from the rest of the group, whose perspectives have not changed. This is not unlike our Rangers fan changing his shirt and hat in the middle of a game to support the rival Celtic team. His friends and all the other fans around him are going to give him a VERY hard time! People change.

Church Change Decisions

I’m speaking about the non-doctrinal issues here. These are the sort of questions like, “Do we use the X fund to resurface the parking bays” “Should we allow random organizations to use the church?” “How should we advertise?” "How do we reach out?" "What type of Kitchen should we get?" "What are other churches doing" La La La...

When I actually write these things, they sound so trivial that it’s hard to imagine they could ever get blown into the proportions they do … but they do. We often speak of church being “like a family.” We forget that while families are often sources of unconditional love, they are also places where the most bitter of spite and contempt can fester over seemingly insignificant issues.

Hear this: Churches despise change.

There are two primary reasons for this. First, the essence of church is to worship God, Whom the vast majority of Christian churches view as unchanging. It then stands to unspoken reason that if we have a good and proven way of worshipping Him and sharing our faith about Him, then there shouldn’t be any reason to change. Secondly, when the world around us changes we look for places of stability. Churches offer the prospect of that sort of eternal stability. If the church starts changing, that creates uncertainty and instability in the one place where many people are seeking certainty.

Of course, the reality is that the world changes and the church with it. For proof, one need only look at even the simplest timeline that stretches from the time of Christ to today. Still, on a day-to-day level, this is hard to see and churches invariably resist change.

Power Plays
This one is particularly ugly. No group of people can effectively work with one another toward common goals without some sort of common rules and leadership structure. Churches have both in excessive volumn. Another fact is that those in leadership have to have some sort of power in order to provide direction to the group. We all wish that every Christian who holds a leadership position truly viewed the position as a “servant” role. Most don’t. There are a few, to be sure, but for many, it is something they do because no one else really wanted to do it. For others, it is something they do because they couldn’t say “no” when they were asked to fill the position. For a few … they do it because they like being the center of attention and/or being influential in a group.

When someone in the congregation challenges church leadership, they run risk of having that leadership power and influence pointed back at them. The reality is that those in leadership do have some measure of skill or gift in that role or they would not have the drive to seek it out. Those who do not have those skills or gifts will find themselves at a disadvantage when things start to heat up since they won’t really know how to effectively “play the game.” This game, of course, is church politics. Once “the game” is in full play, worship of our Lord takes a back seat to special meetings, gossip in the halls, various sort of formal and informal exclusion tactics and all the rest of the garbage that will quickly send a Christian fleeing down the road!

Social Popularity
This one is sadly ironic. Churches are supposed to be those safe havens where “everyone is welcome.” Christ died for everyone’s sins, didn’t He? Why wouldn’t all be welcome?

Right.

There’s the guy who just goes ON and ON and ON at every meeting about things that seem to have no relevance to the topic, theological or otherwise.

There is the kitchen person who has to have everything just so.

There’s the rich(er) people who insist that things be done their way.

There’s the guy who questions every theological point at every opportunity.

And so on.

The truth of the matter is that groups get fed up with people who constantly create friction. Churches are no exception. The sad thing about churches is that certain peoples use of the Bible to find verses to support certain 'tactics', just simply creates a stain on not only the church, but on Christ. This can cause the one who is being excluded (and many onlookers) to associate the church with Christ and throw the whole religious mess out the window of their lives.

Summary
Chances are that if you’ve been excluded from a church congregation, the circumstances fall into one or more of these four categories. To begin making a recovery from any sort of emotional or spiritual downfall, it helps to understand how things got to the point of being the mess they did. In next weeks letter, I’ll speak a little about what i have learned in coaching and development, psychology of group dynamics and show you how this works in a church setting.

The False Faith

2011-05-30T18:51:00.003+01:00

Islam is not a religious cult in the strictest sense of the word but it is a major world religion, a false religion vastly different and opposed to Christianity. Islam is the fastest growing religion in the world with one out of every 5 people on the face of the earth being a Muslim. It is considered to be one of the four largest religions in the world, behind Christianity, Judaism, and Hinduism. It is estimated that by the year 2010, Islam will move ahead of Judaism to become the second largest religion in America. Hundreds of millions of people all over the world have embraced the Islamic faith to where entire countries are ruled and dominated by Islamic teachings, practices, and laws. Islam is a religious, social, and political force which every born-again Christian and every American should be aware of.

Some background...

It is recorded that Islam first got its start around 600 A.D. by a man named Muhammed in an area in what is known today as Saudi Arabia. This man claims to have received supernatural visions and revelations from Allah (Islamic name for God) through the archangel Gabriel: one hundred fourteen to be exact. These visions and revelations were recorded and written down known as the Koran (Arabic term for "the recitation"), the holy book of Islam. Muhammed claimed he was the true and final prophet to restore true religion and the praise of Allah throughout the world.

In order for us to understand the basic history and beliefs of Islam, there are some religious terms that need to be defined:

1) Islam -- is the name of the religion which came out of the revelations and teachings of Mohammed; it is the Arabic term for "submission."

2) Muslim -- name given to one who adheres to, follows the religion of Islam. It means: "one who submits." A Muslim is to submit to the will of Allah as revealed by Muhammed.

Muhammed was born in Mecca in 570 A.D. After his father's death he was raised by his grandfather and an uncle. His uncle was a merchant who traveled and Muhammed accompanied him, becoming a camel driver. It has been explained that when Muhammed began to see the polytheistic, idolatrous Arab tribal society around Mecca deteriorating in his day, that he decided to withdraw to a mountain cave near Mecca and spend a month (28 days) in meditation. This happened to be the month of Ramadan, the ninth month in Islam's lunar calendar. During this time he claims Allah, through the angel Gabriel, first spoke to him and this is when Islam had its start. Muhammed continued to have visions and revelations and began to claim he was restoring the true religion of Abraham, Moses, Jesus, etc. which had been corrupted. These visions and revelations were later recorded as the Koran. The Koran records Abraham as saying: "This am I commanded, and I am the first of the Muslims."

After conflicts for several years within his own country and people, Muhammed was able to convince many of his fellow Arabs that Allah was the only true god. Sources today indicate that Allah was in fact one of the 360 idol-gods worshiped by the Arab tribes. Allah was originally a mood god to the Arabs. Muhammed's proclaiming of Allah as the only god caused so much opposition in Mecca that he and his followers in 622 A.D. had to flee 250 miles to what is known as Medina. It was here that Muhammed became the political and religious leader in Medina and the town became the center for expansion of Islam. Muhammed eventually gained enough followers that he conquered Mecca in 630 A.D. He destroyed all the idols in the town and declared it a mosque (Arabic word for "temple"). In the next few years after this Muhammed's followers spread Islam over Palestine and Syria. Over the period of years, Muhammed married 15 wives. He said he did so for political reasons and because so many Muslim women were left without husbands who had been killed in battles of war.

When Muhammed died, he left no male heir to take over and so Islam splintered into different groups. The biggest group is the Sunnite sect which claim to recognize and follow the teachings of the immediate successors of Muhammed. They practice a moderate form of Islamic interpretation of the Koran. Over 90% of the Muslims in the Mideast, Egypt, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, and Libya are of this group.

The next biggest group is the Shi'ite sect who claim to be the rightful line of succession to Muhammed. This group is much more literal in its interpretation and application of the Koran and is much more militant and fanatical. About 93% of Muslims in Iran are of this group.

Muhammed died in 632 A.D. and was buried in Medina. This is a known historical fact but Muslim tradition tells a different story. They claim that he went to Jerusalem on a white horse and ascended into heaven from a rock that is now enclosed in the Dome of the Rock (Mosque of Omar) on Mt. Moriah. This is why Jerusalem is considered a holy place for Muslims.

The Koran and its Teachings

It is traditionally taught that there is no ceremony, no ritual involved in a person who wants to become a Muslim. All one has to do is to believe and say: "There is no god but Allah and Muhammed is his prophet." After saying this, the person is obligated to do all the duties of Islam. One must remember that the word "Muslim" means: one who submits. Islam basically offers the world two choices: the Koran (conversion) or the sword (death). According to the teaching of the Koran, conversion to Islam can either be by persuasion or force. We must understand that the spread of Islam through the centuries has been carried out largely on the battlefield. Islam has been advanced by the widespread use of war, torture, and force of arms. Islam has swept over the world slaughtering Jews and Christians alike. Islam is a fighting religion. Conquest is a religious duty in Islam. The Koran urges Muslims to take up arms against the "infidel" (anyone who is not a Muslim). The Koran specifically says: "When ye encounter unbelievers, strike off their heads until ye have made a great slaughter among them, and bind them in bonds." (Sura 47:4) In another place it says: "those who fight against you, kill them wherever ye shall find them ...You Allah are our protector. Give us victory therefore over the infidel nations." "Kill thine enemy" is the practical teaching of Islam.

The Koran is the final authority in Islam. It is the recordings of all the visions and revelations that Muhammed supposedly received directly from Allah. There were 114 in total. These revelations in the Koran are believed by Muslims to have come to Muhammed over a period of 23 years. The Koran is divided into 114 "sura's" or chapters and contains many quotations and references to the Bible. Quoting from one source: "The Koran offers a religion that relies upon methods of violence and force -- a doctrine of holy wars that brings inducements to political revolution and assassinations which have produced wars and tragedies unimaginable. The Koran offers a theology that is distinctly anti-Christ, claiming a method of salvation based entirely upon works."

Islam claims to revere the writings of all the supposed great prophets of the world yet the Muslims definitely exalt and honor the "prophecy" of Muhammed (i.e. the Koran) above the Scriptures and any other religious writings. Muslims believe that Muhammed is the prophet who fully revealed the final truth and they will not compromise that belief. A leaflet prepared by the Institute of Islamic Information and Education states: "Muhammed is the very last Prophet of God to mankind. He is the final Messenger of God. His message was and is still to the Christians, the Jews, and the rest of mankind. He was sent to those religious people to inform them about the true mission of Jesus, Moses, David, Jacob, Isaac, and Abraham." The leaflet continues: "Muhammed is considered to be the summation and the culmination of all the prophets and messengers that came before him. He purified the previous messages from adulteration and completed the Message of God for all humanity. He was entrusted with the power of explaining, interpreting, and living the teachings of the Koran." Muslims believe that all mankind must be brought into subjection to the teachings of the Koran in order to experience peace and blessing.

In the Koran, Islam is more than a religion; it is a complete way of life that includes political, economic, social as well as religious conduct. All Islam claims to follow the Koran but there are a multitude of interpretations and applications of it among Muslims.

At first glance to the general public, Islamic belief appears to be almost compatible with Christianity. Often people claim that the Muslims believe in the same God as Christians with the exception that they do not accept Jesus Christ. It is often said that Christians, Jews, and Muslims are worshiping the same God but in different ways. Muslims have capitalized on this misconception and now urge Christians and Jews to worship the one God (Allah) with them, and work together for solutions to the world's many social problems.

Based on the Koran, Muslims believe in one god (Allah but not the Trinity); they believe in God as the Creator and Jesus as a prophet (but not as Saviour); they believe in the resurrection of all (including animals), final judgment, and eternal punishment. They believe in all of these things but not according to the Bible's definition of these things. When you carefully study the Bible and compare it with the teachings of the Koran, it becomes obvious that the god of Islam is not the God of the Bible. Islam rejects the biblical doctrines of the Trinity and the Deity of Christ, among other things.

For the Muslim, Allah is the only true God. The Muslim concept of Allah is not what God reveals Himself to be in the Bible. To say that God and Allah are two names for the same being reveals a lack of understanding of the Bible or the Koran or both. The Muslims teach there is no such thing as the "blasphemous" doctrine of the Trinity, i.e. the Godhead is One but exists in three Persons. Christians are referred to as unbelievers, infidels by the Muslims because they believe in the Trinity. In a booklet entitled "Christian Muslim Dialogue" on page 16, it states: "The Trinity is not biblical. The word "trinity" is not even in the Bible or Bible dictionaries; it was never taught by Jesus and was never mentioned by him. There is no basis or proof in the Bible whatsoever for the acceptance of the Trinity." The Koran states that Christians worship 3 gods: God, Jesus, and Mary. It denies that there is a Trinity in the Godhead. It also says that those who say that God is a Trinity are to be severely punished: "Surely they are disbelievers those who said Allah is one of the 3 in a trinity. But there is none who has the right to be worshiped but one God (Allah). And if they cease not from what they say, verily a painful torment will befall the disbelievers among
them."

The Muslim god is unapproachable by sinful man; he is so perfect and holy he can only communicate with mankind through a progression of angels and prophets. The Muslim god is a god of judgment, not grace; a god of wrath rather than love. Muslims have no concept of God as a loving and compassionate Father. Muslims never do refer to God as "Father;" they explain He would have to have a wife and children to be called such a name. This means, of course, that Muslims deny the deity of Christ. The Koran states: "It is not meet for Allah, the he should have any son. Allah forbid." Another quote plainly says: "God has no Son."

And Jesus?

To the Muslim, Jesus Christ is just one of many prophets of Allah. He is not the eternal Son of God or God Himself. Jesus Christ was a prophet for His people in His day. The Koran says: "Jesus is not more than a servant whom we favored, and proposed as an instance of divine power to the children of Israel." Muhammed, say the Muslims, is Allah's last and greatest prophet and all should heed him, superseding Jesus and all other prophets.

From the booklet "Christian Muslim Dialogue," it says on page 3: "The reader will be surprised to learn that in the Bible Jesus never claimed to be God." Islam sees Jesus Christ as a prophet of God who otherwise is no different from other men. The Koran says: "Jesus was no more than a mortal whom Allah favored and made an example to the Israelites." According to the Koran, the main significance of Jesus is that He prophesied the coming of Muhammed. All Muslim commentators teach that Jesus' promise of the coming of the Comforter in John 16:7 is a prophecy that Muhammed would come.

According to the Koran, anyone who says "God is the Messiah, Mary's Son, God shall prohibit him entrance into Paradise and his refuge shall be the fire. They are unbelievers who say God is the Third of Three." Another quote: "Kill those who join other gods with God (Allah) wherever ye shall find them; and seize them, besiege them, and lay wait for them with every kind of ambush."

In reference to Jesus Christ, the Koran states: "The Messiah, Son of Mary, is but an apostle; other apostles have flourished before him. And his mother was a just person, they both ate food." In other words, Jesus was just a human; God does not eat food, argue the Muslims. Another quote: "God has no wife, therefore he can have no son."

In a pamphlet entitled "Prophethood in Islam" it states: "The Koranic account of Jesus emphatically rejects the concept of his divinity and divine sonship." In a tract called "Is Jesus Really God," written by the Institute of Islamic Information and Education, it states that Islam totally rejects the Biblical teaching that Jesus is God manifest in the flesh.

