Walk On

How Jesus Literally, Physically, Saved My Life

2012-01-16T16:42:00.000Z

Writing in defence of his atheistic beliefs, the comedian Ricky Gervais points out that Jews, Christians and Muslims are all nearly as atheist as him. 'I don't believe in 2870 gods,' he quips, 'and they don't believe in 2869.'

And he is right.

Because four thousand, three thousand, two thousand years ago, pretty much every culture in the world believed in hundreds of different gods.

Mesopotamia.

Egypt.

Canaan.

Assyria.

Babylonia.

Persia.

Greece.

Rome.

Throughout the narrative of the Bible, tracing through millennia of history, the nations and empires rise and fall. And each one believed in a pantheon of gods.

There were gods of cattle, gods of crops, gods of the sea, gods of fertility, gods of the sun ...

The list goes on.

The gods were distant. Disconnected.

The gods were demanding. Dictators.

Take the Babylonian gods for example.

These gods fought amongst themselves and created the world out of war and violence.

These gods created humans to be their slaves.

To do the work they do not want to do.

What's more, throughout history there has been an unrelenting belief that the gods are angry with their human slaves.

The gods demand human blood. Human life.

They demand the ultimate sacrifice. Child sacrifice.

It is chilling, isn't it?

Heartbreaking.

And it is so, so, so wrong.

Throughout the Biblical narratives, there is a gradual earth-shattering revelation that the god of the Israelites is not like the other gods of the human imagination. This god, called 'Yahweh', did not create the world out of war and violence, but peace and love. Yahweh just spoke and there was.

In the shocking famous account of Abraham and Isaac, the most shocking part is not that the god of the Israelites asks Abraham to kill his son. It is that Yahweh stops Abraham from killing his son.

In place of Isaac, Yahweh provides a lamb.

And the lamb is sufficient.

In the most dramatic way possible, the god of the Israelites makes his point.

Love is absolutely repulsed by the spilling of human blood.

To Yahweh every human life is valuable. So so precious.

Every human is a masterpiece of creation.
Created and crafted in the image of the one God - the only God.

Love is absolutely repulsed by the spilling of human blood. And the one God Yahweh is desperate for the whole world to grasp this. But the dramatic story of Abraham and Isaac, passed down through the generations, was not enough. It did not stop the practice of child sacrifice. It did not stop the Israelites from killing their own children - let alone the Egyptians, Assyrians, Babylonians...
Even the Kings of Israel lay down their own children in the flames. (2 Kings 16:3, 21:6)

Centuries before Israel had a King, before Israel even had its own land, Moses had cried out, 'Don't let anyone among you offer a son or daughter as a sacrifice in the fire ... Yahweh hates anyone who does these things.' (Deut. 18:10-12)

But centuries later the Israelites were still asking, 'What can I bring before Yahweh? Should I give my first child for the evil I have done? Should I give myvery own child for my sin? (Micah 6:6-7)’

And Yahweh replied: no, no, no, no, no! 'I never commanded it. It never entered my mind that they should do such a detestable thing. (Jer. 32:35) The sacrifice I seek is justice and mercy; humans walking humbly with their God.' (Micah 6:8)

The first Christians were incessant in their insistence that human sacrifices were no longer needed - incessant in their belief that even animals were no longer needed as a sacrifice for sin. The ultimate sacrifice had been made, they claimed. There had been a definitive death that had defeated 'the power of sin just once - enough for all time.' (Romans 6:10)

And whether or not you agree with their belief that Jesus' death was the ultimate sacrifice 'enough for all time', there can be no doubt about it, the beliefs of the early Christians changed the world. The spread of their beliefs all but eradicated the practice of child sacrifice from the world.

One of the words we translate as 'hell' is the Greek word Gehenna. It literally means 'The Valley of Hennom'. This was an actual, physical place. It was a place where flames rose high, a place where children were sacrificed to the Canaanite god Molech.

So, through the beliefs of the early Christians, through their changing of the world,

Jesus literally, physically, rescued us from burning in hell.

Jesus literally, physically, saved my life.

The Romance of God

2011-11-27T11:33:00.001Z

Tomorrow I begin work on the final chapter of my second draft. It's fair to say, I'm excited.

Over the last seven years of sculpting, studying and scheming,

I've kept much of what I've written close to my chest.

But here, right now, I want to give you a sneak preview of the finale.

Because I just cannot keep it in.

All of the italicised words presented below have been lifted directly from the Bible.

They are from the ancient Hebrew erotic love poetry known today as Song of Songs:

‘Youare so handsome, my lover (1:16).

Your mouth is sweet to kiss,

I desire you so very much.

You are my lover and my friend (5:16).

I belong to you my lover

And my lover belongs to me (6:3).

I belong to my lover

And he desires only me (7:10).’

'My love, you are full of delights (7:6),

My bride, you have thrilled my heart (4:9).

My bride, your lips drip honey (4:11),

How beautiful you are, my darling!

Oh, you are beautiful!

Your eyes behind your veil are like doves (4:1).

My darling, everything about you is beautiful,

there is nothing wrong with you (4:7).’

.....

Because it all finishes with a wedding.

It all finishes with the romance of God.

Hurts Like Heaven

2011-10-26T18:53:00.001+01:00

New Coldplay albums are events in my life.

I await their release with the anticipation of a Cup Final.

I relish those first plays, over and over again, absorbing myself in the world that Coldplay has created.

Every time I wonder, will this album connect with me, move me, stir me, like the last?

The question of whether Coldplay are depressing or uplifting seems to divide popular opinion. At first glance, the first single off Mylo Xyloto couldn't have a more depressing title. And yet 'Every Teardrop is a Waterfall' is a fun, upbeat, up-tempo track, with lyrics which journey through different kinds of joy. We begin with a joy where you 'turn the music up', 'shut the world outside' and 'feel your heart start beating to your favourite song.' It's an escapist kind of joy, dancing away 'until Monday morning feels another life'.
But then Monday morning kicks in:

'Maybe I'm in the black,

Maybe I'm on my knees,

Maybe I'm in the gap between the two trapezes,

But my heart is beating and my pulses start

Cathedrals in my heart.'

Now Coldplay are describing a joy that is no longer escapist, but is rooted within, or comes out of, or is in spite of the realities of life.

'Every siren is a symphony'.

Are Coldplay really suggesting that joy and suffering are interlinked?
'From underneath the rubble sing a rebel song'.

Can joy come out of suffering?

Ideas of joy and suffering are fused together in the title of Mylo Xyloto's opening song, 'Hurts Like Heaven'.

The phrase jolts us, doesn't it? Stops us in our tracks.

I mean, hurts like heaven?!? What does it mean?
Is it simply ridiculous, contradictory - an impossibility?

Or is it profound, deep - maybe even true?

Is it simply harmless, meaningless - just a nice piece of alliteration?

Or is it false, heretical - maybe even blasphemous?

Does heaven hurt?

Is it possible to hurt like heaven?

In the early stages of the Biblical narrative a scene is described where the earth was so filled with suffering, injustice and wickedness, God 'was grieved' and 'his heart was filled with pain' (Gen 6:6). Then as the story continues, particularly throughout the prophets, a picture is painted of a God whose heart breaks at the continuing bloodshed, corruption and oppression rife throughout human society.

God had a desire - God has a desire - for so so so so so much more than this.

When we see scenes of great suffering and injustice in the world today, when the images connect with us, stir us, move us, we are sharing in the heartbreak of the Creator. To put it another way, when we open our eyes to see the world as God sees it, it hurts.
Or in the words of Coldplay, 'When you use your heart as a weapon it hurts like heaven.'

Because, like the girl in Mylo Xyloto's second single, God is dreaming of 'para-para-paradise.'

A paradise where there are no more tears...
no more death or mourning or crying or pain (Rev. 21:4).
A paradise where joy has triumphed over suffering.
But until that day comes...

Every teardrop will continue to fall like a waterfall.

Erasing Hell: my review

2011-07-25T11:12:00.007+01:00

Love Wins and Erasing Hell are two books which should be read together. If you've read one, read the other.
My soundbite analysis is that I agree and disagree with parts of both.
Now here are some thoughts......

A few months ago Rob Bell kicked up a storm. Bell wrote for people like me who really struggle to accept a concept of hell where people are tortured in an everlasting conscious punishment.

Bell asked questions that people were just too scared to ask.
He explored alternative options, alternative possible beliefs.
But he formed no conclusions.
He deliberately left things hanging.
It was refreshing. But very frustrating.

Now, if Bell kicked up a cloud of dust and left the debris hanging, Francis Chan tries to reach up into the mess and pull down some clarity. He writes for Bell’s doubting audience but does so with a greater scholarly emphasis – he looks at passages in greater depth, in a more reliable style, and attempts to grapple with different points of view.

Chan describes how Jesus spoke about hell as a place of judgment after death and used imagery of fire - an everlasting fire. But in all but one example it is the fire that is everlasting, not the punishment. In all but one example, it is possible to take the view that people die in the fire; hell is a place where people die, not a place where people suffer for eternity.

According to Chan (pg 82) the only place where Jesus talks about an ‘everlasting punishment’ is Matthew 25:46 - those who do not feed the hungry and thirsty, in this life, on this earth (see v.35-44), ‘will go away into everlasting punishment, but the righteous into everlasting life.’ There is then a debate about whether this really means what we think it means.

I think that Chan shows that the issue of hell is just as complicated as Rob Bell described. Chan concludes, ‘The debate about hell’s duration is much more complex than I first assumed. While I lean heavily on the side that it is everlasting, I am not ready to claim that with absolute certainty.’ (pg. 86)

Then to my astonishment, much of the rest of the book appears to assume that hell is an everlasting conscious punishment. Chan relates to my doubts, struggles and bewilderment – he acknowledges that it’s difficult to believe in a God who could punish people forever – and yet he ultimately leads his readers in a prayer of repentance, repenting our arrogance for trying ‘to make God fit my standards of justice and goodness and love.’ (pg 139) The conclusion is to ‘submit to a God whose ways are much, much higher than mine.’ (pg 141) ‘Though God acts in ways that seem unloving by our standards, they are not unloving by his standards.’ (pg 161)

This conclusion leaves me just as frustrated as Rob Bell’s book did.
We seem to have gone back to square one.

Omni God

2011-06-29T17:01:00.026+01:00

Ask the average person what God is like (if God exists) and if they remember their RE lessons correctly they'll start saying words beginning with omni.
Omni-present.
Omni-scient.
Omni-potent.
Throughout my childhood I went to a church most weeks but I only ever remember learning these words at secondary school.
On a good day I remember what the words mean:
All-present.
All-knowing.
All-powerful.
I just looked the words up on Wikipedia to check I'm right.
Tick.
Tick.
Tick.
Three theological points for me.

The vast majority of Christians for hundreds - thousands - of years have affirmed that these 'omni' words are true of God. Throughout the centuries the words have appeared in numerous foundational 'creeds' - formal lists of agreed beliefs.

I wouldn't dare disagree with the 'omni's. But I want to suggest that there is a slight problem with these words. There is a problem when the 'omni's become our only starting point for thinking about God.
Starting with 'omni's tends to turn God into an abstract philosophical concept.
Something. Somewhere. Out there. Distant. Disconnected.
God becomes an exercise in imagination.
I mean, can you picture a super ultimate being who is all-knowing, all-powerful, all present? Can you begin to wrap your mind around it?
For many, this kind-of ultimate super-being is just too good to be true.
We can't picture it.
Therefore, it can't be right.
Faith in this God can appear like people have just switched their brain off, closed their eyes and are just blindly hoping that it's true.

What's more, all-knowing, all-powerful, all-present... this is a pretty scary, intimidating, daunting, overwhelming place to start when thinking about God.
I can fear this God.
But I struggle to relate to this God.
I struggle to fall in love with this God.

You might be surprised to hear that omnipresent, omniscient and omnipotent are not words found in the Bible.
There are no verses which say,
'God is all-powerful'
or 'God is all-knowing'
or 'God is all-present.'
That's not to say that God isn't all these things. It's just that these concepts have come from people looking at the evidence in the Bible, weighing it all up and then forming conclusions.
They're conclusions, not starting points.

What the Bible does proclaim as an explicit statement, is that...
'God is love.'

And 'Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonour others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails.'

Now there's a great starting point.
I can start to wrap my mind around this.
I can relate to this.
I can respect and admire and fall in love with a God like this.

Love Wins: my review

2011-05-03T13:31:00.022+01:00

Having now read through 'Love Wins' four times from cover to cover, I finally feel equipped to offer a few thoughts on it. So here is my review of 'a book about heaven, hell and the fate of every person who ever lived.'

Firstly, it strikes me that many people are reading 'Love Wins' for the purpose of discovering what Rob Bell believes. They need to categorise him. Does he fit? Does he support or oppose them? Should he be accepted? Or discarded?

The trouble with that approach is that 'Love Wins' is a very tricky book to box.
Simply because the book is an exploration of possibilities.

Does Rob Bell think that every person will EVENTUALLY end up choosing paradise?
He raises it, explores it and affirms it as a POSSIBILITY.
Does Rob Bell think that some people will suffer apart from this paradise?
He raises it, explores it and affirms it as a POSSIBILITY.

