Sixty-seven Minutes

     This week marked the ninety-third birthday of the great Nelson Mandela. The Nelson Mandela foundation has decided that since Mandela, himself, spent sixty-seven years of his life struggling for the freedom of an entire nation, that it would only be fitting if we, as that nation, commemorated his efforts in some gallant way. So, what better way to do this than to give a little bit of your own time, on this day, for other people. How about sixty-seven minutes of selflessness?
     When I started thinking about what I could do for 67 minutes for someone else, I started to panic. Thoughts like, "67 minutes is a long time" and "who on earth has 67 minutes to give away on a Monday" Suddenly I felt ashamed of myself, I talk a big talk, but when I am not on a ministry trip or involved with some organised event to bring the good news to others, am I in fact selfish? When left alone, with no-one watching, when the spotlight is elsewhere, are we in fact inherently selfish? The answer is an overwhelming, yes.
     If we had more people like Mandela, selfless people, dedicated to a cause, putting a noble ideal ahead of their own comfort and before their personal gain; wouldn't the world have such a different look about it? Imagine if we didn't just give up 67 minutes, once a year, but that everyone who physically could, gave 67 minutes a day to a cause, without expecting anything in return. This world would not be entirely void of poverty or sadness, but there would be a whole bunch of people less depressed with their situations, because they are finally starting to look beyond themselves. The intrinsic tendency of self-centerdness in humans is the root cause of most psychological and emotional disparity.
     So, how does one find a cause, where do you start giving, when, your whole life you've just been taking? It's not hard, you don't have to look far to find someone to bless with your time, money or a smile. Yes, it has to be deliberate, but once you start looking and finding people to bless and causes to forward, life becomes that much more rewarding. Living for something other than yourself, goes a long way in acknowledging that you are not God, that others are as important to Him as you are to yourself.
     Sixty-seven minutes a year can easily become 67 minutes a week and before you know it you've dedicated 67 years of your life to a cause that makes your time here in earth worth while. A sure way to limit regrets in life is to live selflessly. It starts with 67 minutes ... see also the post on An Ideal for Which I am Prepared to Die

Oprah: Power, Influence, Interesting ...

     I happened to catch the final episode of the Oprah Winfrey Show today. After 25 years of being on television everyday, Oprah has called it a day, moving on to greener pastures.

     There were a couple of things that struck me while watching this. The first one was her influence: the more successful she became, the more influence she had. The more influence she had the more power she wielded. The second thought that came to mind is the world-view that she was pushing, using her influence.We all have a world-view, unfortunately though, Oprah's world-view does not point to a Redeeming Saviour, but rather to an abstract energy from within. However, due to her influence, people listen.

     People are looking for answers and therefore look to someone they can trust to provide them with their answers. In a world that is searching, there are people ready and willing to provide answers, they may however not be the right answers.

     Where are you finding your answers? Too many of us find our answers in the media or in secular thinking, however God wants us to find our answers in Him and the Truth of His Word. He wants us to renew our minds and focus on things that produce life, outside of ourselves. Maybe you are asking questions like What should I do with my life? or Why do bad things happen to good people? The way you answer these types of questions will go a long way in determining your world view.

     Is Oprah wrong for pushing her world view? By no means, it's her opinion to peddle. However, we can take a leaf out of her book and not shy away from gaining influence, it's not wrong to be well known and respected, in fact all Christians should be respected in society (sadly this is not always the case) We need a Godly perspective on life though, our message should be one of a loving God who has given us all we have to accomplish His plan in our lives, by His grace. The power we wield should be to build His kingdom and not our own, so that every person on earth can reach their God-given potential.

Rest: It's a good thing





     "Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest" - Matthew 11:28

     When people hear the word rest, most would conjure up ideas of sleeping, sipping a cocktail on the beach or just relaxing with a book on your couch. In Christian circles rest is used to describe a day in the week which we are supposed to put aside our day jobs and take time to focus on family and God. Rest is an important part of living a productive life because, after all, we are not machines and need to take time out to gain perspective and re-charge our batteries, so to speak.

     But, I believe there is more to rest than just the physical and psychological advantages. God has instituted a state of rest for all believers to live in, not only on a certain day or at an allocated time, but rather as a permanent spiritual state.  When we are at rest in the spirit it affects every area of our lives, as everything we see in the physical is preceded in the spiritual.

"There remains therefore a rest for the people of God. For he who has entered His rest has himself also ceased from his works as God did from His." - Hebrews 4:9-10 

     The state of rest is available to every believer. The writer of Hebrews compares the rest that we have access to, to the rest that God entered into after the six days of creation. That we have no right in relying on our works any longer, but rather on everything that God has done for us. A place of rest, for every believer, is in fact a place of faith. It takes the onus off us to perform our religious duties to please God, rather placing the emphasise of our walk on putting faith in what God has already done for us; redeeming us from our sins and giving us everything we need to live a victorious Christian life.