Islam has even gone as far as to actually deny that Jesus Christ was ever crucified. In the booklet "Christian Muslim Dialogue," it says on page 3: "The reader will be surprised to learn that in the Bible Jesus did not die on the cross." Muslims teach that Jesus Christ did not atone for anyone's sins, although He was Himself sinless. Various Muslim traditions say that Jesus Christ either miraculously substituted Judas Iscariot for Himself on the cross, or that Allah miraculously delivered Him from the hands of the Romans and Jews before He could be crucified. Most Muslims believe that Jesus Christ was taken bodily into heaven without having died. Koran says: "they slew him not nor crucified him, but it appeared so unto them...they slew him not for certain, but Allah took him up unto himself."

To deny Jesus Christ's crucifixion is to deny His resurrection. Muslims believe in a resurrection, but not the resurrection of the crucified Lord Jesus Christ. So here we see that Islam denies the basic, essential message of the Bible: the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus Christ. In doing so, it has taken away the Saviour and has rejected God's saving grace. Islam says it has a high regard for Jesus as a prophet of Allah but no amount of respect for Jesus as a prophet can be acceptable to God when the Person and work of Jesus Christ are outright denied.

What does the bible say?
The Bible teaches that Jesus Christ was indeed God manifest in the flesh (1 Tim.3 :16). John 1:1 and 14 says God dwelt as a Man among men. The Lord said to the religious people of His day who rejected His deity: "if ye believe not that I am he, ye shall die in your sins" (John 8:24). The Bible teaches that Jesus Christ was crucified and His crucifixion and resurrection are the basic message of the Bible. About one-third of the words of the first 4 books in the New Testament are given to eye-witness accounts of the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. The basic essential message of the Bible is the gospel of Jesus Christ, His death on the Cross for sinners, His burial, and His glorious resurrection from the dead.

The Bible teaches that from birth man is a sinner and cannot help or save himself. He must have a substitute to atone for him and the only substitute God will accept is Jesus Christ and His death on the Cross. The death of Christ is the only means of salvation. It is the only means of reconciliation to God. Without the crucifixion, God's Word makes it clear there can be no forgiveness of sin and no eternal life. If Jesus Christ did not die on the Cross and rise from the dead, there is no salvation from sin.

Islam unashamedly rejects these basic truths which comprise the gospel. While many people try to argue that Christians and Muslims worship the same God, 2 John verse 7 and 9 say otherwise: "For many deceivers are entered into the world, who confess not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh. This is a deceiver and an antichrist. . . Whosoever transgresseth, and abideth not in the doctrine of Christ, hath not God. He that abideth in the doctrine of Christ, he hath both the Father and the Son."

Denying the doctrine of Christ reveals Islam as a deception and an antichrist religion. The Koran has substituted false doctrines which present another gospel. No matter how intellectual, civilized, or scientific Islam is made to appear, it is still a religion which embraces and proclaims a false gospel and the Bible declares it and those who believe it to be accursed. "I marvel that ye are so soon removed from him that called you into the grace of Christ unto another gospel: Which is not another; but there be some that trouble you, and would pervert the gospel of Christ. But though we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel unto you than that which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed." (Galatians 1:6-8)

Sin and Salvation

For a true Muslim, the Koran is the "word of Allah," and is to be believed and practiced literally. Apart from being a Muslim, there is no hope for a person according to the Koran. The Koran says: "Whoso desires any other religion than Islam, that religion shall never be accepted from him, and in the next world he shall be among the lost." Another quote: "The true religion with God is Islam." These two quotes simply signify that there can be no compromise, concession, or agreement between true Christianity and orthodox Islam.

Biblical Christianity and Islam teach a different concept of sin and salvation. Islam believes mankind is born pure, without sin. From the tract entitled "Introducing Islam to Non-Muslims," it is explained: "Muslims believe that people are born free of sin. It is only after they reach the age of puberty and it is only after they commit sins that they are to be charged for their mistakes. No one is responsible for or can take the responsibility for the sins of others." What this does is to deny the Biblical teaching that all mankind sinned in Adam, i.e. Adam's sin has been imputed to the whole human race: "Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned:" (Romans 5:12). Second, this is a denial of the Biblical teaching that the sin of man is imputed to Christ, i.e. Christ became sin for us on Calvary's cross: "For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him." (2 Corinthians 5:21) Third, this is a denial of the Biblical teaching that the righteousness of God is imputed to men upon believing, i.e. believers possess the righteousness of God: "For as by one man's disobedience many were made sinners, so by the obedience of one shall many be made righteous." (Romans 5:19) By denying these truths which are fundamental to the gospel of salvation by grace through faith alone, Islam has laid the groundwork for a false gospel of self-righteousness and salvation by works.

The differing concepts of sin between Christianity and Islam leads to differing views of salvation. Islam's "salvation" is based on an individual's good works outweighing their bad works. The Bible teaches that salvation is not a reward but "the gift of God" (Romans 6:23). Heaven is the eternal abode of those who have received Christ as Saviour. Islam teaches that salvation is indeed a reward for a life of relative piety and righteousness. The Koran states: "Then those whose scales are heavy, they are successful. And those whose scales are light are those who lose their souls."

It is taught that a Muslim cannot be assured of attaining Paradise (Koran's concept of Heaven) unless he dies in a "jihad" (holy war). Then he goes immediately to paradise, which explains why Muslims are willing to die in terrorist acts. Note this quote from the Koran: "And they who have suffered in my cause and have fought and fallen, I will blot out their sins from them, and I will bring them into gardens beneath which the streams do flow."

One writer wrote describing a Muslim's concept of paradise as a type of desert oasis "where they will recline on soft couches, drinking cups of wine handed to them by maidens of paradise, of whom each man may marry as many as he pleases."

The Five Pillars (The HOW)

Every Muslim who hopes to escape the judgment of Allah, must fulfill his religious duties which are the works of the "Five Pillars of the Faith":

1. Recite the Muslim creed -- "There is no God but Allah and Muhammed is his prophet." To say the creed with conviction and sincerity makes one a Muslim.

2. Pray 5 prescribed prayers a day toward the holy city of Mecca.

3. Give alms to the poor. Muslims are required to give one-fortieth of their income as charitable contributions.

4. Fast during the entire month of Ramadan (9th month in the Muslim's lunar calendar). This is when the Muslims are supposed to fast for 28 days from all food and drink from sunrise to sunset in atonement for their own sins over the previous year. In actuality, what this involves is sleeping all during the day and eating all night.

5. Make a pilgrimage to the holy city of Mecca at least once in a lifetime. For those unable to physically go, they can hire a substitute to go in their place.

In Conclusion then...

According to the Bible, Allah is not God, Muhammed is not his prophet, and the Koran is not the Word of God. Islam is a false religion and utterly without power to save from sin because it doesn't recognize Jesus Christ as the Saviour. No person, no matter how religious or how sincere he may be, can possess truth or salvation apart from the Lord Jesus Christ. The person and work of Christ is the crucial divider between Christianity and Islam. Christ's atoning death is the perfect and only sacrifice which God will accept in behalf of sinners.

Our message to Muslims is that they, like all men, are hopelessly lost. All are naturally at enmity with God. There is no good in us that can merit God's favor and there is no good we can do to endear ourselves to Him. Being utterly lost and completely unable to save ourselves, God did all that was required to reconcile men to Himself by sending His only begotten Son. Christ bore our sin, died on the Cross as our Substitute, shedding His precious blood as a complete, all-sufficient, perfect sacrifice for sin, and He arose again bodily from the dead. Repenting of one's sins and believing on Christ, trusting Him for salvation, is all that is necessary to be saved.

Islam claims to be a religion of peace and tolerance when in fact it is characterized by violence and religious bigotry. It is the Christian's duty to diligently witness to, not dialogue with the Muslims. We must stand for the true Gospel and against all other false gospels. Islam has rejected the essential teachings of the Word of God. The so-called prophet Muhammed brought an erroneous message from a false spirit that is totally opposed to the Gospel of God's grace. The message of Islam is a curse, not a blessing. "There is only one true religion. It was prophesied in the Garden of Eden, typified in the days of Noah, confirmed to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and realized in the Person and work of Jesus Christ."

There is no doubt that Muslims have a definite zeal for their god. They desire to follow Allah and express their worship of Allah through their lives. But the fact remains, Muslims need Christ and His saving Gospel which is still the power of God unto salvation to everyone that believeth. They need not only to hear and believe this life-changing Gospel of Jesus Christ, but they also need to see it demonstrated in the lives of believers to serve as an example of what the Lord can do with a life that is totally and truly surrendered and submitted unto Him. Islam offers this world two choices: the Koran (conversion) or the sword (death). Bible-believing Christians have only one choice to offer the world: the Cross and empty tomb of Jesus Christ.

In this age of ecumenicalism and tolerance, many people would like to emphasize the resemblances and similarities between Islam and Christianity. While the two religions may share many historical persons and events in common, there is still an unbridgeable gap between them. "There is no possible compromise between biblical Christianity and Islam and none should be sought."

Palestine - The Deadly Delusion.

2011-05-30T18:17:00.003+01:00

Did you know that there was never any country called Palestine? Did you know that there is no such thing as a Palestinian people?

The ideas that the West Bank and Gaza are occupied Palestinian land, and that the Palestinian people are fighting for their land, have been accepted by most of the governments of the world and by most of the media in the world. But if you read on, you will see that these two claims are the biggest lies ever deliberately perpetrated on humanity.

Check out any map of the Middle East and see for yourself. You will find Palestine listed as a region as it always has been, but definitely not a country. We can locate the Mojave Desert on the map, but we still do not recognize it as our 51st state, let alone a country. Similarly, the region of Siberia is a region not a state. Or the Sahara is a region not a state, etc. Neither is Palestine a state. It never was a country, just a region.

Importantly, the Jews did not displace anyone, because no one permanently resided there. It was a land inhabited by nomadic, Bedouin tribes. The whole region was nothing but deserts and swamps. Only about 120,000 Arabs resided in an area that covered the territories, the state of Israel and Jordan. When Mark Twain visited the area, he wrote he found nothing but a wasteland.

During the 19 years that the territories – including Jerusalem and Gaza – were occupied by the kingdoms of Jordan and Egypt, no one talked about a Palestinian state … not the Arab countries, not the United Nations. Nobody asked Jordan or Egypt to abdicate their ownership and give it to the Palestinians. Not even the Palestinians themselves said anything about a Palestinian state or a Palestinian people, because nobody heard of a Palestinian people. It never existed.

The fact simply is that there are no Palestinians. These people are Arabs like all other Arabs, and they happen to live in a region called Palestine. They are not a separate people.

What makes a separate people? Religion, language, culture, garb, cuisine, etc. The Arabs in Palestine speak the same language, practice the same religion, have the same culture, etc., as all the other Arabs. The few minor differences that exist between them are like the minor differences that exist between the Welsh, the Scots, and the Londoners. They are still all Britons. Yankees and Southerners have the same minor differences, but they are still all Americans. People in the south of France are quite different from the people in the north, but they are still all French. These inconsequential differences do not make a people.

The Arabs living in Syria or Jordan, etc., are also the same Arabs, but they are each a separate nation because they each have a separate country. The so-called Palestinians want a separate country because they claim to be a separate nation. They are not. They were never a separate people before the new state of Israel. How did they become one now?

Because of these lies, the so-called Palestinians feel justified in sending suicide bombers to kill women, children, babies, old men, old women and noncombatant citizens. Because of these lies, the United Nations and the media of the world are condemning Israel who is acting less harshly than any other country would act in retaliation for such heinous attacks. What is the United States doing in Afghanistan, a totally foreign country? Killing Afghanistanis. Why? Because they attacked us on Sept. 11. I understand this. But why do they not understand that that is exactly what Israel is doing, only on a much smaller scale?

Ask yourself this: Should the use of terror ever be rewarded? When is the use of terrorism justified as a military tactic? As a political tactic? As an economic tactic? What implications does this hold for future conflicts?

Let us examine the truths here:

1) There never was a Palestinian state or a Palestinian nation. There are no Palestinian people, per se. Rather, these are Arabs living in a region that historically has been called many things, including "Palestine," "Philistine" "Canaan" "Ottoman Empire" etc..

2) Israel did not go to war against a Palestinian state and occupy its land. Rather, Israel was attacked by six Arab countries at once. She defended herself, defeated her attackers, and won the so-called territories, not from the Palestinians, but from Jordan and Egypt.

3) Jerusalem was never the capital of any state but Israel. It was certainly never the capital of a country that never existed. Why should the Palestinians get any part of it? Because they want it? Because they have terrorists?

4) Jerusalem, under the current Israeli control, is a free and open city. Israel, as a democracy, guarantees freedom of religion within its borders. Contrast this fact with areas that have come under Palestinian occupation. What percentage of Christians have left in recent years because they cannot stand the harassment and persecution?

5) Most Arabs living in Palestine today are not indigenous to the region. It was not until after the Jews had changed deserts and swamps into a productive and thriving land that the Arabs started migrating there. Arafat himself was born and raised in Cairo, Egypt. Did you know that?

The belief that giving the Palestinians a state will bring peace is a delusion. The truth is that they want it all. The short-term goal is a state consisting of the West Bank and Gaza. The long-term goal is a state which includes all of "historical Palestine," including Jordan.

How do I know this?

The late Faisal Husseini, Arafat's Jerusalem representative, a man who was cultured, sophisticated and considered the most moderate of all the Palestinians, shortly before his death on May 31, 2001, expressed his true feelings in an interview with the popular Egyptian newspaper el Arav. Husseini said: "We must distinguish the strategies and long-term goals from the political-phased goals which we are compelled to accept due to international pressures." But the "ultimate goal is the liberation of all of historical Palestine." Explicitly he said: "Oslo has to be viewed as a Trojan Horse."

He even added and clarified that it is the obligation of all the Palestinian forces and factions to see the Oslo Accords as "temporary" steps, as "gradual" goals, because in this way, "We are setting an ambush for the Israelis and cheating them." He also differentiated between "strategic," long-term, "higher" goals, and "political" short-term goals dependent on "the current international establishment, balance of power" etc.

All of historical Palestine! Does not this include all of Israel and all of Jordan?

What does this say to you?

Unless the Arabs recognize and accept these truths, even if they are given a state of their own, and no matter how many agreements and treaties they sign, they will always feel wronged, cheated, and forced into giving up what they now claim is theirs. They will continue to plot and look for an opportunity to destroy Israel in order to take back what they claim is theirs, especially the younger generation that has been brainwashed to hate the “occupying enemy.” Whether there is a Palestinian state or not, there will be no peace.

Only a massive and ongoing re-education of the Arab people to these truths will enable meaningful negotiations to begin, followed by a lasting peace between Arabs and Jews. It is therefore critical that everyone who has an audience, whether in print or other media, use the forum they have available to repeat these truths again and again until they reach the consciousness of those waging war in the Middle East.

