EN103 Distracted, in-Flight
30/04/12 20:21
Yes this is about the distracting nature of modern technology, not long haul flights...
Hebrews 2v1 says:
We must pay the most careful attention, therefore, to what we have heard, so that we do not drift away.
EN95 Mr GodMan
25/09/11 20:48
Before this post fills with pungent bitterness I will just get it out of my system and move on: we paid a lot of money to take our child to see the ‘Mr Men Live’ roadshow and were utterly disappointed. It was mainly a very-thinly arranged set of miss-aimed karaoke numbers with little to make up for the promise of seeing those people of Hargreaves’ creation. He would be ashamed of it, I am sure.
Now I have vented - and if you are still reading - I will add that those expensively disappointing seats provided me with the inspiration for how to frame this personal tale of frustrated hopelessness. While I have experienced/shared a number of serious lows, I am confident that in Jesus there is always hope which is well qualified and can draw relief from the gloomiest of depths.
Are you facing anything similar? Is the path you are on unendingly grim?
Put yourself in the hands of the most qualified One. Trust me when I say that he can be found through trust and a simple prayer. When life is so very tough, what can you stand to lose in turning to King Jesus?
The wonderful epilogue text can be found at the end of the passage here.
The Bible is a Sword.
02/01/11 13:40
EN86 Fakebook
01/12/10 22:40
I did a seminar on Facebook (blessing or curse?) at the Growing Young Disciples 2010 conference a couple of weeks ago*. I think I forgot just how tired extra speaking engagements leave me - I have been literally a walking dead man since.
Anyway, apart from me whining like a silly little child, it was useful for forming a few thoughts on the value and true impact of social networking via the web in these times. I probably have about three cartoons in the bag idea-wise.
Here is the first:
I just noticed that there isn't a text! Hebrews 10v24 is probably a good one. Fleshbloodspirit community has to be the true basis for growth.
*seminar notes here
Anyway, apart from me whining like a silly little child, it was useful for forming a few thoughts on the value and true impact of social networking via the web in these times. I probably have about three cartoons in the bag idea-wise.
Here is the first:
I just noticed that there isn't a text! Hebrews 10v24 is probably a good one. Fleshbloodspirit community has to be the true basis for growth.
*seminar notes here
Hebrews 13v20-21
26/09/09 13:03
This has to be one of my favourite passages in the Bible. I have a lot of very positive associations with it from my time at Cornerstone Church during those innocent (!) student days in Nottingham between 1990-93. It reminds me of the epic yet intimate upward Gospel spiral.
EN60 Jesus is the Anchor
22/09/08 13:55
The Bible epilogue text can be found here (you will need to scroll down to find the exact part).
Okay, so this one might not be about anything in particular, but it came out of some meditation I was doing on the text in question (Hebrew 6v13-20) and the film Broken Flowers (with Bill Murray).
It struck me that perhaps the most wonderful thing about being a Christian is the unseen stuff - that Jesus has provided believers with an eternal by-faith anchor to keep them safe during the storms (and finally the storm).
The film in question presents a man within a worldview that has pretty much no mooring. Nothing quite adds up to anything deliberately. The director (Jim Jarmusch) made something brilliant, but it certainly clashes with the joined-up-purposes of the christian view.
It is also worth saying that a. I like the film very much and that b. when things don't add up christians shouldn't be surprised because God never promises to explain stuff in this world. In fact the main thing that he does explain clearly is Christ's cross-work, which is great because it provides a foundation and context for the rest of the mystery of life.
Lord - we will trust you to do good.
EN50 Inappropriate Names
01/12/07 13:54
The Bible epilogue text can be found here (you may have to scroll down a bit to find the exact part...).
This one was based on the naming of the Sudanese Teddy.
EN25 The 'Incitement to Religious Hatred' Law
01/10/05 13:51
The Bible epilogue text can be found here (you may have to scroll down a bit to find the exact part...).
The Christian Institute had made some responses to the discussion on a proposed 'incitement to religious hatred' law. A worrying aspect of the issue was that a law that was intended to protect religious views could end up being used to legislate against faiths like christianity. I had listened to some testimonies of people from around the world where they had been hounded and eventually thrown out of their own countries due to this kind of law being passed. I wanted to reflect on the changes implicit in this law.
A couple of my friends’ boys are mentioned in the dedication. I think it speaks for itself.
EN21 Three Fathers: ASBO, Absent and Heavenly.
01/06/05 13:51
The Bible epilogue text can be found here and here (you may have to scroll down a bit to find the exact part...).
Anti Social Behaviour Orders might well be an effective measure for preventing crime, but if you look further back in each persons history, where are the Dad's who provide a loving context for discipline and nurture? The strip points toward God as the ultimate father who can repair the damage.
I like the 'pof' frame as the missile is launched from the Bible.
It is interesting that I got a complaint from one gentleman for the language being used in the title. He felt that it was inappropriate to use sacred references in this way. I had to respectfully disagree - I think that once you get into 'sacred' forms of language you are heading into the direction of holy places, a view that I think the Bible refutes quite heavily in the new testament.
EN12 The Naked Athlete
01/09/04 13:50
