This Season of Remembrance draws from all of us a sense admiration and gratitude but also a great sense of sadness and disappointment. Its overwhelming as we consider that so many innocent people are the causalities of war. Its not just the soldiers and the immediate civillians caught in the crossfire. Its not just the people who have lost limbs Its literally thousands upon thousands of people whose potential has been ruined or snuffed out and who live their lives a shadow of what they could or might have been.

STICKS AND STONES

Sticks and stones

And broken bones

And terrorists and mobile phones

And babies cry alone

Children play

And mothers pray

Their children will be suicide bombers

Its a strange world

We live in desperate times

The lines of right and wrong

Have all been redrawn

And suicide means – taking sides

For some its just another day

To hide To pretend

To say, “Its gonna be alright”

Knowing nothings right

And never will be

Till the guns stop

And soldiers go home

And poppies fall

In Albert Hall

And all around is silent

No one speaks a word.

I’m not sure what happened last night. When making my post I lost the article entitled ” Discipleship Challenge”. So here it is back again. This is material which will be part of the Sanctuary First service on Sunday evening. The last time I made this post James invited me to set a 40 day challenge as part of the response to this article. Having considered his suggestion I’m going to rise to the Challenge. If you text on your mobile the word BIBLE 40 I will text to your mobile if you so desire a challenge that will be designed to help you grow in your Christian experience. You’ll receive your first text on Monday 4 May the cost will be £1.50 per week. Sorry we can’t keep the freebees going. I intend to use the blog over the next forty days to reflect upon the actions in which you will be invited to take part. I also hope that this will generate a considerable amount of interest and comment.

The article below is based on Christ inviting us into the desert place – to the place of testing, not so that we can fail but rather so that we can be toughened up to face the many difficulties that present themselves to us in our lives. Here is the audio version that people will hear on Sunday on the MP3 players. It is an edited version of the meditation below. I want to say a big thanks to Alec shuttleworth who came over during the week to record it, and of course thanks to Rae for her editorial skills. Both Rae and Alec added to the meditation. a lot Oh and James make you comment again so that we can get folks taking up the challenge! AUDIO

Come with me
Leave all this behind
Just for a short time

I know what your thinking
What is this place?
Where am I going?

I’m going to help you to
take the discipleship challenge

I heard you say you wanted to move to a new place
You said you wanted to find a cross shaped space in your life
`I wonder if you really meant what you prayed

I know you’re very busy
Watch your footing
There’s a huge
Chasm on your left
Lots of loose stones
Falling debris
Its easy to drop
Ideas
Hopes
And even dreams
In this place
Once they fall over the edge
They’re gone

Can I say something to you
When you move round the corner
I will have to leave you on your own
Look I’ll be with you
But you won’t see me

You have to face your own struggle
You know there is a voice of evil in this place
Within you
When it speaks you can choose to obey it
Or challenge it
If you do nothing
You will end up obeying the voice

Keep your eyes on the path
Don’t try to see my face
We will meet one day
But Its my feet
you need to look after at the moment
Feet washing is something I’m into
Just follow my footprints.

Come closer
I want you to hear this
I don’t want you ro misunderstand.

There are basically three fundamental temptations
And I suppose seven deadly sins
These are common to every human being
In life – its as simple as that
You humans are not all that complicated
I made you I should know
Funny complete things often come in 3s and 7s

Anyway
You have choices to make
It boils down to
Popularity
Wealth
And
Love of self
Discipleship is all about
Serving others and denying self interest

Do you know the problem with most relationships?
People love themselves
Their image
Their look
Their sexuality
Their singleness
Their definition as sexual beings
The greatest denial of love
Is to make love to yourself
It is to exclude the other
The greatest lie is to believe
You must love yourself first
Before you love another
The truth is if you love yourself
You will leave no room to love another

Discipleship turns everything on its head
Makes for an upside down world
It suggests its only when you love another first
That you come to love the self
You know It sounds impossible to love someone
You don’t know – but its not
True love is not based on knowledge
Its based on unconditional acceptance
To truly love is to make that someone
An indispensible part of your being
It is to deny self love
And embrace service
It is to lose yourself and find your meaning
In caring for an unknown child
An unknown beggar
An unknown person

Your about to turn the corner
Get ready to make
Your choices

I was thinking we all make excuses. We often use our vulnerable sides as an excuse>It stops us dealng with issues. I was thinking about story Jesus told about the woman who put twopence into the offering. I started to thinkk maybe she was hiding behind her poverty. Allowing it to imprison her free spirit. Too oftrn ot suits us to say we can’t do something even when we know we can’t and we’re oftrn quite relieved.

It’s strange isn’t it?
We all do it.
We make excuses
I mean we use our
Perceived weakness
Like a barrier
to keep people out.
To hide from ourselves.
We use
the things
the feelings
the attitudes
we have inherited
to define us.
Then we say
Sorry I can’t
I’m hopeless
I’m different from you
I’m not educated
I’m poor
I ‘m schizophrenic
I’m homosexual
I’m single
I’m married
I’m just a partner
I’m working
I’m tired
I’m not in charge
I’d love to but ..
I can’t

Its strange isn’t it
Something
Clicks and you
Simply change
You do something
You go out on a limb
You make a promise
You give something away
That’s what I did
I literally gave my poverty away
I opened my purse
I gave all I possessed to God
I can still hear it clinking in the box
Two little pennies
I had no more excuses left
I gave my weakness away
I walked through
A cross spaced shape
Into freedom.

Recently I’ve been reflecting upon the whole notion of confidence.  We mere mortals need to be more humble as we pass through time into eternity. Especially those of the evangelical kind. Sometimes we can act as though we know everything, or we can give that impression. We leave no room for doubt or those who might want to question.

Dare I say it, I’m sure when growing up I was even part of that merry band. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying we cannot speak of what we have come to understand with a certain amount of confidence. Peter  in his epistle tells us to be ready to give a reason for the hope that we have deep within us.

I’m simply saying we need to remember, we don’t see or understand the complete picture. We  only see through a glass darkly, as Paul says in Corinthians 13. Anyway here are some musing on the topic. While You read  have a listen to ” Gabrel’s Oboe, “Gabriel’s Oboe” from the Mission. I find this piece of music has a wonderful reassuring quality saying all will be well.

TIME ETERNITY ON THE TANNOY

To be standing in the midst of chaos

Like a traveller passing through the night

To feel there’ll be no tomorrow

If you don’t get on the next flight

An announcement on the tannoy

Tries to re-assure your mind

But the voice is so familiar

You  could be listening to yourself

To be walking in the midst of protest

Like a prophet fool of doubt

To know there will be a judgement

Even if the Jury’s out

Then you read a headline in the newspaper

Of what you dreamt the night before

And it sounded so familiar

Like the opening of a door

To be stumbling on the edge of freedom

Like a blind man gaining sight

To take one step forward

And begin dancing in the light

And a voice like a thousand rivers

Roars a welcome not yet heard

And etermity spins in silence

Leaving time to close the door