A little bit of conversation...

2011-05-23T20:42:00.002+01:00

I wanted to share with you some comments from the telegraph website. They were in response to an article about the SNP and the demand for more power through the Scotland Bill which is currently going through parliament. These comments, are hilarious. They're sometimes a little horrible but the sheer sarcasm of the contributors really cheers me up. Here goes:

Stephen Gash

Why is it whenever I think of Scotland I envision a Tam O'Shantered, kilted beggar with a massive hairy sporran, a half-empty bottle and his hand stuck out agressively whistling "Scotland the Brave"?

David_Sparks

Probably because you're an idiot.

Stephen Gash
I'm certainly not idiot enough to allow my country to keep bailing out Scotland while our own people are shafted for the sake of this so-called Union. I'm certainly not idiot enough to let the Wee Waddler strut about full of his own overblown sense of self-importance, with impunity.

Have a go at some of my countrymen for believing they are in a Union with "Celts who care" but pay me the courtesy and respect I deserve for recognising Scotland is not that important and we'll get along just fine without it. At least I understand what Scots voted for which is more than so-called Scots nats posting here do.

David_Sparks

Well, sorry, but you're such an idiot that - standing on the bridge over the Tweed at Berwick - you can't spot which way the money is flowing, even by reference to the position of the sun.

Mind you, if you're foolish enough to use the London-based press as your primary information source then they are also culpable as accessories to stupidity.

Stephen Gash

Salmond can see which way the money is flowing which is why he delayed the independence referendum yet again. If Scots are sooo canny and not taken in by what you call the London centric press, why aren't they banging on the SNP's door demnding a referendum now?

When Blair's government went into power it had a referendum on the Scottish Parliament within weeks, not three or more years. There is nothing stopping salmond and you know it, apart from the fact the vote would be "no".

Cameron, the Tories and many English people may be idiot enough not to see this, but don't accuse me of the same. Anyway, even an idiot can see through Salmond's ruse.

Do not expect me to respect the Scots who have shown such disrespect to my countryfolk for so long. If they had a modicum of courage and voted this year they would get some respect, but blackmail deserves none.

Awalszo

"Why is it whenever I think of Scotland I envision a Tam O'Shantered,
kilted beggar" ...
Because you're a bit simple Stephen.
Simple people need simple images.
When they grow up, usually, but not always, their imagination develops, and they can cope with more complex images.
Stephen Gash

Laughably, Scots have not lost their own simple image of themselves which is why they strut around wearing kilts and sporrans (usually massive and hairy) playing bagpipes they perversely believe were once banned.

Scots viewing the world through tartan-tinted spectacles and making believe the world revolves around them presents a simple immature image of Scots.

I left out the bit about them having a chip on both shoulders.

Awalszo

Really Stephen I wish you would leave off criticising us.
You've got your own Morris dancing and most excellent English folk music.
What was it the famous conductor, Sir Thomas Beecham said?
" A young man should try everything once, except two things.....incest and English folk music."

Stephen Gash

Indeed. However, it isn't as if I've never heard similar from Scots for all my life. Once it passed off as "friendly banter " AWoLsco, but those days are long past.

My jibe was at Scotland's political persona, inspired by the article above, but that obviously went way above your Scottish educated heads so you descended into personal insults at me (as always).
Lydia_112

A great pity you don't know the best country in the world then and BTW your loss

Stephen Gash

If you're talking about Scotland, I leave it to the midges.

Trythis

Why is it whenever I see Stephen Gash posting on the many forums he does I think of an inbred bed wetting spotty little oik, whose gums bleed every 28 days. Who was badly beaten as a child whose parents were undoubtedly siblings.

Stephen Gash

LOL! Well one of us is right. And it's not you.

Hilar.

Scottish? British? Identity?

2011-05-11T23:21:00.000+01:00

I'd like to share with you this interesting article by the Herald journalist, Dominic Wolsely on the question of Identity relating to the recent SNP election:

Like most people, I was stunned by the magnitude of the SNP’s victory last week and the apparent shift in perceptions of Scotland and in expectations for our future.

As someone who believes strongly in the merits of independence, I felt as though it was a result almost too good to be true. The Nats are now able to secure many of the progressive policies which the last parliament denied them – such as minimum alcohol pricing and, with any luck, the large retailer levy.

Since the result, however, the media coverage and punditry concerning the prospect of a referendum on the question of Scottish independence (and, possibly, on fiscal autonomy) has given me cause for concern.

I feel that both the unionist and nationalist media, by focusing on the economic impact of independence, are neglecting the core issue: identity. You can try and scare voters away with suggestions of financial ruin, or tempt them in with promises of untold wealth, but unless you address the core issue of identity you are merely scratching the surface of people’s ideas about the country they want to be a part of.

Let me give you an example of the bizarre power of national identity. A few years ago, when I was a fresher in London, I met an American girl at the student union bar. We chatted for a bit and she asked me where my accent was from. I told her I was from Scotland. “Oh. My. God. Me too!”, came the reply – and she rolled up her sleeve to reveal a large blue-and-white saltire tattoo across her forearm. More than a little surprised, I asked her how many times she’d been to Scotland. “Never”, came the wince-inducing response.

Now far be it for me, or anyone for that matter, to dictate someone else’s identity back at them – but that was as much evidence as I’ll ever need to back up Benedict Anderson’s theory of “imagined communities“.

Nonetheless, if someone believes themselves to be part of a group, as much as others in that group might argue that membership is conditional on years spent enduring the character-building weather, then membership of that group is part of their conception of self. Each of us has our own individual, intermixed and deeply complex identities, and I feel that the debate so far is completely missing this.

The referendum is currently being represented not just as a choice between independence and the Union but also implicitly between Scottishness and Britishness. Many of my friends, the majority indeed, seemed turned off by independence simply because they see themselves as both Scottish and British – and they believe that, come independence, the latter identity would cease to be.

Then they back up this emotionally registered allegiance with rationalised economic arguments (just as we nationalists often do, it must be said). Well, I believe that in an independent Scotland we would still be British – I certainly would be. Cue horrified gasps and mutterings from other nationalists.

“How can someone support independence and claim to be British at the same time?”, I hear you cry. Well, what is it to be British? Is it being ruled from the same parliament in Westminster, or is it a shared experience from common values, history, language and culture? I believe it to be the latter.

Would any of these things go away if the United Kingdom ended? Of course not – we would still be the same people with the same relationships, living on the same island. There’s not even any reason why the newly created states couldn‘t settle on a shared contribution to a continued shared broadcasting service and other cross-border institutions.

The United Kingdom would have ended, but Britain would still exist, and so would Britishness. Saying that we need a British state to call ourselves British is like saying we aren’t European without a unitary European state. The parallel I can best use to describe it is Scandinavia: a multi-national region with a deeply significant shared culture, but there are no calls for a unitary Scandinavian state as far as I’m aware.

If nationalists want to convince people of the merits of independence, we have to move past this blinkered view of “us” and “them”, of “Scottish” and “British”, as though such notions are opposed. The world is just too small and interconnected to sustain it.

4 Terrible Situations for the Socially Awkward Male...Number 3..

2011-05-10T19:02:00.002+01:00

Yoga Class/The Gym in General

Yoga is just a disaster. Not a lot of people know this, but it was invented by the Israeli military as a way to torture war prisoners in uniquely humiliating ways. Over the years, it's been adopted by spiritual fitness experts, but the underlying intentions of embarrassment still linger, especially for the socially awkward. Yoga utilizes a code of language that every participant except you understands. The instructor will say something like "Feel the energy bubbling at your center," or "Now go ahead and expand your heart chakra," and you'll think it's nonsense until you look around and realize that absolutely everyone else is expanding the shit out of their heart chakras." You've got your leg in the air and you're desperately trying not to fall down while simultaneously trying to "breathe through your core," as if that means anything, and your instructor will come over and give you some personal guidance:

Instructor: "That's good, but do me a favor and lengthen."

You, Struggling to Breathe: "Like... taller? Like be taller?"

Instructor: "Just lengthen."

You: "I feel like I'm as far as I can go, in all possible directions. I can't move anything."

Instructor: "Imagine there's a string attached to the top of your head."

You: "Okay, I'm imagining that... Is that- did I do it? Does imagining that mean I've lengthened?"

Instructor: "No, just imagine that string and then lengthen."

You, Currently Falling Over: "I need you to use a word that isn't 'lengthen' to get me to do whatever it is you want."

Instructor: "Here, I'm just going to put my hands on you and position you so-"

You: "NoGodpleasedon'ttouchme!"

Oh, right, yoga class is similar to massage parlors, in that everyone is doing objectively sexy things like putting butts in each other's faces and flinging pelvises with abandon, but no one finds it the least bit odd. The yoga instructor will occasionally point to some woman whose ass is thrust majestically skyward and say "Look, everyone, look at what Sapphire's doing and do that. Everyone look at Sapphire gluts," and you think No, society has trained me not to.

When you're finished with your embarrassing tragedy of a yoga class, the rest of the gym at large is also just a minefield of awkwardness. There's a possibility that someone will ask you to spot them, which is difficult for you, because you have no idea where to put your hands. And someone might ask you what you're working out that day, and you have no answer, because your routine is always "I just, uh, do the... weights." You're terrified that, if you give a more specific answer like "Arms," they'll say "Well then why the hell are you doing a chest exercise," because absolutely everyone at the gym knows more about gymming than you do.

The Eurovision Song Contest: Dana gets my vote!

2011-05-07T19:47:00.002+01:00

The White Wash.

2011-05-07T19:13:00.007+01:00

It’s the Saturday of election week and I spent my day painting a room in my house: the Mothers bedroom. She is remarkably skilful in her interior design and enjoys experimenting. Alas though, today was a different day. She has decided to move away from magnolia - the colour favoured by many an interior designer for every Barratt Home in the country - to plain white. A pleasant choice I think and one that will make a compelling suite when complemented with the crimson bed linen and the artistically obscure paintings that will line the wall. A modern miniature art gallery indeed!

My efforts though, were largely concentrated on giving the walls and coving their first coat of emulsion. In order to resolve my boredom, my mind trailed in a lot of directions but one thought that came to mind as I created a blank canvas, was of course, the election of a majority SNP Government in a devolved Scotland.

I pondered and pondered the thought, infusing feelings posted on Facebook and twitter as I go, and I am so overcome by how much of a change this has been for Scotland and the Scottish people.

Now, many folk will say that it only happened because of the Con-dem government, that the Liberal Democrats moved to the SNP, and marginally, very very marginally,that will be correct but it’s not all about that. Just like I was creating a blank canvas of my walls, so will the SNP, led by the inspirational Alex Salmond, do the same for Scotland. I believe they will reshape our society; they will work hard for the Scottish people, and are unfailing in their love of the Scottish Interest. And with everything taken into account, that is why they secured a majority in Parliament: because the Scottish people are desperate for change.

They have a lot of painting to do in order to convince the Scottish people that their Independence Policy is compelling enough to agree to but I don’t think it is out of their power. I’d like you to think about this quote from Angela Constance MSP:

"When you get paid at the end of the month you don't give that money to your next door neighbours and let them decide what you can spend. At home you and your family are responsible for your own priorities and your own choices. But as a nation we currently let other people make those decisions for us

In all parts of life people aspire to Independence. Our young people want the freedom to make their own decisions, just as many pensioners relish keeping their independence as they get older. We value independent investigations, we want our courts and police to be independent, many people aspire to leave jobs in big companies to go independent as their own boss.

At the heart of this is the natural desire to take responsibility for our own actions. Independence for our nation is not the answer to every concern you will have about the community and country you live in, but it does mean that we all work together for the answer. Independence is about a lot of things, but for me, at its heart, it is about choices. About having the ability to speak up for our own community, and to see the decisions Scotland takes, acted upon. And that choice - that independence - is a very precious thing."

I’d be interested to hear some of your thoughts on this point, but my plea to you is to let the SNP prove to you that they are worthy of your vote. And I’m sure they will.

Scotland has painted itself in a new colour, against every grain. They have torn through a tough battle between the blues and the reds to brighten up the frontier and make Scotland a better, fairer, healthier, and wealthier place. That’s why they have my vote, and always will.

4 Terrible Situations for the Socially Awkward Male

2011-05-07T19:06:00.005+01:00

The countdown begins at Number 4:

Standing next to someone at a Urinal.

Notice I said "standing," and not "peeing." That's because, for the socially awkward male, this is the thought process that accompanies every trip to the urinal:

*Oh, good, there's no one else here. This'll be easy. In and out.

*You settle yourself in front of a urinal.

*The door to the restroom opens abruptly. The sound and implication that you are no longer alone startles you.

*You feel cold.

*You pray that the new occupant opts for a stall instead, because-

*Oh, shit, he didn't.

*Okay, this is fine. Stare straight ahead and just go. Just go. I really have to go, this shouldn't be a problem.

*He starts peeing. In the otherwise silent bathroom, his proud and confident stream does nothing but highlight the fact that you clearly haven't been peeing.

*He can hear. He can hear you not peeing right now. He knows.

*Don't think about that, just focus on peeing and all-

*"What's up, Man?"

*How have guys who talk in the bathroom not been shunned out of society?!

*"N-nothing, man." Just peeing, is all.

*"Oh, yeah. Chillin' chillin?"

*This conversation should be illegal.

*"Yes, I am chilling chilling."

*"No doubt. Crazy weather," he says, and he continues to chat, because you are the only one in the world who doesn't know how to talk and pee and stand next to another human at the same time. The only one in the world.

*Giving up, you pretend to shake away make believe urine, and maybe you even say "That sure was a good urine session," to really drive your ruse home, and then you make your exit. It is the toilet equivalent of faking an orgasm.

The only thing worse than not being able to pee in front of someone is knowing that they know. You know they're thinking about it, because there's very little else to do in a public restroom but evaluate your surroundings. It's already weird, but to the awkward, there's something extra bizarre about two guys standing next to each other at urinals. The awkward man knows that, at any moment, either one of them can say "Hey, I just realized that we are coworkers who rarely see each other outside of work and, at this moment, we are standing eight inches away from each other with our penises in our hands. Just figured I'd point that out in case it wasn't the only thing you could possibly think about under these circumstances."

Boke.

Paperwork

2011-03-02T21:34:00.003Z

I just want to share some of my frustrations. I was speaking to a police officer the other day who was telling me that in order to ensure a conviction, the police department spend the majority of the time filling and completing paperwork. There is procedure involved, and there has to be proof that procedure has been followed. There is also political correctness and fairness to deal with. There is bureaucracy and channels that must be sought before moving any steps into the future.

And i really sat back tonight. Actually, i lay back in my bed, after a looooooooooooooooonggggggggg day at work and i really pondered how much of my own life is full of paperwork.