"Let us therefore be diligent to enter that rest, lest anyone fall according to the same example of disobedience" - Hebrews 4:11

     Entering into His rest doesn't happen automatically after we get saved, it is a deliberate attempt to live a life of faith. Once we understand that there is nothing that we can do to make God love us more, then we realize that we need to have faith in what He has already done. This is the most productive place we can be in our spiritual lives, where we realize our efforts are futile and His provision is more than enough

"Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls" - Matthew 11:29

     Jesus is our rest. It is not a day or an idea, it is a spiritual reality, one that is imperative for us as Christians to walk in if we are going to finish the race strong and make a difference along the way. For too long now, we have relied on our own efforts and have gotten worn out quickly, dropping from exhaustion along the way. Let's be diligent to enter His rest by His grace, let's take Jesus up on His offer to take up His yoke. Rest in Him and you will be surprised at how productive you'll become!

*All scripture quoted from the NKJV

A good year all round!

     A quick glimpse back at some of the highlights of my time at Charis Bible College, Colorado. A year where God opened up new avenues of goodness and glory to me and held nothing back. These photos recount some of the many adventures.




Checking out restored Tour de France bikes in Aspen, Colorado, September '10



Great Fashion: Annual CBC Christmas party with our special sweaters! December '10

    

CBC 2nd Year class; being instructed by Wendel Parr close to graduation. May '11

   


 Ignite the Fire conference at Joyland church, a fantastic experience! February '11

CBC Graduating Class of 2010/2011. One hundred and seventy seven students from more than 7 countries!

 


Born To Run

    This is a slight digression from the general theme of previous posts, but I thought a bit of a change would be good! And what better way to digress than onto another topic I am passionate about, endurance!

    The book 'Born To Run' by Christopher McDougall, gave me renewed hope of what can be achieved if you want it badly enough. Having some experience in pushing my body to the 'limit', the question I always ask myself is this, "Is my body actually made to do this?". Did God create us to run long distances repeatedly, or is it, as my physio says, 'just crazy'?

    That's where this book comes in. The author makes a compelling argument for why we were in fact born to run. His research looks at how the human body is made up and how we have everything necessary for running long distances, often. Of course, some may argue that the epidemic of running injuries makes a clear statement to the contrary. However, on closer inspection of the source of most of these injuries (which weren't around 50 years ago) it comes down to our over-reliance on compensation footwear (Thicker soles, arches, pronations etc.) 

    You will have to read the book to get the jist of it, but the reason I bring all of this up is because of this: The book's explanations rely heavily on evolutionary theory, which I think is absolutely rubbish. I put this down to the individual evolutionist bias of the researchers (and the author); but it highlights the most incredible truth. That God, our creator, made us to to be the pinnacle of His creation. Our bodies are made to out-live, out-think and out-run any other species on earth. He made us so far superior in our inner workings, that it is impossible to put it all down to evolution. It is purposeful, masterful design. We are His signature of true love!

    This book gave me the licence to dream further and bigger than before. Isn't that one of the primary tasks of literature, to take you to places you've never been? Anyway, here's to injury free miles ahead, whether it be on the your feet or on your bike. Free your mind through the sweat and the mud and pay attention to the details of your machine (or as some people call it, your body) you will look squarely into Him!

Great Minds Think Alike ... but, what about those that don't?

'Sai Kung fishing village, Hong Kong'              Pic by: AJ Holmes

   
    When we believe in something, we generally like to believe that what we believe is right. This is especially true when it comes to religion and the many aspects that make it up. However, there will invariably be someone that we come in contact with, that thinks differently to us. In fact, it is a guarantee. The question that must then be asked is, how do you react to people that think, believe and act differently to you? Do you ignore them and hope they will go away, do you get offended by them, thus burning your bridges or do you spend your time and energy trying to convince them of your conviction?


    All of the above courses of action, in my experience, have proven to be futile. So shouldn’t we just learn to get along with everyone and do our part in making the world a more peaceful place? Well, yes. But, before you label me a hippy, I do believe that if we believe in anything strongly enough, there always will be those that oppose you. The ensuing conflict can sometimes then be unavoidable. After all, there are reasons why we believe what we believe, sometimes overwhelming reasons, but often subjective ones.

