Summer

I’ve just looked back at a post from January 31st – Waiting for the summer. In it, I basically talked about how I was looking forward to this summer.

In all honestly, the months since January have been a mixed bag – certainly not what I would have expected. But sure enough, the summer has proved to be a wonderful time of refreshment, relaxation and revitalisation. I’d love to tell you about a couple of the things I got up to.

Each year, the churches in Bishop’s Stortford (my local town) work together to organise a week-long holiday club for kids aged 5-11, called Holiday Bible Week (HBW). In essence, we hire a bunch of marquees and spend a week learning Bibical truths based around a theme. This year we had ‘Have I Got News For You’ – centred on the story of Jesus’ birth. As a member of the technical team in the ‘Main Tent’, it was pretty hard work to set everything up and run the week itself, but so very rewarding. We saw God work so powerfully in the lives of many young people and adults. God loves it when His church works together – in my opinion the church is at its strongest when we can be seen for what unites us, not what divides us. We are united in Jesus Christ (we are described in the Bible as His bride).

This year, I really felt a sense of the impact that the work done at HBW has on our town. Kids and parents won’t know anything else quite like it – and in once sense we carry a great deal of responsibility to act honourably during the week. But I really feel that HBW is a showcase of the amazing results that can be achieved through unity and it is a credit to the church of Christ.

I then spent 10 days at the Royal Bath and West Showground, Somerset for Soul Survivor Week C and Momentum. I served on team for Week C and attended Momentum as a delegate. Those weeks were saturated with the Spirit of God – I was able to follow God’s lead in my life and refocus my attention on Him.

Thinking back to January, I probably wasn’t thinking of spending my summer as I did. But thinking back over the summer, I wouldn’t have missed it for the world.

God said to me…

I said to God, “I’m scared about my future. I don’t know what’s going to happen in my life.”
God said to me, “Simon, I love you. I know your future. Trust in me because I am beyond time. I have good plans for you.”

I said to God, “What about money, or clothes, or food, or housing? How do I know that I’ll have all the resources I need?”
God said to me, “Simon, I love you. Trust in me because I am the God of unending resources. I will provide for you all that you need.”

I said to God, “But why? Why does the God of the universe care about what happens to me in my life?”
God said to me, “Simon, I love you. I love you because I created you. Before you were even born I knew all about you. You are my precious child and I would go to the ends of the earth to find you if you were lost.”

I said to God, “How about people? How do I know that I won’t end up lonely?”
God said to me, “Simon, I love you. I am always with you, even to end of the age. My plans for you are beyond your wildest dreams – you can’t even imagine the good, good things that I have waiting in store for you.”

I said to God, “How do I know that You are real?”
God said to me, “Simon, I love you. Do I really need to answer that? Look at the beauty around you. Consider all that I have made. Think about the times when you have felt my presence with you, comforting you. Then ask again.”

I said to God, “Will I be safe?”
God said to me, “Simon, I love you. I am the almighty One. I will keep you from harm. I don’t fall asleep – I am always watching over you. Trials may come. It will be hard at many times in your life to follow me in the midst of a broken world. But what I promise for you at the end of all things is worth more than anything else. Don’t you already know? Haven’t you heard? I am everlasting – I go on forever and ever. I don’t get tired. I will pick you up and you will soar with me as if you were an eagle. You will run with me and you won’t get tired. You will walk and you will not faint.”

I didn’t need to say anything else. I knew that what God had said to me was true. I knew that He was the only One worth living for.

What Would I Have Become?

People often ask me whether or not I would still believe what I believe it I wasn’t brought up in a Christian home and family.

I happen to think that it’s about as relevant to ask this question of me as it is to ask it of anyone – of course we are influenced by how we are brought up. We also tend to believe in the same things that our parents do, Christian or not Christian.

So yes, my parents and the way in which I have been brought up do play a part in what I believe and how I live my life. But I want to stress that they aren’t the only reason I am how I am.

I have been given every chance in my life to turn my back on my God and on the church if I so wanted to. At times, I’ve made choices that have led to that. But the basis for my faith doesn’t rest on my upbringing or on my household. The choice that I have made to give my life to Jesus Christ has come from my own heart and no-one could possibly make that choice for me.

I read a passage a while back which asked about salvation – is it just a personal thing or, like in the Old Testament, can it be achieved for groups of people – families or nations? Salvation is a personal thing because it requires a personal choice and a change of heart and mind.