I don't think i have actually spent a moment of my life not filling in something. On my months learning at school, i would have had to demonstrate my abilities at writing words and putting things to paper. Throughout school you are constantly doing exams, and more exams and even exams on the exams you've just done. In fact you set pre-exams before your actual exams just to be sure you've filled it out correctly and have the ability to appeal should the dreaded FAIL come back in the official exam.

Then you move onto finding placements at universities: application forms, interviews, questionnaires etc. Then when you get to University, you sit the exams, you do essays, you answer pointless questions about pointless situations and out of that you construct your dissertation which takes you millenniums (millennium?) before you submit it.

Then you go for a job, and again starts the interview process: filling out applications, curriculum vitae's, questionnaires, feedback etc.

In my job, i can't really explain alot of what it is, however i can tell you that alot of the time the paperwork is overbearing. Everything must be so rigorously documented for auditory purposes that it becomes such a blinding focus of your day to day life.

My greatest fear over this country's focus on auditory requirements in paper form is that we will forget our true identity and will remember people only by what is written. Development into a role comfortably will be replaced by a rigid set of procedure that must be ticked off before anything can happen. In school, education will be in peril because the teachers spend so long filling out paperwork on individual student behaviour, reporting, filing, assessing, marking. Eventually we will have created a race of robots, assigned to fill out stuff and using heartlessness in the process.

L.O.V.E. Crumple it up and bin it. Lets be people.

This NHS Malarky.

2011-02-28T21:45:00.005Z

I've officially seen enough. I'm into my second week watching "Dispatches" and i have to say i am just overwhelmingly discussed at the level of care our country gives our elderly, disabled and infirm.

Last week i watched with disgust at the state of hospital meals. It was kind of like a video diary of an ill man who was so deteriorating because he wasn't getting fed correctly. Now i'm talking really disgusting here. The hospital food was vile and incidentally, statistics show that there is a higher quality of nutrition and value attached to prison menu's in the United Kingdom, than there is in Hospitals. What the hell is our country up to? One of the guys followed in Dispatches last week suffered from cistic fibrosis and required high calorie, good quality food in order to survive. And we couldn't supply it? Let that resonate in your minds, people!

This week, followed secret diaries of 3 people. One gentleman with lung disease, who was in the last two weeks of his life. He was in severe pain and in order for him to die peacefully at home his wife of 16 years had to care for him - all without any support. Towards the end of his life, he needed morphine consistently, however his wife wasn't even able to contact a district nurse for 3 days.

The next case was a woman who Multiple Scerosis, which eats away at her muscle tissue rendering her eventually helpless. She was in a residential home, and had to look after herself. She was promised regular visits in order to support her and keep her in a comfortable lifestyle yet her video diaries recorded her crying herself to sleep with pain, struggling to put on her breathing aparatus and even feeding herself. Her friend had tried for 6 months to get her into a care home. Social services didn't help, the NHS Trust didn't help, GP's didn't help. Nobody would help her and if it was not for her consistent and persistent following up and complainaing - which by the way she only did with email as she couldn't talk - she would still be where she was. Let this resonate with you.

Lastly was an old Pakistani gentleman, who had came to the UK in the 50's and married an English woman. He was in his last days and found it difficult to swallow, often suffering seizures, diahorria, sickness and aches and pains. Yet, his nursing carers kept trying to force his pills down his neck, failed to get a doctor when he went into fits, talked about NHS cuts and complained about uniforms as they were changhing his underwear, most undignified. He was humiliated.

I am just angry at the fact that all these situations are happening in a country in the Western hemisphere. They are only 3 examples of situations and i am sure there are many more.

The country and world is so obsessed with becoming efficient, cost-effective and modern that our society has lost the respect and the compassion for our older generations. Yes we might be hurtling into the space age, when paper will be replaced with iPads and wallets wil be replaced with mobiles but we have taken 200 steps back in time when it comes to the loving care of our most vulnerable. Poor show Britain, Poor show.

Black Swan: Striving for Perfection

2011-02-27T16:39:00.008Z

I don't really go to the Cinema that often. I do love it every time i go and i can put this down to only one reason: the choices i make. You see, i take great care over which films i choose to spend my time watching and i do this because i don't want to seem like a movie buff, like i should replace Johnathan Ross on Film 2011 (which, by the way, i didn't even know what still on!). No, i like to choose films that will develop my understanding of the World in which we all live and the film i've just saw did just that, and more. Let me tell you why...

Quite a different situation arose the other week, though, as myself and a friend made the choice (after my suggestion) to go and watch "The Kings Speech." I've seen the movie before but my taste for the story, and my hunger to know more about our Royal family, fed my ambition to see it just one more time. I went through the same rig-a-mar-oh with the Helen Mirren Classic "The Queen".

We drove to the Vue cinema in Hamilton, got to the counter and would you believe: sold out! Not one schmuck of a seat left! Initially i had thought, what, really?! I mean it has been out since the beginning of February and it couldn't possibly still be pulling in over 100 people now. I commented to the assistant: "hmph, you'd think it was a good film!"

I'm not sure if you're all aware - i hope you are - but "The Kings Speech" has won countless awards for best actor and actress, best screen play, best story, best costume, best this and best that - so i should've known!

Anyway, after careful deliberation with Claire (my wee pal that i took with me) involving deciding whether or not to go to another cinema we came to the decision we'd grab something to eat and come back at 9:15pm to see "Black Swan." starring Natalie Portman and directed by Darren Aranofsky. Tickets bought, and off we went.

That was at 8:25PM. Probably also the best irrational decision I've ever been involved in concerning cinema viewing, and in so little time too.

Before i go on and tell you what i thought of the film, i feel that it is really important, if not critical, for me to explain what it is about. The good thing about Black Swan, is that you can tell people about it in just a few sentences. The story is almost familiar. So here goes:

Its plot revolves around a production of Ballet centered on Tchaikovsky's "Swan Lake" by a prestigious New York City company. As is usual with some productions of that ballet, the production requires a ballerina to play both the innocent White Swan and the sensual Black Swan. One dancer, Nina (Natalie Portman), is a perfect fit for the White Swan, while Lily (Kunis) has a personality that matches the Black Swan. When the two compete for the parts, Nina finds a dark side to herself. There is alot more to the story than that, but it is just basics for now.

I see alot of similarities in Nina to myself. Don't get me wrong, in alot of ways she is completely different to me, however throughout the film the similarities between our lives was a major thought in my head that made me just think about her life in comparison to my own. Let me take you through three stages:

Her Self Hate and Self Disappointment.
Her self-destructive journey to attain it.
Her delusion.

So let me start of with the first one:
Nina has grown up under the thumb, from the general observation of her relationship with her mother, you can gauge this. Her mother was a ballet dancer who had to sacrifice her career after falling pregnant. Father unknown.

Nina has been brought up to feel that perfection is essential rather than unattainable. I could relate, but not because of being under parental pressure but throughout my school years, i never really fitted in, no identity, and peer group pressure to look or act a certain way caused me to have serious points of view on what is socially expected of me to a point of absolute legalism. I could really understand her frustration when she couldn't get her dance correct, when she failed to pirouette fast enough or schedule her attitude en pointe at the right time. It was disaster for her, going so far as into self-loathing. And i totally got it. Totally.

Nina was auditioning for "Swan Lake." Contrastingly, one of my favourite Ballets ever! She was auditioning for the role of the "Swan Queen" and as i said before, this would involve the change in role from elegant and graceful "White Swan" to sultry, sexual and darkly seductive "Black Swan."

Nina found the change difficult. She was trained so rigorously, so perfectly to the step, so robotically, that she could not impress her teacher (Cassel). The Black Swan required a fluidity to the moves to convey seductive behaviours. She had to be torpid, sensorial and melting whereas naturally she was rigid, obdurate and uncompromising. The fact that she couldn't get it right caused her great distress. I find these same issues in my work life and my Christian life, holding to a false perception of what is "perfect" and feeling constantly burdened with trying to achieve it.

I really felt bad at some points in this movie, partly due to my understanding of the situations that she was facing, but more for our world as a whole. A world so desperate for perfection. It pushes young girls into size zero's, and young men into becoming sexually conquering predators. C'est horrible!

Another challenge to Nina was being faced with somebody who managed to actually do what she wanted so eagerly to be able to do, but executed it with so much more ease, so much more attention to detail. This someone was so much better than her, in her eyes. Readers, does this resonate with you as much as it does with me?

This leads me up to the second point: Nina's self-destruction in the journey towards Perfection.

We live in an imperfect world, a fallen world. Nothing around us is perfect, nothing we eat or touch or see or hear or read or kiss or cuddle. None of it is perfect. But it creates such a perfect illusion.

In Black Swan, Nina's desire was to become more sensual, more seductive, more bad in order to carry out the role of the Black Swan better. This starts when her teacher makes a move on her. She is quickly embroiled in a rushed but lustful kiss. To get out of it she bites him on the lip. Later on, when she's practicing for the role of the Black Swan, he tells her "Give me more bite!" Its his attempt at calling her out of her legalism. But its one extreme to the next.

In Ninas head, she is putting two and two together: dislike, raunch, cockiness and playing hard to get all is all that sums up the Black Swan, and she takes herself on a journey to achieve it. She is forced into a self-destructive evil where she becomes so deranged that she thinks she has murdered her friend. She turns on her mother. She engages in masturbation. She has lesbian sex with her competitor (Kunis). She goes on and on and on, all the while, she is concerned about rashes on her back, small pimple like abrasions all over her. She pulls strips of skin off her fingers one minute, and realises that she actually hasn't done it in the first place. She is becoming Paranoid.

Nina's paranoia about what her colleagues are saying, what her mother thinks of her, how she looks, how she is being perceived, how her competitor and lover is sleeping with the teacher behind her back. Shes ill about losing her position as "Snow Queen" - She becomes so vulnerable to every external force that she forgets her good qualities. Again, i could relate.

At this point also, i got confused. Nina seemed to metamoprh physically into the swan. The pimples on her back, when pushed down, forced black feathers to piece through her skin. Her knees broke from the front, bending like the legs of a swan.

To me, and my personal situation, this was a glimpse into the true nature of our sinfulness. The bible says that we were all made perfect but we have all fallen short of Gods glory - true perfectness - and this part of the film really highlights that inner evil that is only surface deep and can come out at any moment. A reason for Christ and his Cross.

On my third point, we see Nina thinking that she has attained perfection. We're taken to the opening night of "Swan Lake" in New York City - to a full house.

Nina is the Swan Queen, and performs well. However she falls from the hands of one of the dancers and from there she pirouettes into another paranoia. She believes she is perfect, that it was those around her that caused everything to go so, so badly (although it was hardly noticed). She enters her dressing room to find her friend (Kunis) putting on the make-up for the Black Swan after being selected into taking the place of Nina by the director. She is so angry with her that she pushes her into a mirror and kills her friend. Rather than notifying anyone, Nina discoveries her true evil and a new hatred swells inside her. She hides the body in her toilet and puts on the make-up of the "Black Swan" and continues for the second part of the show.

After the second interval, she returns to her dressing room to change back into the White Swan. Basking in the din of applause of how well she carried out the role of the Black Swan. She notes the blood coming from the toilet, and the broken mirror. Just then, a chap at the door. Nina is hesitant to answer but does with secretive reservation, only opening it ajar, and enough to see her friend who bubbles and throws compliments at her. This is the friend she thought she'd killed. It had all been an illusion. She was so paranoid, that her brain and mind lied to her.

Closing the door, she sees the broken mirror, but there is no longer blood coming from her toilet. She looks and there is also no body - it was all in her mind. However, a realisation occurs and Nina is overcome with pain. She looks down at her abdomen and realises she has stabbed her own stomach.

Nevertheless, Nina continues with the ballet for the third and final part as the White Swan. At the end of "Swan Lake" the White Swan commits suicide because of the Black Swan. Nina acts this out literally and dies with the words: "It was perfect"

This shocked me. To the absolute core. The film is such a journey. But it was her delusional understanding of herself. She genuinely thought that the darker life brought her perfection in the end, that it brought her from oppression, that she lived the way she wanted to live without restriction and that this was the best option. Her final observation could not be further from the truth.

And so the subtitles came. I left with some big decisions to make in my life. Would i take the road Nina took? Was i going to be led astray by the world telling me to achieve perfection when i can't ever do it? Was i going to live my life so free from accountability or restraint that it would cause my eventual demise?

My answer? No. And therein is why i follow Christ.

What about you?

Peace.

Play with my Twitter!

2011-02-26T20:15:00.000Z

Hey readers.
Much needed apologies from myself concerning this blog. I have failed, yet again, all ye faithful followers. Don't worry though, i have an idea!

You see, my biggest problem, is time and getting the opportchancity to sit down and type useful insights. Don't get me wrong, im totally going to do that, however ive thought of another way to share my thoughts with you, and thats through Twitter.

My username is Georgedeveraux (yes, that old stone again!) but its for identity purposes.

I salute you.
Some interesting things heading this way, ooh, and ive become far more intellectual in how the blog looks, dont you reckon?

My Letter to Her Majesty.

2010-12-28T18:02:00.001Z

Your Majesty,
My name is George Sneddon and I live in Scotland. I would like to take this opportunity to offer my thanks and gratitude for Your Christmas message this year. As a devout Christian, and a member of the Church of Scotland, it was refreshing to hear your message flavoured with the message of Christ at a time when that glorious message of Salvation can often be obscured by the overly garnished and extraneously materialistic Christmas that the world has become accustomed to.

I believe that our country is at a serious stage in its history, where we are torn between choosing Christ and choosing secularist society, yet your message remained centered on the true meaning of Christmas as well as being diverse and respectful enough to cater for other faiths and creeds in your realm. I believe that this is what Christ, who appointed you as Sovereign, would have wanted you to do and so for that I just praise and thank God for you and your enduring faith, acting as an example for the Lord, in the counselling of your parliament and of your people in this nation and all of the commonwealth of which you are head of state who look to you for hope in a time with the things that seem to endure forever slowly fall away as the world enters political and financial upheaval, as emotions are easily swayed, as relationships come and go, as wars are so easily executed, as terror attempts to grip each of us.

Continue Ma’am, with steadfastness and unwavering dedication, in your Holy position as defender of our faith, raised to the throne by Christ, our Saviour. Praise him.

1 Thessalonians 1:3 says this:
“We continually remember before our God and Father your work produced by faith, your labour prompted by love, and your endurance inspired by hope in our Lord Jesus Christ.”

I have the honour to be, Madam, Your Majesty's humble and obedient subject.

Yours Sincerely,

George Sneddon

In all Honesty...

2010-12-28T16:47:00.001Z

I have to admit that over the last few weeks i have not had much time for blogging. I wish i had more but i always seem to have more books to read, more things to memorize, more work to do, more paperwork to die over. It all can seem a bit too much.

