Go in peace, but not in pieces

There is a lot of hate in the world.

Unfortunately sometimes those carrying out hate crimes claim to be Christians.  Such as these people from Westboro Baptist Church who, according to their own website "In 1991... began conducting peaceful demonstrations opposing the fag lifestyle of soul-damning, nation-destroying filth."

The bible says that the fruit of the spirit  love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.

At the top of that list is love.  We should love, we must love, we are commanded to love. Again in Luke 10:27 Jesus says, "Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind’^[c]; and, ‘Love your neighbor as yourself."

So is there any room for hate? Of course! We should hate sin (that is anything that displeases God. We should hate the sin in our lives and the sin in other peoples lives.  We should hate the devil, he is the enemy of all people - even those who worship him.  He is their enemy because he only wants the worst for them.  These things are easy to hate but what about people, should any person hate another person?

Adolf Hitler, Joseph Fritzl, Dr Shipman, Fred and Rose West, Myra Hindley... Are we allowed to hate these people? 

At what point is it ok to hate someone.  Does it depend on what they have done? Can we hate people who are not sorry for the bad things that they carried out.  Can we hate them when they are dead?

These are difficult emotional issues.  However, love is not an emotion it is a choice.  We must choose to love even when we don't feel like it.  Jesus again said, 'Anyone who loves me will obey my teaching.' He makes no reference to an emotional response.

With all that in mind is it possible to love everyone, is it even neccessary and, if it is, how on earth do we do it?


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It's Wednesday which means some midweek music.  This song has a great message for us all I think.  It's by Casting Crowns who recently played Belfast. I couldn't go - boo!

(Thanks to Matt Bishop for the WBC link. Much obliged)

Broken dreams and silent screams

It was a big day, a chance for redemption, an opportunity to put things right, the time to restore the natural order.

Crusaders had been recently humbled (humiliated) by Linfield in the Irish Premier League and then beaten by Glentoran in the County Antrim Shield. Belfast's big two had put 'the hatchet men' to the sword. But this was a new day, a day for revenge.

Crusaders are playing Glentoran at the Oval. It's second plays third. The team in second who are not the team they were and Crusaders who are great on their day but, well, it's not their day too often these days.

I was there with three grumpy men of varying ages. There was the pessimistic grump, the optimistic grump, the angry grump and me - the quiet grump. (I should at this point say that it is hard to tell whether these people are grumpy by nature or if it's the football that turns them that way.)

After six minutes our star player gives the ball away on the half-way line. The ball is knocked down the left flank to where our star player should be but isn't. The over-payed Glentoran player whips it into the penalty player where their hugely over-rated centre-forward has a free header. One nil.

Pessimistic grump turns to optimistic grump and says, 'this could be a big score'. 'It early days yet,' he replies. 'That's what worries me.'

Angry grump turns white then red then purple and unleashes a torrent of polite middle-class abuse at our star-player, the manager, the rest of the team and at one point, the ball boy. I remain quiet - It's going to be a long day.

To everyone's surprise, except optimistic grump, Crusaders actually start to improve. In fact by the end of the half they are starting to pass the ball - to each other! They have found a little fight, they are working as a team, they are playing well. It's still one nil but as the referee blows for half time we all can agree that the wee Crues have, overall, been the better side.

As the second half gets under way Optimistic Grump is pushing his agenda, 'You never know,' he says, 'You just never know'. 'Oh I know,' retorts Pessimistic Grump, 'it's going to be a big score.'

The wee Crues continue to play well, continue to press up the field. Nice movement, decent passing, more drive and vigour than the first half. But then the Glens break forward, we're exposed at the back, they get a corner. The ball is crossed in, the header away is weak, it falls to a Glentoran player and he shins it into the net. Two nil.

Optimistic Grump looks deflated. Pessimistic Grump is resigned to his fate. Angry grump is apoplectic, he rages at everyone around him even the burger stall attendant feels his wrath.  He would rip up seats and throw them at the dugout if he could, but he's 70 and has a heart condition so he doesn't bother. I just sit and open my mouth in a silent scream.

