Good Samaritan

I was a bit frustrated when I wrote my last post. I prayed about it, I really tried to wait on God. I really felt 2 things from doing that and I shared that with my church on Sunday.

The first thing was the good samaritan, I really have problems with what stops us helping others, this parable is a huge example of how we should help, who we should help AND what stops us from helping. We take on the fears of the world, like the priest and the levite, we are looking for robbers and we are scared of getting dirty. We are part of a family, we belong to God, how many times do we put the world into our arguments for not doing something, for not helping, for not talking. Do as we are commanded to do, help.

The second thing, is the same thing really, but it is about the word 'but'. I believe in Hebrew, ( I may have said this before, and the good samaritan bit) the word 'but' wipes away all that was said before. How many times do we, I know I do, say I'd love to do that 'but', I could help there 'but,' I should do that 'but'. What are you saying. You are saying I am not going to do that, once more putting obstacles in the way of doing what we are called to do.

In other words, lets get dirty, no buts.

Volcano

I get very frustrated. I want to run, I want to be in there, living it. I want to be reaching out, really touching people, getting to know people. I am trying. I am trying myself to make an impact. It gets frustrating sometimes though. You feel on your own, you can't see what others are doing, you feel others are a hindrance more than a help, judgements flying about. The family not acting like a family. Trust just not there.

I was talking about this last night and today to people, I know others who feel this way. I have said and I stand by it, no matter how I feel, that we cannot go judging and blaming others. The same way it would probably not be a good idea to go and stand on a soapbox in the highstreet and tell people they are going to hell. We can only move forward and move others forward by the way we live and act. The same way we have been loved instead of judged, is the way we have to be. God must get frustrated an awful lot.

Lastly this does not mean I will not speak out or challenge others. I am challenged by Jesus, by the way He lived and what He did. Stand in front of me living that and I will not back down.

Prayer

My Lords prayer,

Dad, in everything, watching over me,
Your name is holy, I really don't like it when people use it as a swear word, it isn't, help me to use it as the powerful name it is
I know you will return and until then please give me the strength to be your hands and feet and try to bring more of what you are about to this dark world
You know what I need to get me through today, I trust in You, You are faithful
Forgive me as I screw up
Help me to forgive everyone else as they screw up as well
Keep me away from the things that lead me away from You
Save me when it gets really bad
You created the lot, it is all Yours, You are in charge of everything and you alone are deserving of worship for eternity
It shall be so.

Strong

I love this picture. Anyway, I really feel called to be strong right now, to be certain and sure and strong. The church needs strong leaders. I was really impressed with the archbishop of York, John Sentamu, the other week cutting his dog collar up live on telly in protest of the situation in Zimbabwe. He has also been outspoken on other issues when others have kept quiet. Strong leadership is inspiring, people are drawn towards strong leaders. I think you have to be careful not to confuse strong leadership with arrogance or egotism. Leadership is about serving, leadership is a calling. I serve a king, I will be strong and lead in service to my king. Being strong is also about not compromising, being strong in where I am going and why I am going there. This does not mean being unsympathetic or not understanding others. It does not mean being judgemental. My strength comes from Jesus. I am weak but He is strong. He was strong as He was beaten, He was strong as He was humiliated, He was strong as He died hanging on that tree and asking for forgiveness for those who were killing Him. I want to be strong and there are so many different ways to show that strength. Its about getting the motives right, making sure that strength is based and focused on Jesus, which is where my strength comes from in the first place, and being strong and certain and sure and stepping forward in faith.

New year, new challenges

My apologies for my lack of blogging, I have struggled to have time to sit down and write. I have absolutely loads to say, but just getting started has been really hard. I am really having to force myself to do this now, but I really feel I need to get over myself and make that extra effort.

As a family, we will be making some very big decisions in our lives this year, we will be setting ourselves apart from a lot of the things we are doing now, we really feel a call to be different, to see the world for what it is, which makes for some tough decisions.

I am going to leave my job this year, it keeps me from my family and from doing God's work, I need to kill this part of my life off and move onto something new.

We have our house up for sale, where and how we end up living is going to be our biggest challenge, as we feel we need to explore community at a much deeper level.

We worry for our children and the amount of compromise we make for the world, for them, to 'fit in'. Fit in to what exactly, the worlds standards, the worlds ways.
As we have been making these decisions, our oldest was attacked quite brutally at school by a large group of lads. He may have said some weird things, I found myself thinking, why did he say that, couldn't he try to fit in. Does that make his treatment right? Are we called to fit in?

I remember as a child a picture in the church study where my Dad was vicar, of the peculiar people, who were a spin off from the Wesleyans . I use to think it was a weird name. Now I think its about right, we are called to be different, that may be peculiar, but it is true.

How many of us, I know I do, base so much of what we do and how we think on what the world tells us, or how the world does things. Schools where they teach evolution as fact, jobs that compromise us ethically, things/posessions we just don't need. I'm not preaching at anyone, I am asking myself these questions and so many more. I sit in one of the wealthiest and luxurious and healthiest countries in the world with so much freedom. Thankyou God, I do appreciate it, but I look around and see people lost, sad, depressed, lonely, struggling and unhealthy, they need freeing. I am now refusing to believe the lie, the lie the world tells me what I need, what to fear, what guidelines to follow, what to do to fit in. I am going to trust in God, I want to fit in with God, what are His plans and His goals and His life, that is not in a box, that is a challenge, that is living.