Putting Christ back into Christmas

Soon Christmas will be upon us again.  Some will be planning a sumptuous Christmas diner, Christmas trees and presents, maybe some time away.  But have we taken a moment to think about why all this is happening, why we have this “holiday” season in the first place? 

Has it concerned us we seem to see less and less of the Christ of Christmas than we used to?  Where is the Christ of Christmas?  We see everywhere “Xmas Sale”, “Xmas holiday special”, “Xmas Greetings”.  Even President Bush could not put “Merry Christmas” in his Christmas cards but had to put “Happy Holiday Season”.  They’re even selling “Holiday Trees” in the USA.  Isn’t that silly! 

Don’t people know why we have this “Christmas” time in the first place?  We all enjoy celebrating, we all enjoy giving and receiving, we all enjoy wonderful food, we all enjoy some time off work, we all usually enjoy hearing from friends and family either by the traditional Christmas Card or nowadays by an e-card, and all the other things that go with “Christmas”.

Whether we believe in Christ is not really the issue, but taking out the very reason for the season is pretty hypocritical.  It’s a known accepted historical fact that the man Jesus Christ was born, lived and died, and that this season we now call Christmas is the celebration and recognition of that one Man’s birth on planet earth.  There’s more historical proof for His existence than for all of the Roman Emperors. 

What a shame it is for our society to remove the Christ from Christmas.  What a shame to remove the very reason for the season.  What a shame to deceive our citizens as to the meaning of Christmas.  Come on businesses, let’s put Him back!  Let’s be true to our children and grandchildren and generations to come, as to the truth of Christmas.  They’ll find out one day anyway, so let’s do it right.  Let’s start something influential!  This Christmas, let’s wish all our family and friends a “Merry Christmas”. 

Brief Word #36 December 2013, Making Room For the Miracle Of Christmas

Hi,

Brief Word #36 December 2013, Making Room For the Miracle Of Christmas is now available on the Brief Word page at www.goodwordsnz.blogspot.com

Enjoy!

Blessings,

Stephen

The Abortion Debate!

An organisation sets up practice in Tauranga, and following that 25 local Pastors take out an advert (in August) offering their support to women considering an abortion.  The Advertising Standards Authority has made a decision on that advert saying they “found a section of the advertisement, titled ‘Medical abortions and collateral damage’, presented extreme cases ‘in an alarmist and misleading manner that went beyond the provision of robust opinion’".  (Bay of Plenty Times 28 November 2013). 

I have some questions.  How many complaints were there about that advert?  Society seems to race to embrace the minority view.  And what is society coming to when a group cannot voice their opinion?  Freedom of speech is being quashed, which is another form of the corruption of political correctness. 

Here’s another question.  I wonder if the Advertising Standards Authority is aware of the amazing work those 25 Pastors do every week.  They have in their offices people who have suffered the trauma of an abortion, and though professional counselling helps there are scars for life.  Or what about the young wife who now has trouble conceiving.  Or the older woman, who has carried guilt and shame all her life.  These are just a small part of the “collateral damage” of “medical abortions” Pastors do their best to help regularly.  Thankfully those Pastors know and engage with a Higher Power Who is able to bring healing and hope. 

There will always be different opinions about certain subjects in society.  Thankfully we’re not created as robots pre-programed to think and act in the same way.  Any government or local authority who tries to align the population’s opinions into one stream of thinking is verging on dictatorship, or at the least socialism or communism.  And none of us want that form of government. 

Can’t we have robust discussion and debate on even tough topics without people being offended?  Can’t we be secure enough in who we are, in our opinions culture and character that we’re happy to have them challenged, and, happy to defend them? 

So when a group of men and women voice their opinion on a touchy painful-for-those-involved subject they deal with regularly, surely they should be allowed to voice the truth of that opinion.  After all, those who need the support and help offered by these 25 Pastors, may well be thankful they know a place where they can access it.