In his own words,
'Will everybody be saved,
or will some perish from God forever because of their choices?
Those are questions, or more accurately, those are tensions we are free to leave fully intact. We don't need to resolve them or answer them because we can't, and so we simply respect them, creating space from the freedom that love requires.' (pg. 115)

'Love Wins' is to be recommended for this very reason: it opens you up to the possibilities. It does not tell you what to believe but instead helps you identify what views you currently hold, and then assists you in weighing up whether these views needs altering. Rob writes in the preface, 'If this book does nothing more than open you up to the ancient, ongoing discussion surrounding the resurrected Jesus in all its vibrant, diverse, messy, multi-voiced complexity - well, I'd be thrilled.' (pg xi)

What Rob Bell does get across, however,
with absolute certainty,
is that views on life after death
should not be held with absolute certainty.
Many, many people in our culture baulk at the very mention of Christianity because the Christian voice that they have heard most of all, spoken with greatest volume, is a negative, scathing, unswerving, judgemental voice. It's a voice unwilling to enter into debate because you are wrong and they are right. It's black and white.

I'm sure there are other fallibilities of the book, but this, for me, is the utmost reason why criticism of the book can be expected: it does attempt to shake walls that do not want to be shaken.

What I think Rob Bell successfully shows in 'Love Wins' is that the topic of life after death is anything but black and white. It is a topic which, for obvious reasons, is rife with speculation and uncertainty.
And we should handle it as such.
But that does not mean that we should ignore the topic.
Or treat it as unimportant.
It is extremely important.
The possibilities need to be explored and considered by all.
Because, to quote Rob, 'how we think about heaven directly affects what we do with our days and energies now.' (pg 44) In other words, our beliefs, hopes, dreams and expectations for the future will all shape our approach to the present.

Because beyond all the questions, tensions and speculations, 'Love Wins' does offer a clear and concrete rallying cry. 'Love Wins' is a call for all of us to love this world more.
Here.
Now.
It explains why we should be living lives which bring heaven to earth. Here. Now.
Lives which confront hell. Here. Now.
Suffering.
Abuse.
Poverty.
Injustice.
Lives which spread heaven. Here. Now.
Peace.
Joy.
Equality.
Beauty.
Love.
All dancing across the earth.

And any book that does that, in my opinion, should be commended.

My Favourite Five Blogs of 2010

2011-01-01T12:18:00.006Z

Happy New Year everyone! To celebrate I've scrolled through the blogs that I wrote in 2010, picked out my favourite five, and have wrapped them all up into one specially packaged box-set, for your ease and enjoyment.

January 2010 - Maybe Robbie Williams Was Right
February 2010 - The More we Learn, the Greater the Mystery
June 2010 - The Only Revolutions
November 2010 - The Question of Mumford and the Lost Sons
December 2010 - The Theology of Washing Up

Every DVD box-set comes with extras ... so here's my bonus material: two videos made from the audio of two talks that I gave during 2010.

February 2010: 'Pete's Valentine's Sermon' (23 minutes)
October 2010: 'The Bible in Miniature: A Tale of Two Trees' (4 minutes)

Hmmm, I wonder what my 2011 compilation boxset will look like? It's time to get writing......

The Theology of Washing Up

2010-12-15T10:59:00.018Z

Sing it out, shout it out loud: 'It's Christmas!' The long wait is nearly over. Before long the presents will all have been opened, the turkey will be a carcass, and those incredible little sausages wrapped in bacon will all be in my belly.
Soon it will be 2.30pm on Christmas Day...
and it will be time to do the washing up...
Pah!

Whenever I find myself taking on the never-ending mountain of dishes, standing there with hands buried amongst the soap suds, a strange phrase, a curious challenge, rattles through my mind. I'm not sure where I first heard the phrase uttered, but somehow the phrase has become wedged in my consciousness - it's dug its claws in and clung on.
I'm talking about the challenge to 'Find God at the bottom of the washing up bowl.'

How weird. What's all that about?

Doing the washing up can cause us to pause and stop. And think. It can be one of the rare times in our busy days when we turn off the computer or TV screen and just stand.
Sometimes in silence.
Sometimes in solitude.

Which is of course extremely precious and powerful in our fast paced, image-drenched, noise-laden society. There is a reason why you can download silence from itunes. There is a reason why silence reaches number 21 in the charts at Christmas or number 20 over Remembrance Sunday.
Silence strips us down.
Silence takes us to our core.

When it comes to relationship with God, in many ways Sunday mornings are the easy bit. Music and images and enthusiastic friends are all there to help us focus upon the love that breathes life into our lungs. But take away the external stimuluses, place us next to a bowl full of bubbles and dirty plates, then where do our thoughts wonder?

Can we 'find God' in the mundane?
In the every day?
Can we 'slow down, be still, awake, and aware of the Divine Mystery that looks so common and so ordinary yet is so wondrously present'?

But there is more to washing up than just the possibility of silence and solitude, the ordinary and the mundane. Washing up is first and foremost an act of work - I guess, that's why most people have dishwashers!

But I am learning that our work is extremely important.
Rob Bell regularly says that God has invited us to 'take part in the ongoing creation of the world.' (see pg24 of 'SexGod')

To which we are like, errr, explain that please.

I began to understand more of the theology behind this idea whilst reading this academic text which explained that the first six days in the creation poem of Genesis 1 each finish with the refrain, 'and there was evening - and there was morning.' But - and here's the crucial bit - this phrase is not used after the seventh day.
The authors claim that, 'The reason is simple: we are still in the seventh day.'
There has been no evening and morning yet.
Because the seventh 'day' hasn't finished yet!

'God has indeed rested from creating,' the authors write, 'but that is not the end of the story.' They call the seventh day, 'the day of human historical responsibility.'
Crafted in the image of our Creator, we are designed to be creative.
By echoing the very first creative cry, 'Let there be light!' Jesus invites us to be 'the light of the world,'

Now, hold up. Press pause. The idea of God handing over responsibility for his creation may perhaps seem to you like a bit of a stupid idea. After all, why would an all-powerful deity have taken such a massive risk? And sure enough, history tells us that over and over again, throughout the millennia, human beings have indeed failed to bring the light that God desires, regularly spreading pain and injustice and horror and suffering and neglect over the earth.

But God is Love.
And true Love desires partnership.
Co-operation.
Collaboration.
Love - by its very nature - shares.
And trusts.
And Love - by its very nature - forgives.
Unconditional Love, over and over again, offers us a fresh start.
No matter how badly we've messed things up before, we are given a fresh opportunity to be the light of the world.

So as we head into 2011,
whether it's by managing money.
Distributing food.
Organising events.
Developing medicine.
Bringing law and order.
Constructing buildings.
Cultivating the environment.
Educating the next generation.

Or washing up dishes.

We are all invited to play our part in bringing paradise back to earth.
To rescue beauty. And restore peace.
To squirt our Fairy Liquid.
And scrub away the dirt.

The Bible in Miniature: A Tale of Two Trees (pdf)

2010-12-11T16:13:00.000Z

The Bible in Miniature: A Tale of Two Trees

2010-12-11T13:05:00.000Z

In the beginning.

The first humans had a choice.

It was a choice between two trees.

One tree was called LIFE.

Fruit from the other tree

brought DEATH.

Choose life...

Choose life…

The first humans did NOT choose life.

The people of Israel, the family of Abraham, they are in Egypt.

In Egypt they are slaves.

And as slaves they are hurting.

They are suffering.

They are crying out in agony.

When God hears their cries and rescues them.

With Moses’ help, God pulls them out of Egypt.

And leads them to the brink of paradise.

This paradise is a land

with rivers and pools of water,

with springs that flow in the valleys and hills,

a land that has wheat and barley,

vines, fig trees, pomegranates, olive oil and honey.

To quote Moses, this is a land where,

‘you will have everything you need.’

And it is poised on the brink of paradise that Moses tells his nation,

‘Today I have given you a choice.

It is a choice between life and death,

between blessings and curses.'

And Moses begs.

He pleads: ‘Now choose life!’

Choose life...

Jesus said, 'I have come that they may have life,

and have it to the full.'

But Jesus was captured.

And Jesus was tied to a tree.

And on that tree Jesus suffered.

He bled.

He hurt.

He cried out in agony.

And on that tree Jesus died.

The one who had said he had come to bring life.

....

He died.

....

Because after two nights of Jesus’ dead body being buried in the ground,

life bursts forth from the grave.

Jesus defeats death.

Once and for all.

And life, life in all its fullness, reigns victorious.

Choose life…

Because in the Bible’s grand finale.

There is only one tree.

There is no more death

or mourning

or crying

or pain.

The Question of Mumford and the Lost Sons

2010-11-08T13:42:00.015Z

A recent BBC News article asked, 'Where are the great new guitar bands?'
And I've kinda been wondering the same thing. Apart from decent, but not outstanding, recent offerings from the experienced Kings of Leon, and Killers frontman Brandon Flowers, Indie music seems to be scrambling about in the musical wilderness at the moment.
It may be true that we have grown a bit tired of the mellow strummings that proved so successful for Coldplay, Athlete and Snow Patrol in the 2003-2006 era ... but what comes next?
Where's the next breath of fresh air?

"I think the next big thing ... will sound like something you've heard before,' says BBC DJ Steve Lamacq. 'And I don't think we'd mind - if they say something about your life. If they are engaging and charismatic.' We 'want something to believe in,' and 'very few new bands have been "touching people in that way" in the last 12 months.'

According to Lamacq, it is emotion and meaning that we are craving most - something that expresses how we are feeling when we cannot find the words ourselves.

Considering his struggles in the recent US elections, I'm probably a bit late in getting round to reading Barack Obama's 'The Audacity of Hope'. But in Obama's 2007 book, which helped propel him to his presidency, he notes that thousands of Americans 'are deciding that their work, their possessions, their diversions, their sheer busyness are not enough. They want a sense of purpose, a narrative arc to their lives, something that will relieve a chronic loneliness.' (pg 202)

And that for me has been the biggest reason why Mumford and Sons have had such incredible success in 2010. It's not because of a sudden sweeping love for the sound of folk, but because 'Sigh No More' feels like it has grown out of hours upon hours of honest heartfelt soul searching.

And as a result the album is so full of poetic pearls that someone could probably write a book simply dissecting the lyrics.
Indeed, one line seems so symptomatic of our age,
our generation,
our culture,
that it could potentially be quoted in University lectures in 50 years time.
I'm talking about Marcus Mumford's raw questioning croon, 'How can you say that your truth is better than ours?'

This lyric encapsulates what some philosophisers term postmodernism.
It's the idea that in a pluralistic society all opinions are valid.
That no truth is better than another.

I am learning that it is good to explore
and make your own decisions
and form personal opinions.
But I am also learning that you can never please everyone.
It's impossible.
The realisation is daunting
but also incredibly freeing.

Whether it's the greatness of a movie,
the hilarity of a comedian,
or the appropriateness of an abortion,
there is always a spectrum of possible opinions.
And no matter where you place yourself on that spectrum,
even if you take the view that everyone is right,
there will always be someone, somewhere, who disagrees with you.

Diversity of opinion is certainly beautiful.
And recognising it is certainly important.
In 2007, before becoming President, Barack Obama wrote, 'I am obligated to try to see the world through George Bush's eyes, no matter how much I disagree with him ... No one is exempt from the call to find common ground.' (pg 68)

But diversity of opinion can also make things incredibly complicated.
In a chapter on faith, Obama notes that even if the powers-that-be decided that Christianity was the only valid worldview, the problem would still remain, 'Whose Christianity would we teach in our schools? James Dobson's or Al Sharpton's? Which passage of Scripture should guide our public policy? Should we go with Leviticus, which suggests that slavery is all right and eating shellfish is an abomination? ... Or should we just stick to the Sermon on the Mount - a passage so radical that it's doubtful that our Defence Department would survive its application?' (pg 218)

For many centuries Christians have claimed to know 'The Truth'.
Yet Christianity is in itself full of diversity.
It encompasses numerous spectrums of wide-ranging opinions on many issues.
There are liberal views and conservative ones.
Progressive views and traditional ones.
It may be true that Christians relationally know 'The Truth', if Truth is God, but no-one can possibly claim to fully intellectually know and understand the truth.

In one of Jesus' most famous parables he tells the story of a lost son who wastes his Father's money on 'wild living', but is then welcomed home into the out-rushing open arms of his Father.
But in his recent book, 'The Prodigal God', Tim Keller points out that there is a second son, an elder brother, in Jesus' parable.
This son stays at home and works hard to earn his Father's love.
He thinks he has done everything right.
And takes pride in this.
But Keller claims that the elder brother is just as lost as the younger. He even states that ''elder brother lostness' brings just as much misery and strife into the world as the other kind.' (pg 49)

Indeed Jesus - who was telling this story to confident religious truth claiming know-it-alls, not the 'wild livers' - finishes his parable on a cliffhanger. Because even though the Father has invited both his sons to a massive celebratory feast, by the end of the story, only the younger has accepted the offer.
The second son is left with his nose stuck up.
Missing out on all the fun.
The point is, acknowledging that you might have got it wrong, it keeps you humble.
It keeps you healthy.
Because it keeps you looking out for a Rescuer.
Reaching out for the Father's embrace.