Jesus said, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.” (Matthew 22:37, NIV). He didn’t say, “as long as your parents love God you’ll be saved”, or, “as long as the leaders of your nation love God, salvation is yours.” There really isn’t much debate about it.

Others sometimes ask me what I would be like had I not been brought up in a Christian family. Some people have concluded that if I hadn’t been brought up the way that I was, I wouldn’t be a Christian.

In all honestly, of course I don’t know what I would be like. Maybe I wouldn’t have the light of Christ in my life. That scares me. For this reason, I have so much gratitude for my parents who have shown me that God loves me and wants what is best for me in my life.

There is a song called What Would I Have Done from Bethel Live’s album Be Lifted High. Its chorus asks the questions:

What would I have done if it wasn’t for Your love?
What would I have become if it wasn’t for Your blood? 

What would I have become? I don’t want to know or really think about it. What matters is what is real, here and now. All I know is that if it wasn’t for Jesus there would be no hope.

C.S. Lewis once said, ‘Unless Christianity is wholly false, the perception of ourselves which we have in moments of shame must be the only true one.’ If it wasn’t for Jesus, our reality would be who we are when we are most shameful and hopeless. God doesn’t want that for any one of us, because He made us, He knows us and He loves us.

Hear Your People Sing

Yesterday I managed to get to the HMV Forum in Kentish Town for WorshipCentral’s live album recording…

What a night! Tim Hughes, Ben Cantelon, Nikki Fletcher, Luke Hellebronth and Al Gordon led a variety of songs with the WorshipCentral team – it looked and sounded amazing. However, my favourite part wasn’t the music, it was the worship.

There is something profound about gathering together with thousands of other people to dance around, shout and sing out to God. The music last night allowed for people to get totally lost in the presence of Jesus, and we saw the Holy Spirit come in power in many places.

Mike Pilavachi spoke briefly but powerfully on what the Christian faith is, describing it beautifully as a dance. I love Mike’s passion to see people come to Christ, as following Him is not about coming to a religion, it’s about coming to a relationship. He mentioned that when we worship, we are joining in with all the hosts of heaven, who are always worshipping the Father, God Most High.

We were treated to a great bunch of songs, including Counting On Your Name, At Your Name and Wake Up from Tim Hughes (from Love Shine Through), All Glory and Wait For You from Nikki Fletcher, New Day and Saviour Of The World from Ben Cantelon and Alleluia and Because Of Your Love from Al Gordon. We also sang a few ‘classics’, like Happy Day, Spirit Of The Living God and For Your Glory (with the Matt Redman ‘lift up your heads, you ancient gates’ additions). Such amazing songs, full of truth and  passion.

If I had to pick one song that stood out, it would be Spirit Break Out, by Luke Hellebronth and Myles Dhillon. Luke sang and Myles rapped… It was such a passionate cry for the presence of Jesus. Here’s the lyrics in case you don’t know it, you can also listen to a demo of it here on WorshipCentral.org.

Spirit break out
Break our walls down
Spirit break out
Heaven come down

Our Father, all of heaven roars Your name
Sing louder, let this place erupt with praise
Can you hear it?
The sound of heaven touching earth
The sound of heaven touching earth

King Jesus, You’re the name we’re lifting high
Your glory, shaking up the earth and skies
Revival,
We want to see Your Kingdom here
We want to see Your Kingdom here

Thanks to David for the lyrics to the second verse! (See comments).

All I can say is that I can’t wait until the album comes out!

Waiting for the summer

[This is not my photo - found it here - I just thought it looked nice and was relevant!]

The sun was out today as I walked home, and it was just beautiful, even though it’s still a tiny bit on the chilly side. I had a coat on so I kept warm and could simply enjoy in the golden rays, weaving their way through the leafless trees. It really reminded me of the summer and also how much I’m looking forward to this summer in particular.

I know we’re still only half-way through winter and we’ve got a lot of rainy days to get through first, but once we’re there, it’s going to be pretty awesome! I just love the warmth, the light, being able to go out in a t-shirt and shorts, barbecues, going to the beach (which really isn’t the same in January!), sunbathing and daylight staying until late. England really can be a beautiful country.