Brief Word Issue #35 November 2013

Hi,

Brief Word Issue #35 November 2013 is now available on the Brief Word page at www.goodwordsnz.blogspot.com

Enjoy!

Blessings,

Stephen

The CC of PC (The Community Corruption of Political Correctness).

This is basically the text of a speech I gave recently at Toastmasters.  I’m loving it there!  And learning heaps! 

I want to talk today about the Community Corruption of Political Correctness.  Political Correctness is one of my greatest annoyances. 

Recently I went to one of my grandson’s soccer games.  It was a “tournament” with a good number of teams, some having had to travel an hour or so to be there.  But, no scores were kept!  It was just a friendly game, and they were supposed to just have fun and a good kick around.  Trouble is, my grandson is fiercely competitive, so that didn’t go down well with him!  He learns and functions best where there is the possibility to win or lose.  So, they didn’t go to the next tournament under the same rules – they went to a chess comp instead, where they played for a cup! 

It got me thinking! 

Let’s ask three questions:  - What is PC?  

- What does it do to our Community?  

- What can we do?

1.         What is Political Correctness?

Political correctness is the attitude or policy of being extremely careful not to offend or upset any group of people in society.  (www.collinsdictionary.com).  The idea has been around for centuries, but the term perhaps since about the mid-20^th century.  In its benign form PC is an attempt to help people tolerate each other in a multicultural society.  Don’t offend anyone is the catch-phrase.  In its malign form, as used by say Stalin and Hitler it’s an oppressive way of manipulating and brainwashing a public for political gain.

2.         What does PC do to our Community? 

Let me give you just a few examples.  It is rampant in the USA!  Did you know, the New York Department of Education has banned the use of dinosaurs, birthdays, Halloween and terrorism from tests administered to students?  Dinosaurs may upset those who don’t believe in evolution, birthdays may provoke Jehovah Witnesses and Scientologists because they don’t observe them, Halloween implies paganism, and terrorism is too horrific. 

It gets even more bizarre in the USA.  One major publishing house, McGraw-Hill Publishers instruct their writers not to use the words “tomboy”, “Lady”, or “he took it like a man”.  Writers must never describe a country or boat as a “she”, nothing can be “man-made” even if it was, and “founding fathers” are to be “founding precursors”. 

Comedy isn’t immune either.  Comedians can no longer make jokes about blondes, baldies or blacks, religion, race or rights for fear of offending someone. 

Freedom of speech and action is curbed, and debate is restricted. 

Frank Ellis, lecturer in Russian at the University of Leeds, writes; “PC is strangling western society.  It is being used to shut down debate, and marginalise opponents of any social reform by branding them as bigots, racists, homophobes, and the like.  It is destroying language and culture, and making it impossible to critique what is happening in society”. 

And, we’re being coaxed into saying “Happy Holidays” instead of Merry Christmas! 

New Zealand is affected too.  Some schools are refusing to allow scores to be kept in team games, in case children are unable to cope with defeat.  Case in point my grandson’s soccer game. 

The NZ Rugby Union I believe, attempted to not allow any schoolboy team to win by more than 35 points.  Why?  Because the game might become less enjoyable.  Josh Kronfield was horrified at that suggestion. 

Political Correctness is actually a dumbing down of our society.  It is over-protecting our kids, and there is a price to pay.

3.         What can we do? 

A lot!  Yes we can do a lot!  But in short here’s a few things.

i.          Don’t allow the Political Correctness ideas to embed in our minds and thinking.  Stand true gracefully to values and culture and principles, thus being examples. 

ii.         Let our kids climb trees, play of jungle gyms, run bare feet on dirt, fall over, win and lose in things, be competitive, we can un-stifle them, bring them up with adventure and risk, (obviously with wise parental guidance), stop molly coddling them! 

iii.        We can challenge and debate the ideas without debasing the person! 

iv.        We can allow the adversity of failure to develop the character necessary to navigate life – in us and in our kids. 