Crusaders rally and score. It's a good goal but too little too late. Even optimistic grump is non-committal about the chances of a revival. That's wise for no sooner had the shore-road men rallied than Glentoran had got their third - another mistake, another soft goal.

Angry grump left. The three of us remained slumped in our seats. Optimistic and Pessimistic joined me in my silence for the remainder of the game. Hope had left the building.

We couldn't believe we got beat.  Sure the crues did not play perfectly, they made mistakes but nothing major.  They played well enough to win, they just didn't.

Sometimes life feels like that.  We feel like we have been beaten by situations where we are not to blame.  We do what's asked, we do things right and still defeat follows.  It's not fair.

Thankfully Life is not like football.  In life, for the child of God, defeat does not exist.  God is always winning and constantly moving us forward on our holiness training.  What can appear to be a serious defeat to us (the plan that collapses, the promising situation ruined by others, the getting nowhere after years of effort) is a part of our training.

Life is hard and at times painful but at the end of it, where-ever and when-ever that may be, if we are God's, we will look back on it and see that the times of discouragement, of pain and of confusion were the times when God was moulding us, teaching us and growing us.

¹⁹ But you, LORD, do not be far from me.
   You are my strength; come quickly to help me.
²⁰ Deliver me from the sword,
   my precious life from the power of the dogs.
²¹ Rescue me from the mouth of the lions;
   save me from the horns of the wild oxen.

 ²² I will declare your name to my people;
   in the assembly I will praise you.
²³ You who fear the LORD, praise him!
   All you descendants of Jacob, honor him!
   Revere him, all you descendants of Israel!
²⁴ For he has not despised or scorned
   the suffering of the afflicted one;
he has not hidden his face from him
   but has listened to his cry for help.

Psalm 22: 19-24

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Apologies for the lack of post yesterday, it was not my fault. my internet was down.  God-willing the technical problems are over now.

Remember, remember the...the...emm...

Growing up we were always told, 'don't forget the bowl you were baked in'.  People who 'forgot themselves' were always frowned upon.  You know the type. The accent changes or they use hand-sanitizer after they shake your hand or they start reading the Guardian.

Ironically, people who have forgotten themselves sometimes forget themselves and use their old accent or are caught eating a spam sandwich and the whole facade is exposed.

It's funny though how forgetting yourself and simply getting on in life can be confused but there you have it.

Sometimes forgetting seems like a very attractive option.  If  life has been tough in childhood or some tragedy has befallen us or just having a bad day we just want to forget from time to time.  We shouldn't forget.  Every experience we encounter helps us develop. By remembering and learning from these things we can build our character and hopefully not repeat the same mistakes.

We should also remember God.  Whatever bowl we were baked, God was the master-baker.  He was the one who decided which ingredients were important for our unique mix.  Often, especially when we are young (like me!) we forget that all that impacts us is designed to make us who we are (Ecclesiastes 12:1). It gets us fit for purpose and we should trust the one who designed us to get it right.

Think back, remember, all the struggles and victories you've had over the years. Think back, remember, all the times you thought you wouldn't make it.  Think back, remember and rejoice that God is in control.

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Did someone mention hand-sanitizer?

What's black and white and red all over?

While doing some extensive research for yesterday's post (surfing youtube) I came across another Christine O'Donnell clip.  In this one she is seeking to promote the idea that lying is always wrong.  Fair enough.

However Eddie Izzard is also on the show with her and he asserts that there are grades of lies, that some lies are more serious than others and that sometimes it is better to lie. He asks Miss O'Donnell what would she do if, during the second world war she had been harbouring Jews from the Nazis and Hitler came to the door and asked her where they were.  Would she lie then?



The Bible clearly teaches against lying (e.g. Exodus 20:16 and Leviticus 19:11) but is it always wrong? When is it ok to tell a lie if ever?  How can we always be truthful and yet avoid problems like in the senario above?

Your comments would be most welcome.

Black magic?

So in American mid-term elections the Republicans won back control of the House of Representatives but not the senate.  This is of great interest to some and of no interest to others so I'm no going to dwell on it too much.

