Celebrating Success Together

I don’t usually endeavour to be ambitious in a blog entry, my process is to write it in a word document and try to keep it to a page. Sometimes I go over, sometimes I go way over, but often I stick to the target. In this case though I am deliberately trying something audacious in combining the following – breakfast, the national identity of my daughters, Usain Bolt’s World Record breaking victory, Paul and Barnabas, Brian Clough and Peter Taylor, the reconciling work of Jesus Christ and my approach to supporting Liverpool this season. Reckon I can do it? Let’s have a go.

So today has been fascinating. I got to spend some time with my children. I educated them in the ways of appreciating Match of the Day even if it is on a Sunday morning. We then enjoyed another of my mother’s sumptuous breakfasts. Seriously people, my mum is feeding me up food and proper I cannot complain – let me just paint the picture for you in words – fried dumplings and fried plantain on one plate, beans and callaloo on another. These are not small plates either, so you know that once I was fed I was sorted for the rest of the day! Authrine and I spent some quality time with our precious daughters taking them out to Hanley and then to the park around the corner. There was just enough time to enjoy a bit of a break at home before Authrine and I were out again for a marvellous afternoon/evening’s session at church.

Our story begins in earnest though with the events of what took place on our arrival back home. Our precious daughters greeted the returning parents with their usual glee and enthusiasm and we entered the living room to see the television showing Usain Bolt’s celebrations at clinching the gold at the World Championships at a world record time.

Now imagine the scene, Authrine: Jamaican; Patsy: Jamaican; My Mother: Jamaican all full grown women technically all making a whole heap of noise at their countryman’s achievements as well as Asaph Powell’s bronze finish. So as that celebration kicks off Abigail and Deborah (both born in England to a self-confessed Englishman … that’s me) started joining in with the celebrations in similar mood to the technically grown up people. To this scene my mother rejoiced and proclaimed that indeed my children were Jamaicans. You can imagine my joy at that news.

There is something to celebrating together, though. There is something to being united in the achievements of others almost as though you achieved it yourself and when we are together and united by a shared bond your success is my success and vice-versa. So it’s a real shame when things happen to prevent us from celebrating success together. For example I am currently reading a memoir on the time a journalist spent with Brian Clough. (Provided You Don’t Kiss Me: 20 Years With Brian Clough by Duncan Hamilton.)

The success of Clough – getting two provincial sides completely unfancied to English and, in Nottingham Forest’s case, European glory – was down to his partnership with Peter Taylor. They learnt to celebrate success together because they stuck at it together, recognising what each contributed to the other. Underneath there were issues that led to the sad demise of the relationship n and just goes to show what happens when our focus is taken off together and is more self-inclined.

Just because we see that in ‘the world’ don’t think even heroes of the Bible are immune. When reading of Clough and Taylor I was reminded of Paul and Barnabas. If you read the book you’ll see that Taylor was at first seen as the senior figure of the partnership because of his age and experience, but soon enough the younger guy comes to the fore. Not that dissimilar to how Barney and Saul were before it became apparent that the partnership was more Paul and Barney. For all their successes together and sticking at it together their missionary partnership came to an end in acrimonious circumstances. To read it is so sad again to see how stubborn people can be especially in their opinions of others.

When I talk about those relationships I mean it in the same way that our Creator made us so we can celebrate success together. When you read of how the pinnacle of creation – man meets women in the garden made for them – you are reading something with God saying that is very good – that’s success and sin coming ruins everything – that self-inclination again. We are no longer able to celebrate success together, that’s what makes Jesus’ sacrifice so amazing and so relieving, because now that brings us back together – man and man as well as more importantly man and God – and it puts everything else in context.

Like seeing your daughters celebrate the victory of the fastest man in the world.

Or football.

Now if you know me, you know I love me football and I’m a Liverpool fan. Yet as the season starts I find myself in a funny position. I want them to win the League, I think they can and hope they will. First game of the season wasn’t the best start, but I remain hopeful. For all that, though, I find myself actually weaning off the devotion I used to have for the club. I want to glorify God more in my enjoyment of football and in as much as that calls for enjoying footie and supporting a side, that support doesn’t have to become so precious, so much a part of me that my moods are affected by it and my relationships are affected one way or another. Indeed win, lose or draw the bigger picture can allow me to enjoy football for its positive qualities of bringing people to celebrate success together.

More importantly as we enjoy it, this can be the basis on which links can be made to something even better of eternal value that’s worth celebrating together forever.