The Bible in Miniature: A Tale of Two Trees (video)

2010-10-18T16:24:00.004+01:00

'The Bible in Miniature: A Tale of Two Trees' by Pete Atkinson (2010)

The story of the entire Bible ... told in under 4 minutes.

Audio recorded live at Upper Beeding Baptist Church in West Sussex on 17th October 2010.

This Time I Cleared Out The Cupboards

2010-09-12T22:46:00.004+01:00

I have left home. For the second time.

Only this time I cleared out the cupboards.

It may have pulled at my heart but I managed it - I filled a black bin-bag with paperwork dating back to Primary School.

For one piece of paper however, nostalgia - the age-old arch nemesis of cupboard clear-outs - won out. Before screwing this piece of paper up into a ball, I decided to immortalise its contents on-line.

Don't get me wrong, I do not present the following article because of its quality. Written when I was 17, it is not particularly well structured or punctuated. For starters, there is an amusingly youthful overuse of exclamation marks!

Nope, the following is presented, unedited with warts and all, merely for the purpose of recording and storing memories. That and the faint possibility that you might find it mildly amusing and intriguing.

So this, my friends, in its full original 2003 glory, is a report on my interview to get into Cambridge University:

Butterflies in the stomach, shivers down the spine, head spinning; and that was a whole 24 hours before my interviews. I arrived at Churchill College in Cambridge at about 4pm and found my room after working my way through a maze of entwining corridors. So what do you do when the stress is becoming too much and you're on your own? My answer is you lie down and stick some of your favourite music on your mini disc! That was my answer over the whole two days (that and a few games of pool!) and I'm pleased to say it really did help me relax.

The first task on an action packed couple of days was a Maths aptitude test at 7 in the evening. We didn't really find out until the next day that the test was for use in one of the interviews, where they'd talk through our answers and methods! Anyway I came out of the test thinking I'd done alright and went back to my room, sent a few texts, listened to some more music and fell asleep in anticipation of a BIG day.

And when the nerves are beginning to go again when is the last time you want your interviews? 4 o'clock in the afternoon! But actually, looking back, it was the best time for me, because it meant I had to forget about Maths and find something else to do. During the day I played several games of cards, won a few games of pool and watched a re-run of the previous night's football. By 4 o'clock I had come out of my shell and was actually looking forward to the two maths interviews!

What an array of characters there are applying for a Maths place at Cambridge! One in particular stood out as he sat in the corner tapping away at his palm top in his Dennis Taylor glasses, scruffy hair, white trousers (that were too short) and pink socks! I also found another guy who was doing Further Further Maths which is 18 gorgeous Maths modules making 3 whopping A Levels! I'd love to have been in their interviews!

5 o'clock arrived and I came out of Churchill to be met by my Dad. I was pretty pleased as I left, having responded to, 'Have you any questions?' by setting my own Maths problem. I don't think the interviewer was ready for that!

And after all these exciting adventures I suppose you want to know whether I got a place or not? Well, I was rejected from Churchill but placed in the 'pool', which means any of the other colleges could have me if they want. I didn't think I'd hear anything but out of the blue I was ushered into Mrs Randall's office to be told by my Mum that Homerton College had offered me a place. A perfect result really, especially as I wasn't particularly impressed by Churchill. Well, what do you expect when the vending machine gets in the way of some of your pool shots!

The Evolution of Forgiveness

2010-08-02T17:41:00.020+01:00

'If Cain's killer is punished seven times, then Lamech's killer will be punished seventy seven times.' (Gen 4:24)

In one of civilizations earliest ever narratives, violence escalates rapidly. Whenever someone was wronged vengeance was sought with blood being spilt on a greater and greater scale. Peace on earth would be attained by pounding the opposition into submission. The threat, 'If you attack me, I'll attack back seventy seven times worse,' was meant to be a deterrent against violence.

It didn't work.

Before long, according to the account, 'the human heart was only evil all the time.' (Gen 6:5)

Hence, the destruction of the world in the not-so cute and cuddly story of Noah which parents now read to toddlers at bed-time.

Terrifying stuff.

After the flood, humanity is given a second chance to flourish. This time around Yahweh (aka God) introduces some foundational values for what to do when you are wronged: 'Life for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot, burn for burn, wound for wound and bruise for bruise.' (Ex. 21:23-25)

Do you remember the classic computer game Pong? 'An eye for an eye' is a bit like a never ending game of Pong, where attacks simply bounce back and forth, back and forth, back and forth. To us this may still seem like a hopelessly bloody approach but in the evolution of humankind this was a highly progressive and radical concept. It stopped violence escalating.

That the new advice was so counter-cultural is demonstrated by just how challenging the new society found it to adhere to. Set three centuries later, the story of sex-driven Samson (of Delilah fame) is a prime example.

Samson is humiliated at a party; he kills 30 men.

Samson's wife is taken by his best man; he uses 300 foxes, tied together by their tails, to burn down his enemy's crops.

Samson's wife and father are burnt to death; he kills 1000 men with a donkey's jawbone. (Judg. 14-15)

The tale is savage and barbaric.

'Eye for an eye' has clearly not yet seeped into the fabric of society.

'You have heard it said, 'An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth.' But I tell you don't stand up against an evil person. If a person slaps you on the right cheek, turn to him the other cheek as well.' (Matt 5:38-39)

If 'eye for an eye' was difficult enough then this takes the challenge to a whole new level.

But this really is the only way to bring peace to earth.

Because this really is the only way to break the unending rally of Pong.

Don't hit back.

Concede a goal.

Forgiveness: in the evolution of humankind this was a highly progressive and radical concept.

And how many times should you forgive?

Alluding to one of civilizations earliest ever narratives, rabbi Jesus answers, 'Not seven, but seventy seven times.' (Matt. 18:22)

Life of Pi

2010-07-24T09:30:00.014+01:00

I went into HMV last week to explore the latest offers and, to my great surprise, the first aisle I went down was full of books. Piles and piles of books! What was going on?!

It was of even greater shock when I left HMV with

no £3 CD,

no £3 DVD,

just a £2 book.

This was quite a revolution.

I'm not even sure what attracted me to 'Life of Pi' either.

Perhaps it was the mathematically alluring title.

All I knew about the book was the blurb on the back. My new purchase was about a 'boy named Pi, a hyena, a zebra with a broken leg, a female orang-utan, and a 450-pound Royal Bengal tiger.'

Apparently it was 'vivid and enhancing', 'a great adventure story' and 'ultimately uplifting.'

But most books say that on the back.

This blurb was hardly knockout.

It hardly screamed 'buy me, buy me, buy me.'

If I'd have known then what I know now, I would have leapt at the shelves as if they contained a newly released Coldplay album.

The central character, Pi, is a teenager of great faith. So great in fact, that somehow by the age of sixteen - though his Father is 'rich, modern and as secular as ice cream' - Pi has chosen to be committed to three major religions. He is a Hindu, a Muslim and a Christian.

Now there is a knockout, 'buy me, buy me' premise for a book, if ever I saw one.

I haven't finished the book yet. I look forward to discovering quite how the hyena, zebra, orang-utan and tiger play themselves into the plot. But I have been gripped by the opening 74 pages. And it was Pi's gritty wrestling with Christianity, and in particular Jesus, that most alerted my eyes, quickened my pulse, glued my hands to the pages and left my heart dancing to a samba beat:

'That a god should put up with adversity, I could understand. The gods of Hinduism face their fair share of thieves, bullies, kidnappers and usurpers. What is the Ramanya but the account of one long, bad day for Rama? Adversity, yes. Reversals of fortune, yes. Treachery, yes. But humiliation? Death? I couldn't imagine Lord Krishna consenting to be stripped, naked, whipped, mocked, dragged through the streets and, to top it off, crucified - and at the hands of mere humans, to boot. I'd never heard of a Hindu god dying ... Divinity should not be blighted by death. It's wrong. ... It was wrong of this Christian God to let His avatar die. That is tantamount to letting a part of Himself die ... But once a dead God, always a dead God, even resurrected. The Son must have the taste of death forever in his mouth. The Trinity must be tainted by it; there must be a certain stench at the right hand of God the Father. The horror must be real. Why would God wish that upon Himself? Why not leave death to the mortals? Why make dirty what is beautiful, spoil what is perfect?
Love. That was Father Martin's answer.

...There is the story of Vishnu incarnated as Vamana the dwarf. He asks of demon king Bali only as much land as he can cover in three strides. Bali laughs at this runt of a suitor and his puny request. He consents. Immediately Vishnu takes on his full cosmic size. With one stride he covers the earth, with the second the heavens, and with the third he boots Bali into the netherworld.
...This is God as God should be. With shine and power and might. Such as can rescue and save and put down evil.
This Son on the other hand, who goes hungry, who suffers from thirst, who gets tired, who is sad, who is anxious, who is heckled and harassed, who has to put up with followers who don't get it and opponents who don't respect Him - what kind of a god is that?
...This Son is a god who walked - and in a hot place, at that - with a stride like any human stride ... and when he splurged on transportation, it was a regular donkey. This Son is a god who died in three hours, with moans, gasps and laments. What kind of god is that? What is there to inspire in this Son?
Love, said Father Martin.

...He bothered me this Son. Every day I burned with greater indignation against Him, found more flaws to Him.
...I couldn't get Him out of my head. Still can't. I spent three solid days thinking about Him. The more He bothered me, the less I could forget Him. And the more I learnt about Him, the less I wanted to leave Him.

The Only Revolutions

2010-06-21T08:35:00.025+01:00

It may have been released in 2009 but my album of 2010 so far has to be Biffy Clyro's 'Only Revolutions.' With 5 singles reaching the top 40 the album simply demands attention.

'Only Revolutions' amuses me, moves me and intrigues me in equal measure.

I mean, in the most recent single, in one breath Biffy are rushing around popping bubbles and the next they're washing away sins.

What's all that about?!?

It's seemingly meaningless and yet deeply profound.

And that, I think, is the album's strength - it has layers, it suits different moods, different personalities, maybe even different worldviews.

Talking of diverse worldviews, the next single to be released opens with the verse:

'I talk to God as much

As I talk to Satan

'Cause I wanna hear both sides.

Does that make me cynical,

There are no miracles and

This is no miraculous life.

I savour hate as much as I crave love

Because I'm just a twisted guy.

Is this the pinnacle, Is this the pinnacle

The pinnacle of being alive?

Now I see the light.'

I like it. Again it moves me. And again it puzzles me. I am left wondering, are the lyrics simply comical or are they meant to be incisive and profound?

The answer is probably yes, both.

But sitting on the train last week, ipod plugged into my ears, one lyric from the song didn't just move me, it challenged me, maybe even inspired me.

Because, when faced with discomfort, 'when the see-saw snaps and splinters your hand' as Biffy puts it, the band sing:

'I'll only see your good side. And believe it's a miracle.'

It's too easy to be critical of people. It's too easy to see weaknesses and miss 'good sides'.

This has certainly been true for me this year whilst training to be a teacher. When faced with a crowd of thirty-five teenagers it's been far too easy to simply focus on the disruptive minority. Whilst teaching, in theory I wanted to praise, encourage and draw out potential. In practice, I criticised and shouted, telling pupils to change, to grow up, to stop being such and such and start... It seemed like the only way to survive.

But I am learning that being critical rarely changes people. Most of the time it simply causes more friction and division. It can create bitterness and resentment. And far from being dissipated, the character trait which is criticised might even become stronger.

What's more, being critical of people can simply open the accuser up to criticism of hypocrisy. To quote the 2000 year old philosophical teachings of a Jewish rabbi named Jesus, 'How can you say to your brother, 'Let me take the speck out of your eye,' when all the time there is a plank in your own eye?'

Christians are too often perceived as judgemental.

Too often they are.

And as a fan of Jesus myself, for this I am sorry.

Christians want to be bringers of life, they want to see health and joy and peace and love and goodness flourishing. However, for those who hold such great aspirations, a tricky dilemma arises. How do they assist such change without being critical? How do they open eyes to glorious new possibilities, without highlighting weaknesses in the status quo?

I am learning that by far the most effective way to encourage goodness and beauty to flourish is to identify goodness and beauty. To spot it, label it and claim it. I am learning that I need to change to see things in a more positive light. The only revolutions required are in the way we see the world.

I need to use words more positively.

To focus on good intentions.

To appreciate kindness.

To praise generosity.

To celebrate joy.

Inspired by Biffy Clyro, I need to pray for the gift of seeing the good side.

And believe it's a miracle.

The Poems and Prayers of Switchfoot and Hillsong United

2010-06-06T12:49:00.005+01:00

Recorded from amongst a crowd of thousands, live from the West Sussex countryside, I present to you now the poems and prayers of Switchfoot and Hillsong United.

From California and Sydney respectively, the bands feature prominently on my i-pod, and have done so for years. So when I heard that both were playing a music festival in my own home village(!), as you can imagine, I seized the opportunity with both hands.

Pete's Valentine's Sermon

2010-05-15T23:23:00.008+01:00

If God is love, is God romantic?

If God is love, does God experience heartbreak?

These questions and more are explored in this 23 minute video, a slightly shortened version of a sermon I delivered on Valentine's Day 2010.