This summer is especially nice though – for the first time I’ll be free of school – no work to do, no thoughts of going back in September, no limit to the fun factor. Hopefully I won’t be bored having less to do, although that said, it’s looking like it’s going to be pretty awesome!

The weather put me in quite a good mood, and also in the mood for some summery songs… So here are two that I would like to share with you!

The first is called Waiting for the Summer by Delirious? from the album Audio Lessonover. I love this song! And I also love Delirious? incidentally… This is the best version of the music video I could find on YouTube, so I apologise that the audio & video are slightly out of sync.

The second song is called Summer Nights by Rascal Flatts, possibly the happiest band I have ever heard! I love their style, and this song always makes me smile.

Hope you enjoyed those, I certainly did when I listened to them. I’ve decided this post is quite silly, as the light outside is beginning to fade, at only 5 o’clock…

All Glory

Earlier on this year, Nikki Fletcher from WorshipCentral released the single All Glory. If you want to have a listen, there is an acoustic demo available here, on WorshipCentral, along with a chordsheet. You can also download the song from iTunes – in my opinion it is very much worth the 79p I paid for it.

Feel free to decide for yourself what you think of the song. I love it – Tim Hughes did it at Momentum in the summer of 2010 and it was so powerful. Nikki Fletcher also has a wonderful voice!

I thought I’d take a few moments to look at the scripture it is based on. Jude 1:24-25 says:

Now all glory to God, who is able to keep you from falling away and will bring you with great joy into his glorious presence without a single fault. All glory to him who alone is God, our Saviour through Jesus Christ our Lord. All glory, majesty, power, and authority are his before all time, and in the present, and beyond all time! Amen. (NLT).

Like 1 Corinthians 13, this passage is one of my favourites. Jude is a very short book and is often overlooked and forgotten, but it is full of wisdom and truth.

I am in the process of reading the book Soul Survivor by Philip Yancey – it is a fantastic read where Yancey writes about 12 people who have helped to make him who he is. Practically every theological and religious topic is covered in one way or another, and it is a brilliant opportunity to explore the writings and lives of many influential people. Martin Luther King Jr, G.K. Chesterton, Leo Tolstoy and Feodor Dostoevsky are among those who feature. It is a compelling read and I highly recommend it – buy it from Amazon.

In Soul Survivor, I came across the most moving reference to this passage from Jude that I have ever seen. It is part of the chapter on Dr. C. Everett Koop, the Surgeon General of the USA from 1982 to 1989. He was a pioneer in the field of premature birth – saving hundreds of babies other medical professionals would consider a lost cause. During his time as the Surgeon General, he worked in the battle against AIDS, starting his 1986 report on the subject with the following:

‘At the beginning of the AIDS epidemic many Americans had little sympathy for people with AIDS. The feeling was that somehow people from certain groups “deserved” their illness. Let us put those feelings behind us. We are fighting a disease, not people.’ - cited in Soul Survivor, p. 183.

Unfortunately, Dr. Koop is not well remembered. His report on the effects of abortion on women in January of 1989 concluded that, ‘…the scientific studies do not provide conclusive data about the health effects of abortion on women.’ This became twisted by many ‘pro-choice’ groups, who proclaimed that, ‘Koop says abortion does not harm women.’ Dr. Koop, personally, was fiercely opposed to abortion. He had seen so many premature births grow to become healthy human beings, and it was a tragedy for him when he thought of the number of potential lives wasted. As his report on abortion seemed to contradict his own values, he soon lost credibility and he quietly resigned.

Back to Jude…here is the passage that broke my heart:

[Dr Koop's] serene faith was tested in 1968 when [he] suffered the most painful tragedy of his life, an event that profoundly changed his emotional make-up. Before then, Koop thought it a sign of weakness for a doctor to cry with grieving parents; afterwards, he found it hard not to. His son David, a twenty-year-old student, fell to his death in a mountain-climbing accident. David’s body lay on the rocks for fifty-two hours before rescuers could reach it, an excruciating ordeal for the Koop family. Yet Koop’s personal journal of the time, published as the book Sometimes Mountains Move, contains no hint of any wrestling with God. It ends with a quotation from the New Testament book of Jude, ‘And now unto him who is able to keep you from falling…’ followed by Koop’s own declaration of faith: ‘God was able, but in His sovereignty He chose not to.’ – Soul Survivor, p. 174.

What strength.

