Every adventure starts with a dream...

My brother and I are planning to walk the Wainwright coast to coast  over two weeks in the summer. 190 miles from St Bees in the west to Robin Hoods bay in the east. The route covers some of England's most beautiful places crossing the Lake District, the Pennines and the Yorkshire moors. It's an adventure I'm looking forward to.

The adventure started with the seed of an idea - that grew into a vision. That vision found a voice and became reality. So what do you dream about? What adventure are you hoping for?

We're currently at the planning stage - what do we take? Where do we stay? Where do we eat? etc.etc.The planning stage is important. Successful ventures are generally the well planned ones. You only have to watch one episode of the apprentice or grand designs to realise that poor planning doesn't end well! Planning shows commitment and builds determination. And planning for our life isn't contrary to faith, God was a master planner - he lined up prophesy after prophesy revealing his plan for mankind and Jesus spoke about the importance of planning for his return. However, we must keep Jesus in the plan and when the planning is finished put our faith in him who can make it come to pass, no matter how impossible the dream may seem. Step out of the boat and enjoy the adventure!

Commit your work to the Lord,
and your plans will be established.

—Proverbs 16:3

Jesus hates religion?

One poem is currently causing controversy on the internet, entitled 'Why I hate religion but love Jesus' it has gone viral in the past week and attracted both praise and criticism from Christians and non-christians alike.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=1IAhDGYlpqY

The video condemns religion as man-made activity that imposes rules and regulations to make people feel guilty, and focusing on what we can do to draw closer to God and building churches for the people we like rather than being in the world to reach the people Jesus loves. It's true Jesus didn't speak favourably of the Jewish religious leaders - they were self-righteous and missed the very saviour they had been waiting for. And today Jesus is still not looking for self-righteous, perfect people - no he is looking for sinners who are open to his grace and transformation. The only things that ever impressed Jesus were faith and hearts sold out for him. Your best efforts will never come close enough to earn your salvation.

But can you cut religion out and still have Jesus? In my opinion, this perhaps boils down to how you define religion. Like many words (awful, cool, and random for example) religion has changed it's meaning within certain contexts. Religion meaning belonging to a group of people with shared beliefs is quite different from self-made religion which acts as a substitute for faith.

Below is a critical review of the poem and that knowing Jesus doesn't exclude religion, I don't think I agree with everything the author puts forward but it's worth a read and he certainly makes some good points.

http://thegospelcoalition.org/blogs/kevindeyoung/2012/01/13/does-jesus-hate-religion-kinda-sorta-not-really/?comments#comments
http://thegospelcoalition.org/blogs/kevindeyoung/2012/01/14/following-up-on-the-jesusreligion-video/


A relationship with Jesus should result in a lifestyle change, you can live how you choose but surely living God's way is going to be best? You don't have to go to church and that certainly isn't what makes you a Christian - but why wouldn't you? You don't have to pray but if we could only grasp how powerful prayer is, and understand that God not only delights in listening but also has something to say to us personally then we would surely commit hours of each day to spending time in his presence. You don't have to read the Bible, but it will build your faith so why not? If this is religion - then I guess I'm religious! But it comes first from Jesus - and if he get cuts out then it's just a waste of time. I thought the poem was a great piece of art, a message challenging the world, on what religion can become and expressing what Jesus really stood for. It challenged me - what do I do because I think it will make me look good to other Christians? Are there times where my attitude is driven solely from religious perspectives? How closely does my life match up with that of Jesus?

2 Timothy 4:2

Every year at 3pm on the 25th of December our family put down the presents and turn on the radio to listen to the queen's speech, and wow this year we were blown away - the usual words of celebration of the year gone by, commending national achievements and encouraging persistence were seasoned this year with more than a mere cursory glance towards the meaning of christmas. Instead of drawing the focus down on the problems of our nation and the world, the queen preached the gospel, lifting eyes and hearts towards the only perfect solution to our struggles - Jesus Christ our Lord, Redeemer, Saviour and King. Whatever your views on the royal family are - it was awesome to hear a voice of authority  in tune with God's heart and speaking his message. Have a look at these extracts: 


Finding hope in adversity is one of the themes of Christmas. Jesus was born into a world full of fear. The angels came to frightened shepherds with hope in their voices: 'Fear not', they urged, 'we bring you tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people.


'For unto you is born this day in the City of David a Saviour who is Christ the Lord.'

Although we are capable of great acts of kindness, history teaches us that we sometimes need saving from ourselves - from our recklessness or our greed.