Just want the audio? Want to put the audio on Facebook? Use: http://soundcloud.com/patkinson86/petes-valentines-sermon

My Cave

2010-03-20T10:15:00.010Z

Home alone last night I set myself up in front of the tele, put my feet up, warm mug of tea in one hand, remote in the other and chocolate within reach. After another week at school I deserved this comfort, I told myself.
Mmmm, Sport Relief on BBC One, this should keep me entertained for a bit.
It wasn't long before the tears started to fall.

All my life I've watched this stuff, BBC celebrities watching on as children die of a preventable disease, while others laugh and play and kick a football at a funded project. You'd think you'd grow hardened to it, used to it.
I've been moved by the images before.
But never moved to tears.
I was shocked by my reaction.

The morning after I arose to the sounds of 'The Cave' by Mumford and Sons and the lyrics rose up and slapped me round the cheeks.

'So tie me to a post and block my ears
I can see widows and orphans through my tears
I know my call despite my faults
And despite my growing fears.

But I will hold on hope
And I won't let you choke
On the noose around your neck

And I'll find strength in pain
And I will change my ways
I'll know my name as it's called again

So come out of your cave walking on your hands
And see the world hanging upside down
You can understand dependence
When you know the maker's hand

Cause I need freedom now
And I need to know how
To live my life as it's meant to be.'

I realise now that it was healthy to cry last night.
Because I'm realising that heaven looks like children playing and laughing and kicking a football, stomachs full of scrumptious food with not a disease in sight.
This sight, the end of poverty, justice rolling like a river, it's the aching, breaking desire of God.
This sight, it's what God sweat blood and tears for.

The more we learn, the greater the mystery

2010-02-28T20:50:00.021Z

For many the sheer beauty of creation accelerates them into the presence of an ultimate, majestic artist, the Creator.
Yet for many the sheer agony caused by creation acts as a blockade; or even convinces them that there is no higher power, no great designer.

The tiniest detail of a flower or the overwhelming monstrosity of a tsunami?
A stunning sunset or a devastating earthquake?
'WHICH IS IT?' we scream, bewildered and helpless.

We live in this tension, torn between tears of joy and tears of agony.

Apparently, the blood of a foetus does not enter the lungs. But at the moment of birth, something amazing happens. 'Suddenly all blood must pass through the lungs to receive oxygen because now the baby is breathing air. In a flash, a flap descends like a curtain, deflecting the blood flow ... After performing that one act, the muscle gradually dissolves ... Without this split-second adjustment, the baby could never survive outside the womb.' (Yancey, 2001)

Do we look at the miracle of new life, or look at a miscarriage?
Do we look at the remarkable workings of our eyes, or look at a crippling disease?
Do we look at our thumb as Newton did, or look at our appendix?

Because the more we experience, the more we open our eyes to the world, the more we learn, the greater the mystery.

I mean, how on earth do I wrap my mind around the breathtakingly enormous universe and then begin to contemplate the jaw-droppingly miniscule atom, or even quark? Even at GCSE I learnt about the electromagnetic spectrum, in itself evidence that there is more to life than meets the eye. But now I read that scientists - 'string theorists' - reckon our reality is formed of at least 11 dimensions!

In the final chapter to a massive 1000 page book confidently entitled, 'A Complete Guide to the Laws of the Universe' Roger Penrose writes 'exactly what is really going on remains a mystery.'
Which amuses me. He then ultimately concludes, 'Perhaps what we need is some subtle change in perspective - something that we all have missed.'

-----

In one of the oldest stories ever told a good, wealthy man called Job is stripped of everything. And in the midst of his unbearable suffering Job screams WHY!
Then into the chaos, God speaks. The response is awesome. Read it in full here, it is a remarkably stunning and detailed depiction of creation.
But God offers no answers.
God responds with questions.

In one of the oldest stories ever told Job is left utterly speechless.
The mystery remains, the mystery deepens, but his questions are no more.

'Son of Man' Talk

2010-02-07T20:37:00.008Z

When Jesus described himself as 'The Son of Man' he was being humble .... wasn't he??? Here's a 10 minute edit of a talk I did exploring this title.

Maybe Robbie Williams Was Right

2010-01-16T19:57:00.013Z

I was reminded this week about the power of the modern day poets who fill our airwaves and our ipods. Because, more often than not, the anthems of Radio One dissect, open up and shine a light upon the collective hopes, hurts, wants, frustrations and joys of our society. Never has this been more obvious and so comprehensively achieved than in the case of Lily Allen's 'The Fear.' But it's her song '22' that I reckon cuts us most to the core:

'When she was 22 the future looked bright
But she's nearly 30 now and she's out every night
I see that look in her face, she's got that look in her eye
She's thinking how did I get here and wondering why

She's got an alright job but it's not a career
Whenever she thinks about it, it brings her to tears
'Cause all she wants is a boyfriend, she gets one night stands
She's thinking how did I get here, I'm doing all that I can.

It's sad but it's true how society says her life is already over...'

Is this not 'the fear'? A thoroughly personal, yet commonly held fear, a fear of significance passing us by. It's a plea for purpose, a cry for depth, for something more real. In life. In love.

'Desperate and broken,' Thirty Seconds To Mars currently proclaim, 'We were the Kings and Queens of promise.'

Which begs the question, what went wrong?

'We were the victims of ourselves,' answers the next line.

The song has connected with an age-old truth, one that's true of the faded dreams of a 22 year old about to turn 30, but also true of the nation that sets out seeking peace, yet ends up at war.

Courageously Thirty Seconds To Mars dare to finish their anthem with a declaration: over and over they sing, 'We are the Kings, We are the Queens'. Apparently we have already been restored to significance. We have value.

This is what fans of Jesus hope for. First and foremost you - yes you - your identity is rooted in beauty. Who you are is significant. No matter what relationships you have, no matter what job you choose, whether your dreams fizzle out or are a mighty success, you are first and foremost loved.

Why would Jesus fans make such staggering claims? Because maybe just maybe, when Robbie Williams returned from celebrity exile last year he was right. Maybe just maybe, 'Jesus really died for me.'

My Top 10 Blogging Moments of 2009

2009-12-31T17:19:00.004Z

In 2006 I wrote 306 blog posts.
In 2009 it was just 25.
The main reason: all frivolous drivel, footy banter and party photos now find their home on Facebook.
Scraping away the trimmings has left exposed the blog's more serious core, the moments when I scratch my head and ponder and invite you to do the same.
And looking back over the past 12 months it appears that scraping away the trimmings has left exposed my captivation for the historical figure of Jesus. You might say I'm obsessed by him.
If that makes you feel uncomfortable, then I apologise. Click on.
But if it leaves you just a teeny bit intrigued, then I invite you to bravely dip your toe inside my top 10 blogging moments of 2009:

January 09 - How To Turn Down £500,000 A Week
March 09 - Jesus the Non-Christian
March 09 - I Resurrected Jesus
April 09 - Wake Up and Rave
April 09 - Nemo: The Prodigal Fish
June 09 - The Bible in Miniature: A Tale of Two Trees
August 09 - When Worlds Collide
October 09 - Pythagoras' Theorem: It Makes Me Wonder Why
December 09 - The Gladiator Who Defied An Empire

And some light relief to finish: here's a reminder of happier times back in March, when I could describe Liverpool football club as 'awesome'. Well, I couldn't leave the footy out completely, could I?!

Thanks for exploring with me in 2009. Our adventure continues in 2010.

'Are You Not Entertained?' - The Gladiator Who Defied An Empire

2009-12-12T14:57:00.015Z

'The General Who Became A Slave. The Slave Who Became A Gladiator. The Gladiator Who Defied An Empire.' - good, ain't it! Tingles down the spine just thinking about it. Such epicness.

Rather surprisingly for me, the last time I watched Gladiator, the historical narrative of Jesus took on new light. Before the movie I'd been reading about what it meant to call someone 'Messiah' in the first century and I'd learnt that, for many, the Messiah was someone who would defy an Empire. He'd be a revolutionary like Moses, a man who had liberated his people right from under the nose of Pharaoh himself, ending centuries of oppressive Egyptian slavery.

Roll on to the first century AD and the descendants of Abraham (apparently privileged, chosen, loved by God) find themselves embarrassingly ruled over once again. This time their own nation is occupied and governed by the world's greatest superpower, the Roman Empire. To defy the Empire in the first century, to liberate and free, the Messiah would surely need to be the greatest, mightiest warrior of all time, an absoulute master with the sword.

Yet Jesus said, 'Put your sword away!'
His line of attack was distinctly non-violent.
And he was crushed.
His revolution was quashed with sheer ease.
Jesus suffered a humiliating, bloodthirsty slaughter.
On a Roman execution stake.

Set 150 years later, Gladiator shows that the Roman Empire was still as powerful, and as bloody, as ever. If Jesus' mission had been to overthrow the Empire, his mission had blatantly failed. But bizarrely, some did claim success for Jesus. These 'Christians' continued to defy Caesar's rule by declaring 'Jesus is Lord.' But this irritating rabble could be easily kept under control. They made for excellent entertainment in the Colosseum.

But then in AD 312 something strange happened.
Utterly bizarre.
Some might say miraculous.
The ruler of the Roman Empire, Emperor Constantine, declared himself a Christian.
How weird.
How weird is it that the Empire that killed Jesus, three centuries later suddenly decided to worship him?!?

The scenario is bizarre ... and problematic. I mean, how does the rich, ruling authority respond to quotes like, 'Blessed are the poor in spirit' or 'Blessed are the persecuted' or the teaching to 'Love your enemies'? Or the idea that Jesus was Jewish? I wonder, for example, how does a Roman understand the relevance of Jesus being a Son of David?

All of which leaves me thoroughly intrigued. To what extent, I ask, was the Empire impacted by Jesus' teachings? Until 312 AD Jesus' teachings had only been followed by a persecuted minority - so to what extent did the powerful majority have to rethink things?

Which brings me back to Maximus Decimus Meridius and Gladiator. With the horror of Russell Crowe's heart-wrenching cry, 'Are you not entertained?' ringing in my ears, I scanned some wiki pages and found evidence that Christian Emperors continued to sponsor gladiatoral combat.
Hmmmmmmm. Thumbs down.
But by the late 5th century the horrifying sport was viewed as just that ... horrifying.
Inhumane.
Rome was entertained no more.
Thumbs up.
Perhaps Jesus' non-violent teachings had gradually chipped away at the mindsets of the mighty, powerful, violent and bloody superpower.
Perhaps Jesus' non-violent approach to revolution had won after all.

The benefits of being three-nil down at half time

2009-11-07T13:05:00.024Z

Ever thought it strange that about three quarters of the Bible is marked as 'OLD'? Why be bothered about old stuff?

Last night I was left stunned when reading a chunk from the 'New' bits. 'If the first covenant had been faultless' Hebrews reads, 'there would have been no need for a second covenant to replace it.' (8:7)
My thoughts raced away. Though the basic sentiment is preschool - new is better than old - this implies that the first attempt wasn't good enough. It says God's first covenant wasn't faultless. You what!?? God's covenant, God's word, it had faults??!
Maybe quotes from Leviticus, for example, should carry a health warning: handle with care, they've been rubberstamped 'old', they weren't good enough, they've been surpassed.

What the...

What the flip is going on here? Why would God not get it spot on the first time around?

Let's turn our thoughts to the Bible's bigger, overarching narrative. Let's turn towards the end of the Old Testament.
Cos the Old sets the stage for the New.

As a direct consequence of the inadequacies of the old covenants, the book of Lamentations is as dark as it comes. 'Jerusalem's streets,' it begins, 'once bustling with people, are now silent. Like a widow broken with grief, she sits alone in her mourning.' From amongst the rubble of destruction one onlooker writes, 'I have cried until the tears no longer come.' (2:11)

Interwoven amongst prophecies of the dark times described in Lamentations, Jeremiah offers hope. 'The day will come' says the LORD, 'when I will make a new covenant with the people of Israel and Judah. This covenant will not be like the one I made with their ancestors when I took them by the hand and brought them out of the land of Egypt. They broke that covenant, though I loved them as a husband loves a wife.' (31:31-32)

The old covenants WERE drenched in the deepest, most intimate, passionate love but the relationship broke down. It all ended in devastating heartbroken grief. Nevertheless, surrounded by rubble and screams of grief, the onlooker in Lamentations declared, 'I will never forget this awful time, as I grieve over my loss. Yet I dare to hope when I remember this: The unfailing love of the LORD never ends.' (3:21-22)

Enter Jesus...

Cos you see, the dawning of a new day carries most impact, significance, joy and euphoria when it ends a time of the utmost pain and suffering.
To quote U2, 'There's always pain before the child is born.'

I call this the Istanbul phenomenon. Liverpool winning the European Cup in 2005 wouldn't be half as europhic, exciting or memorable if they hadn't been 3-0 down at half time.
Fans had to experience the pains of the first half, to fully appreciate the joys of the second.
And it's the same with the Bible.

Pythagoras' Theorem - It Makes Me Wonder Why

2009-10-25T19:23:00.010Z

Say the word Pythagoras and buried memories of secondary school mathematics come flooding back, perhaps causing our chests to contract in fear. In our minds, Pythagoras means triangles.

But for Pythagoras, a Greek living in the 6th century BC, life was about much more than triangles, or indeed maths. His teachings deeply entwined religious thoughts with mathematics. Pythagoras believed that mathematical proofs - powerful, timeless, concrete truths about the world - were sacred.

