Recommended Reads

Some of the more inspiring reading I've read over the past few weeks:

 Lance Armstrong's It's Not About the Bike, was a more-than-inspiring read. It puts into perspective the extent to which some people go, to get where they are, even against the worst odds. If you want to start dreaming big, read this. StartLiving rating: 8/10

 The Story of the King James Bible is an intriguing look at the events leading up to and the context into which the King James Bible came into being. Recommended for language, historical and theological buffs alike. StartLiving rating: 7/10

Blink sets out the idea of why first impressions count, but also, how they are often misleading. A must-read if you regularly deal with people and want to get the most out of your interactions. We all interact with people, so give it a read. StartLiving rating: 7/10

"You think your truth is better than ours"

    "You think your truth is better than ours ..." the lyrics from a popular Indy-rock band. This line depicts an element of truth within the psyche of people who are sensitive and insecure around other people's beliefs. This got me thinking, in a previous post, Why is it important to hear from God?, I suggested that if we didn't hear from God regularly, we would be insecure believers. This is true and very important. But I want to put forth another view, how as believers, we can still be immature and insecure, even while having been a church for a long time and hearing from God ocassionaly.

    "How?", you may ask, let's take a look. Going to church does not make you a Christian anymore than going to watch the Olympics makes you an elite athlete. However, most Christians don't see it this way, they don't seek God for themselves nor take responsibility for their own spiritual maturity, they expect the pastor to do all the hearing-from-God and all the reading-from-the word for them and so never end up growing, maturing and becoming effective believers.

    Ephesians 4:14 - 15  " ... that we should no longer be children ... but, speaking the truth in love, may grow up in all things into Him who is the head—Christ ..."

    Paul, writing to the Ephesians, makes a point of how important it is to be mature, to not be swung by any wind of doctrine, by the deception, trickery and deceit of people trying to lead you astray. He says this after he instructs those with the gifts of teaching, prophecy and apostleship to equip the saints for the works of ministry (v12). Why does Paul place so much emphasise on the teaching of anointed people?

   

     For the simple fact that we all need great, insightful teaching; apostolic impartation and prophetic guidance. Sometimes we need people to explain the bible to us. However, even with all of this in place, we still may not here the truth. For whatever reason the vast number of churches and ministries today, don't always teach and preach what the word actually says. There is a lot of speculation as to why this happens, reasons ranging from 'keeping the people happy', 'not wanting to create waves' and 'doing what's expected', are all thrown about as excuses for not teaching the pure gospel of Jesus Christ. These people are regularly grouped into a category we like to call seeker sensitive. It's impossible to preach Jesus and not be controversial, because Jesus was and still is controversial.

    The point that I am trying to make is this: We are sitting with immature Christians in churches for years, because they don't hear the truth. We can't lay the blame purely at the feet of the clergy though, because YOU ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR YOUR OWN SPIRITUAL GROWTH. Speaking and seeking the truth in love, should be the responsibility of every believer, and every preacher. Holding back and pandering to expectation does more harm than good in the long-run, Christians will be (and have been) seen as the most gullible people on the face of the earth.

    We must hold our leaders responsible to teach the truth in love, to bring the people to a level of maturity. We must also take initiative and look for challenging and thought-provoking teaching for ourselves. Teaching that is based on the truth of the word, not post-modern philosophy. Teaching where the teacher has nothing to gain, financially or for fame, where they live what they preach. Teachers who are held accountable by others for what they preach.

    I know for me, that I had to make a deliberate attempt to find teaching that challenged me. I talk to many people who are frustrated with the teaching they receive and they repeatedly say the same thing, 'I am just not growing ... I'm getting over the milk I'm being fed' My answer to you is the same answer I give them, YOU NEED TO MAKE AN EFFORT. So, I am going to make the search a bit easier and give you links to the various teachings that have changed my life. People that have helped me transition to a gospel that has made me into a mature, world-changing believer. You may also like some of them, but there are others out there, you just need to make an effort because immaturity is not an option. The truth you find will be the the one that sets you free.

Andrew Wommack Ministries: http://www.awmi.net/

Bill Johnson (Bethel Church): http://www.ibethel.org/

Arthur Meintjes: http://www.kingdomlifeministries.com/

Rob Rufus (City Church International): http://www.ccihk.com/

Good Life

     I hope you enjoy this song as much as I have over the past weeks. I thought I'd share it with you because it really tells my story over the last three years and it's sung by one of my favourite bands. Check out the lyrics below incase you missed them in the video. 




Woke up in London yesterday
Found myself in the city near Piccadilly
Don't really know how I got here
I got some pictures on my phone

New names and numbers that I don't know
Address to places like Abbey Road
Day turns to night, night turns to whatever we want
We're young enough to say

Oh this has gotta be the good life
This has gotta be the good life
This could really be a good life, good life

Say oh, got this feeling that you can't fight
Like this city is on fire tonight
This could really be a good life
A good, good life

To my friends in New York, I say hello
My friends in L.A. they don't know
Where I've been for the past few years or so
Paris to China to Col-or-ado

Sometimes there's airplanes I can' t jump out
Sometimes there's bull* that don't work now
We are god of stories but please tell me-e-e-e
What there is to complain about ...?
...
...
...

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!