So in summary:

i.          What is PC?   It is social engineering to change our thinking and behaviour, and making us overly sensitive and tolerant, so that we can’t agree to disagree. 

ii.         What does it do to our Community?   Quite simply, I believe, it corrupts it!  And unobtrusively it is being CC’d (get it?  The CC of PC!) to everyone in many ways. 

iii.        What can we do?  Don’t let the ideas take hold, let kids be kids!

The CC of PC – The Community Corruption of Political Correctness.

A story to illustrate and close.  A woman buys a parrot at a pet shop.  She was assured it was a talking parrot.  She takes it home, sets it up in a special cage, and waits.  The parrot doesn’t say a thing.  She goes back to the pet shop and says “He doesn’t talk”.

The pet shop owner says “What you need is a mirror.  Yes, parrots like to look at themselves, that’ll get him talking”.  So off she goes, and sets up the mirror. But, the parrot doesn’t talk. 

So back to the pet shop she goes, and says the same thing, “My parrot doesn’t talk.  I put the mirror in but he doesn’t talk”.  “Ah, what you need is a ladder, yes that’s what you need, that’ll get him talking”.  So, she buys a ladder, takes it home, puts it in the parrot’s cage, and waits.  Still no talking!

So back she goes, again, to the pet shop, and again says, “I put the ladder in like you said, but still he doesn’t talk”.  “Ah!  What you need is a swing.  Yes, that’ll do it for him, that’ll get him talking”.  So, she buys a swing, takes it home, puts it in his cage, and waits.

Next day, she goes back to the pet shop, and the owner sees her and says, “Well, what happened?”  She says, “He died”.  “What?  He died?”  “Yes, he died”.  “Well, did he say anything before he died?”  “Yes he did”.  “What did he say?”  “He said, ‘Does that pet shop have any food?’”. 

Let’s feed our kids the right food!  

Debt and Money!

Our Local Body Elections have now come and gone – until next time.  One ousted Councilor described his and others failure to get back in as a “tsunami of discontent”.  People seem to be saying it was the debt issue that drove the change. 

It got me thinking!  About money.  As surprised as some might be, the church doesn't always think and talk about it.  But we do know that money is an incredible tool and can accomplish amazing things.  Imagine what we could do for our families if we had more money.  Too often we are limited because we don’t have the money.  Too often we’re limited because we don’t have the right attitude and the right actions for our money - especially what we think others should do with it!

Money has great ability to bless, influence, and make a difference.  Money as Kevin Gerald says, is “A Dominion Certificate”.  Money says to land, - I can own you.  Money says to vision, - I can fulfill you.  Money says to needs, - I can meet you.  Money says to those bills, - I can cancel you out!  Money says to education, - I can put you through University.  Money says to retirement, - I can set you up sufficiently.  Money says to diseases - I can cure you!  Money says to low-income housing - I can build you.  In fact, we need money for those things. 

So it is understandable that we want to do many of these admirable things, and sometimes we borrow money to do that.  The problem is when that level of debt is unmanageable.  That’s true in business and personally.  A mortgage can be a good thing and the only way we’ll get into the market.  But when servicing that mortgage puts undue pressure on the necessities of life, then, well, maybe it wasn't such a good decision.  Let’s be wise with our money – at all levels – so that our families are free to grow into mature fiscally savvy men and women who by our example will have enough to make a difference to their lives and those around them.

Tongue-tied? How to speak effectively at work

I've done something I have wanted to for years!  Join Toastmasters!  Thoroughly loving it!  And there be more of the lessons I've learned here in time to come!

But I came across this interview from www.cbsnews.com which is great!  


In too many companies, talented individuals fly under the radar, working hard but unable to get to the next level. Sometimes, they get stuck because they aren't able to effectively communicate in a professional setting, either because of lack of experience, nerves or both. 

Michael Notaro formerly the president of Toastmasters International, a group that teaches public speaking and leadership skills, offers some important suggestions on people can sharpen their ability to speak in public settings. 