If you have any ideas whatsoever of anything that will help me become more consisitent in blogging, then i'd love to know.

If you are interested in using What Sayeth.co.uk to publish your own blogs, get in touch with me at georgesneddon@gmail.com or on facebook. I'd love more guests to write!

On Being...(Pt 3)

2010-11-20T16:09:00.011Z

...Subject to Legalism

The clock ticks. The clock ticks again. And again. And again. For me, lately, the clock never seems to stop ticking: there’s always something to be done, within some sort of timescale, there’s always a meeting to attend right after work and I have to make exception for it. There is always a person waiting on me texting back, or pinging me through blackberry messenger at 3am, just to get my attention. There is always someone pulling and pulling at me to go in a certain direction, there is always hounds breathing distressingly onto my neck as though I were meat in a hunt. The clock ticks again.

It has now been three weeks since we started out on this personal little Iliad called “On being…” and my head is a roller coaster of subjects and thoughts that I really want to put onto paper. It’s like my brain is full of creativity again and that there has been some sort of resurrection of that freedom I’ve felt long oppressed by.

When I wrote my first post, I talked about being a Christian, and this section is quite similar, however it deals with a different form of Christianity, which is what lead me to feel the way I did and write the way I wrote in my first part in the series. Don’t get me wrong, I don’t think that what I’m going to write about is in any way an exclusive reason for how I was –and am- feeling with regards to my faith at this point in time, but it certainly added to it.

I’ve just finished a two day course at work where we got the opportunity to look at Martin Luther King’s speech which was titled “I have a dream”. I’m sure you’ve heard of it. Most compelling and world changing! Throughout this short time looking at the speech, one paragraph caught my attention and has inspired me to write this:

“I have a dream that one day every valley shall be exalted, and every hill and mountain shall be made low, the rough places will be made plain, and the crooked places will be made straight; "and the glory of the Lord shall be revealed and all flesh shall see it together."

Beautiful. For me that is my dream for the Christian faith. I believe that is how Jesus would have intended it to be. Instead, our humanity, our fallen humanity, has created a crooked and nauseating take on the pure gospel of Jesus Christ – the one that I fell in love with. The one that reached out to me. The one that changed my life.

Today my readers, I introduce you to one side of Christianity that waters down the gospel and makes following Jesus some self-improvement program for the successful. It is attractive to Western pseudo Christians looking for some purpose to a materialistic way of life. Meanwhile, thousands of real Christians are dying for their faith in Jesus Christ all over the world while these successful, motivated “Christians” listen to charismatically challenged teachings and belly up to their church cappuccino bar.

This darker side of Christianity makes Christianity something to be achieved by following doctrines from men who never understood the plans of salvation in the first place. These men believe salvation comes by obedience to keeping commandments and by following certain rules or rituals of practice. For want of a better term, let’s call this dark side of Christianity "legalism".

When I say these are legalistic, I am not talking about those who believe every word of scripture and apply them in such a way that can be supported in the light of all of scripture. The Christian legalists I am talking about are those who take certain passages of scripture to imply the Bible says something that really cannot be supported in its full light. I am talking about those who try to conform to the letter without having the Holy Spirit so that they are unable to apply the scriptures with any wisdom or understanding. They are like some modern lawyers of our day who often twist the truth on purpose to achieve their desired outcome of deception.

There are many denominations that have a correct view of how one is saved. However, even within these denominations (evangelical, Baptist etc.) there are many legalistic preachers (and members) who will give salvation by faith in Jesus in one message and then take it away in the next. Some tell their members they must obey certain laws and covenants. They even doubt the salvation of those who will not be hypocrites by following the will of a legalistic elder into some oath or commitment.. The legalists in this camp also try to make members obey Old Testament law through the flesh and they continually threaten them with the consequences of breaking God's law rather than teaching Christians how to live as a new spirit creature in Christ that lives by the Law of Faith. All sins of the past, present and future have already been paid for. If man could keep the law, Jesus did not need to come and take our sins upon Himself on the cross. Only a personal loving relationship with Jesus will change the wicked heart of man. For that I am in true understanding.

I really think that some of the leaders are also control freaks and pulpit bullies. They want to micro-manage every aspect of their congregation's spiritual walk. Many legalists in both the Baptist and the Pentecostal denominations can be found beating up on their flock each Sunday to try to whip them into Christian shape. Instead of beating up the flock in the flesh they might instead talk about the spiritual calling of Christians. They might tell the people what love God has for them displayed by Jesus taking their sins upon Himself and what God promises in the future for those who trust Jesus with their lives. Preaching that mankind should stay holy through their own effort will only result in failure and bring guilt that makes Christians doubt their salvation. What kind of gospel (good news) is that?

Folks, my clock is ticking, and so is yours. I am still not right with God, I am still not communicating with God. I guess my concern comes from the difference of Christianity to the other major religions: the fact that what has to be done has already been done and cannot be undone. It’s marvellous. I feel utterly helpless because there is nothing I have to contribute. You don’t have to read books, you have nothing you can do and in that, I suppose the growth and attraction of legalism – all be it for a short and painful time – becomes something we accept. Please, don’t spend time with legalists. Really, don’t.

On Being....(Pt 2)

2010-11-11T21:14:00.001Z

...British

Before I set out on this series, I endeavoured to prepare each instalment beforehand. I would have found a lot of benefits to this: certainly, it would have given me prior understanding on what I was to research in order to weave a satisfactorily comprehensible piece of writing that many of you would find enjoyable to read. And that of course is my ultimate aspiration for this blog and for this series in particular, so I do indeed hope you find it tasty.

Alas though, that plan was not to be so and I opted for the more spontaneous version – where I’d simply think about it all week, preserve all of my thoughts in the juice of my grey matter and let them vomit onto paper on this, here, Thursday night. This week’s subject is not ordinarily something I’d choose. I find it quite difficult a subject to admit but throughout the week it has become apparent that it is absolutely a point I have to make. When the subject of this article came to me, it was kind of reminiscent of the Shakespeare play “The Rape of Lucrece.” That play is about a Roman Nobleman called Sextus Tarquinius who infiltrates Lucreces’ (his enemy’s wife) bedchamber and, to quote Shakespeare who puts it so much more wonderfully than I ever could,

“he treacherously stealeth into her chamber, violently ravish’d her and early in the morning speedeth away.” That’s how I kind of felt with this subject, and it perfectly explains how it came to me. Let me explain more.

First and foremost, this article will be somewhat political, so I feel that I have to set your expectations on that before we go any further. I am quite a political person, I enjoy the debate of politics, the issue of policy, I am, as we all should be, concerned with promoting democracy in the world, and for the most part I just find the political situation of our country – not to mention the economic – quite bizarre. I also will push my colour of judgement on the article, and please forgive me, I have no choice on this one.

I want to talk to you about being British and I want to start with a beautiful little poem that I feel just captures the essence of the kingdom:

“When spring comes back to Britain,
And crowns her brows with May
Round the merry moonlit world,
She keeps the world at bay,
She throws roses to Italy,
A Fleur-de-lis to France
and round her regal Morris-ring
The Seas of Britain dance.”

It’s written by Alfred Lord Tennyson and I just feel that it paints a beautiful picture of a Britain that many of my generation and the once subsequent to it have forgotten. I never have and I’ve always been blithely aware of my country’s place on the world stage and how the peril of two world wars decreased that greatly.

I find admitting my love of Great Britain, as a Kingdom, a United Kingdom, quite dangerous, particularly as I am from Scotland and many of us, including a part of me, believe in an Independent Scotland set apart from the Kingdom completely. I still believe this and I’m not going to go into why because I may or may not reserve that for a different article. At the moment though, it just will take away the points I’m trying to make, and the real sense of pride, honour and patriotism that flows in my blood whenever I hear the British Anthem or see the Rugged Union Jack fly outside any official building abroad.

I’ve always had an interest in etiquette since I was at college and this is really where I believe my love for the more, shall we say, conservative British attitude started to grow.

Britain is very different to the rest of the European Community to which it is ever so slightly bound. It was the first industrialised nation in the entire world, largely due to its vast and wealthy empire which controlled three quarters of the world. Britain established international trade routes such as the East India Company, the West Indes, and the North American trade routes that are still virtually in existence today, although the tables have turned and those across the pond, former British Colonies, now control what happens. Britain was also the first country to become entirely democratic, and its whole political system has been replicated, naturally due to its influence in the empire, throughout the world. It was a huge exporter of many raw materials, and an importer of everything that its explorers took from the freshly discovered world around them. The majority of the growth of Britain reached a peak during the reign of Queen Victoria and continued right up until the First World War, which cost Britain greatly in wealth and lives but did a world of good in imperial terms, allowing her to annex much of the Imperial German Empire. It was a continual growing process throughout much of the early 20^’sand 30’s until the intensification of Nazi Germany grew to an extent that it plunged all of Europe into a crisis. With the exception of an alliance with France in the early years before the annex of Paris by Hitler’s army, Britain fought much of the war on its own, against a mighty and terrifying monster whose true personality was only revealed through the appalling stacks of Jewish corpses gassed in its concentration camps. I would confer that no British person should ever award the title of “winner of the war” to America or Russia when all this has been considered. Britain was the only free country in Europe, and it stood up for that freedom. Queen Victoria said in her diary during the Boer war: “My country and my people fight with the sword of freedom. Freedom to this nation is like the heart of a King, it is the courage that stands firm on the shores of this great realm, it is the demeanour of a glorious nation and it is the hope that comes to all the weak peoples of our world who look to Britannia for her loving arms to caress them and her shields to protect them from the harm that is poised, ready to destroy them.” Then came World War Two.

The war changed the face of Great Britain forever. Britain, the economic, political and military leader of the world now faced financial ruin, scattered armies and coalition governments, not sure of which way to lead the country back to success. The people were confused, the great cities in ruins – results of the battle of Britain, the politicians had nothing to go on. Britain had broken legs and arms, and the once proud nation, who stood united and largely independent throughout the war, relied heavily on America for its support. Britain took hold of star-spangled crutches and has never been able to get rid of them.

The country is in over four trillion pounds worth of dept in 2010, and I can estimate that it was at this point that this dept to the world started to occur and has only floated on top of parliament after parliament, most of whom, and I stress including the Labour party, have just added and added to the disaster ever since.

The country sits poised on the edge of double dip recession that might force its people back into pre-war poverty when people choose between warmth and wealth. How could such a great and glorious nation end up as the discarded remains of a powerful and wealthy empire in less than a hundred years?

The answer is you, and me, and the person next to you. Whether you are Welsh, Irish, Scottish or English, you have sartorially sandblasted the United Kingdom with Political correctness, brutality, lack of responsibility over your say. We have chosen parties only to spite the opposition and we have forever led a strictly blue versus red battle in the Houses of our Parliament that, in short, must end. Our kingdom, whether witnessed in our schools, in our companies, in our shops and, sadly, in our own families, the – and I say this with the utmost respect – the Indians are now controlling the chiefs. On the wider scale, that is what happened to Britain too. The United States, Europe, China, Japan and the Middle East – all held, at one time or another, allegiance to Great Britain, heralded it as the Greatest power ever to have existed, Lord of the Seas and Prince of the Air, only now to toss it hastily back onto the Siegfried line through economic policy that costs the British people 46 Million pounds per day in payments to Brussels to maintain the European Community and all its pointless courts of chance.

Dickens uses a description of Britains political situation, that I think can really be applied to our situation now, in 2010:

“The raw afternoon is rawest, and the dense fog is densest,

and the muddy streets are muddiest near that

leaden-headed old obstruction, appropriate ornament for

the threshold of a leaden-headed old corporation, ”

On being....(Pt 1)

2010-11-07T22:56:00.001Z

... “Christian” and the like…

I am poised studiously my desk, with the ink sapping from the porous tip of my pen as it eagerly awaits its tender À la seconde with my shuffling paper. I’m proud to be writing again. I find writing so inspiring, thought-provoking, insightful, laborious (in a good way), Challenging (also in a good way), carefree, somewhat worldly, compassionate, frightfully pleasing and fundamentally personal. It can be all these things at once, or it can be a little at a time. It never really matters to me, as long as the process happens. Of late though, it’s hard to find the energy or the engagement with my mind; a mind so long bereft of literary erudition, to do anything at all.

I have written a lot of pieces, some personal, some fictitious – really whatever suited my outlook at the time. Nevertheless, they were always fruitful and worthwhile reading, and of that, I am yet proud. To consider what stopped me, or what prevented me rather, is something I’d like to explore with you. It is something that, quite like putting pen to paper, sincerely means its weight in gold to me, heavy-laden as it is upon my broken and contrite heart.

And it is of being a Christian.

I can recollect times before I professed my faith in Jesus Christ, this mysteriously revealed subject of the Gospels, and might you embrace, the bible as a whole. I remember a time without his words permeating my every thought and my recollection also serves me a time when I was free to envisage, free to thrash out, free to explore, a whole world of ideas. And I did: I’ve written, as proof in the pudding, a few fictitious books that take you from Earth and Mars, to Jupiter and Mercury; from the scaled claws of dragons to the warm embrace of father-like wizards and grandmotherly Witches, swinging to and fro, on their broomsticks through paragraphs and complicated sentences that, I, yes I, have formed.

These feelings seem to have sucked all of my energy for the creative process out of my mind, not just with writing, and replaced them with the pre-occupation of catching up with my fellow Christians on learning bible verses, listening to audio sermons, reading books upon books of which make little way in their aim to “come to know Christ better” and attending pointless meetings at every church in the district, just to hear a melancholy preacher speak the same speel I am quite happy to hear from the lips of my very own, very educated, very oratorically brilliant, pastor each Sunday, and through the week if I so choose.

When you become a Christian, you do expect things to get better, things to go up, to head in the right direction but what you don’t expect, certainly early on in your Christian career – and I use ‘career’ here because that is exactly what it is, something that is quite substantial in ones life, and a air-less mill house for producing stress and graft that doesn’t ever really, in all honestly, turn into a lifestyle but sits somewhere comfortably in between – is to be left flimsily on earth whilst the only thing that flutters away from you and heads heavenwards, are the words of your prayers, whispered so fashionably into your clasped hands and spun with the most appealing and admirable of biblical overtones. Nothing much else seems to change, except for things you once believed to be chance, disaster, and luck turning into divine providence, wrath and answered prayers.

And I know from reading this article so far, one might be under the impression that I am nothing of the Christian I should be. I should be professing the marvel of Christ’s work in my life, I should be shouting from the rooftops about that Saving grace that found me when I was lost, I should vociferate my acquiescence of doctrine to everyone and anyone who doesn’t have what I have.

