Walking in Dry Land

I want to start this post with Psalm 13

For the director of music. A psalm of David.

1 How long, O LORD ? Will you forget me forever?
       How long will you hide your face from me?

2 How long must I wrestle with my thoughts
       and every day have sorrow in my heart?
       How long will my enemy triumph over me?

3 Look on me and answer, O LORD my God.
       Give light to my eyes, or I will sleep in death;

4 my enemy will say, "I have overcome him,"
       and my foes will rejoice when I fall.

5 But I trust in your unfailing love;
       my heart rejoices in your salvation.

6 I will sing to the LORD,
       for he has been good to me.

(New International Version - UK (NIVUK) Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society)

This post title of course refers to a spiritual walk not a physical one. Lately I have found myself walking a very dry and parched spiritual walk. That is not to say I have not learned a lot recently. I have been continuing my quest to understand what Joy in Christ really means. I have read John Pipers excellent book ‘When I don’t Desire God: How to Fight for Joy’ Link in my book list on the left. Am now reading a book by Larry Crab called Shattered Dreams. This is also about the search and fight for Joy. These two books have been very helpful in my Theological and Mental understanding of Joy. However the practice of what they teach is very different.

God seems quite distant recently. I have found prayer and praise very hard over the past couple of months. More so than usual it must be said. I seem to have lost contact with my heart and with it any trace of Joy I had discovered last year. I enjoy singing to Christian music on the way in to work and it lifts my spirits to do so. However this doesn’t seem to last and Marvin is back. (Marvin is the depressed robot from Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy if you don’t know what that refers to.) I hate being like this and it can bring out my worst traits. That of grumpiness, intolerance to others and a very childish selfish streak. It makes me want the quick fix and to not have the energy to fight for the longer right path of drinking deeply from the spiritual water found in relationship with Christ.

This brings me to the point which is very well elaborated by Larry Crabb in the aforementioned book. Why when we most desperately need to feel and sense God deep down does he seem a million miles away? I know this may seem anathema to the Evangelical Christianity to which I am associated. Isn’t that all about experience and knowing? If anyone is entirely honest then no. We all have times when we enter the desert places.

The issue is what to we do when we are there. Do we sulk and distract ourselves from the pain with worldly solutions and the quick fixes our society is so ready to hand out? Do we push the feelings down and try harder to be good Christians? Or do we do what the Psalmist did above? Be bluntly honest about how we are feeling and not live in denial.

A good example of this would be what happened last night. I went to a meeting of the Church Worship team that I am a part of. It was a special night dedicated to praying for the team and two of the elders and several other key prayers were also invited. After some worship the team stood in the middle and the other parties prayed for us. Several people had great encouraging words spoken over them and seemed to benefit from the prayer and I would in no way detract or judge what was going on between them and God. I on the other hand felt totally disconnected from the whole thing. I tried to engage my heart during worship and prayer but felt to be honest, cold and untouched. I went desperate to hear from God and was pleading inside to hear from him and …… nothing, silence, not a word. I appreciated the prayer for blessing that I received, it is always good to be prayed for but I left downhearted and disappointed. It would have been so easy to pretend things were happening and God was moving and certainly the pressure and expectation is there to do so. But I have been a Christian too long now to pretend about such things.

However to bring the tone up from these dark depths. I, as David did in the Psalm, trust in Gods unfailing Love for me. I know that scripture sais God is good, loving, slow to anger and full of Grace and Mercy, just and Holy. In these times of spiritual wastelands the only thing you can hold on to are the promises of Scripture. They ARE true because Scripture sais so! Regardless of how you are feeling they hold true. God loves me with a passion and love I can never grasp or get my head around. It is too awesome to comprehend yet it is true. It is these things that keep me going in the dark periods. If you have no understanding of scripture then what do you fall upon in the tough times when you feel nothing? For this reason it is so vitally important to feed and be fed the truth of scripture. If you base your understanding of God on experience then you are in for a big shock when that experience is removed. I believe God uses these times to test and refine us. To show us where we are at and how spiritually mature we are by how we respond to God in these times. I wish I could say I respond well and just fling myself upon God even when I feel nothing. Sadly I don’t and feel I have such a long way to go even though I have been a Christian for nearly 20 years. However I am keen to change and not deny where I am at.