For His Name's Sake

Shalom

dmcd

Do You Desire God? - Paul Washer

See I told you that I’ll allow some YouTube clips back on this blog! It is quite fitting actually to post this particular blog as it combines a number of themes I’ll develop in the next blog entry that continues the series on fasting. For the time being I can highlight how Washer’s challenge about desiring God and what it really means to desire him is passionately put and should upset the comfy Christians who appear to believe that being seated in heavenly places means a life free of challenge and conviction. It also resonates with me in terms of establishing once and for all if ever it was needed what the number one priority should be for a believer and how life without God does not even compare. I truly hope you are challenged and consoled by watching this as to what is more important than anything else.

For His Name’s Sake
Shalom
dmcd

Nothing Personal Part 3

I’m on the finishing strait of this mini diversion from the fasting series – after this just one more part to post and we’re done! The inspiration for this was a series of things happening on Tuesday that conspired to bring this about. I’ve shared my journey from being close-minded to a more considered approach to different expressions of Christian faith. I’ve also identified my dear friend Pete Orton from Burton-on-Trent who has helped me in relationship reaching the position I’m in.

Now what you’ve read up to this point has been fairly harmless stuff. These be Just mere thoughts from the head of a professing follower of Christ who is as flaw-ridden as the next follower. From here on, however, things may get a bit rocky for certain Christians and non-Christians alike. So before you start reeling off correspondence, remember the crucial disclaimer from the first part – remember it. Now the thing about disclaimers and this one is no different that you can still read it, read the rest of what I’m about to say and be offended. Be seriously aggrieved. Be mighty put off and think that in as much as you thought that CD was alright that he’s revealed his true colours and he’s a rather arrogant, nasty piece of work who has this high convoluted view of faith. Can’t stop you having those views or any others. Go ahead and have them. I’d like to think, however, that it wouldn’t change my views on things at this time. Still the disclaimer is there all the same.

The link between what’s gone on before and this series on Nothing Personal is that it was whilst I was with Pete on Tuesday that the things happened that brought about this series of thoughts. An incident took place among a group of us that left things in a rather baffled state. What it brought to mind was something I said to Pete later on and that was it’s nothing personal, it’s something spiritual. Earlier on in the day I had read Luke 9:1 about Jesus giving power and authority over demons and that verse in itself arrested my thoughts for the rest of the day and was useful for that scenario at least in encouraging me to fight the battle at the level at which it was being fought.

We’re reminded again of that bizarre episode in scripture where one minute Jesus appears to be calling Peter the rock on which the church will be built with the gates of Hades never prevailing against it, and then a few verses later he appears to be calling Peter the devil. Now I don’t know about you, but if I were Pete, I’d be a bit hurt and confused, because one minute I’m being called the rock and the next minute I’m the devil himself, what’s that all about?

Not only that but in another episode Jesus is talking to Peter about how the devil wanted to sift him as wheat but he’d been prayed for so that when he got over it he would encourage his brothers. So one minute he’s Pete, the next he’s the Rock, the next he’s the devil and then he’s the target for the devil! That’s quite a series of identity changes, non?

My understanding of what’s going on here is the reality of spiritual warfare and where we humans are in the midst of everything. Scripture points out that the prince of this world has blinded our eyes. The narrative of the mission of Christ is to a people who have been captivated by death, disease and the devil. Jesus has come on a rescue mission that’s why we refer to Him among other things as our Saviour. We’re also informed that we cannot serve two masters … that in itself is pretty indicative that we’re going to serve someone or something.

By nature despite being made in the image of God the curse of Adam means we do not have the natural default to serve God. So it doesn’t matter how good we look or what apparent good things we do or how good we are, at the essence of our being where we are meant to be connected to God there is a fatal disconnect. That disconnect has thankfully been sorted thanks to the Cross, but it is now for people to acknowledge that and thus go from serving gods to serving the One True God.

In the meantime we have all sorts of expressions of fallen man. Some are misguided and oblivious to how misguided they are. Some stumble in the dark but proudly denounce anyone who would have the arrogance and temerity to suggest that there is a truth to be found and a light to guide us to that truth – such claims, we are told by these experts, are dangerous and behind many of man’s inhumanity to man. There are many others and the theme is familiar – failure to acknowledge the Sovereign Creator of the universe.

This is what makes the gospel so incendiary in many places because it does have the temerity to declare a single all embracing, comprehensive truth. That truth is the existence of God and His role in His creation as redeemer coming in the form of a man to satisfy righteous judgement and restore man back to Himself to recognise their place to bring Him glory. People will not accept that. People will enjoy the love part of the story, and enjoy the bit about apparently being the object of the sacrificial love, but they will not accept responsibility or their own divisive, rebellious nature to a Power that defines Himself as Yahweh reveals in Scripture.