Why do smart people sometimes sound less than intelligent when speaking at work?

Michael Notaro: The ability to speak on the spot -- something that occurs regularly in the work setting -- is a skill that many struggle with. Fortunately, impromptu speaking can be learned. One great resource that I recommend, of course, is participating in the Toastmasters program. Practicing speaking scenarios helps, since the more people do something, the better they become at it. Once individuals become more comfortable speaking off-the-cuff, they gain the confidence to speak with more authority.

How important is eye contact when trying to convey your ideas?

It's crucial. Effective communicators make eye contact and smile to convey friendliness and warmth.

What are some tips that can help shy people get the words out?

Come prepared. Know the material and have a genuine interest in sharing that interesting, well-organized information with your audience. Also, prepare some examples or a relatable story to share, which will help you illustrate an idea, especially if you're nervous.

That's a great point. Nerves can make even the most normal voice sound soft or shaky. Any tips for this?

The best way to improve voice quality is with projection. Then, use vocal variety -- avoid a monotone sound -- and use gestures to emphasize important points.

Any final tips for speaking with authority, whether it's to your boss or your whole team?

Speakers should concentrate on the message, and the information they want to share. Know that listeners really want you to succeed and are not waiting to pounce on the first slip-up. It's natural to display a little nervousness.

© 2013 CBS Interactive Inc.. All Rights Reserved.

Staying Young!

 Here’s some great words about youth:

·         If the world seems to beat a path to your door, you probably have an attractive teenage daughter. 

·         99% of most youth problems is adult.

·         Adolescence is that period of life when children feel their parents should be told the facts of life.

·         The trouble with the younger generation is that most of us don't belong to it anymore.

·         Until a boy is sixteen he is a boy scout, after that he is a girl scout.

·         A historian says that women used cosmetics in the Middle Ages.  They still use cosmetics in the middle ages.

·         Middle age is when you're just as young as ever, but it takes a lot more effort.

·         The seven ages of woman: The infant, the little girl, the miss, the young woman, the young woman, the young woman, the young woman.

·         Definition of B29: What women in their 40's wish they could again.

·         Old age is the time when men pay more attention to their food than they do to the waitresses.

Society is obsessed with the quest to stay young.  My Uncle waited two years for surgery, but you can have a "face job", "nose job", or a "bottom job", within a week.

Here are some thoughts to help stay young!

1.         Be positive about life. 

You are only ever the results of your own attitudes.  An attitude of faith and confidence is an attractive thing.  He who says he can, can, he who says he can't, can't.  Attitude determines altitude.  Our attitude is like an armour.  1 Peter 4:1 Therefore, since Christ suffered in his body, arm yourselves also with the same attitude...

2.         Look after your body. 

Its all we've got for the Holy Spirit to live in.  What goes in, everything, emotionally, physically, spiritually, eventually shows.  1 Timothy 4:8 For physical training is of some value, but godliness has value for all things...

3.         Live in the present and for the future. 

The past is past, so learn from the past to live better in the present, and look forward to and prepare for the future.  Phil 3:13-14 But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead.

4.         Use wisdom and insight. 

Some of us only wish we had or hadn't done this or that.  If only we'd used more wisdom, or consulted the wisdom of others.  If only we look more carefully into the decisions we make.  Proverbs 24:3 By wisdom a house is built, and through understanding it is established.

5.         Don't be afraid of using energy. 

It takes grit and energy to get things done.  A good shove is all things need sometimes.  It creates the momentum required to get something going, then after that it doesn’t require so much effort.  Proverbs 14:23 All hard work brings a profit, but mere talk leads only to poverty.

6.         Respect our partner. (If we have him/her of not).

When you first meet him/her you don't really know if this is the one.  So respect him/her in every way.  Proverbs 20:25 It is a trap for a man to dedicate something rashly and only later to consider his vows.