We can all learn from that passage. It helps us to remember that God is all powerful and God is able, and He is also wise and just. We need to trust that ‘in His sovereignty,’ He holds the world in balance. When circumstances hit us, they are not always from God. Yet God has the power and the authority to work for our good through all things.

And we know that in all things, God works for the good of those who love Him, who have been called according to His purpose. - Romans 8:28, NIV.

God is working to His purpose in all things. All we need to do is love Him.

All glory to God who is able.

Restless

In the past 18 hours or so I’ve been getting a bit wound up. I hate that feeling – the reason for it is irrelevant – because it’s so hard to break free. It’s like a downward spiral, gripping you tightly and not getting go.

Sometimes, I need something to help me cool off a bit. Often this takes the form of time. Often, however, there is need for something more. Prayer is a wonderful way of finding release – we are privileged to be able to offload to an all-knowing God, who overflows with His love for us. Psalm 139 says:

You have searched me, LORD,
and you know me.
You know when I sit and when I rise;
you perceive my thoughts from afar.
You discern my going out and my lying down;
you are familiar with all my ways.
Before a word is on my tongue
you, LORD, know it completely. - Psalm 139:1-4, NIV.

God already know exactly what we’re going through. One of the greatest things about prayer for me is that God already knows what we’re going to say before we say it; He just loves it when we talk to Him and spend time with Him.

There is also another benefit to talking about things you’re going through – I’m sure psychologists would agree that talking to someone about problems and issues can be very beneficial. It’s important not to see God in this way – prayer is not some form of divine slot machine, useful for what we need, when we need it. Often, prayer involves a renewal of mind and a brokenness of spirit, as we make ourselves vulnerable in the presence of our God. Fortunately for us, He has amazing arms, which lift us up in embrace, holding us safe and true. This reminds me of the beautiful songs Safe and In My Love by Phil Wickham – I won’t talk about them here because they deserve an entirely separate post of their own at some point in the future.

Back to the title of the post. As I said, I’d been quite worked up about something, and sitting alone wasting time mindlessly with QI and Need for Speed: Carbon wasn’t helping. I then came across this wonderful song; it’s called Restless, and it’s by an American Christian artist called Audrey Assan. She has a really beautiful voice. Here are the lyrics:

You dwell in the songs that we are singing
Rising to the heavens
Rising to Your heart, Your heart
Our praises filling up the spaces
In between our frailty
And everything You are, You are

The keeper of my heart

And I’m restless, I’m restless
till I rest in You, till I rest in You
I am restless, I’m restless
till I rest in You, till I rest in You, oh God.

Speak now, for my soul is listening
Say that You have saved me
Whisper in the dark, the dark
I know You’re more than my salvation
Without You I am hopeless
Tell me who You are, You are

Still my heart, hold me close
Let me hear a still small voice
Let it grow, let it rise
into a shout, into a cry

It has a fantastic melody and its tempo is steady and considered; it was just perfect for me to break free of the negative feelings that were binding me. As for the lyrics…breathtaking.

Click here to listen to the song on Worship Together.

God is amazing. He holds my life in His hands, and this was one of those moments where I felt Him draw close and offer words of wisdom, through this song. This was a beautiful reminder of His care for me – how He is working for good in everything I do.

Scripturally, Restless is based loosely upon 1 Corinthians 13:12. If I had to choose a favourite Bible passage, 1 Corinthians 13 would probably be in the top three. If there’s one part of the Bible you should try reading, try this. It’s amazing.

If I could speak all the languages of earth and of angels, but didn’t love others, I would only be a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. If I had the gift of prophecy, and if I understood all of God’s secret plans and possessed all knowledge, and if I had such faith that I could move mountains, but didn’t love others, I would be nothing. If I gave everything I have to the poor and even sacrificed my body, I could boast about it; but if I didn’t love others, I would have gained nothing.

Love is patient and kind. Love is not jealous or boastful or proud or rude. It does not demand its own way. It is not irritable, and it keeps no record of being wronged. It does not rejoice about injustice but rejoices whenever the truth wins out. Love never gives up, never loses faith, is always hopeful, and endures through every circumstance.

Prophecy and speaking in unknown languages and special knowledge will become useless. But love will last forever! Now our knowledge is partial and incomplete, and even the gift of prophecy reveals only part of the whole picture! But when full understanding comes, these partial things will become useless.