Arguably, I’ve never probably felt so confused, so interrupted, so sporadic in thought, so pacey, so worried, and so concerned about things that mean nothing and so uninterruptedly depressed. So much have I developed into this carbon-copy of a congregational zombie that I’ve lost some of the essentials of life, or if not at a loss for them, I have certainly been preoccupied with other things.

What should a Christian be? Well, quite honestly I don’t know, but before you lunge onto me with books by the top ten evangelical authors understand what I say to you, dear World: Go your several ways in peace! Wear red coats, blue coats, lawn-sleeves, put pens behind your ears, wear aprons, go after glory, holiness, commerce, trade, any object you prefer, only - let me live!"

I really am a bad Christian, if you took me as an example and its because, and I am abundantly aware of this: I have placed, proudly at the centre of my faith, other Christians, each one as bad as the next and so fruitfully desperate to tell me so. Those conversations are dreadfully and quickly becoming dull, and they happen so often I’m curious as to how the very paving stones being stood on during, have the patience to stay there and be a witness to so many inconsistencies and contradictions in the sounding nonsense.

This is the here and now, and I’ve not even considered the future. I sit asking myself how I come to resolve this. In my heart I hear the death of liberty and with thunderous applause too, and in my head I speak to God prayerfully for a revival of my heart, lamenting for hope. So God, when I know you exist, let me tell you now that my heart is being ground to bits in a slow mill; its being roasted at a slow fire, its being stung to death by single bees, its being drowned by drops and it’s going mad by grains and from me and my pen, we most genuinely apologise.

The Five C's to Put off Non-Christians...

2010-09-11T17:32:00.002+01:00

Part 1 : Church and its Cliques

Okay, I will say it…we have social cliques in our churches. We try to cover up, ignore, overlook or we are just plain blind to them, but we do have them. Any Christian, whatever gender, age, race, position, occupation has experienced at one time or another the position or experience of being inside or outside of a “clique” group in fellowship in the church. I’ve been in them, gender-specific, age-specific, child-specific, etc. etc. and so have you. We like to say that people will fit together socially in certain people groups within the church body because of their “specific” needs or situations or because it just “works that way.” But how does this play out in practice? You know:
■You walk into a new church and no one greets you because everyone is busy with “friends” and catching up.
■You are a visitor or friend of the church and you attend a dinner, coffee hour, event and are faced with the awkward position of the “regulars” all sitting together, enjoying fellowship and you are alone, ignored and noticeably uncomfortable and want to hit the pavement running and decide there and then never to attend another event.
■You are a church member and are one of those members who is not in the “clique group” “officer group” or a “long-standing or “charter member” group.
■Or, perhaps you are in one of these categories: a single, divorced, or widowed adult, middle-aged or elderly, infirmed, or, childless and are totally “outside” the “qualifying norm” (i.e., family: father, mother, children) of your church and therefore “just don’t fit in.”
But what does the Bible say about this? Is it biblical? In short, the answer is yes and no. YES, in the formal preaching, teaching, and official administration of the church we have gender-specific positions and administration but NO these are never to be “cliques” but rather “office specific” by administration, not by relational attitude and behavior to other members and groups. In plain language this means in the fellowship of believers in the church body, there should not be a “leadership clique” or “officer-to-officer friendly group-only” “mommies-only clique” “married-only clique” “single-only clique” or any other type of “clique.” All members of the body of Christ, whether official, leadership, member or child should fellowship one with another as unto Christ. We are Christ’s body, which is one, and no part is without the other.

“But now God has set the members, each one of them, in the body as it has pleased Him. And if they were all one member, where would be the body? But now indeed many are the members, yet only one body. And the eye cannot say to the hand, I have no need of you; nor again the head to the feet, I have no need of you. But much rather the members of the body seeming to be weaker are necessary. And those members of the body which we think to be less honorable, on these we put more abundant honor around them. And our unpresentable members have more abundant propriety. For our presentable members have no need, but God tempered the body together, giving more abundant honor to the member having need; that there not be division in the body, but that the members should have the same care for one another.” 1Co 12:18-25

In this article, I want to speak specifically about those “social” events, church suppers, outings, coffee hours and other “fellowship” events in the life of the church body since this is the place where most of those occurrences of “cliquish” behavior occur. Should there be “cliques” here – the answer is unequivocally “No”! Absolutely not! Sadly, I believe this causes more folks to be offended, unhappy or leave a church than any other. We, as people, will tolerate bad teaching, preaching, uncomfortable seating, etc. but we will not tolerate alienation and rejection. If we look at statistics or do a survey of why folks leave a church, this is high on the list of reasons. [This would have been one category I would have added to Richard Gant’s “Twenty Controversies That Almost Killed the Church.”) It is no wonder that “fun-filled” erroneous doctrine is tolerated in many churches because the “people are friendly” and “I feel loved and appreciated there” or “I can be myself and accepted for who I am and I am no longer ‘on the outside looking in’ in the church family. These are sad statements are they not? A true indictment of our lack of love of the body in total and our ministry to them in the church family. We can have biblical, correct doctrine and yet completely miss the mark in our ministry to the body of Christ in the church. Christ has said, “Let love be without hypocrisy, shrinking from evil, cleaving to good; in brotherly love to one another, loving fervently, having led one another in honor.” We are all guilty and need to repent and beseech Christ for mercy to change and flee from our cliquishness to be an outgoing, outgiving, loving and ministering people. Only then will we no longer be “cliques” of peoples in the body but rather one body, in Christ, in heart and action, and can we say we are reflecting the glory of Christ as the body of Christ. We celebrate the Lord’s Supper as one body and we celebrate our fellowship in the body as one. We eat and drink together as one. Let us live as brethren as one.

There is so much more to say on this and I will in my next article, Part II, “Coffee, Cookies and Crumbs.”1/ You know where I am going on this, don’t you? This Lord’s Day as you worship and fellowship with His people, consider these things you have read and examine yourself to see where change is needed. You will be the better for it to the glory of God and the good of your own soul.

Prayer
Blessed Lord God, the Lover of our souls, have mercy upon us and lead us as Your people to love as You have loved us and given Yourself for us. Help us to flee from the sin of cliquishness, favoritism, discrimination and knock down our prideful hearts and behavior so that we will be reflections of Christ-likeness and truly love and serve one another as You have commanded. Open our eyes to see ourselves as others see us so that we can change. Help us to be pititful to those that are different than us and to reach out to them. You have placed us in the body by Your providential sovereign decree for Your glory and our good. Help us to be a people of one heart and mind. Because of Jesus we ask, Amen.

Non-Christian Cults

2010-08-19T23:33:00.001+01:00

The most important thing we can do for those involved in cults or false religions is pray for them. We need to pray that God would change their hearts and open their eyes to the truth (2 Corinthians 4:4). We need to pray that God would convince them of their need for salvation through Jesus Christ (John 3:16). Without the power of God and conviction of the Holy Spirit, we will never succeed in convincing anyone of the truth (John 16:7-11).

We also need to be living a godly Christian life, so those trapped in cults and religions can see the change God has made in our own lives (1 Peter 3:1-2). We need to pray for wisdom in how we can minister to them in a powerful way (James 1:5). After all of this, we must be bold in our actual sharing of the gospel. We must proclaim the message of salvation through Jesus Christ (Romans 10:9-10). We always need to be prepared to defend our faith (1 Peter 3:15), but we must do so with gentleness and respect. We can proclaim the doctrine correctly, win the war of words, and still impede the cause by an attitude of angry superiority.

Ultimately, we must leave the salvation of those to whom we witness up to God. It is God's power and grace that saves people, not our efforts. While it is good and wise to be prepared to give a vigorous defense and have knowledge of false beliefs, neither of these things will result in the conversion of those trapped in the lies of the cults and false religions. The best we can do is pray for them, witness to them, and live the Christian life in front of them, trusting that the Holy Spirit will do the work of drawing, convincing, and converting.

What about the Gift of Tongues?

2010-08-19T23:32:00.001+01:00

The first occurrence of speaking in tongues occurred on the day of Pentecost in Acts 2:1-4. The apostles went out and shared the gospel with the crowds, speaking to them in their own languages: “We hear them declaring the wonders of God in our own tongues!” (Acts 2:11). The Greek word translated tongues literally means “languages.” Therefore, the gift of tongues is speaking in a language a person does not know in order to minister to someone who does speak that language. In 1 Corinthians chapters 12–14, Paul discusses miraculous gifts, saying, “Now, brothers, if I come to you and speak in tongues, what good will I be to you, unless I bring you some revelation or knowledge or prophecy or word of instruction?” (1 Corinthians 14:6). According to the apostle Paul, and in agreement with the tongues described in Acts, speaking in tongues is valuable to the one hearing God’s message in his or her own language, but it is useless to everyone else unless it is interpreted/translated.

A person with the gift of interpreting tongues (1 Corinthians 12:30) could understand what a tongues-speaker was saying even though he did not know the language that was being spoken. The tongues interpreter would then communicate the message of the tongues speaker to everyone else, so all could understand. “For this reason anyone who speaks in a tongue should pray that he may interpret what he says” (1 Corinthians 14:13). Paul’s conclusion regarding tongues that were not interpreted is powerful: “But in the church I would rather speak five intelligible words to instruct others than ten thousand words in a tongue” (1 Corinthians 14:19).

Is the gift of tongues for today? First Corinthians 13:8 mentions the gift of tongues ceasing, although it connects the ceasing with the arrival of the “perfect” in 1 Corinthians 13:10. Some point to a difference in the tense of the Greek verbs referring to prophecy and knowledge “ceasing” and that of tongues “being ceased” as evidence for tongues ceasing before the arrival of the “perfect.” While possible, this is not explicitly clear from the text. Some also point to passages such as Isaiah 28:11 and Joel 2:28-29 as evidence that speaking in tongues was a sign of God's oncoming judgment. First Corinthians 14:22 describes tongues as a “sign to unbelievers.” According to this argument, the gift of tongues was a warning to the Jews that God was going to judge Israel for rejecting Jesus Christ as Messiah. Therefore, when God did in fact judge Israel (with the destruction of Jerusalem by the Romans in A.D. 70), the gift of tongues would no longer serve its intended purpose. While this view is possible, the primary purpose of tongues being fulfilled does not necessarily demand its cessation. Scripture does not conclusively assert that the gift of speaking in tongues has ceased.

At the same time, if the gift of speaking in tongues were active in the church today, it would be performed in agreement with Scripture. It would be a real and intelligible language (1 Corinthians 14:10). It would be for the purpose of communicating God's Word with a person of another language (Acts 2:6-12). It would be in agreement with the command God gave through the apostle Paul, “If anyone speaks in a tongue, two—or at the most three—should speak, one at a time, and someone must interpret. If there is no interpreter, the speaker should keep quiet in the church and speak to himself and God” (1 Corinthians 14:27-28). It would also be in accordance with 1 Corinthians 14:33, “For God is not the author of confusion, but of peace, as in all churches of the saints.”

God most definitely can give a person the gift of speaking in tongues to enable him or her to communicate with a person who speaks another language. The Holy Spirit is sovereign in the dispersion of the spiritual gifts (1 Corinthians 12:11). Just imagine how much more productive missionaries could be if they did not have to go to language school, and were instantly able to speak to people in their own language. However, God does not seem to be doing this. Tongues does not seem to occur today in the manner it did in the New Testament, despite the fact that it would be immensely useful. The vast majority of believers who claim to practice the gift of speaking in tongues do not do so in agreement with the Scriptures mentioned above. These facts lead to the conclusion that the gift of tongues has ceased or is at least a rarity in God's plan for the church today.

The Dilemma for Christian Men - Good essay.

2010-07-12T18:34:00.003+01:00

As a Christian man, how can you live your faith without compromise in a world full of temptations? Is it possible to maintain ethical standards in business, and personal integrity in your social life, when external pressures and internal forces are constantly enticing you away from the Christian life?

Rev. Jack Zavada offers some practical advice to help you hang tough and let Christ conform you into a godly Christian man of uncompromising character.

When we accept Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior, our salvation is assured, but that very act presents us with a dilemma.

How do we, as Christian men, function effectively in the world without compromising our faith?

Not a day goes by without temptations to disobey God. How we handle those temptations either conforms our character more closely to that of Jesus or takes us in the opposite direction. Every area of our life is affected by that simple choice.

Drawing a Line in the Workplace
Fierce competition has made ethical compromise more common than ever. Businesses are leaning toward lower quality and less value to keep profit margins high. From executives to production workers, cutting corners is seen as one way to beat the competition.

I once sat in a management meeting and heard the president of the company say, "Well, there are different levels of ethics." After I closed my lower jaw in amazement, I thought of my Dad's simple understanding of "levels" of ethics: right and wrong.

It's important to establish our integrity early on, and never hedge on it. When we get a reputation for being non-negotiable on ethics, coworkers won't even try. If we're ordered to do something shady, we can honestly answer that it's not in the best interests of the customer, vendor, or the company's reputation.

As someone who worked in public relations, I can tell you that repairing a business's reputation is not only very expensive but takes years. Doing the right thing is always a wise business move.

If push comes to shove, we can state that we vehemently disagree with the order and ask to have our disagreement entered in writing in our personnel file. Executives are loathe to document ethical lapses.

Is this attitude realistic? Will it get you branded as a troublemaker or even fired?

That's the dilemma. At some point we Christian men have to choose what matters most to us: climbing the ladder or holding onto the cross. But the bottom line is that we cannot expect God to bless a career that violates his laws.

Drawing a Line in Your Social Life
Are you as insulted as I am by "men's" magazines? The editors seem to be obsessed with sex, six-pack abs and shiny objects. These publications are geared more toward chimpanzees than intelligent, moral human beings.

That's our dilemma. Whose morals are we going to follow? Are we going to let our thrill-oriented, sensuality-based culture dictate what's "normal"? Are we going to treat women as disposable objects or as precious daughters of God?

Through my website, I frequently receive emails from single Christian women asking where the decent Christian men are. Believe me, there's a big demand for guys who live out their faith. If you're searching for a godly Christian wife, I encourage you to hold to your standards. You will find a woman who will appreciate you for it.

The temptations are strong, and we have as many hormones as our unbeliever brothers, but we know better. We know what God expects. Sin is never right just because everybody else is doing it.

The Dilemma of Hanging Tough
Who says Christian men aren't tough, macho guys? We have to be to stand up to the pressures of this world.

Jesus realized that 2,000 years ago when he said, "If you belonged to the world, it would love you as its own. As it is, you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the world. That is why the world hates you." (John 15:19 NIV)

If we're loved by Christ, we can expect to be hated by the world. We can expect ridicule, insults, discrimination, and rejection. We're not like them. We're different, and different always catches criticism.

All this hurts. Every guy wants to be accepted, but in our bruised feelings, we tend to forget that we are already accepted by Jesus, regardless of what the world thinks. When we focus on Christ's acceptance, we can go to him for strength and renewal.