7.         Believe in yourself. God does. 

See yourself as God does, and see what He thinks you can do.  You'll be amazed.

Believing in yourself is trusting in what God has made, and honouring what He has done.  Genesis 1:31 Then God saw everything that He had made, and indeed it was very good.

Getting Unemployment To Work

When you find yourself unemployed, it’s good to think about what to do with time off, or (so called) more time on your hands.  It is good to give it some thought, as so many just waste the time away, and then wonder where a few years went!  And worse, they regret lost opportunities, for not being ready.  And, when a job does finally come, they’re not in the right head space for it!  

I've had my share of being out of work.  Here are a few thoughts that I have found to work.

1.         Have the mindset that “you’re still working”.

This is important, so that you keep focused and your mind stays alert to stuff.  The holiday mode, should only last for the holiday, and we need to have a good one, a holiday that is.  But it needs to end, and back into work mode. 

2.         Keep to a regular schedule. 

I have always got up at a certain time, and kept to a reasonable regular weekday schedule.  Get up, devotions, breakfast, then depending on your life, for me it was study, or job hunting, then house work, meal preparations, a walk (a bit of extra time is a good thing to build into our life a habit of exercise if that is needed) then reading, or whatever.  But HAVE A SCHEDULE!  Otherwise the days will drift by and you’ll loose them.  When you keep busy-ish physically, it is amazing how that helps us keep sharp and alert mentally and spiritually.  

3.         Plan your days, weeks, months. 

This too is vital.  Plan your days, weeks and months.  They give you motivation, order and also give you something to look forward to.  When “something comes up”, you can look at your schedule and see if it is important to break into your usual plan of things (which is good sometimes) or diarise it for a set time.  Put into your plan jobs around the house, projects big and small, and outside the house stuff, so that when they’re done you can cross them off which gives you a great sense of achievement.  Any future employer will want to know you’ve used your time wisely even if you’ve had a lot of time out of work.  If you can say what you’ve done with your days, it helps. 

4.         Keep connected with people.

This too is important.  Obviously with Christian people to keep our faith alive and fresh, but all sorts of people to keep us alive relationally.  It is easy when not working, especially if finances are tight to get isolated, and away from people which is dangerous, as we lose the relational sharpness we need for normal work life.  Plan it in, cell group, Church, social group, or whatever it is that does it for us.  For us we have had a cell group all of exPastors, which has been a lifeline for me.  Kept me sane, and the prayer support has been invaluable.  This group for me has been able to minister to me prophetically, which has been awesome! 

5.         Learn something new to keep your mind active. 

Maybe take up something we have always wanted to for years.  This serves to keep the mind alert and learning.  Again a future employer will want to know that we’re able to learn new things, which is always the case in a new job.  But it is just good for us, to learn new things, meet new people, and expand us in many areas. 

There’s things you can do while you wait, like update your CV, learning how to write job application cover letters, and learning how to present yourself at a job interview.  If you need any help with those things, give me a shout.  

Local Body Voting

We see these all too common headlines:  “Divorce Rapidly Increasing”, “Decay of Religion and Its Values”, “Sports Becoming Increasingly Violent”, “Obsession with Pleasure and Entertainment”, “Taxes and Spending of Public Money Increasing”, “The Dignity and Sanctity of the Home Undermined”.  Where did these headlines comes from?  They were first printed 100 plus years ago by historian Edward Gibbons in a book detailing the social conditions that lead to fall of the Roman Empire.  It’s true – history does repeat itself! 

Yes the Local Body Elections are upon us again.  The signs are out.  Campaigning is in full swing. Soon the votes will be counted, and some will be elated to be elected, others will be disappointed not to have made it. 

Sadly too many are completely uninterested and may not even vote.  They say they’re not interested, and whatever the outcomes it doesn’t matter that much to them.  An understandable position, but a wrong one.  Pericles once said, "Just because you do not take an interest in politics, doesn't mean that politics won't take an interest in you".  Every political decision locally and nationally will have its impact upon us or our loved ones somewhere along the line.  If we do not vote, we have no right to criticise or complain when unpalatable decisions are made by the court in the decades ahead. 

