Oasis

Depending on your age, this could possibly be a pop group, but for me it means a place of peace, relaxation, and nourishment. You can have an oasis with family, or on a night out, to help refresh the batteries. It might be with a hobby. Our pastimes get us away from the usual routines and helps us by setting our minds to something we enjoy. Dare I say, some even find it in sport. No, I don't mean the armchair footballers, I mean those who participate, and find a peace in the 'loneliness of the long distance runner'.

These are good for our natural bodies and minds, but what about our Spiritual bodies and minds? Our Souls? We drop into Church on a Sunday, sometimes twice, and that's it for the week, until next Sunday. Do we have an oasis in the week which helps give our Faith some peace, relaxation, and nourishment? That can be different things to different people. Meeting up with like minded Christian friends, where we know the conversation will be wholesome. Relaxing with a good Christian book, having turned the TV off first. The prayer meeting. Our own 'Quiet Time' of prayer and meditation, or perhaps providing that oasis to someone else who needs it more than you!

I suppose it doesn't really matter what our oasis is. It is just important that we do have something to keep us going to the next Sunday Service. Some might be happy going from week to week without anything to sustain Faith, and our Christian walk, but I happen to think it is important to have a time where we can meet at an oasis, or even be there by ourselves, but with God. What, and where is yours?

Be Sure!

...ye have sinned against the Lord: and be sure your sin will find you out. Num 32:23 (KJV)

We are living in the age of the Court Injunction, and the Super Injunction, and these laws have been exercised a lot lately. These laws not only mean that journalists (and therefore you and me) cannot report what the court injunction is about, it also means they cannot even report that there has been any court proceedings at all!

Basically it's a news blackout, but only used by the rich and famous to protect their reputations when they have done something very wrong, but don't want anyone to find out. We all now know the name of the (in)famous footballer at the centre of the recent row, and his actions backfired on him. His name is everywhere! Twitter was his downfall, and the internet will also be the downfall of others who will try to hide from, and deny their lifestyle. Other so called celebrities, take note!

I well remember telling the bedtime stories to our girls when they were small, and the verse at the top somehow found its way into the 'moral of the story'! It seemed to fit so many of life's little dramas, and was always true. It would seem that some celebrities and footballers never had the benefit of Bible stories when they were small, or a moral compass either.

These celebrities have sinned 'big time' and now want to hide their sins equally 'big time' from the watching world, but in the words of the well known TV ad... “It don't work like that”! Like it or not, some of the rich and famous are seen as 'role models' by many of our youth, so where does that leave our following generations? Possibly with the impression that it is ok to do what you like immorally, and the law of the land will help you hide it from your family and friends.

We cannot afford to be smug, or too high and mighty. The truth is that we 'have all sinned', without exception, and regrettably with some sins greater than others. The great difference, however, is that we have a great High Priest or Judge, who will forgive, and forget those wrongs, never to bring them up against us.... ever again... when we confess them to Him! So, Christians are well aware that our sins do catch up with us, but we are also Blessed to have a great Saviour, who forgives when we confess to Him. For that reason I also really like this verse....

And if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous: And he is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world. 1 John 2:1-2 (KJV)

Reckoning

“One of the most controversial issues to face the Church of Scotland is due to be debated at its General Assembly. A gay minister was appointed to an Aberdeen church in 2009, a move which threatened to split the Kirk. Commissioners are being asked whether to continue an indefinite ban on the ordination of gay ministers until a report next year. Another option is to lift the ban but await a separate report which would be published in two years.

For two years, since it confirmed the Reverend Scott Rennie's appointment to Queen's Cross Church, the Kirk has been consulting widely with its officials and congregations on the issue of the ordination of gay ministers. One in five members of Kirk sessions have said they would leave if it is agreed that gay ministers can be ordained, while one in 10 have said they would leave if the Kirk rules they can not be ordained.” - Source BBC.