    I am a firm believer in having convictions, living by them and not compromising on them. It is from this perspective that we have to learn how to relate to people who don’t hold to our convictions, by still acting in love and grace towards them, but still holding true to ourselves. Take the different flavors of Christianity that we have. There are people who are passionate about speaking in tongues, and people that don’t see biblical precedence for it; people who hold the Sabbath with fervency and others who see life as God’s day of rest. Still some who believe that when we partake in Holy Communion that it is literally Jesus’ body and others see it only as a representation. There are nearly as many different beliefs on the body of Christ as there are believers. But, believe we must.

    The inevitability of differing beliefs means we have to learn to deal with the people that hold them, without burning any bridges and dragging Jesus’ name through the mud. To do so objectively we have to look at what Jesus looks at, the heart:

“For the kingdom of God is not eating and drinking (physical actions), but righteousness and peace and joy (issues of the heart) in the Holy Spirit.” – Romans 14:17 (NKJV brackets own)

    Paul makes this statement while addressing the believers in Rome on differing traditions. The Jewish converts insisted on keeping certain holy days and only eating certain foods (See Romans 14 and 15). The gentile converts (from Paganism and Mythology), were insisting that they drop these traditions. But, Paul intervened by saying that if it was compromising on their convictions, then they should not drop these beliefs; as long as they did not trust in these traditions for salvation or for right-standing with God (righteousness). Paul pointed out that it was not the actions that counted, it was the state of the heart; the attitude and intent with which they did it.

    It is only by grace, through faith, that we are saved. No works or traditions can earn us salvation (Ephesians 2:8-9; Gal 2:16, 2:21)For some people, that’s where the grace ends and they then rely on their righteous deeds. I don’t believe that this is what the gospel teaches. But, what do I do with people that do believe in a works based Christianity?

    This is what I propose to you: Let’s stop judging people for doing things differently. Let’s love them and show grace towards them. Let’s live and demonstrate the heart of Jesus and celebrate the different flavors of Christianity, but not by compromising on what God is telling us as individuals. Let’s not get intimidated by differing beliefs. Let’s stop being insecure and instead of splitting over differing doctrine, let's unite around One Man, Jesus!

Why do we do what we do?



 "Sunset at the Grand Canyon"                                                     Pic by Jordan Wegele



"For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them" - Ephesians 2:10

   What makes us make the decisions we make and what makes us take the actions we take? It’s not a new question, Paul even asked it in Romans 7. Some things we do are necessary to sustain life on earth, like eating, sleeping and paying taxes. But, these functional issues are not what define us as individuals; everyone on earth has these things in common.

   When broken down, it is often a difficult question to answer. For example: Why do I go to work? To earn money. Why do I earn money? To pay my bills and put food on the table. Why do I have so many bills? To sustain a lifestyle. Do I really need to maintain such a lifestyle? Not really, it’s pretty empty when all is said and done. So why do you even go to work? Why do you even get up? There must be more.

   There is always more. The example above is void of other variables, such as social responsibilities, family, friends and spiritual convictions. So, let’s factor these things in. I do what I do to be able to provide for my family; very noble. I do what I do to impress my friends; weak, but quite common. I do what I do, because that’s what’s expected of me. Once again, weak, but even more common than most are willing to admit. I do what I do because God told me to do it. Ok, now we’re onto something here. Admitting that there is something bigger than what can be seen and quantified, the benefits of which may not be immediate; is a good start.

   If, our motivation for doing the things that we do lies solely on earthly warrant, the results will be disappointing. The bottomless hole that is; pleasing others, living up to expectations and material gain, can only lead to a life filled with decisions and ensuing actions that have very short-lived benefits. You can never fully please other people, and even if you do, you will still not be pleased with yourself. You can also never have enough possessions; when is enough really enough? It’s a crooked line of swaying moral conviction.

   However, if work is a means to an end; a way of connecting with people, making money and using your talents and skills according to what God has spoken to your heart. Then your decisions and actions have eternal consequences, because they have an eternal source. If the underlying current of your decisions are not based on what you see in front of you, but rather on hearing from God and building His kingdom, then the reason you do the things you do, will not leave you hanging. In fact, it will motivate you more and more as you start reaping the harvest of God-inspired decisions and the value of selfless actions.

 "And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, but have not love, it profits me nothing" - 1 Corinthians 13:3

   Self-centeredness is the root of all grief. Just look at every unhappy person around you, look at yourself. Is the reason you do the things that you for your own (insecure) gain? Or is it for the benefit of others, the people God loves? The people He died for … Isn’t love, the reason we are here in the first place, a selfless love? So shouldn’t our decisions be based on this same God-kind-of-love? Why other people do the things they do, I can’t say; it's more than likely it's based on fear and blind ambition. But, I do know this, that love should be the reason why we do the things that we do. A love for God and a love for His people.