It can be hard to decide who to vote for.  But in my view some issues are clear.  Certainly we want representatives (Mayor, Councilors and Board Members) who are men and women of values and integrity, who support family, and honesty.  We want voices around our city’s decision making tables who believe in the future of our children, who are concerned about the protection of morality, who have foresight, but are also business savvy, practical, pragmatic, innovative, and decisive. 

Who would volunteer to be such a person?  Thankfully many have, (and they need our prayers).  We have the incredible freedom and right to vote, to influence the future of our city and region.  That is something I for one value highly.  So let’s vote to do our part to stop the headlines of history as above repeating itself in our beloved Bay of Plenty!  

Kids Breakfasts

We’ve heard a bit lately about giving kids a good breakfast at school.  We know how important it is to start the day well fed – it’s not just a brawn thing, it applies to the brain as well.  So this concept is an admirable one.  We want our kids to be in the best state of mind to be able to learn and grow, to become well balanced citizens in later life. 

One can’t help thinking though, as good as this is, is it not just the ambulance at the bottom of the cliff?  Of course we must have the ambulance at the bottom of the cliff, otherwise many would be in pretty bad shape.  We must do what we can to those who for whatever reasons, have fallen over the edge of that cliff. 

We now ask the obvious?  Why are our kids turning up at school hungry?  I never did.

A friend of mine (not here) runs courses largely government funded, about Life 101.  Candidates on this course learn the basics of life including personal hygiene, preparing a basic meal and budgeting.  They found that candidates thought doing the washing meant putting the clothes in the bath with some water and stomping on them!  They had no idea about planning, shopping for, preparing and cooking an absolutely basic but good wholesome nutritious and protein filled meal.  They had no concept of prioritising finances, and that things like the latest TV and game program is a lesser priority than the food for the week.  It was no surprise that the children from homes such as these turned up at school starving. 

It seems the things we used to learn from our parents, often our mother or grandmother, are not being learned these days.  Basic life skills that set one up to be able to live and be a good citizen and contribute to society rather than be a drain on it.  Perhaps we as society (which by the way includes the church) needs to look at ways in which these skills can be passed to a young generation.  Because as they say prevention is better than cure (and it usually costs less too).  

Life After Crash ... Finding Meaning To Live Again

A Credentialed Minister for over 28 years with a strong sense of call, I have served as sole charge Pastor in three local churches, and as Director of Studies in a Bible School in large city church.  When I started ministry all those years ago, I thought and totally believed I would serve and preach and minister until the day I die!  In fact I even said I’d die in the pulpit!  We (I say we as my wife is an integral part of my ministry – I could not do what I do without her) have seen the Lord do amazing things among His people.  We have learned so much about ourselves, God, His Word, Kingdom things, and we have a love for and a passion for the local church, people, leadership development, Christian maturity and for Pastors and Ministers.  

But something happened that I had not planned for nor expected.  It changed everything.  I mean everything!  About seven years ago, my body and soul just said enough.  I couldn’t go on, couldn’t do anything.  I was an emotional wreck.  I was given some time off from the pastoral role we were in at the time (pastoring a local church in a small regional town) and basically sat in a chair for five weeks resting, sleeping, weeping, wondering, worshipping, trying to pray, but looking out to a wonderful long view of a mountain.  They were my darkest days.  I had no meaning to life, let alone a reason or purpose to do anything. 

Yes.  I’d just – as they say – had burnout!  Humiliating.  Depressing.  I thought I was a failure.  But my burnout didn’t come from times of success and growth.  I’ve read the stories.  This seems to be the case in many burnout testimonies.  Usually stories of pastors ministers and others I have read about and studied have burnt out at times of incredible success; they’ve had lots of new people coming to the church, invitations to speak all over the place are flooding in so they’re in demand, they’re busy working 80 hour weeks, new initiatives are launched and proving productive all the time it seems, the place is pumping and buzzing, everything is going very well!  To me, looking at a list like that as I have over the years, it was obvious they couldn’t last at that pace.  It’s true; some have an amazing energy, and can survive on little sleep.  (Donald Trump sleeps on average four to five hours a night, and has done so most of his life). 