He'll give us what we need to hang tough, no matter what dilemma the world throws at us.

The True Jesus Christ

2010-03-28T23:18:00.002+01:00

There is great variation in the Christian faith. The variation seems to arise most heatedly at the person of Jesus Christ. The split, ironically, comes at his identity. Many cults/sects such as Jehovah's Witnesses, The Mormons, Latter Day Saints, Christadelphians and New Age movements deny the deity of Christ, and some go to a huge extent to deny his purpose. It is quite fair to say that, whilst decieving, they are very convincing in their biblical knowledge and interpretation. Be respectfully careful.

"Who being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but made Himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness" (Philippians 2:6-7).

At the Incarnation, Christ took on a second nature -- a human nature. The pre-incarnate Christ had one nature (divine); the incarnate Christ had two natures (one fully divine, and one fully human).
In His humanity, Christ experienced the temptations and pains that we face -- hunger, thirst, grief, and ultimately, death. It was the man, Christ, who experienced the temptations of this world, yet was without sin: "For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are -- yet was without sin" (Hebrews 4:15).
While on earth Christ did not cease from being fully God, but rather, Christ submitted to the will and power of the Father. On earth Christ never exercised His deity independent of the Father's will. Thus Christ, the God-man, could say in Matthew 24:36 that "No one knows about that day or hour, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father."
God redeemed us by becoming a man, living a sinless life, and then dying on the cross in our place. Christ's two natures -- one divine and one human -- are forever inseparable. His bodily resurrection demonstrated this inseparability: "'Put your finger here; see My hands. Reach out your hand and put it into My side. Stop doubting and believe.' Thomas said to him, 'My Lord and my God!' Then Jesus told him, 'Because you have seen Me you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed'" (John 20:27-29).
All cults deny the true deity of Christ. Many deny His true humanity. They claim that Jesus was not really tempted since, after all, God cannot be tempted. These cults fail to grasp the clear teaching of Scripture -- that Christ, who was fully man and fully God, shared in our humanity so that He might redeem us.
Since the children have flesh and blood, He too shared in their humanity so that by His death He might destroy him who holds the power of death -- that is the devil -- and free those who all their lives were held in slavery by their fear of death. (Hebrews 2:14-15)

The fruits of my research. Part One.

2010-03-26T11:14:00.001Z

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K44aRKx8FZ0

Amen to god, Three in one.

This is It.

2010-03-01T15:06:00.005Z

I've not been feeling well lately due to catching the flu last week. Luckily much of it has left me besides an annoying little encore called "the runny nose."

Whilst I've been off I've not really had much to do so i thought about watching Michael Jacksons "This is It" the movie which came out on dvd on 26th February. Its interesting.

I had tickets to two of the o2 shows of Michaels 50 Date tour (that actually would have finished by now!) and i can probably say that the anticipation to see him was surpassed only by the grief of his death. It shocked the life out of me.

To watch him on stage, and watch him build his concept tour called "This Is It" really is amazing. Michael had the snippets of the rehearsals filmed for his own collection as he did with so many of his endeavors.

Whilst the content of the film is well put together, there really is only one problem with it and it comes in two forms: It is kind of like the most delicious bar of chocolate that you'll ever taste, nibbling away slowly at it, and savoring its taste on your palate. It unfortunately is a chocolate bar that you never get to finish. Its still unsatisfying because there is no final product, there is no fulfillment of the rehearsals.

A big part of me wishes, quite selfishly, to have been able to see it. If only Michael had lived just to do the first one. We'd have gotten to see the finished masterpiece.

But taking everything into account, i can probably bet that, Michael too, would have loved to have performed the final product. "This Is It" concert - just like the DVD now - was absoloutly just for the fans.

Thanks Michael.

"Imprisoned Spirits" 1 Peter 3:19

2010-02-21T21:05:00.001Z

If you are on Facebook and want to read the article, click on "View Original Post"

Aside from my studies of Amos ( which I will delineate at a later date!) I’ve been looking at 1 Peter.

1 Peter is a fulfilment of the commission given to Peter by Christ (Luke 22:31-32) and like Paul, he presents the doctrine of Grace most meticulously. There is contrasts in the letter with our Lords words that are recorded in the gospels and there is a striking resemblance between 1 Peter and the speeches of Peter in Acts. Key thoughts of the Epistle are such subjects as exhortation and testimony and most outstandingly the suffering of the Christian.

It has been one passage that has had me stumped for the past couple of days, and as I research it more and more I come to realise that many, many Christians before me have felt the same. However, after many days and hours of research, I feel confident about my hypothesis of this part of the passage. And so we look at 1 Peter 3:18-20…

“¹⁸For Christ died for sins once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to God. He was put to death in the body but made alive by the Spirit, ¹⁹through whom^a]">[a] also he went and preached to the spirits in prison ²⁰who disobeyed long ago when God waited patiently in the days of Noah while the ark was being built. In it only a few people, eight in all, were saved through water..”

It is actually completely fair to say that this passage in 1 Peter 3, is quite difficult to translate. During translation from Greek to English, each of the nine words that we read in V.19 can be translated into varied shades of meaning, making interpretation for us, particularly problematic. You do your best to translate them into their most basic of meanings, thus “in which also he went and proclaimed to the spirits in prison…”

Whilst I was doing a bible course at church called “Hearing the Word”, it occurred to me that, quite often, to piece together a meaning for an event or story in the bible, one must go back and refer; one must ask questions of the text; one must highlight discrepancies or maladies, mistakes and trivia. With this in mind, and paying particular attention to V.19 you can consider the word “which” – this is referring back to “Spirit” which is its closest antecedent, in verse 18, suggesting that Jesus was no longer in the flesh but by this time had been changed into the spirit.

This would follow a historical chain of events in order for the preceding verse: He suffered, died, was resurrected, and was this changed to spirit, leading to the next key words, “he went” (V.19)

What happened, then, next in the gospel record after Jesus’ resurrection to Spirit? What did Jesus do after arising from the dead? Some will suggest that he revealed himself to his disciples, which he of course did, and not by any stretch of meaning, could that act be described as “going and proclaiming to imprisoned spirits!”

Jesus tells us in the gospel of John, exactly what the next momentous occurrence was: “Go to my Father and your Father, and to my God and your God” (John 20:17). When Jesus “went”, he ascended in glory to the right hand of the Father in heaven

At this point, we should skip to the phrase “Spirits in Prison.” Firstly though, we need to note that the bible does not refer to human beings who have died as being imprisoned in any way, not even those who have rebelled against and rejected god. They may be described as “destroyed” “cut off” or sent to “Sheol” but never imprisoned. If you look at Genesis 3:19 and Ecclesiastes 3:19-20, there lies examples of humans who die returning to the dust of which they are made.

However, the bible does speak in several places about “spirit beings” – i.e Angels or Demons – being imprisoned. (See 2 Peter 2:4-5, where Peter again refers to Noah’s time, Jude 6, and Revelation 20:1-3, 7)

Rebellious angels, unlike mortal humans, must be imprisoned because Angels and Demons, being comprised of spirit, do not die as humans do. The “angels who sinned” Peter and Jude say, were cast down to Tartarus (restraint, prison e.g.) were they are bound until God judges them. This Tartarus, this hell, is where the demons are restrained. (Ezekiel 28:17, Revelation 12:7-9)

Peters use of “spirits” is actually quite consistent with the use in the four Gospels. The gospels often denote “evil spirits” “demons” and “wicked spirits” and in 1 Peter 3:19 I guess we could suppose this is what peter is referring to.

To get confirmation we need to look ahead into the first phrase of V.20 “Who formerly were disobedient” or “who disobeyed long ago” depending on what bible you’ve got (I chose to look at a few different translations!) Here, Peter is speaking of a time in deep antiquity, a time beyond the flood of Noah. Perhaps he does not intend us to think of Satans original sin of rebellion against god, although it may be included, but points us specifically to the demons’ corruption of mankind between Creation and the Flood.

This would explain his time marker in the next phrase, “when God waited patiently in the days of Noah, whilst the ark was being built” In Satans sin, only the demons themselves were affected, but when they corrupted mankind, human beings who were potential sons of God were affected. Once men and women began sinning under the influence of Satan and the Demons, the sacrificial death of Christ became a necessary course of action for the Father.

Peters point, then, is that though the wicked spirits seemed to be so successful in corrupting mankind, God patiently wated during the 120 years of Noah’s ministry to save only eight people by bringing them through the Flood, delivering them in a sort of World wide baptism. The demons had failed to destroy mankind, So also, by having Jesus crucified, the demons would have thought they had one, and then through his resurrection, Jesus would have been able to prove his victory instead

This brings us back to the word in 1 Peter 3:19 that we skipped “Proclaimed” Most commentaries on this will note that this word in Greek and Hebrew means in general “to be a herald”, “to proclaim” “to announce” or “to publish” and finally “to preach” although it may not be used to mean “preach the gospel to” or “to preach salvation to”

Because Peter doesn’t go into any depth about what Jesus proclaimed or announced, to assume the preaching the gospel is not warranted. The only clue we have of what he proclaimed appears in the immediate context:

“He was made alive by the Spirit”

If this is the case, V.19 we can conclude that verse 19 says that after Jesus was resurrected, He ascended to heaven, proclaiming to the imprisoned evil spirits that he lived! The demons, once again, had failed.

Verse 22 backs this interpretation: “who has gone into heaven and at the right hand of god, angels and authorities and powers having been made subject to him.” This aligns itself with many scriptural references that speak of his exhalation over all things, for example “Philippians 2:9-10”...

"Therefore God also has highly exalted Him and given Him the name which is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth."

Jesus' ascension to the throne of God proclaimed His victory over death and over Satan and his demons!

Can i question your faith?

2010-02-16T22:50:00.004Z

Here's a little insight into a few questions and a response which happened as a result of a stranger on Facebook (who is now not a stranger) talking to be about my opinion on drugs. Its really quite interesting....

Guy:
OK don't take this the wrong way, what you believe is completely up to you, but I'd like to know the thought processes and reasoning behind your faith.

For me, one of the most convincing arguments against not simply a Christian god, but all gods from every religion on this planet, is simply that - there are other religions. Many of them. And whether or not you are Christian, Muslim, Jewish, Hindu, whatever, depends entirely on your geographical position on this planet and (mostly) whether or not your parents are of a particular belief. Would you agree with this?

Each theist from each of these groups truly believe they are part of the correct religion. It is only possible for one to be true, if any, correct?

Each time I ask a religious person this question it seems to be sidestepped. That is only one argument, of course, but I'd love a proper response as you surely must have considered this yourself.

Geo's Response:
Firstly thank you very much for accepting me as a friend. I appreciate it.

I think your questions is a good one. It deserves alot of thought but i will try and answer it as best i can just now for you. I will answer each of your questions seperatly to avoid confusion.

I do need to clear some things up first of all. I am an Evangelical christian and that means that i have been saved by Gods grace, which is humbling and forgiving, a grace that was demonstrated in god humbling himself into becoming man in the form of christ, and dieing as the ultimate sacrifice to wash my sinful record clean. I believe that i cannot attain that gift of grace by sacriments, by being a good person, by any sort of works. By believing in him, and trusting in his word, he gives me unsurpassed joy, hope and new life. So, on with the questions...

1. Is your faith determined by your geographical position?

To an extent, i would agree. Alot has to be said for the origins of Islam, Judiasm and Christianity as they all originate in roughly the same area, however, taking the christian faith of out of the equasion for a second and looking at the other major religions, you see a trend starting to appear. All other religions have established themselves through military conquest, followed by cultural domination and biological growth (having children) over a long period of time. That’s why Islam is largely concentrated where it has been able to conquer and rule with an iron hand. Hinduism barely exists outside of southern Asia. And Buddhism has not substantially spread outside of Asia. The Christian church has not been entrenched in any specific area. Its almost nomadic, not exactly unlike Jesus himself. It has migrated from the Middle East to the Near East to Europe and Africa, to India, the Americas, to remote islands, and to Asia. At different times it has been vibrant in one place and then another. And the church has had an amazing ability to adapt to very different cultures without losing its essence.

No other religion in history has spread to as many places around the world and to as many diverse cultures as Christianity. But how it has spread is particularly unique. Instead of military conquest (coercion has been a tragic exception to the rule in Christianity), the church from its inception has largely spread through fragile missionaries who endured alienation, persecution, disease, and death to bring the gospel to unreached peoples. They then have been followed by fragile pastors, elders, and saints who often endured the same things and carried on the work. This level of cross-cultural spreading is unique to anything the world has ever seen. So do these form an argument for the authenticity of the church as the holder of truth over other religions? Certainly not alone. But I do think they are pointers. From the broad historical view (with all her grievous sins and blunders painfully noted), the church bears a resemblance to her Master and hopefully points to him and makes people listen to what he has to say.

The bible explicitly says that God satisfies. The extend to which humans have rebelled against the true god is evidenced in our desire to create faiths fitting to our needs. Christianity is the most offensive religion in the world because it threatens our very core, requires a change, and requires repentance from this life and to become a new creation. It requires humble obedience.

An example of a human made religion, is Islam. If you read the Koran, and i believe it is in the Book of Surah (a book in the koran) it states that muslims who are martyrs and do as allah and "the prophet" command will recieve the gifts in heaven of 70 mansions, in which are 70 rooms, in which are 70 beds, on which are 70 sheets, and on each sheet is a virgin who, after each time she is penetrated, renews her virginity. As a man, it is appealing. It sounds amazing, it sounds like something to die for.

But imagine dying for the spreading of the word. Imagine dying for somebody else? Imagine giving everything you can, giving your all, just to help someone who despises you. Imagine bending the knee to someone who hates you. Imagine giving your last to someone you know won't give you anything in return. That isn't natural for humans in our sinful ways. But thats what Jesus requires of us. He asks us to take up our OWN Crosses, and crucify ourselves, put ourselves in the fireing line to save OTHER people from the destructive power of sin.

2. Why is Christianity the true faith?

I translated your second question into this, as i was a bit unclear what exactly you were asking me. I still hope it helps you.... I guess you can come at the truth of Christianity through several angles of apologetics and reasoning. Let me mention a few and tell you the one that is most existentially real for me.

1) One would be historical. I think arguments can be mounted that are solid and compelling—first for the existence of Jesus, and then for the death and the resurrection of Jesus—to give an account for why the apostles were the way they were after his death.

2) A second line of evidence is called presuppositional. It says that without God and the Bible as an assumption all of our reasoning processes and all of our perceiving processes are not possible.

In other words, every time we start thinking and every time we start perceiving, something is happening in our heads which assumes something. And if you're going to have any kind of credible conversation about what you're thinking or about what you're seeing, then you are assuming certain laws of logic, causality, and existence, which can't have any absolute significance unless they're rooted in God.