In this world, there are times of reckoning for all of us. These times are always tough, and not always caused by own own hand. However, the times when we have to do the hardest thinking is when we realise we have allowed something to happen, in the hope that it will 'sort itself out' in due course. It always seems to get out of control. The question then becomes, how do we cope with it without losing face?

The Church of Scotland is in such a place. Two years ago, in 2009, the leaders allowed an actively and openly gay man (sorry but I must fall short of calling him a Reverend, or a Minister) to lead a Church in Aberdeen. Effectively, the problem was kicked into the long grass, but the question will be raised again this week, at the 'General Assembly'. Take a careful look above, at the wording of the two choices facing the voters. “Commissioners are being asked whether to continue an indefinite ban on the ordination of gay ministers until a report next year. Another option is to lift the ban but await a separate report which would be published in two years.” Either way, the Church of Scotland is still hiding from making a decision! The long grass is getting longer. Maybe they are hoping the issue will be lost out of sight in the jungle they are creating, or maybe they should have addressed the problem back in 2009, instead of letting it fester. It would appear that whatever they decide, churches will lose people, and the wider, watching world will laugh. Strangely enough, the ordinary non church going, but moral people already know what the right answer is!

As a wee reminder of what the Scripture says about the issue, here are some verses to think about:

I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. Matt 16:18 (KJV)

Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate (homosexual in the NIV), nor abusers of themselves with mankind, Nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God. And such were some of you: but ye are washed, but ye are sanctified, but ye are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God. 1 Cor 6:9-11 (KJV)

A bishop then must be blameless, the husband of one wife(!), vigilant, sober, of good behaviour, given to hospitality, apt to teach. 1 Tim 3:2 (KJV)

Doomsday?

“The end of the world is nigh; 21 May, to be precise. That's the date when Harold Camping, a preacher from Oakland, California, is confidently predicting the Second Coming of the Lord. At about 6pm, he reckons 2 per cent of the world's population will be immediately "raptured" to Heaven; the rest will get sent straight to the Other Place. If Mr Camping were speaking from any normal pulpit, it would be easy to dismiss him as just another religious eccentric wrongly calling the apocalypse. But thanks to this elderly man's ubiquity, on America's airwaves and billboards, his unlikely Doomsday message is almost impossible to ignore.”

Just so that you know, 6pm on 21^st May California time in the UK, will be 2am on 22 May. This is not the first time that the end of the world has been prophesied, and guess what? So far all predictions have failed. That's a 100% failure record, and impossible to ignore. Harold Camping has come up with his revelation, by using certain significant numbers in the Bible, and has a lot of publicity for his trouble. The following quotation is from the official report in the USA.

(Camping says the world will end on 21 May, because that will be 722,500 days from 1 April AD33, which he believes was the day of the Crucifixion. The figure of 722,500 is important because you get it by multiplying three holy numbers (5, 10 and 17) together twice. "When I found this out, I tell you, it blew my mind," he said.)

For my own thinking, I have to decide who to believe, Camping or Jesus? You have read what Harold Camping said, but here is what Jesus said:

When they therefore were come together, they asked of him, saying, Lord, wilt thou at this time restore again the kingdom to Israel? And he said unto them, “It is not for you to know the times or the seasons, which the Father hath put in his own power”.

Acts 1:6-7 (KJV).

I think I will trust Jesus words. After all, He is the author of the very book which Camping is using to give us his date. The trouble with this kind of thing, is that it puts God's Word, and His people in a bad place in the eyes of the watching world. When 2am on Sunday 22 May dawns in the UK, and the rapture has not happened, once again the general Church gets more bad press. But at least Harold gets his 15 minutes of fame! I wonder if he will enjoy it? I also wonder what the title of his own sermon will be on Sunday 22^nd May? How about, “Always Live Ready”?