But I wasn’t working every night of the week, “burning the candle at both ends”.  We were diligently taking our days off and holidays.  It happened when life was just pretty much the same old daily weekly monthly grind.  But I wasn’t seeing any real advancement in what I was trying to achieve, my vision wasn’t happening.  We weren’t seeing any real growth in attendances, financially it was getting harder, and I wasn’t seeing any real advancement in what I was trying to achieve, my vision wasn’t happening.  I was feeling a little trapped in trying to be something I felt was needed to grow the church. 

It’s been amazing for me to have some wonderful mentors over the years, through their books and seminars.  But my problem was also trying to be like them, trying to do the same things!  Upon reflection these years after the event, maybe another reason was unrealistic expectations.  Faith and vision are wonderful things but unrealistic expectations can be a killer! 

Believing it was right we soon moved from that place to where we are now, still within an hour’s drive to our kids and grandkids.  We both felt like all our life and hopes and dreams were over.  They’d been cut off, just like how Job described.  He said there is hope for a tree if it is cut down and that at the scent of water it will grow again.  (Job 14:7-9).  But, in the very next verse he says; ‘But man dies and is laid away; indeed he breathes his last and where is he?’  (Job 14:10).  Job is despairing of life so much that he believes a tree can be revived, but not man.  For us that experience was painful.  When you’ve worked for something, dreamed about it, put your whole life into it for 25 years, and then it is cut off, it is very painful.  It seemed as if there would be no way for those dreams to be fulfilled again.  We felt just like Job.  A failure.  Abandoned.  Cut off.  Without hope. 

Yet over a process of time almost unbeknown to us at the time we were discovering God to be amazing.  Something was happening but not overnight.  Meaning and purpose was returning back into our souls.  Slowly, little by little, things changed.  He has an ability to resurrect things.  Over time with God orchestrating things, closing doors and opening others, a recovery and healing was taking place.  He has and is resurrecting our dreams and vision and refreshing the calling. 

I still have many unanswered questions about the whole episode, why it happened, what lead up to it, what I could have done to avoid it, why didn’t I see it coming, why me, etc, etc!  But we’ve learnt one very significant lesson in recent times.  This is part of the serendipitous moment we’ve had, which is not a moment – although in God’s timing it probably is.  (I guess five to six years can be a moment to God!).  This is what we’ve come to know; ‘Who we are not what we do determines our value before God’.  Our reason for living comes from our connection to God, the Creator and Initiator of all things. 

So when I had no ministry, no preaching, no people looking to me for guidance, no regular sermon study, nothing that had in the past given me a sense of being needed, it seemed I had no value.  But the revelation that God my Father totally loves me and values me for who I am as His son, apart from anything I do or don’t do, has changed everything.  I think this an important lesson we all need to learn. 

This truth was clarified to me in recent times from a Scripture in Matthew.  Jesus before He starts His ministry, is being baptised by John the Baptist.  We read that God the Father booms down from Heaven; ‘This is My beloved son, in whom I am well pleased’.  (Matthew 3:17).  Here we have the Father speaking from Heaven some very important things – things we all need to hear.  It was a public, heavenly, authorised, declaration of the total love and care the Father had for the Son.  But the thing is, Jesus hadn’t done anything at all yet!  He hadn’t healed any sick, cast out any demons, raised any dead, turned any water into wine, multiplied any loaves and fishes to feed thousands!  He was just the Son of God!  All He’d done was probably make some tables, household furniture and other things as part of His earthly father’s carpentry business. 