So everybody is talking nonsense, but hardly anybody will say, "We're all just animals talking nonsense." Even those who are total secular, naturalistic evolutionists don't like to be treated like animals.

When a dog barks, I don't assume he's writing poetry. But when a man puts poetry down, I assume he wants me to take him seriously as a human being who has serious meaning there. He doesn't like it if I say, "O that's just paw marks!" So he's assuming something unbelievably profound about the significance and the basis of what he's doing, which he couldn't do unless he had a Christian construction of God. A creator god.

Here's the third one, and the last one that is most significant to me:

3) How do you, when you want to decide if someone's testimony or witness is true? You weren't there. There were no videos. There was no recording. And you have to decide whether what he's saying happened actually happened.

When I read the Bible, that's the way I feel I am. I'm reading Paul, say, the 13 letters of the Apostle Paul. And he's telling me he saw the Lord Jesus, that he was knocked off of his donkey on the Damascus road, saw the Lord Jesus, was commisioned by the Lord Jesus, and now is inspired by the Lord Jesus. And then he interprets all of that in terms of the gospel.

I've got to reckon, "Paul, are you a lunatic? Are you a liar? Or are you telling the truth?" (Those questions are usually used with Jesus: "Are you a lunatic, a liar, or the Lord?") I think it's a good argument, and I use it for the writers of the New Testament, not just for Jesus. I know that I've got Paul right here in my hand, and I want to know, "Are you crazy?"

So when I'm reading the Bible, whether it's the Gospel of John or Romans, I'm asking the question, "How can I credit what's here, both the testimony of the man and the portrait of Jesus?" And I think there is a light that stands forth from the text of the truthfulness of Jesus that is self-authenticating. And there is a kind of character for the writers that stands forth that is authenticating of their solidity and truthfulness, confirming that they're not lunatics or liars.

i hope these answers help. If they don't and you need me to elaborate, then just get in touch. i'd be happy to explain further :)

He didn't reply.

The Lion Roars.

2010-02-02T21:35:00.003Z

Hi Everyone!!

I know i haven't posted in a little while but i've been really busy with various different things and its been nice to get a break away from writing for a while, as it's all i seem to do of late.

I thought, in accordance with the purpose of this blog, i would give you a little insight into what i've started studying.

After quite a lengthy decision, and perusing a few options, i have decided to spend the next two or three months studying Amos. I say two or three months, because that is giving me enough time to read, study, and summarize. Don't expect to hear from me all the time.

And as of tonight, i commenced with that study and my commentary, by Alec Moyter, which i borrowed from my church is a pretty good starting point. I love "The Bible Speaks Today" books because they are so indepth and yet so understandable.

By indepth, you can deffinatly see why in the book of Amos. The full chapter of the commentary is purely on Amos 1:2 and quite rightly so. Here's why -

"The Lord Roars from Zion and thunders from Jerusalem"

Initially, you might think that this portrays the LORD as very fierce in nature and to an extent it does. But with more clarity you get to see the true meaning of the statement.

If you consider where God decided to lay his alter - Jerusalem/Zion - and then question why was he roaring from there, and what do we mean by "roaring" it paints a very vivid picture of what God does, and what he is about.

Zion and Jerusalem are where his alter is at, where is desires to be worshiped from. The heart of his people.
"Roaring" does not mean literal roaring but the connotations speak volumns. His voice is heard, his exclaiming voice. When a Lion roars, its a warning; its pre-emptive to the strike; to the bite. And so with God, this Roaring is a warning of his Judgement, and it can be heard loud and clear.
When you combine the two, you realise that Gods warning comes from Jerusalem and Zion. Very interesting point.

What Amos means by this verse, is that God, whilst a holy and merciful god, so much so to give a warning to his judgement and wrath, does so right from the heart of his people. For us, he starts this right at his Church. His judgement starts with us.

This, i feel, is a very important, and essential lession for all Christians and it is certainly one that i have taken onboard. God has warned us, that yes - he will roar, yes - he will give us judgement but have the mercy to tell us beforehand, and finally yes- that judgement starts with his own people.

What do you make of that?

A Tennyson Discovery.

2010-01-31T17:51:00.002Z

We're gutting out my grandfathers house, as he seems to, over the years, have let it go a little. Amongst the nicotine stained air, and the whiskey bottles, is a man of desperate times. Someone i would say was a victim of the times, cast off a little from society. Nobody really goes near him, including his family; me included.

God works in all of us, and for months, i have been pondering about how to go about helping my grandfather. He's my dads, dad, and even my own father wasn't interested in helping. Mum and me teamed up to get things going. I'm not going to go into what we did, because that would not be pleasing to God, and a public display of charity is wrong. Always give in secret.

The point of the story is that, whilst clearing out his clogged attic, we found a rather interesting collection of Childrens Encyclopedias which i've been taking little snippets of time away from the mop and flash liquid to read. They are excellently written and come from an era where God influenced the very literature children read. If these books are any standard to go by, then my family have grown up in full knowledge of God, his creation and most importantly, the death and ressurection of his son, Christ Jesus.

I want to share with you a poem, that i've grown fond of. It is by someone called Tennyson. He often wrote them in memory of his friend , another poet, Arthur Hallam.

There is not a name for this poem other than "In Memorium"

Strong, Son of God, immortal love,
Whom we, that have not seen thy face,
By faith, and faith alone, embrace,
Believing where we cannot prove:

Thine are the orbs of light and shade;
Thou madest life in man and brute
Thou madest Death: and lo, thy foot
Is on the skull which thou hast made.

Thou wilt not leave us in the dust
Thou madest man, he knows not why.
He thinks he was made not made to die;
And thou hast made him: thou are just.

Thou seemest human and divine
The highest, holiest manhood, thou:
Our wills are ours, we know not how;
Our wills are ours, to make them thine.

Our little systems have their day;
They have their day and cease to be:
They are but broken lights of thee
And thou, O Lord, art more than they.

We have but faith: we cannot know;
For knowledge is of things we see;
And yet we trust it comes from thee,
A beam in darkness: let it grow.

Let knowledge grow from more to more,
But more of reverence in us dwell;
That mind and soul, according well,
May make one music as before

But vaster. We are fools and slight;

We mock thee when we do not fear:
But help thy foolish ones to bear:

Help thy vain words bear thy light.

Forgive what seemed my sin in me
What seemed my worth since i began;
For merit lives from man to man,
And not from man, O Lord, to thee.

Forgive my grief for one removed,
Thy creature, whom i found so fair.
I trust he lives in thee, and there
I find him worthier to be loved.

Forgive these wild and wandering cries,
Confusions of a wasted youth;
Forgive them where they fail in truth
And in thy wisdom make me wise.

Phenominal, the last verse particularly. Any thoughts?

Diary of the Last day.

2010-01-01T19:44:00.003Z

Thursday 8am

I love my car. I really do. I love, love, love everything about it. I love how i've been able to afford it, i love spending time in it with my friends. Just got back from a wild night out and i even drove it home. Only had a little drink! Nothing over the limit. I'd always have my wits about me, 'cause im a good guy and i have good morals. I want everything good for the world.

Right now, I'm heading down to MacDonald's for a burger and fries. Really starving! I'll eat it on the way to my mates. We're going to go shopping. Saw a really stunning suit I'm gonna buy. A thousand quid.

Thursday 9am

My name is David by the way. I'm your average guy and i do pretty out-there stuff. Love doing rock climbing, buying loads of crap that makes me happy and singing all day with a joint and my ipod. Cracking music makes me happy. Love it all. I like the odd drink at the weekend. My auntie Marion text me this morning, asking me to take her to see my cousin in hospital. Told her I couldn't as I was working - obviously I'm not as you can see. Gotta get this stuff for a night out tomorrow night. She'll find another route. I can't be gassed with people takin' advantage of my good nature. You're a good guy to them once and they take, take and take. I hate it all.

Thursday 11am

I just stepped onto my doorstep there, just beyond the threshold and felt a tremble. God knows what the hell it is, probably doing some under work on the pipes below my house. Another tremble, and another....and another. I better get in the car, some crazy crap happening with the world. Minor earthquake i'm guessin' who knows....

Thursday 11:10am

I'm just reversing outta my drive and i have to stop, some idiot tooted their horn at me. Though i rolled the window down there to shout at the idiot and the horn isnt his car horn. Its really loud, i don't know where its comin' from. Its an annoying sound, yet a not annoying sound. How crazy is that?!

Thursday 11:20am

Anyway, i'll keep reversing. I hear yet another horn, but a different key. Its alot nicer on the ears but god does it annoy me. I feel like each note is hitting my chest, and my breathing is affected by it. I'll just get where i'm going, i obviously need food.

Another tremble, Another horn.

Thursday 11:45am

I got out there, from my car, to see what's going on 'cause this ain't normal. Its starting to hurt my ears.

I see alot of folks out on their lawns lookin' up at the sky. I guess they're trying to figure it out like me. I just got a pat on my shoulder....

It wasn't a pat on my shoulder, it was a rain drop. Huge and really soaked my shirt. What a thud it landed with. Another just did the same, and another, and another, and another....Its pouring.

The ground is warm too, i feel my feet burning in my shoes. The rain is just evaporating. I'll just get back in my car and watch what's going on from there.

Thursday 12:10pm

The sky has went dark, and i can hear the thunder. Its not as loud 'cause of the horn.... It keeps going and going.....lightening kinda is crazy where i am right now...

I've just started the car and i'm gonna go get some food and just head back home. Sit on the internet all day man, found a website for free porn...yeeehaww!!!

Thursday 12:30pm

Wow, hey, i just hit major issues on this road...that rain has caused major damage to the south bridge. Stuck inbetween a couple of cars and a tree...

I just turned to look out the side window there and i see the minister at that church on his hands and knees. His face is beetroot red, and hes in tears...tears that look as big as these raindrops. He's soaking to the skin. His robes are sticking to him. His collar thing is hanging off....hair drenched. He's shouting stuff about salvation and judgement. Never believed in all that God crap. What an idiot. Wait a minute...

Thursday 13:00pm
Can't believe i'm seeing this. The, the church yard, the graves..they've bust open... The bodies...they're like levitating, facing upwards like arrows, like lifeless arrows. Some have already reached the sky, just hovering there...this is freaky shit man. Freaky! What the hell is goin on?! The minister isn't shouting, hes holding his praying hands to his forehead looking into the rain. There is beams of lights from behind the clouds, like the sun is hitting the earth. This is what they spoke about in that movie, in that, what was it called? Yeah, armagheddon...damn it. Can't believe this...what about my family....

Thursday 14:00pm
Ouch, the horn, its hitting my chest. I need fresh air...i gotta get outta my car. i'm crawling on the pavement. i feel the water hitting my face, i need to drink...i feel breathless. I'm feeling older. I'm only 21, i feel my skin ageing, burning in this glow. The thunder strikes the ground next to me. I look around and see everyone lying in rows. The sky is cleared. This pain, this pain, it...it just gets worse...i feel like i'm done.

My face...its burning like hell. I can't see anything except white light. I feel like im somewhere else. i can hear the horn, its stabbing at me. i feel pain....i can't breathe....

I'm screaming...i'm screaming, my whole body is screaming. My teeth, they're clenched, i cant bear it, my ears, i feel like im in a room full of nails being scraped down a blackboard. Im sore, im hurting....what is this.... I'm standing...

No more concept of time.
"You have refused me. I don't know you."

I scream: " i know you... i do you know me too. i know you. i heard about you..."

I'm screaming and i have never stopped....

Are you ready to brace the outdoors?

2009-12-29T23:03:00.008Z

By Emma Cowan

Being in Scotland for the first time in 4 years during winter has allowed me to remember the diverse weather conditions and for the first time I am here as a Christian. Spending time locked indoors has led me to think about the two and how they contrast and compare. Sometimes I feel as though I am looking at the world from behind a window where I can see outside, I have been out there and have experienced it but prefer to stay inside where I can decide what I like and what I do not like. During the summer months the doors open and we find ourselves going outside because we like what we see, for a short outing or a long time but knowing we can step back into the comfort of our homes.

Lets compare this to our relationship with God. When we feel as though we are defeating one sin we can get too confident, too comfortable and find that we are not paying attention to what is external that sin. It is so easy to become oblivious to the millions of people in our world who have not heard the message of Jesus Christ, sometimes on our very doorsteps. Where we face one barrier to prevent us going out to a community or to a country we stop abruptly in our step and stay in our comfort zone. Through scripture we hear in the story of Genesis 41 of Joseph being elevated from the pits of prison to Prime Minister of Egypt due to his readiness and availability to God and the story is there for us to apply to our lives. We are to put ourselves out there, to live like Jesus Christ, to show God's love where love is not being shown and give Him glory throughout the earth. We are the means for God's plan but stepping out when/where we want to and not when/where God wants us is pointless. Our decisions in life, including our Christ following journey, come from God as He knows them before we have considered any pros and cons. God's Will must be at the forefront of our minds in everything thing we do through seeking His plan for us. Be prepared for faith to be tested and for the unknown to become your next destination. Faith in Christ comes into full force when we are asked to take a step into something unfamiliar to us and when we get there, we give praise and God asks us to take another step. Why do we question it when we have just done it?

Back to our weather conditions and in recent months we can still see what is beyond the window, it is clear to us but the conditions are treacherous and we would have to make more of an effort to go outside. Do we go out or should we stay indoors in the warmth? Scripture gives us an incredible analogy of putting on God's armour (Ephesians 6: 10-17) to go out into the world- even when we cannot see the path ahead, have faith and put trust in God that He will be there every difficult and easy step of the way. Followers of Christ can become too comfortable in their surroundings with their own possessions and despite being able to see clearly what is happening and knowing what should happen, often do not want to go out and brace the bitter cold.

I have felt it get so cold recently that no matter how many layers you are wearing, you feel as though they mean nothing and the cold is hitting your bare skin. However when there is someone to follow and a destination at the end, the steps become slow yet possible. If we stay indoors we can make short journeys but no new ground will be found. I can wonder round my house for hours on end but until I brace the outdoors, I will be walking in circles seeing the same things over and over. So get out your gloves, hat, scarf but take an umbrella and some some glasses in your bag. We must equip ourselves for God so if that means getting your hands dirty taking off your gloves, going into a war torn part of the world or standing up against your own family, be bold, do not be scared to stand up and make a change.

Do not let the conditions determine when and where we venture outdoors, do not let the comfort zone become dominant in life but listen and follow Christ to where He wants you to go. Fight for Christ for this life will dissolve like snow but God will remain for eternity.

Guest Poster.....Emma Cowan.

2009-12-29T21:44:00.001Z

Hi Goggies!
Just thought i'd introduce you to my good friend Emma Cowan, who has now been invited to blog at WhatSayeth.co.uk. Show her some love!

Thanks