Hidden In Darkness

..men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. John 3:19 (KJV)

Therefore judge nothing before the time, until the Lord come, who both will bring to light the hidden things of darkness, and will make manifest the counsels of the hearts: and then shall every man have praise of God.1 Cor 4:5 (KJV)

Here are some names to think about today. Robert Dowler and Dominique Strauss-Kahn, and yes, to me there is a connection. A strong link that in today's media is sometimes forgotten. The connection is that both men had a secret life, and both stories only came out because of someone else's grief, and the fact that they got caught.

In the UK, the trial of Millie Dowler has caused headlines, and there is a man in the dock for her brutal murder. Her body lay undiscovered for years. Her father, Robert, was the first suspect because of his massive library of pornographic material he kept in the home. Strauss-Kahn, the ex-leader of the world renowned IMF, and was possibly one the candidates for the next French Presidential elections, is alleged to have taken advantage of a hotel chamber maid in New York, and attempted to rape her. He was arrested on a plane, leaving the country.

Both of these men had a low life that they wanted to hide from the rest of the world. Unfortunately Millie and the chamber maid saw the hidden side, and it affected them both. I am not saying that Millie's father murdered her, but it has become clear that she was distressed when she found out about her father's addiction to pornography. She was so upset, she wrote letters to him, suggesting that her life was not worth living. There is no evidence that it made any difference to the habits of her father. She was understandably distraught and depressed. I have to ask myself, what state of mind was she in when she walked out of her family home for the last time, and the part her father's attitudes played?

We play fast and loose with the Devil's toys. So called 'soft porn' is tolerated because it is seen as a victimless crime, then watch as the nation's morality goes down the drain, and have the gall to ask how that could have happened? There have been many independent studies to show the clear link between pornography and moral crime. It can only stop when we as Christians demand a change to the laws of the land, so when you see something on TV which offends your good moral nature, complain to the TV company and your MP and MSP. The moral decline has gone too far, and needs to be reversed. It will not change unless and until 'good' people speak up against the Movies and TV shows which perpetrate the lifestyle. Our grandchildren will be the beneficiaries, and will thank you. And your reward will be in heaven! 

Elitism

Lord, my heart is not haughty, nor mine eyes lofty: neither do I exercise myself in great matters, or in things too high for me. Surely I have behaved and quieted myself, as a child that is weaned of his mother: my soul is even as a weaned child. Let Israel hope in the Lord from henceforth and for ever. Ps 131:1-3 (KJV)

It is hard to believe that this is one of David's Psalms. By the time he writes this song, he is well established as king, ruler, as the apple of God's eye, and a man after God's own heart, he has every right to feel superior. There are few, if any, others in the Bible who enjoyed as much of God's forgiveness, grace, and favour. In spite of this, or maybe because of this, he was humbled. This is a lovely reminder of the safety we feel in the comfort of a loving God. These verses need no explanation. Where else in the world does a child feel safe, secure, and quiet, but in the arms of a loving Mum?

I have been reminded recently of those who give the impression of living close to their Saviour, but who are anything but humble. Why is this? There are some pointers I would like to leave with you, and there may be others which you have come across, and recognise.

In previous years, the Holiness Movement was considered by some to be elitist, mainly because of the things they did not do, not those things they did. More recently, the charismatic movement have spawned a generation of Christians who like to be considered elite, due to the numbers of 'signs and wonders' they can perform, albeit in Jesus name. Then there are the devout followers of Calvin's teachings of eternal security, and predestination, fondly known as 'once saved, always saved' who seem to come across as one-up on the rest of us. You can tell me if you think I am off course in my thinking.

David had more reason than any, to consider himself 'elite', but he didn't. The Psalms are full of his pleadings with God for a clean heart, and a good and right spirit. I would suggest that if David could not, no would not, consider himself elite, neither should any of us. We have a lot less going for us than David, except that is for the knowledge of the life, death and resurrection of Jesus, who shows the best life of humility we cannot ignore, and one to hold as an example.