In the fourth century BC, Plato - who was influenced by Pythagoras' philosophical ideas - claimed that Pythagoras left a way of life. In fact, to some, Pythagoras was such a great, life-changing teacher that they thought he could be divine, a gift from the gods.

All of which makes me think of Jesus.

See the thing is, 2000 years on, billions actually devote their lives to Jesus, trying to follow his way of life. They worship him as divine.
Yet billions just link Pythagoras' name to a property of triangles.

Now that massive difference intrigues me.
It makes me curious.
It makes me wonder why.

The Bible In Miniature: The Marriage of Heaven and Earth

2009-08-18T17:47:00.017+01:00

In the beginning, heaven and earth were the same place. In the garden of Genesis 1 and 2, soil and spirit were one. There was no sacred-secular divide. God dwelled with his people.

Then came disconnection, division, disruption. Heaven and Earth separated. They became incompatible.

Centuries later one man, God in human flesh, material and spiritual as one, bridged the divide. By fully engaging with, and triumphing over, disconnection, division and disruption, Jesus made heaven and earth compatible again. And instigated the Bible's grand finale: the marriage of heaven and earth.

'Prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband', heaven will come down to earth. The two will become one again.
And in a glorious, climactic crescendo, a thunderous voice will declare, 'Now the dwelling of God is with his people.'

.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.

See the thing is, for many the purpose of Christianity is to get into heaven.
For many this future destination will be spiritual.
Disembodied.
Think floaty.
Think clouds.
Other than the mission of rescuing souls, for many today's life and today's world have no purpose. A few years ago, I even heard one preacher totally disregard 2005's efforts to 'Make Poverty History'. Because the point is to escape elsewhere.
I just couldn't believe my ears.

Thankfully, Tom Wright, the Bishop of Durham, presents an alternative view. In 'Surprised by Hope,' he writes, 'What you do in the present - by painting, teaching, digging wells, writing poems, caring, etc - all these things will last into God's future'.

And in a recent podcast (16/8/09) Rob Bell said, 'Our hope is not in evacuation from earth, but in engagement with it.'

We engage with earth, we pursue the end of poverty, because heaven and earth are engaged for marriage.

When Worlds Collide

2009-08-01T16:46:00.012+01:00

Isn’t it surprising when something suddenly makes sense. Like something really important to you. Something that you’ve heard so much about. Something you’ve investigated, researched, and really pondered. Something you’ve decided is true and maybe even committed to. Something you’ve centred other ideas around.

When something is so deeply rooted in you, isn’t it surprising when it suddenly makes logical sense. When you have the light bulb moment, the Eureka, the ‘oh, of course’.

This happened for me recently when I was reading ‘Mere Christianity’ by C.S. Lewis, a book published in 1952 which aims to present complex concepts, the depths of theology, in a straight-forward accessible way, without losing any of the depth. This achievement would have made Lewis groundbreaking for his day and has since made him one of the most quoted authors across the whole church spectrum. Author of Narnia, and Science Fiction too, what a fascinating guy!

Anyway, sorry to leave you hanging in suspense. Back to my ‘wow’ revelation:

In my last blog post I claimed that the heart cry of God to humans is, ‘Choose Life.’
But hold up right there you crazy blogger, if there’s one thing humans can be certain of it’s that we will die. To 'choose life' seems like a rather limited opportunity.
In fact, let's ramp this up a notch: the very notion of a being who lives forever, creating objects that don't live forever, well it's a contradiction, isn’t it? Utter nonsense. Particularly if the ‘Artist’ claims to have ‘painted’ in his own image.

Conclusion: There is no Artist ....

Unless ...

Unless the two worlds collide.
Unless life becomes death.

Cos that’s what ‘Christians’ believe: God, who cannot die, became man, who can.

And here comes my light bulb flash:

If Jesus was fully human then of course he would die – it was inevitable.
But if Jesus was also fully God (and that’s a big ‘if’) then of course he would live forever. Of course he wouldn’t remain dead – the resurrection at the very heart of Christianity becomes inevitable.

'Christians' believe, to quote C.S. Lewis, ‘By dying this Godman disabled death itself.’
And because of that success, we can truly, fully ‘Choose Life.'

The Bible in Miniature: A Tale of Two Trees

2009-06-29T09:15:00.009+01:00

In the beginning, there's a choice.
It's a choice between two trees.
Only one of them is called 'Life.'
.
.
.
'Choose Life.'
.
.
.
'Choose Life.'
.
.
.
'Choose Life.'
.
.
.
In the finale, only one tree remains.
'Life.'
It has been chosen.
.
.
.
.
.

Metanoia by MGMT

2009-06-24T23:25:00.006+01:00

This week I learnt a Greek word.
Cos we all need a few Greek words in our lives.
'Metanoia.'
It literally means 'Change of Mind.'
A U-Turn.
A 180.
In English it's the rather intimidating word 'Repent.'

So imagine my surprise when the very same day I found (through the wonder of Spotify) that possibly the most popular band of 2009, MGMT, have a song called 'Metanoia'.
Shedding some light on our often confused concept of repentence, MGMT sing:

'Metanoia, reshaping the world
It can teach you
And reprogram you
It can show you the flood
That's trapped inside'

He's On His Way To Wembley

2009-05-29T12:47:00.003+01:00

I love visiting major stadiums so when Cambridge United reached the Blue Square Playoff Final (aka Conference) I snapped up the opportunity. A massive 32,000 fans turned out, with Cambridge fans out numbering their rivals by atleast 12,000.

But that didn't stop Torquay running out 2-0 winners.

Pete's Fantasy Football End of Season Review

2009-05-27T11:25:00.008+01:00

Huge congratulations to Phil Harford who, on the final day of the season, fought off the considerable challenge of Josh to win £30, claiming both the overall league title and the April-May minileague.
The rivals were locked together all season finding themselves in 6th and 7th after the first minileague, with Alex, Chris and Craig making the early running. This initial trio of leaders all ultimately slipped into the bottom half of the table, and by the end of November it was David Franklin who lead with Josh and Phil hot on the heels in 2nd and 3rd. David also couldn't maintain his title challenge, slipping overall to 8th.
Into David's place Martin rose up to lead for a brief period at the end of January but like all leaders before him he too fell away, leaving Josh and Phil - far and away our most consistent competitors - to fight it out alone in the final few months of the season. It was nail biting stuff and with just two games left there was only one point in it ...
The decisive difference surprisingly came from a striker who had a difficult season: Robbie Keane's two goals in Spurs' final two games helped Phil to victory by 16 points!

THE FINAL OVERALL LEAGUE TABLE
1 Phil Harford 1287
2 Josh Dalby 1271
3 Martin Atkinson 1198
4 Scott Bamber 1084
5 Stuart Hassard 1083
6 Gabriel Smy 1079
7 John Webb 1077
8 David Franklin 1040
9 Joel Gill 1024
10 Dan McDuff 1004
11 Keith Holland 990
12 Pete Cross 989
13 Steve Kreeger 980
14 Alex Mitchell 974
15 Richard Siau 960
16 Chris Atkinson 958
17 Paul Windo 958
18 Will Gharu 943
19 Muzoora Bishanga 936
20 James Winward 926
21 Jonny Mullin 924
22 James Lomas 906
23 Gregg Ruff 904
24 Craig Ireland 892
25 Paul Whelan 884
26 Tristan Taylor 816

April and May League Table
1 Phil Harford 292
2 Josh Dalby 276
3 Scott Bamber 262
4 Gabriel Smy 259
5 John Webb 247
6 Martin Atkinson 245
7 Keith Holland 242
8 Paul Windo 229
9 Richard Siau 225
10 Dan McDuff 222
11 Stuart Hassard 216
12 David Franklin 212
13 Will Gharu 212
14 Jonny Mullin 206
16 James Lomas 205
15 James Winward 190
17 Steve Kreeger 184
18 Gregg Ruff 182
19 Muzoora Bishanga 179
20 Paul Whelan 178
21 Tristan Taylor 176
23 Chris Atkinson 171
22 Joel Gill 168
24 Craig Ireland 167
25 Pete Cross 159
26 Alex Mitchell 141

April & May Top Scorers
Ronaldo (cpt) 45, Benayoun 37, Torres 35, A Cole (cpt) 34, Arshavin 33, Steinsson 32, Cahill (Bolton) 32, Carragher 31, Keane 30

ALL SEASON TOP SCORING PLAYERS
Goalkeepers
Reina 109, Cech 105, Van der Sar 105

Defenders
Vidic 160, Lescott 149, Terry (cpt) 134, Warnock 113, Carragher 111, A Cole (cpt) 111, Alex 104, Figueroa 103, Jagielka 102, Samba 101

Midfielders
Ronaldo 163, Gerrard (cpt) 154, Lampard (cpt) 151, Barry (cpt) 98, Young (cpt) 96

Strikers
Anelka 124, Agbonlahor 113, Robinho 112, Torres 103, Berbatov (cpt) 97, Rooney 89

My 'Big Church Day Out' Highlights

2009-05-25T11:19:00.004+01:00

Down the road from my house, a sell out 14,000 crowd basks in remarkable sunshine and soaks up the sounds of some great bands, including my personal faves Delirious?

Yes, I did say down the road from my house. I know - I still can't quite believe it!!

Here are my musical highlights from a great day. Apologies for the poor sound quality but enjoy the pics.

Nemo: The Prodigal Fish

2009-04-23T22:45:00.001+01:00

5 years ago I first watched Finding Nemo and thought wow, that communicates to me about God. Since then I just haven't got tired of talking about it!
Last night, I decided that an audience of Cambridge students facing the onslaught of exam term was an appropriate setting to dig out my Nemo obsession once again. Only this time, for the first time, it was recorded.......
So here, for your entertainment, is an edited version of a talk that analyses the story of a Dad who searched the oceans to find his lost son, Nemo; and how this can impact our view of God.

Wake Up and Rave

2009-04-04T16:00:00.005+01:00

Something doesn't quite feel right when morning begins as others continue to party the previous night away.

For the last 5 months this amusing sensation has greeted me on Saturday mornings as Radio 1's dance anthems wake me from my slumber at 5.15am.
A bowl of cheerios, a coffee and a rave later and I'm ready to get stuck into my weekly job, which I like to entitle, 'Media Co-ordinator.'

A better description would be 'Putting the magazine inserts into newspapers.'

Over the weeks I've developed a curious fascination pondering the great variety of newspaper headlines.
How does a paper choose which story to lead with?
What does their audience want to read about?
Do they want the focus on politics or poverty? Fashion or finance? Climate change or crime? or even celebrity?

There is incredible diversity across the papers. But what intrigues me the most are the swings between positivity and negativity.
While most leads are obviously sensationalist, some papers seem to be constantly doom and gloom, with others more frequently upbeat.

Even if they're covering the same story.

So not only is there a diversity of lead stories, there's also a range of perspectives within the stories.

Now I know the presence of diversity in this world is not exactly an earthshattering revelation. But as I sit on my knees and slide papers across the floor in the early hours of Saturday mornings I do find it strangely captivating.

Maybe even beautiful.

Or maybe that's the early morning cheerios, coffee and rave kicking in.

League Heads for Photo Finish

2009-04-03T14:24:00.005+01:00

It was a hard fought battle in the February March minileague with several potential winners going into the final few weeks. Despite being midtable overall, Steve Kreeger made the early running and held the lead for most of February. But in the end overall superiority rose to the top with Phil Harford taking victory by a significant 16 points from his nemesis Josh. The margin completely cuts Josh's overall lead, leaving our dominant pair level pegging as we head into an exciting final furlong. Incredibly it's the first time either Josh or Phil have won a minileague this season.

So will it be Phil or Josh to take home the top prize of £25?
And for everyone else there's one more fiver up for grabs as we start a brand new minileague for April and May. You've got six subs left across the 2 months, and the stats below should help you make the changes needed to steer you to victory.

For the final time, good luck everyone!

Top Scorers Overall
Vidic 136
Lampard (cptn) 126
Gerrard (cptn) 125
Lescott 122
Terry (cptn) 106
Agbonlahor 97
Anelka (tlsmn) 96
Jagielka 92
Gallas (cptn) 91
Warnock 90

Top Scorers in Feb and March
Terry (cptn) 36,
S Taylor 34, Gerrard (tlsmn) 31, Lescott 29, Lennon 29, Woodgate 28, Torres 27, Hangeland 26, Turner 26.