I needed to know this also.  My being was wrapped up in my ministry doing.  Though the fruit of my ministry I thought was not as public, startling and newsworthy as others, my value was still tied to what was or was not happening around me as a result of my efforts.  So being out of ministry for a while was actually a good thing.  I learned that God still loves me just as I am. 

My identity was too tied to what wasn’t happening, my vision!  But where do we get our identity messages from?  We can get them from achievements, behaviour, or approval, appearance, possessions, or relationships.  But most of all we need to get our identity, who we really are, our meaning to live, from our Father!  I learnt something of the security of Father!  My identity is in Him.  That’s the case if I am “in the Ministry” or out of it. 

Being out of ministry has also shown us afresh what it is like to be ‘in the pews’” so to speak.  It’s given us a fresh understanding into the busy-ness of ordinary Christians’ lives, how they have pressures at home to juggle, more and more demands at work, then the expectation but desire to be at and serve in various way at church.  Life is very different to what it was 25 years ago.  But it has also given me a fresh passion and love for the local church.  It is human but Divine.  It is flawed but miraculous.  It is amazing.  It is God and people.  And God and people have been a huge help and healing to us. 

We have discovered one amazing key that has kept us and brought us through, is this; ‘ … yet at the scent of water … ‘  (Job 14:9).  Water brings life.  Water is a symbol of the Holy Spirit.  So it doesn’t matter how old, how dead, how barren, how growth-less, how lost, how boring and hopeless a situation might seem to us, when God by His Holy Spirit touches that situation, it can – in His time – spring back to life again.  We were very low.  But only by God’s grace we have maintained a lifestyle of reading God’s Word, worshipping in His house, and connection with other saints.  Even when those disciplines seemed fruitless, we just kept doing them. 

We may think burnout is failure.  I did, but it is not!  But even failure is not fatal or final!  God still loves us just as He always has.  God still cares for us and our earthly destiny just as He always has.  God’s promises are still dependable just as they have always been.  God still has our future at heart, and has great plans for us!  Just as He always has.  If there is hope for a tree, which in the natural can spring to life again, then in God’s economy with His miracle touch, there is also hope for you and me!  There is hope and meaning to live – it is found in Him! 

Read and grow rich!

Read and grow rich!  Sound a bit far fetched?  Well a true story to prove it’s possible.

A little girl was dealt a bad hand in life.  She was only a year old when she suffered a childhood illness which took away her sight and hearing.  She was trapped inside her mind.  She hadn’t leaned to speak.  She uttered grunts and animal sounds.  She went into fits of rage, smashing dishes and physically attacking anyone in the room with her.  More than one Doctor diagnosed her as mentally ill.  But her parents believed.

When she was seven, the family hired a young woman to tutor her.  For weeks the tutor tried to communicate with the girl by spelling words into her hand.  The little girl could feel the tutor’s fingers on her palm, but they didn’t have any meaning to her.  She was still trapped. 

Then one day a breakthrough came.  The little girl was holding a cup under a water spout.  The tutor kept spelling “w-a-t-e-r” into the girl’s hand.  Suddenly the girl understood that the letters represented an object!  The door to the world flew wide open to her!  She ran around grabbing everything she could, begging the tutor to spell the name of each object into her palm.  That day the little girl was no longer trapped inside her mind.  She was free.

The little girl grew to her full potential, and it was the technology of reading that enabled her to transform herself.  Once she understood the concept of reading and writing, she became a veracious learner.  (Remember, she’s blind and deaf!).  By the time she was 10 she was writing letters in French to famous people in Europe. 

She decided to go to University, and her dedicated tutor sat beside her spelling the words of lectures into her hand.  She graduated (the first deaf/blind person ever to graduate) with honours and went on the become a celebrated writer who was honoured by kings and presidents, and went on to publish 14 books. 

Just think – the little girl’s life began when she learned to read!  Her name by the way was Helen.  Helen Keller.  Ah yes, there is power in reading!  Let’s read and grow rich!