There was one candidate for Senate who is quite interesting though.  Her name is Christine O'Donnell and she is a Republican.  American politics being the way it is any one standing for election is going to have some serious mucking raking done on them.  Then when the muck is raked it is turned into mud and slung at the person very hard.

In a TV show in the mid to late nineties Christine O'donnell admitted 'dabbling' in witchcraft.  This is really dangerous, there is evil power in witchcraft and devil worship and this woman is now very against it. She got more coverage in the build up to this election than any other candidate with the exception of Barack Obama.


Given the all the evidence and after considered judgement of the facts Christine O'Donnell was declared a witch in the media.  It got so bad that she has felt the need to produce an election broadcast 'clearing up' the situation.

Lot's of stuff bothers me about this. Firstly that witchcraft is seen as a viable source of entertainment and secondly that it treated so lightly by some people.  Thirdly, that the media, not just in America, can be so biased one way or the other at election time, fourthly people listen to the media and accept it as fact. Fifthly that religion is used as a means to get elected.  Jesus did not die to win votes.

I don't really know who's right or wrong in all this it just baffles me.

Christine O'Donnell was standing fo rthe Delaware Senate and was beaten by a landside.


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And now for your viewing pleasure here's the very talented Beth Rowley singing a song about heaven.

Nibble

Sharks kill people sometimes, sometimes the people get away.  In this clip the diver who was attacked by a great white gets away or rather she was rescued.  The guy that rescued her was quite modest about it. He didn't want to make any comment to reporters, I'm not sure I'd have been so humble.

As it says in the clip the girl in question, Elysee Frankcom, posted on her facebook page, "If I get attacked or die, at least I die happy and doing the thing I love."

She was prepared to die for the experience of swimming in the ocean with big old dangerous beasts of the deep. Prepared to die.

There was a man called Stephen who's story is recorded in the Bible (Acts 6 and 7). He was the first person to be put to death because he was a follower of Jesus, he was prepared to die because following Jesus and dying was better than staying alive and denying Him. Prepared to die.

People all over the world are being told that they have a choice to make; either they deny their faith in Jesus or they die.  Many, many people realise that a life without Jesus is no life at all. They do not deny Him, they are prepared to die.

Jesus said, "Whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will find it. What good will it be for someone to gain the whole world, yet forfeit their soul? Or what can anyone give in exchange for their soul?" (Matthew 26:25-26)

Somethings are more important than life on earth.  Jesus never said being His follower was an easy choice, we must be willing to take up our cross daily.  We must be willing to do whatever He asks of us, even to the point of death.  We should be prepared to die if it is to His glory.

Lord help me to live this way.

5 more minutes

Sleep deprivation is dangerous.

Lack of sleep can cause all sorts of problems; frayed tempers, bad decisions, car accidents.  In fact getting your rest is so important that secret moving-about-in-the-shadows types use sleep deprivation as a means to break the bad guys in interrogation situations.

I like to sleep, really like it. If I could sleep all day and all night I would but if I did I'd probably get a headache.  Any way my point is that you need your rest.

This is true spiritually as well.  God designed a system for us whereby we get enough physical and spiritual rest to keep us sane and healthy.  The Bible calls it Sabbath rest.  God gave us one day out of every week where we should not do any normal work.  One day when we focus on Him.  This of course doesn't mean that we pay no attention to God the rest of the time, it's just that our Sabbath is a focused, quality day with the Lord.

Britain still, just about, treats Sunday (the day most Christians use as their Sabbath) differently to other days. It tends to be less busy that other days for most people but that's starting to change.  There's more to Sabbath rest than just a lie in or leisurely walks in the afternoon.  The Sabbath was a gift from God, permission to spend time with Him, to rest in Him.  It is a terrible waste not to take advantage of it.

Many Christians too reject the gift of the Sabbath  by not taking the time to be in the company of God for more than a couple of hours.  We allow distractions to take over, it's a shame.  Of course if we get too legalistic over it that can cause problems as well but lets set aside rest time, God and me time.

Proper spiritual rest will aide decision making, calm tempers and produce growth. It is good, it is important, it is a gift - let's not waste it.