My blog is based on experience, and so for me this is true. Perhaps you have not found this in your own life, and I hope you don't. By far the biggest offenders are not those of a particular denomination, because they are spread over many. No, for me, the biggest offenders are those who do not see it in themselves. Let us all pray (me included) that we remember the words of Jesus, “Blessed are the meek (humble), for they shall inherit the earth”. In so doing, I like to think we will also inherit our place in Heaven. What a prize.

Tired and Fed Up

Yes, I am tired and fed up with all that's going on in Scotland in the name of football. Once again, we are beaming TV pictures across the world of Neil Lennon under attack, this time by an opposing team's fan. Fan? Yes, that's what they said, a fan! This time, it wasn't a Rangers fan, so what does that tell me? On the same day, it was reported that another bullet was mailed to Lennon, and this one found its way into the Celtic Club Headquarters.

Sectarianism and bigotry are not limited to the rival Glasgow teams, but further reaching into the heart of Scottish society. So let's strip away all the pretence of shock, and sand dancing round the issue. We have a problem between Roman Catholics and Protestants, big time. Please, please do not give me the old tired excuse that this is the work of a crank, and is not representative of the bulk of society.

Let's take a logical and reasoned approach, if we can.

It's a religious and not a football issue, and happens mostly at football grounds, at certain games. It doesn't happen at Asda or Tesco, or in the town centre.

It divides families by religion (not faith).

It cuts across all parts of our country.

It is usually fuelled by alcohol.

It's Catholics and Protestants hating each other. (It should be noted here that these religious bigots don't actually go to church or chapel)

It is NOT the work of an isolated few. It is the work of a significant minority, who are out to cause religious trouble.

The apologists for protecting and promoting the so called 'culture' of these football religions, need to wake up and smell the coffee.

How many 'isolated instances' does it take to make a 'group'?

How many 'groups' does it take to make a 'crowd'?

How many 'crowds' does it take to make a 'mob'?

How big does the 'mob' have to get before we do something?

What does it tell you when the vast majority will travel many miles, past their own local football grounds, to be at the home of their idols to attend a game of football?

It is time for these apologists to come out and be counted. They will say, “You can't blame us all for a small 'isolated instance' (see above). I enjoy a game of football, where we can sing some sectarian songs in peace, and I want to be associated with these people”. They will also ask, “You are surely not associating me with these bigots”? The answer is that they have associated themselves with these bigots on both sides, and by choice.

Of course the police and the club chiefs agree that this is a problem. You don't need to be a rocket scientist to work that out. We need some action. Since the clubs can't or won't do enough about the blight on the 'beautiful game' in our once great nation of Scotland, and the police can't be everywhere in the grounds to arrest all the troublemakers, and the supporters won't turn against their own supporter friends, how about this for a suggestion?

All followers (they can't be called fans) of Rangers and Celtic Football Clubs, return their season tickets, and stop going to the matches, home or away, and with any and all other teams? That would be a good start. No? Oh dear, did I say something wrong? Is it not that obvious, or are you standing too close to the problem to see it yourself? I heard our own Chic Young say on radio, “If you arrested everyone who sang a sectarian song at a match, it would be in the thousands”. He unwittingly makes my point.

For me at least, the title says it all. I am tired and fed up with all the problems associated with the Neil Lennon hatred, and the blind bigotry behind it, and if we are not big enough, and bold enough to stand against it, and deal with the problem at grass roots level, it won't be resolved at all. We know we cannot trust the authorities, clubs, politicians, or even the police, so please don't hide behind these excuses any longer. It will take at least a generation to make a change, but if we don't start now, we will be facing an even bigger problem soon. Do we have to wait for someone to die in the name of religion at the hands of a 'fan'? Fan? Don't make me laugh! And the Catholics can stop smiling. You cannot say you have no part to play in the whole sectarian thing. You have no reason to be smug. Do I have to mention the arrogant chantings and the foreign Irish Tricolour, so openly used to flaunt their own brand of hatred in the name of tradition? No, I didn't think so. There is as much hatred here, as with the die-hard protestants. All I ask is for you all to grow up and come out of the school playground, and behave like grown up, civilised, human beings. If that is too much to ask, then we need legislation to shut you down. What about the Christian community? Does the following Bible passage apply? Just asking...