When I was a child, I spoke and thought and reasoned as a child. But when I grew up, I put away childish things. Now we see things imperfectly as in a cloudy mirror, but then we will see everything with perfect clarity. All that I know now is partial and incomplete, but then I will know everything completely, just as God now knows me completely.

Three things will last forever—faith, hope, and love—and the greatest of these is love. – 1 Corinthians 13:1-13, NLT.

What a morning of renewal and peace. God is gracious, loving and full of mercy.

Audrey Assad’s album The House You’re Building is available on iTunes.

Do you have anything that helps you to rest and find peace? Feel free to leave a comment…

Christmas Reflections

This year, Christmas hasn’t really been all that. Perhaps it’s because of my age or perhaps it’s because of my focus, but for some reason it just didn’t feel like Christmas.

Maybe this is a good thing – the commercial nature of the day has totally disappeared for me so I can focus on the ‘true meaning’ of Christmas.

I wonder how many times this year I have heard that phrase… This ‘true meaning’ of Christmas does seem to be quite heavily publicised, and often to great effect.

Usually, in order to illustrate this meaning, the presents, food and other superficial aspects of the day are shown to be unimportant compared to the Christmas Story from 2000 years ago. This great story, undoubtedly one of the most compelling ever told, is exactly why Christmas is celebrated some 20 centuries down the track.

The baby in the manger, the shepherds, the angels, the wise men bearing gifts, Bethlehem… We are all so familiar with these things – either from Nativity plays at school or from dramatisations on television or the big screen.  My thought this year, though, is…

What if this great story is actually a distraction from the true significance of Christmas?

It is without question that the events in Bethlehem in the land of Judah are the key to unlocking this significance. However I feel that we find ourselves today in a position where certain aspects of the story are not recognised for the immense weight that they carry…

We often talk about the shepherds on the hillside nearby, tending their sheep, but how often do we really think about what they experienced that night? There is no other place in the whole of scripture where the sky is literally filled with angels, singing and praising God (except for perhaps in Revelation). It is unimaginable, the entire sky brimming with beings dressed in perfect white, declaring the might and power of God. The birth of this child is something that God wants to shout about! He wants everyone to know about it, it is the most important event in the whole of history! Taking time to think about that fact drives it home…this isn’t any old story about a baby’s birth with a few complications and strange events lumped on top, this is the greatest and the greatest happening of all time. Of all time.

Perhaps the next question is, ‘Why?’ ‘Why is this birth the most important event of all time?’ I heard recently the statement that the true meaning of Christmas is actually Easter. To some extent, this rings true – the birth of Jesus points to His death and resurrection 30 years later – but it is not entirely satisfactory. There is something more about Jesus’ birth that isn’t encountered at the cross.

A.W. Tozer once said, ‘Instead of God degrading Himself when He became man, He, by the act of Incarnation, elevated mankind to Himself.’ The Incarnation of Christ is the point in time where God took mankind in its broken and degenerate state and made it something new.

Christmas is the time where God met man, face to face, for the first time since Adam in Eden (Moses was unable to see the face of God and only saw His back, from a cleft in a rock). Paul explains:

‘For God, who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” made his light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of God’s glory displayed in the face of Christ.’ – 2 Corinthians 4:6, NIV.

‘The Son is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation.’ – Colossians 1:15, NIV.

‘For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him…’ – Colossians 1:19, NIV.

‘God’s glory, displayed in the face of Christ.’ Christ is, ‘the image of…God.’ Surely, surely, this is what Christmas is about. The Bethlehem story is important, but beyond that we see the glory of the Almighty One ‘to human view displayed’ in Christ, the Lord. This is why a vast host of angels sang that night, worshipping over and over again the only One who is worthy of our praise.

For me, Christmas has changed. This year has shown that. But I am determined that that change is in the right direction. I can’t claim to be moving away from the commercialisation because it was never a problem for me in the first place. But I do want to be moving away from reading the wonderful story of Bethlehem and the birth of Christ as a nice, interesting tale which just sets the scene for Easter to take place, with some shepherds and gold, incense and myrrh. When I read or hear that story, I want to be overawed by the host of angels, I want to be moved by the heart of Mary, but more than anything I want to remember all the glory of the Most High God was on earth, in Jesus Christ.

Jesus Christ, the Saving One.