God change me from the Inside to choose you more often than not and to desire you above earthly nonsense that clamours for my attention. To learn to praise you even:

17 Though the fig tree does not bud
       and there are no grapes on the vines,
       though the olive crop fails
       and the fields produce no food,
       though there are no sheep in the pen
       and no cattle in the stalls,

18 yet I will rejoice in the LORD,
       I will be joyful in God my Savior.

19 The Sovereign LORD is my strength;
       he makes my feet like the feet of a deer,
       he enables me to go on the heights.

Habakuk 3:17-19

God bless you!

Battlestar Galactica told by facebook updates - Genius!

Really only funny if you know Battlestar Galactica and use Facebook. I do both and found it very funny, enjoy!


battlestarbook - Free Legal Forms

O Holy Night - Beautiful!

This is one of my favourite Carols and this version is just amazingly beautiful with the lovely voices of the Celtic Ladies, the Choir and the Orchestra. Enjoy and listen to the words!

 

Hallelujah - Which Version?

I was lying in bed yesterday when I heard from downstairs a song I recognised but a version a didn't. Yes it was the X-Factor winners version of Leonard Cohen's song Hallelujah. Personally I am a great fan of the definitive version, in my view, by Jeff Buckley. Buckley's voice here is perfect for such a song with the raw emotion he manages to muster.

Now this is song everyone knows, or at least has heard somewhere along the way. However if you listen to the lyrics you find that what the song is about is not what the melody itself would bring out. It is a very catchy chorus that seems quite positive. Hallelujah means 'Praise the Lord' after all. However it is a deeply subversive song about emotional and sexual torment and even violence among other things. Very cleverly written by Cohen.

This leads me on to the X-Factor version. Well all I can say is:

Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaarrrrrrrrggggggggghhhhhhhhhhhh!

Another clone comes out of the manufactured pop factory of Simon Cowell and his cohorts. Yes she can sing, that is obvious. But to do that to the song! I know she didn't write that version so she is not totally to blame. But please! To design a competition so that it guarantees the Christmas #1 is frankly criminal and then to do it with this song deserves a criminal record. Which it is, do you get it ;-) Ho Ho!

Anyway for a good article about the songs History click HERE!

For Buckley's version on youtube Click HERE!

Been Quiet of late - Little Inspiration but Merry Christmas to all!

I have been really struggling to write anything recently. I have been moved/angered by much in the news and personally but have had little inspiration to write it down. My creativity has upped and left. I have been so busy with life, Marriage, Working, running a Cell Group, Worship Team and Christmas event that I have no apparent time to write anything of length and depth except the odd review and video link.

I hope to get back into the swing of it next year. I will be tackling the subject of Election/Predestination in my Cell Group in the series from Wayne Grudems book. That should be fun and will post my thoughts on that early next year.

In the mean time if I post nothing more this year then have a great Christmas and remember what it is really about!

The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel— which means, God with us. Matthew 1:23

"...you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. And the Lord God will give to him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end." (Luke 1 v31-33)

Jeremy Camp - Speaking Louder than Before

Here is the video to the title track from the New album. Great song and brilliant new album.

 

New Star Trek Trailer

Now this is something I am really looking forward to. The new trailer looks very good indeed. Roll on May!

http://www.apple.com/trailers/paramount/startrek/large_trailer2.html

I heard the Bells on Christmas Day - Casting Crowns

My song of the Moment from my band of the moment: Casting Crowns

When I heard this live myself it sounded better than this live recording but hey ho I love the song.

What is Man?/What is Sin?

Here is another two titles in the series that we are studying in my home group going through Wayne Grudems Book:

Christian Beliefs 'twenty basics every Christian should know':

All scripture quoted is NIV.

 

What is Man?

After God created the plants and animals on earth he created the pinnacle of his creation:

So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them. God blessed them and said to them, be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air and over every living creature that moves on the ground. (Genesis 1:27-28)

God did not create us because he was lacking or needing anything. He was not lonely, nor did he need someone or something to praise and glorify Him. But he still chose to create us and we do give him glory.

everyone who is called by my name, whom I created for my glory, whom I formed and made (Isaiah 43:7)

This fact is supposed to give our lives significance but unless we understand what it means it can seem empty. To give God glory means to give him great honour and praise which can be done in various ways.