..for what do righteousness and wickedness have in common? Or what fellowship can light have with darkness? For we are the temple of the living God... Therefore come out from them and be separate, says the Lord 2 Cor 14-17 (NIV)

But If Not...

When we pray, or at least when I pray, there is a tendency to present God with a 'to do' list of requests, fully expecting that some will at least be answered. The more we ask, the better the chances that at least a few will find God's ear, and we will get the reply we want.

One of the biggest words in the Bible is 'if'. A small word, but with a hefty punch. Jesus used it in the Garden of Gethsemane when He prayed just before His arrest. He asked His Father to remove the cup of a cruel death from Him, but also said, “If it be Thy will”. The Old Testament tells of the words of the three who were put into the fiery furnace to roast. Their prayer was that they believed their God is able to deliver them, and then these words, “but if not”. This was not a sign of a weak faith, but the evidence of a strong faith. Strong enough to take it if or when the answer is not what we want, and still believe strongly in the judgement of our God!

Maybe you have been Blessed to have come across this kind of prayer, either in someone you admire (how can you not admire such faith?) or love. Maybe you have prayed it yourself, when your back is to the wall, and there is nowhere else to go, but to the Lord. Then you will also know that the faith required to say “If not....” is no small thing. I would also suggest however, that God will honour these prayers from a contrite and hungry heart, and perhaps more so than when He is given a 'to do' list.

If it be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and he will deliver us out of thine hand, O king. But if not, be it known unto thee, O king, that we will not serve thy gods, nor worship the golden image which thou hast set up. Dan 3:17-18 (KJV)

Faith? Easy!

Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. Heb 11:1 (KJV)

Faith is easy when you are well, and don't need to be healed. Faith is easy when you have enough for your family, and don't need food. Faith is easy when you are IN the boat, and don't have to step out into the unknown. Faith is easy when your children are healthy, and you don't fear disease. Faith is easy when you sit opposite the doctor and he tells you the result is negative. Faith is easy when you sit in church thinking about roast beef, and don't have to worry about the hunger of foreign children. Faith is easy when the police don't come to your door to tell you your child is held in a cell, undergoing a drugs test. I could go on, but do you get the idea?

The verse above has words in it, like 'hoped for' and 'not seen'. How vague is that? How can we have faith when the whole idea is cloaked in doubt? If you have ever been in a situation where you needed to feel and see God, and exercise your faith, but couldn't, you will understand how empty these negative words can sound.

But take another look at the verse. It also has words like, 'substance' and 'evidence', and these are very positive words. Words we want to hear, and at times, need to hear. When times are tough, these are the sentiments you want to feel, and let's face it, as God's children, we can.

I think there is a veil between the way we see things in our humanity, and the way God sees things in His wisdom. We think 'hope for' and He thinks 'substance'. We think 'unseen' and God thinks 'evidence'. So, the lesson is clear. When our faith is tested, and we have doubts, we must bear in mind that we only see part of the image. God sees the bigger picture, and so can add the substance and evidence to ease our human doubt.

So, when things get out of your own control, try handing it over to the one who knows the end from the beginning. The one who can fill in the blanks in your life. Later on, when you are in the better position of being able to look back, you will maybe just be able to make out the faint form of your Saviour 'standing somewhere in the shadows'. I trust you will not have to go through a long valley, before you see that welcome shadowy form! Take heart, faithful ones, the way out of your difficulty is near, and certain.  

Decision Time

If you live in the UK, by this time, you will have heard all the arguments for and against each of the political candidates, and soon, you will be putting your final decision down to record your voting intentions to carry you through the next few years. Only the real enthusiasts will join a political party, but we all have an opinion, and fortunately we live in a country where we can express it openly. Your vote is special. It is unique, and yet you will be one of many people who share the same ideal for parliament. As adults, we all have the intelligence to understand the differences between the policies, and we can tell which people can best deliver those promises, so that's where the cross goes. Your choice is beside the cross, but you have still not signed up to the party you vote for.