God sent into the world a unique person - neither a philosopher nor a general, important though they are, but a Saviour, with the power to forgive.

Forgiveness lies at the heart of the Christian faith. It can heal broken families, it can restore friendships and it can reconcile divided communities. It is in forgiveness that we feel the power of God's love.

In the last verse of this beautiful carol, O Little Town Of Bethlehem, there's a prayer:

O Holy Child of Bethlehem,
Descend to us we pray.
Cast out our sin
And enter in.
Be born in us today.

It is my prayer that on this Christmas day we might all find room in our lives for the message of the angels and for the love of God through Christ our Lord.

to Bethlehem via the Cotswolds

The journey to Bethlehem was long and challenging. Each night finding a safe, dry place to sleep, each day trudging the sometimes dangerous and slippery paths. Joseph took a heavily pregnant Mary to the town of his ancestors, but there was no hospital, no hotel, not even a home prepared to welcome this small family. The whole world oblivious to the saviour's arrival.

This advent, a knitted nativity beautifully made by a friend of mine has travelled the homes of Ashby and occasionally further afield. Different children have taken it home each night, and families have talked together about what the journey was like for Mary and Joseph, and what is like today for those who also do not have a safe place to sleep at night. They have thought about the marvellous hope that is presented at Christmas and prayed together that Jesus would be welcome here in our hearts, our families, our communities and our nation.

Do not despise the day of small beginnings - Jesus came into the world as a little baby, he welcomes little children to him. Sometimes there is a journey that has to be travelled before the promises are fulfilled, but don't despise the journey - it could be the start of something amazing.

Communion thought

This was mentioned this morning in church as we shared communion together and really resonated with me. Maybe it's obvious but I wanted to share it! When we come to communion what are we  supposed to be concentrating on?

Luke 22:19
This is my body broken for you. Do this to remember me.

that means we're not supposed to be remembering our sins, listing our failures and feeling condemned. No, we're supposed to be remembering Christ, keeping our eyes and mind fixed on him. His grace has already dealt with our sin, separated it from us as far as east from west. How awesome is our saviour - how great is his love and mercy. We don't live in condemnation anymore!

Guilt free living

Here's a piece of wisdom from the breadmaker...


I know this - the question is do I live it? The answer if I'm honest is no - I don't. At lot of motivation for my actions comes out of guilt rather than out of love. I feel guilty that no-one has done the washing up...so I go and tackle the pile. Or I feel guilty that I've not worked hard enough on an assignment...so I resolve to try harder next time. Or I feel guilty that I've let someone down...so I buy them flowers. This does not mean that it is wrong to wash-up, work hard or buy flowers! The issue is rather the contract mentality which we apply to everything, and that we see our actions (or lack of action) as a breach of that contract resulting in a feeling of guilt. To become a christian is to become a child of God, a joint heir with Christ of all the riches of God's kingdom. And no good parent child relationship is based on guilt. Guilt makes us feel like constant inadequate failures where as love and discipline together builds character and creates secure Christians who are able to be more than conquorers through Christ! Next time you feel guilty that you've let God down, ask him to show you how his perspective and allow his grace to transform you. Rejoice that we don't live in a contract with God anymore - we are part of the family :)

The best of times, the worst of times...

So begins A Tale of Two Cities, (and if you thought me educated for quoting Dickens then I feel duty bound to inform you that despite several atempts I have never actually finished reading the book)

Why is it that often good times and bad times go hand in hand?A verse in proverbs says 'even in laughter the heart may ache.' I can start a week on top of the world and end it thoroughly miserable or visa versa. Is it that in the good times, we come under attack from satan who comes to steal, kill and destroy? Or is it that sometimes in the most challenging times of life we rely on our heavenly father more and experience more of his abundant blessing in our lives? Maybe it is not that the situations change but my attitude towards them changes. The other day I burnt a bagel and then in my atempt to open the window to avoid setting off the fire alarm I knocked over and smashed a glass vase. Looking back it was pretty comical, but at the time seemed like a chain of events out to upset me - and I reacted with tears. The truth was my reaction to the situation was detemined by the fact I was feeling miserable inside and who we are on the inside affects our behaviour on the outside. A few years back, the what would Jesus do (WWJD) wrist bands were all the rage, and it is a good thing to ask ourselves the question when we face challenging situations, but it is also important to remember that as Christians we have Jesus living in our hearts, and we have his Spirit speaking into our lives. We need to learn to tune our hearts and ears into his voice.