Create for God’s Glory

Because this is why we were created our ultimate goal in life should be to live for his glory. Giving glory to God will give our lives purpose and meaning. It provides the joy in life we all long for.

One way we glorify God is by enjoying him. (Psalm 16:11) “You have made known to me the path of life; you will fill me with joy in your presence, with eternal pleasures at your right hand”. Fullness of Joy is found in knowing God and delighting in Him.

Created in God’s Image

If all we were created for was to Glorify God this would be great but would not distinguish us from the rest of Creation. (Psalm 19:1) “The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands”. Part of our uniqueness comes from the fact we are the only part of creation made in the image of God.

This means we were made to be like him. Therefore the more we understand about God the more we understand about ourselves and vice versa. For example we are moral creatures created with an innate sense of right and wrong. A reflection of Gods perfect sense of right and wrong. We are spiritual creates not just physical which means we are somewhat like God who is spirit. By our spirit we relate to God personally. We can think and process information being a reflection of God’s knowledge. Our ability to relate to others and desire for community is a reflection of the trinity.

Sin has partly distorted God’s image. It is not seen as clearly as it once was. Sin distorts our moral judgement, clouds our thinking and hinders our fellowship with others.

The good news is that the image is being restored. We are being conformed to the image of his son, Romans 8:29. At the end of time all God’s children will become like his son Jesus Christ. (1 Corinthians 15:49) “And just as we have borne the likeness of the earthly man, so shall we bear the likeness of the man from heaven”.

Responsibilities as Creatures in God’s Image

As we are made in his image we are made to be his representatives on earth. We are called to take his image all through the world. We are also called to take care of the land, Genesis 1:28, in a way that honours him. We have an awesome responsibility to help restore his people and his land to the way they are meant to be.

Q: What does it mean to you to be created in God’s Image and how should this impact how you view yourself? Is this fact drowned out by the –ve voice inside your head. You need to meditate on the scriptures around this fact.

What is Sin?

Sin disrupts everything. We don’t live the lives we were meant to or live in the world we were meant to live in. Sin mars the image of God in us. Because of sin things are simply not the way they were meant to be. The Bible presents a story of God fixing broken people living in a broken world and his victory over the results of sin.

What is Sin?

Q: Define Sin!

Sin is any failure to conform to the moral law of God in act, attitude, or nature. God sets out his moral law in many places in the bible. The Ten Commandments in Exodus 20:1-7 for example. These are mainly doing things and easy to define. But sin is also found in attitudes contrary to God’s moral law. Exodus 20:17 sais “you shall not covet your neighbour’s house; you shall not covet your neighbours wife”. Sin is also in our nature – the internal character, the essence of who we are.

God is eternally good in character and all that he is conforms perfectly to his moral law. Anything contrary to his moral law is contrary to his character and contrary to God himself. God hates sin because it directly contradicts everything he is.

Where Sin Came From

Since sin is a direct contradiction to God, he cannot sin and we must never blame God for sin or think he bears any responsibility for it. It is impossible for God to even desire to do wrong, James 1:13. Yes the bible says that God “works all things according to his will” (Ephesians 1:11), so it seems God somehow ordained that sin should enter the world. But sin did not surprise God or overpower him. He allowed moral creatures to wilfully and voluntarily choose to sin. Putting these two truths together is one of the most difficult questions in theology and it is healthy for us to allow a substantial element of mystery admitting in this age some things are beyond our understanding.

Sin existed in Satan before the disobedience of Adam and Eve but entered the world through their decisions. They directly contradicted a command from God. No one forced them to eat from the tree. It was a willing decision to sin against God.

Resulting in Adam’s nature becoming sinful, becoming something he naturally did. It also caused us to inherit a sinful nature that is naturally opposed to God and his moral law. Pauls says in Romans 7:18? Jeremiah said in Jeremiah 17:9? David said what in Psalm 51:5. It is why “the wicked… go astray from birth” (Psalm 58:3)

Though our inherited tendency to sin does not mean we are as bad as we could be it does mean that we are unable on our own to do anything that pleases God. We lack any spiritual good before God. Although from a human standpoint we may be able to do things that seem good to God ...(Isaiah 64:6)

Every part of our being is affected by sin – our intellects, emotions, desires, hearts, goals, motives and our physical bodies. All are subject to decay and destruction caused by sin. It all makes us guilty of sin.