That is why the power in the gospel us so amazing because it and it alone saves people – not intelligence, not works, not any other measure of man – only faith in the revealed Son of God and His restorative, atoning work at Calvary.

In the final part of this series I’ll wrap things up and show how that plays a part in subsequent conversations with people who are not yet of the faith who come with particular … baggage. Make sure you join me for that final part of this series. As ever your views are welcome.

For His Name's Sake

Shalom

dmcd

What Are We Like?

I had a good conversation with a dear friend today. Among other things she touched on the subject of our nature as people. I’m using that as a springboard for a couple of thoughts that have been jogging up and down my head for the last three years at least.

What we think of ourselves heavily influences our approach to issues of life – both on a personal and a corporate level. For Christians in particular it can sway the way we read the Bible and think about God which as you can appreciate just puts a whole set of challenges in itself. At the moment as a church we’re going through the basic doctrines we hold to establish the foundation on which a lot of other things can grow.

My journey of faith up to this point has seen varied approaches to the issue. Without it being explicitly stated, there was a thought, as I grew up that unless you’re a Christian, you’re actually doomed because in fact you’re nothing but a low down dirty sinner headed in the wrong direction with no redeeming features. Joining the YMCA in 2006 bought me into a company of people who held a radically different view. Here the thinking was that every human is precious and made in the image of God and that in itself means that people cannot be seen as being basically bad, but at worst misguided and it’s just to re-direct them through faith and good works to what they are capable of. Into the mix thinkers and theologians throw in the argument about free will and how God won’t interfere with the decisions we make and merely woos us back to him and we are capable of responding to the wooing of our own accord and freely choose to come to Him.

One of the things about studying the Bible and in essence growing in knowing God is to never be too certain about certain things. There have to be some basics worth holding onto, but for everything else it’s best to take a lead by what the whole account of the Bible would highlight as reflected in the works of those who have dedicated themselves to pursuing God. The comments that follow do not constitute a closed creed on the issue but does indicate where I am at the moment on the topic.

From the beginning the life of man depended on the breath of God. Literally in Him we live, move and have our being. All that we’re capable of is down to Him basically but that connection to God by His breath has been severed by sin which leaves us in a precarious position. Still made in the image of God, our act of rebellion, however, leaves us at the whims of our ungodly (not-god-like) desires. We have not chosen to go the way of God and indeed we’re not inclined to go His way despite His expressed signs of grace. The whole concept of salvation doesn’t make sense without allowing for that – as far as I know anyway, especially based on what I’ve read in the Bible. Sin isn’t just an act it’s an entire default setting. It doesn’t mean we’re incapable of good acts it does mean we are incapable of being good. Even Jesus said so Himself.

So for all the good acts, it’s never been the acts alone that has been pleasing to the Father it has been the heart also. Sadly scripture indicates that the state of the human heart isn’t that commendable in God’s eyes at all. Hence the need for salvation, hence the need for Jesus and hence the need for a new life based on living by reconnection to God by His very Spirit living inside of us. How that happens is all down to God. He speaks and makes us alive again to respond in faith and from there the process of sanctification brings us to the place of at least acknowledging the new heart in us that desires to please God and not ourselves.

There are some quaint terms used in this conversation that are fascinating, like total depravity – that’s a beauty. At present I’m convinced by what they have to say again without saying that means people are just rubbish and do no good at all – that blatantly is not the case. What is the case is that for all of our best efforts, sincere sentiments and good intentions it never measures up to the standards of God which are the only standards worth living to. We know there lurks within us such dark and vile thoughts, such annoying and hurtful attitudes and a history of words and actions that have caused misery, grief and pain that we cannot hide from the fact that we’re in desperate need for help in the deepest part of our being. Thus it’s in our best interests to hear again the message of the gospel that says though our sins be as scarlet they can be made white as snow by accepting and trusting the saving work of Jesus Christ. Nothing else will do.

So that’s why the song ‘Sinner Saved By Grace’ means so much to me. (By the way there are three other decent versions available online worth checking featuring the Cathedrals you can check an old one here excusing the bad dub, the newer one here and the Gaither Gathering version here.) It reflects a reality to me as I understand it at this moment. Yes I am a child of the King, yes I am a joint heir with Jesus and indeed I am the righteousness of God. This does not negate from the fact though I am a sinner saved by grace. My life is lived out of gratitude for what has been done for me by the precious blood of Jesus Christ. Any claims to accolades of any sort for any good done goes to the credit of the love of a Father who gave His very best so that I could be reconnected to Him and fulfil that for which I was created.

For His Name’s Sake
Shalom
dmcd