Our attitude to Faith is very like that too. We listen to the sermons, and watch the people who call themselves by the name Christian, and we decide whether we are convinced to put our name beside the Cross. Of course in this ballot, you can also abstain, and not show any allegiance at all. And you don't even need to be a member of a church, to be a Christian, although I do believe it is to be encouraged. At some time in our life we will have to make that eternal decision. Do we believe enough to be identified with the Cross? Like you, I know many people who have seen the lives of Saints on this earth, and heard all the arguments to make them convinced in what they should do, but they don't quite go as far as being a disciple.... yet....




In the UK, one choice is needed on the 5th May, but the other is open ended. It's a big question. Which Cross will your name be beside? Decision time!

Really!

The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance. 2 Pet 3:9 (KJV)

Really? Well what about Bin Laden? Does he actually count too? We now know that he died in a US military led operation on a secure compound in Pakistan, as reported on 2^nd May 2011. The reactions are predictable, and I have to confess to being in the number that thought, “that's good, and about time”. The fact that he had died in the gunfight didn't really bother me too much, after all, what would have happened in the courts if he had been taken alive? The trial would have been years of wrangling as all these top lawyers argued the merits of the case. Euphoria, chanting and cheering people are lining the towns and cities around the USA, cheering the death with unashamed happiness. “We” cheer the death of Bin Laden, and “They” cheer the fall of the Twin Towers. Take another look at the verse.

Isn't it good that we have a God who is longsuffering, and patient, even towards the least deserving, because that is a characteristic of God that we humans don't seem to possess. At this point, I do not want to be misunderstood. Bin Laden's crimes are legion, and his life has been driven by an evil we cannot ever quite imagine. He did deserve to be found and stopped before he masterminded any more terror from his Islamic Extremist mindset. No, I am just reminded once again, of the difference in 'mind' between us and our God, and glad that He is the ultimate judge, not us.

Shall not the Judge of all the earth do right? Gen 18:25 (KJV)

Don’t rejoice when your enemies fall; don’t be happy when they stumble. For the Lord will be displeased with you and will turn his anger away from them. Proverbs 24:17-18 (NLT)

Oh and by the way, that same God will be our judge too, so it is always important that we continue to “live right”, Right? 

Dissimulation

Let love be without dissimulation. Abhor that which is evil; cleave to that which is good. Be kindly affectioned one to another with brotherly love; in honour preferring one another. Romans 12:9-10 (KJV)

Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good. Be devoted to one another in brotherly love. Honour one another above yourselves. Romans 12:9-10 (NIV)

I like the language and sentiment of the King James version of these verses, although the NIV says it better in today's language. The unmistakeable theme is sincerity. The idea of true sincerity (NIV) being likened to the simulation of sincerity (KJV) cannot have missed you. I took the time to look up the word in the original text, and the word 'hypocrisy' jumped out at me. I detest that word, and the implications it conveys. This word is almost exclusively reserved for Christians, as seen through the eyes of the skeptic or unbeliever, so it has a real barb for those of who are serious about living the best life we can for the Lord. It is a description we should try to avoid at all costs, as it can do untold damage to the growth of God's Kingdom here on this earth!

I remember the first time I heard these verses, or at least the first time they stuck with me, and they were given in the King James language. “Don't let your (brotherly) love be a sham, or an embarrassment” was the way it was preached, and the concept took hold. I will be the first to own up to missing the mark so very often, but I have become more aware of its importance, in me and my fellow Christians, as time has passed. I think it is easier, much easier, so see this insincerity in others, than in ourselves. So, that's where a good friend comes in. One that can tell you what they see, but without either of you being offended, or embarrassed. Such friends are few, but essential. I pray you and I, have at least one!