Overall Standings at end of March
1 Josh Dalby 995
2 Phil Harford 995
3 Martin Atkinson 953
4 Stuart Hassard 867
5 Joel Gill 856
6 Alex Mitchell 833
7 Pete Cross 832
8 John Webb 830
9 David Franklin 828
10 Scott Bamber 822
11 Gabriel Smy 820
12 Steve Kreeger 796
13 Chris Atkinson 787
14 Dan McDuff 782
15 Muzoora Bishanga 757
16 Keith Holland 748
17 James Winward 736
18 Richard Siau 735
19 Will Gharu 731
20 Paul Windo 729
21 Craig Ireland 725
22 Gregg Ruff 722
23 James Lomas 720
24 Jonny Mullin 718
25 Paul Whelan 706
26 Tristan Taylor 640

Feb and March Minileague
1 Phil Harford 224
2 Josh Dalby 208
3 John Webb 187
4 Stuart Hassard 180
5 Steve Kreeger 180
6 Gabriel Smy 178
7 Gregg Ruff 172
8 Martin Atkinson 169
9 Joel Gill 168
10 Scott Bamber 162
11 Keith Holland 161
12 Will Gharu 160
13 Jonny Mullin 157
14 Richard Siau 156
16 Paul Whelan 153
15 James Winward 152
17 Dan McDuff 152
18 Alex Mitchell 151
19 Paul Windo 149
20 Chris Atkinson 145
21 Tristan Taylor 140
23 David Franklin 134
22 Craig Ireland 131
24 James Lomas 128
25 Pete Cross 127
26 Muzoora Bishanga 126

Jesus the Non-Christian

2009-03-28T10:00:00.004Z

I have a t-shirt in my cupboard that contians a graffiti style collage of words that describe Jesus. Way. Light. Warrior. Love. And so on.

On a night out a while back I remember a group of friends staring long and hard at my t-shirt and then laughing loud. They'd spotted what looks like a Union Jack in the artwork.
They are right to laugh.
Cos Jesus was certainly not British.

More than this though, one of the words on the t-shirt actually annoys me.
Jesus is described as 'Christian'.
Now that is just wrong.
Full on error.
Cos Jesus was certainly not Christian.
Jesus was Jewish.

Jesus never even introduced the term 'Christian' which means 'Little Christ'. The word wasn't even chosen by the earliest followers. Alternatively, it was originally an insult that just stuck.

So in order to understand Jesus, 'Christians' need to be studying Judaism. His followers need to understand Abraham and Moses and King David and concepts of slavery in exile and prophecies of freedom in exodus.
For Jesus to be seen as a great revolutionary, the 1st century social landscape needs to be considered. One where the Romans called the shots. And one where Jesus' community were lower class.

Because to fully appreciate freedom, it helps to understand oppression.

From Trash to Flash

2009-03-25T16:21:00.006Z

A month ago, on the 28th February, I think I watched the worst Liverpool performance I've ever seen. We crashed 2-0 at Middlesbrough and the shocking thing was Middlesbrough were bad.

That was when I finally gave up hope of winning the title.

Football is a funny old game.

Cos in the last 3 matches I don't think I've ever seen Liverpool play any better. They are awesome at the moment.
4 against Madrid.
4 against United.
5 against Villa.
WOW.

And suddenly, the title race is back on again.
It's been several years since we still a title chance in March.
Which team will turn up in the coming months?
Will it be the flops that fell to Boro?
Or the heroes that stuffed United?
If it's the latter, this is going to be a very exciting couple of months....!

I Resurrected Jesus

2009-03-18T13:32:00.003Z

I've been writing a narrative surrounding the Jesus story recently - as you do.
So when someone asked me the other day, 'What you been up to?' it amused me greatly to respond, 'Oh, I just resurrected Jesus.'
Some might say I have a warped sense of humour.

But the more this phrase hung around in my head the more I thought it might have truth in it.
I mean, of course, I didn't physically resurrect Jesus.
But I did have a huge part to play in it. As did you.
I was the motivation for it. As were you.

God is love and love desires relationship.
As God's creation - as his pride and joy and majesticly, maticulously crafted workmanship - love longs desperately to have relationship with us.
Relationships are two way.
Love wants to be a two way thing.
Love desires love.

Now get this: Jesus claimed to be God - that's why he was killed.
But if for one crazy nanosecond he was actually telling the truth about his identity, that means that God lay dead in the grave.
Which is a major problem for God.
Cos we can't have relationship with a dead God.
Hence life bursting forth from the grave to comprehensively conquer death.

It is won. It is finished. The ultimate relationship is possible.
We can't earn the love.
We can't increase the love.
We can't decrease the love.
But we can accept it.
We can choose it.
And we can respond to it.

New Fray Album

2009-02-16T18:06:00.003Z

It took me quite a while to catch the buzz around the Fray's debut album but eventually I got there. I liked the lyrics and most songs on their own but as a whole album felt it was a bit samey and dragged. I bought the new Fray album last week hoping for bigger and better things, but after several listens it's yet to really grab me.
It's just alright.
It's just more of the same.
So if you like your rock soft and contemplative then I'd recommend it, but if not, don't bother.
The strength again is the depth of the lyrics. In particular I love this song - it's challenging, obscure and intriguing and yet probably speaks a lot of truth:

'Happiness is just outside my window
Would it crash blowing 80-miles an hour?
Or is happiness a little more like knocking
On your door, and you just let it in?

Happiness feels a lot like sorrow
Let it be, you can't make it come or go
But you are gone- not for good but for now
Gone for now feels a lot like gone for good

Happiness is a firecracker sitting on my headboard
Happiness was never mine to hold
Careful child, light the fuse and get away
‘Cause happiness throws a shower of sparks

Happiness damn near destroys you
Breaks your faith to pieces on the floor
So you tell yourself, that's enough for now
Happiness has a violent roar

Happiness is like the old man told me
Look for it, but you'll never find it all
Let it go, live your life and leave it
Then one day, wake up and she'll be home
Home, home, home'

Martin snatches Dec-Jan title from Pete on final day

2009-02-03T15:03:00.005Z

What a difference two months makes in football. In our league at the end of November David Franklin table-topped and Martin Atkinson had just worked his way up to 4th. Now Martin's just taken the lead for the first time and David's slipped to 5th. In between, Josh headed our table for nearly the entire two months. The top 3: Martin, Josh and Phil, have now opened up such a huge lead over the rest that it will take something monumental for anyone else to be topping the table by the end of the season. But as the last two months have proved, change is still possible.

In the minileague it was drama right to the last, with long time leader Pete Cross seeing his title slip though the fingers on the final day of January. Pete had built up a good lead helped largely by the cleansheet machine Van der Sar, but in the end it was a lack of goals, not cleansheets, which proved costly in the final reckoning.

Below is a pretty comprehensive list of the top scoring players under our scoring system. It makes for an intriguing read and should help you make those changes which will send you to victory in the brand new Feb-March minileague.
Fresh start for all with the usual fiver up for grabs!

Top Scorers Overall:
Vidic 131
Lampard (cptn) 107
Gerrard 99
Ronaldo 98
Lescott (cptn) 93

Best of the rest:
Gallas(cptn) 73, Adebayor (tlsmn) 69, Clichy 68, Laursen(cptn) 65, Agbonlahor 82, Barry(cptn) 69, Samba 68, Warnock 66, Cech 65, Anelka(tlsmn) 81, Terry(cptn) 72, Jagielka 68, Carragher 65, Reina 72, Robinho 81, Van der Sar 82, Berbatov(cptn) 68, Owen 71, Defoe 76, Figuroa 67.

Dec and Jan Top Scorers:
Vidic 60
Gerrard (cptn) 48
Lampard (cptn) 43
Van der Sar 40
Cahill 39
Figuroa 35
Berbatov 34
Warnock 33
Ronaldo 32

Intriguing stat attack: Terry as your captain would have scored 72 this season so far. Not being captain he has lost 20 of the 72 in bookings and sending offs.

Stu Hassard has now scored the most points in a set of games, notching up 70 in December.

And now for the tables, starting with the all important overall standings: (don't forget to check the facebook group for regular updates)
1 Martin Atkinson 791
2 Josh Dalby 784
3 Phil Harford 778
4 Pete Cross 709
5 David Franklin 700
6 Stuart Hassard 695
7 Joel Gill 689
8 Alex Mitchell 679
9 Scott Bamber 664
10 John Webb 645
11 Chris Atkinson 644
12 Dan McDuff 641
13 Gabriel Smy 638
14 Muzoora Bishanga 634
15 Steve Kreeger 627
16 Craig Ireland 606
17 Keith Holland 598
18 James Winward 593
19 Richard Siau 592
20 Will Gharu 585
21 Paul Windo 580
22 James Lomas 575
23 Jonny Mullin 573
24 Paul Whelan 568
25 Gregg Ruff 562
26 Tristan Taylor 513

The Final Dec-Jan minileague table:
1 Martin Atkinson 336
2 Pete Cross 320
3 Josh Dalby 315
4 Phil Harford 294
5 Muzoora Bishanga 286
6 Gabriel Smy 286
7 Stuart Hassard 269
8 Alex Mitchell 266
9 John Webb 264
10 Scott Bamber 262
11 Joel Gill 254
12 Dan McDuff 234
13 Chris Atkinson 228
14 Steve Kreeger 228
16 Jonny Mullin 225
15 Keith Holland 215
17 Paul Windo 210
18 James Lomas 210
19 James Winward 207
20 Craig Ireland 200
21 Gregg Ruff 199
23 David Franklin 198
22 Will Gharu 186
24 Paul Whelan 179
25 Richard Siau 178
26 Tristan Taylor 166

23 and still able to party

2009-01-30T18:12:00.006Z

Ain't Facebook nice on your birthday. It's quite refreshing to sign in and find 23 notifications. Even Facebook itself offers birthday wishes now! Thanks everyone for your comments and messages today, and here's a few snaps from the celebrations last weekend.

How To Turn Down £500,000 A Week

2009-01-20T20:32:00.009Z

How can you turn down £500,000 a week? Kaka's decision has shocked the world of football.
Despite having to drop to playing for Man City, how can you turn down £500,000 a week!!!? Surely no-one can!?
Kaka - who's never been one to shy away from expressing his beliefs(!) - explained his decision like this:

"I believe I have made the right choice.

To have gone to Manchester City could have been a great project but in the past few days I have prayed a lot to understand what the right team would be and in the end I have decided to remain here.

I don't want anything else, I just want to be well and be happy in the place where people love me."

With stupid money dangled in front of his nose, it seems Kaka decided he prioritised other aspects of life over money. And somehow this decision - which concludes the most astonshing transfer story in football history - was settled on during a private session of prayer.

Now that shocks, baffles and challenges me just as much as it does you.

Or Are We Dancers?

2009-01-07T20:14:00.005Z

The Killers are back and have successfully managed to infect our minds with a brilliantly catchy phrase once again. Having previously graced us with the seemingly profound but utterly meaningless (or is it?!) 'I've got soul but I'm not a soldier', we're now left pondering the one question eternally aching our hearts: 'Are we human? Or are we dancers?'
It's as deep as a puddle in a summer drought. And yet it's genius.

Another track off the great new album left me scratching my brow in equal measure, searching for meaning where there probably isn't any. Or is there? If anyone can make head or tail of the following expertly crafted poetry, I'd appreciate your revelation:

Change came in disguise of revelation, set his soul on fire.
She said she always knew he'd come around.
And the decades disappear
Like sinking ships but we persevere.
God gives us hope but we still fear, we don't know.
Your mind is poisoned.
Castles in the sky, sit stranded, vandalized.
The drawbridge is closing.
Saw Cinderella in a party dress, she was looking for a nightgown.
I saw the devil wrapping up his hands, he's getting ready for the showdown.
I saw the ending where they turned the page, I threw my money and I ran away.
Sent to the valley of the great divide
Out where the dreams all hide.

Pete's Top Ten Blogging Highlights of 2008

2009-01-03T11:00:00.009Z

Occasionally I find the blog a useful way to offload. Occasionally some thoughts tumble out in a readable fashion.
Which means friends, I have pleasure in presenting to you below some of my more successful moments of pondering from 2008.
Grab yourself a cuppa, put your feet up and have a good old nosey through the posts. Feel free to smile, laugh, appreciate, be stimulated, agree or disagree:

- The Pivotal Moment

- Jesus the Drunkard

- The Rejected Romantic

- Kenya Review

- Love is...

- Summer Blast: The Meal Deal

- How Do You Start a Revolution?

- Lost: Redemption

- A Cold and a Broken Hallelujah

- Joy: My 2 Minute Sermon

Pete's Top Ten Highlights of 2008

2009-01-01T15:22:00.011Z

Below are links to my top 10 highlights from the last 12 months for you to browse. A massive thanks to all the fun-filled people who made these moments so memorable!

- Birthday: Athlete Highlights

- Greatest Ever Varsity Pool Match

- Champions of the UK (and the final frame)

- Robinson May Ball

- Graduation

- Summer Sandy Beach Banter

- Weddings: Beth and Will. Abi and Mark.

- You Are My Joy

- Summer Blast: Smiling it up. Rock Star.

- Pokot, Kenya

The test of a great moment is whether it'll be talked about in 5 years time. Fitting into that category from 2008 for me will be my achievements in pool, the graduation and Kenya.

The Randomness Banana

2008-12-31T12:20:00.005Z

Another one bites the dust. 2008 is in it's final hours and every piece of media is doing their review of the year. Mostly it'll be Obama or the Olympics ... which is nice.
Tomorrow I'll wrap up 2008 in my own regular style with the annual blogging highlights compilation. It's been a year that's seen much of the blogs randomness going by the wayside, with focus shifting away from quantity onto ... well, an attempt at the other.

But you'll have to wait til tomorrow for the joy of highlights, cos I couldn't let Christmas pass by on the blog without sharing my most chuckleworthy experience of the festive period:

It's Christmas day at church and as is now tradition, the kids are up the front showing off their presents. You know, xbox games and the like.
Then one youngster grabs the mic and says in the cutest voice, 'this is my banana what i got for christmas.'
She held up the banana with great pride. I thought it would light up or make a noise or something.
But no it was just a banana!!

