Jars of Clay

This is the extraordinary testimony of Nick Vujicic.  Born with no arms and no legs and yet he can praise God with his words and his life.

How can he, in the face of such hardship, such a debilitating condition still find reason not just to live but to live singing the praises of the God who made him that way?

We each share a common purpose - to bring glory to God.  Nick's incredible physical state has become the means by which he can bring that glory.  Through the inhibitions that his physical disability impose on him he can allow God's perfection to shine through.

In the video above Nick says, 'There is no point being complete on the outside when you are broken on the inside.'

How many of us are in this condition?  Walking around with full use of our bodies but our heats ache.  We are physically healthy and yet mentally, emotionally and spiritually empty.

Even Christian people can feel this way.  We can struggle with doubts, private sin, feelings of inadequacy or harbouring confusing or harmful emotions like homosexual feelings or anger and hatred.

If you're feeling any of these things it's unlikely that I can say anything here that will bring a resolution to the issues you face.  However the first thing is to recognise that Jesus is the great healer, the great Redeemer, the great source of love.

Your situation, no matter how dark it feels, is not too much for Christ.  There is no darkness which can overcome His light.  Come to Him.  If you're not sure how do that then I am certainly here to help (email me) or there are many other Christian people who will not condemn but will help you to be restored through the love of Jesus.  I do not promise a quick fix to any problem you have, it may not be easy but it is achievable.  You can overcome through the power of God.

But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us. 

1 Corinthians 4:7

My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness

2 Corinthians 12:9

Jesus said to them, “It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners.”

Mark 2:17

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(Many thanks to the wonderful Nikki Keating for sharing with me Nick Vujicic's Testimony.)

Run fatboy, run

Marriage is great for all kinds of reasons but it also has a downside.  This downside is an upside too but with a sting in the tail, it's kind of an upside downside.

Buns.  Not just buns but shortbread and banana loaf and the pies de resistance - white chocolate cheesecake.

Yes my wife is a fantastic cook and baker and I am a fantastic eater.  I love cake, bread, deserts anything that's bad for me really, not to mention KFC, Chinese food and our own national dish -fish and chips.

A few years ago I went to America with my then girlfriend's (now wife's) family.   It was great but I came back fat.  I had been warned before that I had the potential to put on weight but I didn't heed that warning.  I looked at myself in those holiday snaps and knew something had to be done.

So I started to run, I ran every week day for months.  Each day I ran a little longer until I was putting in around 5 miles a day.  I was joined by my now brother-in-law and we decided to run a half-marathon.  We trained hard and against all odds we completed that run on Easter Saturday 2007 in the city of Larne.  Job done.

I thought that might have been the start of something big.  I had lost the weight I wanted and I had got fit to boot.  What was next we wondered, a marathon, a triathlon, an Iron Man competition?  Such good intentions, such great expectations, such a letdown.  I've barely put my trainers on since.  And now, now I'm fat again.

So it's time to sort this out.  I've got to cut down on the buns and increase the runs.  We are to be good stewards of our bodies.  They are a gift to us and we should take care of then.  For some that's easier than others but we've got to try.  I've got to try.  Today is the first day of the new regime.  I wonder will it last, I wonder if my knees can take it, I wonder if I can withstand the allure of Kentucky Fried Chicken and my wife's white chocolate cheesecake.   Time will tell.

Then God said, “Let us make mankind in our image, in our likeness, so that they may rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky, over the livestock and all the wild animals, and over all the creatures that move along the ground.”

Genesis 1:26

Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God?

1 Corinthians 6:19