We not only received Adam’s sinful nature but also the guilt caused by his sin. His guilt was not only his own but resulted in us all being found guilty. “Therefore, just as sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin, and in this way death came to all men, because all sinned” (Romans 5:12) and “through the disobedience of the one man the many were made sinners” (Romans 5:19). God thinks of us all as having sinned when Adam sinned.

This may seem unfair and difficult to believe but it is consistent with the pattern of God. The whole of Romans 5:19 sais “For just as through the disobedience of the one man the many were made sinners, so also through the obedience of the one man the many will be made righteous”. The human race is considered by God to be organically whole with Adam at its head. Christians are also organically whole united under Christ. The second statement cannot be true without the first one being true.

Even if we don’t believe we are guilty because of Adam’s sin we must admit failing God’s moral law ourselves therefore we are all guilty of sin and in need of a way to make us right before God. The good news, or gospel, is that we can be redeemed through the work of another. Our disobedience is made right by the obedience of another. Our individual sin can be removed by the sinlessness of another.

How Sin Affects Us

Scripture is clear: “There is no one who does not sin” (1 Kings 8:46);
“All have turned aside, they have together become corrupt; there is no-one who does good, not even one” (Psalm 14:3);
“for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23)
“If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us” (1 John 1:8)

Therefore all stand guilty before God.

The penalty for eating from the tree in Genesis 2:17 was death. Paul says in Romans 6:23 that “the wages of sin is death”. But the penalty wasn’t brought immediately upon Adam nor is it brought immediately upon us. Through Jesus we are offered freedom from the condemnation sin brings and for those that look to Jesus there is no condemnation as it says in Romans 8:1.

When we sin, as forgiven Christians, our legal standing before God is not affected. We are still forgiven because Christ’s Death paid for all our sins. There is no distinction between past, present and future sins. We remain God’s children (1 John 3:2)

While sin does not affect our status with God is does affect our fellowship with him, for God is grieved by our sin. This can result in the Lords discipline “because the Lord disciplines those he loves, and he punishes everyone he accepts as a son” (Hebrews 12:6). This is for our good so we can become more holy. Sin also affects our relationship with others resulting in broken relationships even between Christians.

Even though we all still sin we should not participate in a long term pattern of greater and greater disobedience to God’s moral law, for “No-one who is born of God will continue to sin, because God's seed remains in him; he cannot go on sinning, because he has been born of God” (1 John 3:9). But if someone continues in disobedience without repentance, they may never have truly put their trust in Jesus for salvation. The sinful pattern could show that a person was never really a Christian.

When Christians sin they should earnestly and quickly confess their sins to God. When we do we will find “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:9).

Q: Are there any sinful habits/addictions in your life that need repentance and dealing with? These can be thoughts as well as actions. Things you feel have a hold of you and maybe have had for years. Can I urge you to find the appropriate person to confess and be accountable too. Remembering that sin IS defeated, fact, even when you feel in your own life it is not.

Casting Crowns Gig - Queens Theatre, Stoke

I had the privilege of seeing Casting Crowns live on the 1st November at the Queens Theatre in Stoke on Trent. The fact I live in Sussex near the south coast may give you an idea of how much I wanted to see them. I rarely drive 3.5 hours for 200 miles to see a band play.

I have really only discovered them as listening experience this year. I had been previously only aware of them without knowing their music. I now rate them as one of my favourite bands. I find Mark Halls lyrics to be so honest and they cut right to the heart of whatever he is writing about, be it struggles with the Christian life or kicking Christians up the backside to be more true to the word of God and less wordly.

Anyway I just wanted to say they are fantastic live. Very open and direct about their faith and plainly love worshipping God during their gigs. A blessing indeed! If you ever get the chance to hear them live don't miss it.

I also liked YFriday who supported them. More a straight worship band but great lively rocking stuff.