Love it. Have a great night everyone. Let's celebrate randomness.

Liverpool's Letter for Lapland

2008-12-22T23:45:00.006Z

Dear Mr. Clause,
You have indeed been generous this year!
With just 7 points from the last 15 I'm astonished we're still top of the Premier League. Every week - it seems - I'm naively hoping Chelsea slip up. And slip up they do, picking up just 6 from a possible 15. Thankyou.
Does anyone want to win this league? The regrets of not being atleast 5 points clear does niggle away but I'm delighted to be top at xmas. In fact, it's beyond any of my most optimistic expectations when the season began. Thankyou.

p.s. Santa, can I please appeal further to your good nature? In 2009 please could you fix it for Fernando Torres to have a healthy hamstring?

Yours Sincerely,
Rafa

Joy - The 2 Minute Sermon (City Life Church, Cambridge)

2008-12-18T15:52:00.001Z

It's 11:58. There's only 2 minutes left in a sunday morning church gathering. Normally someone will be nearing the end of a half hour preach and everyone else is breathing a sigh of relief. But on this occasion the talk hadn't even started!
What should you do?

Erm, probably not this!!!

The funny thing is I'd only been asked to speak for 5 mins before Tim, the church leader's main talk. But now everyone thinks I managed to pack a half hour talk into 2 minutes!!

What a surreal experience.

A Cold and A Broken Hallelujah

2008-12-17T10:06:00.014Z

The xmas song sweeping the nation at the mo is 'Hallelujah.' The song is incredible. The original by Jeff Buckley is incredible. Even the Shrek version stops you in your tracks. But for me - sorry X Factor fans - the new cover is distinctly average.

Nevertheless as I was lying in bed this morning listening to Radio One, I realised for the first time that the lyrics reference King David of Bible fame:

'I heard there was a secret chord that David played and it pleased the lord.'

Hallelujah literally means 'Praise the Lord', and the cool thing is: David wrote the majority of the songs in the Bible, which do just that.
The King goes down in history famed for being 'a man after God's own heart.'

But...

...the 'Hallelujah' song, in the second verse, chooses to focus on an affair David had:

well your faith was strong but you needed proof
you saw her bathing on the roof
her beauty and the moonlight overthrew you

By choosing to cover up his actions in an intricate web of lies, the affair ended up with murder!!

HOW? How can an adulterer and a murderer carry the title, 'A man after God's own heart'?!!!
It even took David a long time - and a load of prodding - til he fessed up.

But he did say sorry eventually. And straight away David hears the words, 'The LORD has taken away your sin.'

AMAZING. Forgiveness is amazing! Forgiveness happens instantly.

We often think that forgiveness simply became part of God's plans when Jesus rocked up. Yet David received a totally fresh start, living centuries before Christ. Forgiveness has always been who God is. Love has always desired to forgive.

In response David penned these moving and groundbreaking lyrics, connecting deeply with the character of God:

‘Take away my sin, and I will be clean.
Wash me and I will be whiter than snow.
…Create in me a pure heart, God.
…Give me back the joy of your salvation
…God save me from the guilt of murder
…You don’t want burnt offerings.
The sacrifice God wants is a broken spirit.
God you will not reject a heart that is broken and sorry for sin.'
(Psalm 51:7-17)

As Jeff Buckley sang,

'love is not a victory march
it's a cold and it's a broken hallelujah.'

Varsity Rugby U21s Celebrations

2008-12-12T16:28:00.001Z

Twickenham was the venue for the 127th Varsity rugby match. It was a great day; I mean, simply visiting a huge stadium is usually enough to get me excited. But there was also so much more in store.
It all started with the U21s match that saw Cambridge convincingly beat their archrivals. Somehow I found myself positioned right next to the trophy presentation in prime place to capture the above video. Check out just how much the victory meant!
But the greatest personal highlight was seeing a pal from Homerton not only playing at such an impressive venue, but also scoring a brilliant solo effot!

Then it was time for the big one. An exciting game ended up being the highest scoring match in Varsity history. With a Cambridge player sin-binned, Oxford opened up an almost unassailable lead of 33-15. Relentless second half pressure cut the defecit, but Oxford just held on to take the title 33-29.

Love is...

2008-12-09T23:46:00.005Z

Love is ... handing your heart to someone and taking the risk that they will hand it back.
Love is ... giving away power. When we love, we give the other person power. They can do what they like with our love. We expose ourselves, we allow ourselves to be vulnerable.
Love is ... giving up control. If we are serious about loving someone we have to surrender all of our desires to manipulate the relationship.

(Rob Bell)

God is love.
And Love desires relationship. He wants to ask you out on a first date.
But God cannot force you to say yes. He will not manipulate relationship.

In Jesus, Love 'made himself nothing'. He became vulnerable. He made the first move. It was an extremely daring way to ask you out. Exposed, with his heart on the line he took the risk of rejection.
And rejection hurt.
But occassionally a freely chosen 'yes' accepts the greatest proposal.
And joy explodes.

Anelka Fires Franklin to Victory

2008-11-30T21:12:00.003Z

Ronaldo's return to action plays an instrumental role in the emergence of our own so-called 'Big Three' with Josh Dalby, Phil Harford and David Franklin all opening up significant leads over the chasing pack. But it's Anelka's hot form of 8 goals in 4 games that ultimately gives David Franklin the edge over his rivals, to claim victory for October and November.

For the latest info and overall league table click here.

League Table for October and November
1 David Franklin 326
2 Phil Harford 320
3 Josh Dalby 305
4 Martin Atkinson 284
5 Stuart Hassard 282
6 Scott Bamber 274
7 Joel Gill 274
8 Steve Kreeger 266
9 Dan McDuff 262
10 Paul Whelan 248
11 John Webb 248
12 Richard Siau 237
13 Keith Holland 236
14 Chris Atkinson 235
15 Alex Mitchell 235
16 Gabriel Smy 232
17 Will Gharu 229
18 Gregg Ruff 225
19 James Winward 219
20 Craig Ireland 217
21 Muzoora Bishanga 214
22 James Lomas 213
23 Paul Windo 207
24 Jonny Mullin 205
25 Tristan Taylor 198
26 Pete Cross 198

Top scoring players (whole season):
Ronaldo 65
Lampard 62
Agbonlahor 59
Defoe 59
Anleka 58 (since Oct)
Robinho 57
Vidic 56
Terry (cptn) 55
Laursen 54
G Johnson 53
Reina 47
Ferdinand (cptn) 47
Samba 46
Adebayor (tlsmn) 46
Gallas (cptn) 46

Top Scorers (October and November):
Ronaldo 58
Anelka 58
Robinho (tlsmn) 48
Lampard 36
Lescott (cptn) 35
G Johnson 35
Geovanni 32
Nasri 32
Terry (cptn) 30
Steinsson 29
Agbonlahor 28

Highest total for a set of games (Whole Season):
1.Martin Atkinson 66
2.Josh Dalby 59
3.David Franklin 58
4.Craig Ireland 56
5.Dan McDuff 52

Kenya Review

2008-11-14T12:26:00.014Z

For 12 days in October 2008 a team of 11 from West Sussex stayed in the remote village of Chemakeu in West Pokot, Kenya. Here's my review:

My personal role on the team was teaching in two schools. This was my first experience of teaching in a classroom and I really enjoyed it. The children sit in the mud-walled classrooms (or under a tree!) wanting to learn, waiting patiently for a teacher to come to them. I mostly taught Maths, along with some lessons in Science, R.E. and (bizarrely!) Kenyan Agriculture. The latter highlights the way we needed to adapt very quickly to teaching any subject presented to us in the textbook. One memorable experience involves being handed an R.E. text book whilst walking to the classroom. It was open on the page explaining the death of Jesus, giving me the opportunity to explain the depth of God’s love and portray the Gospel message using a simple illustration.

The top priority of the teaching team was to encourage and develop the Kenyan teachers working in the schools, to leave a lasting long-term benefit from our visit. Though we took many resources, unless the Kenyan teachers understand how to use the teaching aids they will simply sit gathering dust. We also tried to demonstrate a more interactive style of teaching, with an emphasis on checking a child’s understanding rather than simply desiring a child to repeat the right answer.

While progress in these ambitions was made, it proved to be a much more challenging prospect than we first anticipated. Other more elementary needs came to the fore, such as encouraging teachers to actually leave the staff room when it was time for lessons! This highlighted for me the need to understand an area before deciding how you can best help. One moment which hammered this home came when enquiring about the location of the parachutes taken by last year’s team. After an initial coy response we later discovered that the parachute was being used in the teacher’s living area as a roof. The parachute had been intended to introduce fun into lessons but instead was being used as a shelter – a much more fundamentally important purpose! The image of the parachute offering shade acts as a classic reminder of the difference between what we thought was needed and what was actually needed.

Living in extremely basic conditions has indeed helped me appreciate my comparative luxury in England. 12 days in Chemakeu was long enough to begin to appreciate the difficulty of everyday life in the area. The ease at which I picked up an illness - or the thought of not having any more relatively clean water to drink unless it rains tonight - emphasised this for me. Rain water collection tanks in Chemakeu have been a major feature of our efforts so far, but the second school we worked at (a 2 hour walk from Chemakeu) currently has no such facilities. Watching a young child digging a hole in a dry river bed to reach the water table and scooping out muddy water to drink, served as the most emotionally moving moment of the trip for me. To then hear a Pokot Pastor describe the situation as a blessing from God further shocked.

The strongest lasting impression from the visit will be being moved by the abundance of faith in the area. The area may lack access to clean water; the crops may have failed; the majority won’t know what electricity is; a few years of a sketchy Primary education will be the limit of most aspirations; and yet these people know how to be joyful! They are full of so much of God’s Spirit. Christianity is currently thriving in West Pokot, breaking down many of the negative aspects of the area’s traditional tribal culture. On the final Sunday of our trip the Pastors on our team baptised 62 people in the river! What a tremendous privilege to witness!!

Upper Beeding, England @ Pokot, Kenya

2008-11-12T10:49:00.001Z

Hi everyone. It's good to be back! Here's a very simple compilation of my video highlights from my recent trip to Kenya. Written review coming soon.

Kenya Here I Come

2008-10-15T11:22:00.004+01:00

For the first time in my life I am about to leave Europe. I'm going to go and hang out with these guys in their school in Kenya. They look like pretty fun people to be around.

If you're the praying type could you ask the big man that I'd soak up so much from these smiling faces and be able to help/teach to the best of my ability. Thank you and see you in 3 weeks!

Release the Life

2008-10-10T15:41:00.004+01:00

Wow - I'd almost forgotten how great DNA is!

For those of you wondering what I'm talking about, DNA is the gap year programme I threw myself into before Uni. This year - after Uni - I'm basing my activities within the same organisation once again.

The name DNA doesn't stand for anything. It's an illustrative name, with the catchphrase 'Release the life.' As this suggests, the course is specifically designed to emphasise character development, helping individuals grow in confidence by embracing their unique qualities and identity.

I've just returned from the first residential of the year, supporting the next bunch of DNA trainees. It was a tremendous privilege to befriend people going through the same challenging experiences that I experienced four years ago. It really is incredible moving to see men and women finding greater freedom and joy, boldness and sensitivity, in who they are.

Fantasy Football - Mitchell wins August & Sept

2008-09-29T11:31:00.005+01:00

As September draws to a close, the 1st of 5 sections in the fantasy football season is complete, with Alex Mitchell claiming victory by 2 points!
While the overall league table continues, everyone also gets a fresh start to try and win October and November in a new mini-league. So use this info-packed blog post to think about any substitutions needed to keep your cutting edge. Remember 3 subs are allowed each month.

Here's our current table:
1 Alex Mitchell 181
2 Chris Atkinson 179
3 Craig Ireland 176
4 David Franklin 174
5 Pete Cross 172
6 Josh Dalby 169
7 Phil Harford 168
8 Martin Atkinson 164
9 Richard Siau 164
10 Paul Windo 163
11 Joel Gill 160
12 James Winward 158
13 Will Gharu 156
14 James Lomas 150
15 Stuart Hassard 136
16 Keith Holland 136
17 Tristan Taylor 136
18 Dan McDuff 134
19 Jonny Mullin 131
20 John Webb 131
21 Muzoora Bishanga 131
22 Paul Whelan 126
23 Gregg Ruff 126
24 Scott Bamber 124
25 Gabriel Smy 124
26 Steve Kreeger 122

Top 10 scoring players in Aug and Sept:
1 Adebayor (Talisman) 32
2 Defoe 31
3 Agbonlahor 29
4 Adebayor 27
5 Elano 26
6 Laursen 25
6 G Johnson 25
8 Owen 24
8 Lampard 24
8 Valencia 24

Highest scores over a weekend/set of games:
Craig Ireland 56
Richard Siau 51
Steve Kreeger 50
Will Gharu 48
David Franklin 47
Paul Windo 47
Alex Mitchell 46

Making History

2008-09-23T22:04:00.003+01:00

I've just finished a 2 week stint of another rather random short-term job, to support and supplement my activities this year. Each morning involved scanning in collections of old photos from Homerton college. This was followed by an afternoon of organising and cropping.

It may sound tedious but I actually rather enjoyed it. Some of the photos were very interesting historical items and I was given free reign to create a powerpoint on the 'History of Homerton'. I even wrote myself into Homerton's history!!

If you pop round, I'll treat you to a presentation.

Oh, rubbish!

2008-09-15T09:00:00.000+01:00

An alternative working title for this blog post could be, 'The new adventures of the house tenant with responsibilities.'

Let me take you back to last Wednesday morning. I'm lying in bed with the early morning radio for company. An irritating rumbling noise starts up outside.
Grrr.
I roll over, burying the face further into the pillow.

Then the realisation.
Oh, rubbish!
That's the binmen and I haven't put the bins out!!
Grrr.
Roll over.
Can't I just ignore it this week?
No, the bins are overflowing already.
Grrr.
Shove the body out of bed. Slip on some jeans and the nearest hoodie. Open the front door.
Oh, rubbish!
I've missed it. The lorry is heading in the wrong direction.

But hang on. Maybe I can catch the men up.

So I take the plunge. Lugging the bin behind me, an awkward shuffle down the road begins.
On reaching the destination, the binmen can't resist a quick quip:

'Hey, nice slippers mate.'

Not my best ever start to a Wednesday.

House, House, House

2008-09-05T11:30:00.003+01:00

I've now officially moved into Cambridge. It's taken a few days to get online and I've still got some marks on the carpet to scrub up, but otherwise we're off and running smoothly!

Here's a glimpse into our new lounge ... and for the record, the sofa throw is red - not pink.

Silver Wedding

2008-08-27T09:33:00.004+01:00

Today is my parent's silver wedding anniversary. Congratulations!

Flicking through the old wedding photos was a bizarre experience. 25 years ago today was an significant moment in my life yet, I have no memory of it. I mean, I don't think I was even invited.

....

Well done Mum and Dad. Enjoy the day.

Jesus The Drunkard

2008-08-21T10:36:00.005+01:00

Wooah, hold up. Before you start throwing stones, read this direct quote from one of the major biographies of Jesus:

The Son of Man came eating and drinking, and you say, 'Here is a glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and "sinners".

Jesus was accused of being a drunkard. And it wasn't just because some people couldn't understand his controversial teachings. It was because he 'came eating and drinking.'

We don't know whether Jesus ever really was drunk, but we do know he had no aversion to turning water into wine. And we're not talking one glass!

Jesus is at a wedding party where everyone has already had too much to drink, having finished off every last drop. Jesus decides that this is the appropriate moment to fill six jars full to the brim with the finest wine. Get this: each jar held atleast 20 gallons!

No wonder Jesus is accused of being a drunkard. No wonder the religious authorities couldn't stand him.

It's easy to just think about Jesus as a man who had the audacity to claim to be the most important individual of all time. Indeed, there's no denying he's had more effect on the world than anyone else.

But within the revolutionary world visions, Jesus was also a man who loved to make the most of ordinary everyday moments; he loved socialising with anyone and everyone; this was a man who knew how to party!

Summer Blast 2008: RockStar

2008-08-19T09:39:00.001+01:00

Don't ask why. Just enjoy.

(http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HnjQWE7nGAs)

LOST: REDEMPTION

2008-08-16T19:07:00.001+01:00

There are many fan-made videos on youtube trying to explain and do justice to LOST. This one is my favourite so far.

Coming Home Again

2008-08-10T13:16:00.007+01:00

I can feel it in my bones. The spirit is awakening. Anticipation is rising. Football is back.

There's nothing quite like football. Tennis and cricket have done a half decent job of filling the void, but now it's time to return home.

In a recent clearout at home, I received what felt like a treasured antique. It was a defining moment of the 90s. Something which brought my childhood much joy.
I was holding the floppy discs for the very first FIFA game from 1994. Oh, the memories!

So here we go again. It's time to put together your fantasy team. It's time to naively convince yourself this could be the year.

For Liverpool the main summer headline is Crouch out, Keane in. It's not earth shattering. I hope I eat my words, and Keane proves me wrong, but my first reaction was not one of mass excitement. Heavily overpriced I reckon. However if he links well with Torres, that hesitation will soon be forgotten.

Every year one pundit always tips Liverpool for the title. My hopes rise. But this year I see no such prediction. The main question will be, 'Are we still in with a title chance by November?'

Summer Blasting - Would You Like Fries With That?

2008-08-08T09:37:00.010+01:00

The Meal Deal. The Complete Package.

For me, that's what stands out from this years Summer Blast. By combining with other churches we had a wider spread of qualities. In particular (allow me to exaggerate and indulge in some cringe-worthy Hollywood-ised language) the natural and supernatural came together. It was like Batman and Superman joining forces. 'The Dark Knight', by the way: excellent film. But you know that already.

I digress.

Let me explain with two personal stories from the week:

One afternoon I got the opportunity to give out free tea and coffee to shoppers, simply with the intention of helping people out. At 3 in the afternoon, we got chatting to a very jolly guy, and by jolly I mean drunk. Through his slurred words, we made out that the guy was asking us for a lift home. So in a rather strange scenario, we agreed to head towards the car.
Simple. Nothing earth-shattering. But the guy appreciated it.

That evening I sat listening to some Christians do their singing thing, and got chatting to a young chap in a Liverpool shirt. We talked tactics. We talked signings. We talked Robbie Fowler. I loved it. Eventually I thought I'd better ask what this trendy teenager was doing sitting in an old church building?
The response astounded me. 'In the park on Monday I met some of your Summer Blast friends. My mates dared me to get prayed for, cos I was on crutches having injured my ankle and could be out of footy for a long time. As you can see, now I no longer need the crutches. So I thought tonight I'd better come and see what the fuss was about.'

Summer Blasting - Smiling it up

2008-08-07T09:53:00.003+01:00

Each weekday afternoon, the Summer Blast team rocked up with their array of holiday activities. The 5-11s were kept entertained with visits from the Man of Steel and Aliens with waterguns, football goals went up for older lads, and while all this was happening, parents could kick back in the cafe. They must have loved it!

A massive challenge in previous years of Summer Blast has been behaviour. This year I was astounded, encouraged and grateful for a vast improvement in the general behaviour of young people.

Summer Blasting - Spread Your Love Like a Fever

2008-08-05T21:54:00.004+01:00

For the past week I've been part of the Summer Blast project in North Cambridge, linking in with the national Hope Revolution initiative.
This was the third year I've been involved and 2008 goes down as my favourite experience, partly because we're seeing the benefits of investing into the same area year upon year. Over the next few days I'm going to blog on varying highlights from a super week, where much love was spread.

Here's highlight number one: Clearing out a heavily overgrown garden for a single mum and her young children.

Memoirs of Baptiso

2008-07-25T20:24:00.007+01:00

I still go on Facebook every day, eager to receive a wall post or a tagging, but it's rare that anything ultra exciting happens on there any more. Ok, so there's currently a new look to explore. But what else? One notification that made me smile this week, was news of a friend at home being baptised.

The event invite reminds me of when I went through a similar experience exactly five years ago. Getting baptised meant a lot back then, at the age of 17. I don't remember it being a super-spiritual moment. But I do remember a shy teenager plucking up the courage to publicly declare that I wanted to put God as the number one priority in my life. The event stands as a marker in the ground, symbolising a journey of experiences and thought-processes, that led me to conclude there really is a Creator who cares for me intimately.

Five years on, the journey continues. The searching continues. Maybe now I actually have more questions than I did five years ago. But that's a good thing. Cos the one thing that really matters, I am even more convinced of: my Rescuer really does care for me intimately.

Cutting Edge

2008-07-23T23:02:00.008+01:00

On July 6th Delirious?, one of my favourite bands, announced that the end is in sight. After 17 years, 2009 will mark the final chapter in a remarkable story. The rock band, who once peaked at 16 in the UK singles chart, will be best remembered for radically changing the thing they were most passionate about:

For those of us who no longer see churches as boring and lifeless places, we owe Delirious? a lot.

To commemorate I've trawled over some early Delirious? lyrics to find out what really challenged, shook and fired up the 90s generation. As I put together this compilation I discovered that honesty lit the touchpaper; brutal no holds barred honesty; vulnerable willingness to say yes through the questions; to not settle for anything less than the real thing.

Can I be free from the chains of my religion?
They wrap around my head and they blind my eye of faith
And I feel dangerous cos I hunger for the truth
The tightropes swinging high
No turning back
Teach me to fly
All I want is You.

We have wearied you Lord with our words
Our promises we've broken
Oh Lord forgive me
You are breaking the pride in our hearts
Lead me into your arms
I will be safe in the shadow of your wing.

We didn't count on suffering
We didn't count on pain
But if the blessings in the valley
Then in the river I will wait.

I'm not ashamed any more
Cos I've felt the oil pour down over me
And there's a fire that's burning stronger now.

Is there hope enough these days to forgive someone like me?

Congratulations Abi and Mark

2008-07-21T09:24:00.007+01:00

It will probably be a once in a life time experience - going to a wedding in the world famous, King's Chapel, Cambridge. I particularly smiled as the best of Tim Hughes guitar tunes filled the impressive, traditional environment. Congratulations Abi and Mark. Thanks for a thoroughly enjoyable day.

The middle aged often joke about how weddings are the only time friends catch up with each other. And that's already coming true for me. In these photos there's a few uni friends that graduated a year ago, all of whom, during my first couple of years, went out of their way to encourage me and pass on their experience. So it was a privilege hanging with you all once again. Thanks for the laughter.

Call Me Stupid or Something

2008-07-16T20:05:00.010+01:00

I must have heard it quoted over a thousand times. Phrases such as, 'most famous' or 'most meaningful' are usually uttered before its use. The codeword '3:16' is enough to get most Jesus fans on the same wavelength.

'For God so loved the world...' It's a fundamental belief: God=Love. If there was an introductory handbook to Christianity this would be on page one.

But when you hear something so many times it's easy to not actually think about its meaning. If you don't inspect something yourself you'll never really grasp why everyone else raves about it. Call me stupid or something, but I've only just found out, 'For God so loved the world...' is a direct quote from Jesus!

'...That he gave his only son.' So - would you believe it - Jesus is actually talking about himself. Suddenly the infamous verse takes on a new twist. Call me stupid or something, but I'd always assumed the line was simply a narrative explanation from the biography author, John.

Through a simple piece of self-exploration one of my fundamental beliefs can be looked at from a revitilized new angle; it has new life.

I'm learning that you should never assume you've got it sussed. Even 'page one' of your worldview may need rewriting. Never stop exploring. Open yourself up to fresh perspectives. Never stop asking questions.

Wildlife on Blog

2008-07-15T08:39:00.002+01:00

In efforts to earn money recently I've been up to a fair bit of gardening. Chop, chop, dig, chop has been my soundtrack. Until chirp, chirp. Tucked away in a thorny hedge there was a nest holding a pair of tiny chicks. Awww.

Summer Sandy Beach Banter

2008-07-14T11:22:00.005+01:00

Pics here from some laughter-filled summer fun with Uni pals Andrew and Heather.

I've never seen a beach this sandy on the south coast before!

Snow Patrol's 'You Are My Joy'

2008-07-10T23:47:00.001+01:00

Yesterdays David Crowder offering reminded me of an early pre-fame Snow Patrol track of the same name. Having rediscovered a thing of rare beauty, I couldn't resist but post this song as well. Enjoy.

You Are My Joy

2008-07-09T22:46:00.001+01:00

Last month me and the Cambridge crew joined nearly 3000 students from all round the UK, to bundle into the Hammersmith Apollo and sing our hearts out. The event was part of a world tour that is still to visit Manila, Kuala Lumpar, Jakarta, Johannesburg, Cape Town, Mexico City, Vancouver, Seoul, Tokyo, Hong Kong and Sydney. Now that's what I call a WORLD tour!

The David Crowder band headlined superbly. They're definitely worth checking out itunes if you get a mo. Here's a taster video for you, filmed by someone in the thick of the action at the Dallas leg of the world tour. This song - 'You are my joy,' - never fails to flood me with excitement bursting out from the pit of the stomach. Oh yes, get in!

The Wedding of Beth and Will

2008-07-05T11:33:00.007+01:00

The heart of exam season saw the wedding of my gap year partner in crime, Beth. 'Impressive' doesn't do it justice, particularly the venue, opera singers (and food).

It was a pleasure to meet the groom Will for the first time, and it wasn't long before we were exchanging notes on amusing Beth comments. They're a good match I reckon!

Another highlight was catching up with some of the Herne Bay crew and a massive thanks goes to DNA buddy Paul for letting me hitch a lift. I couldn't have done it without you pal and I'm sure you'll agree, the hours of traffic jams were more than worth it. Thanks also for sharing my excitment of discovering the groom's family have their own wikipedia page!

Back in facebook world, here's a video of Beth's first dance, courtesy of Don and Mary Warne.

Revolutionary Coldplay?

2008-07-03T09:08:00.009+01:00

After three weeks of release, and numerous back to back listens, it's finally time for my Coldplay review. Straight off - I'm a big fan.

A couple of observations though. Before release early indications pointed towards something completely new. The artwork drilled home the theme of revolution. The first single had a gritty rocky edge to it. Would this be the album to win over the Coldplay doubters?

In the end though we've got something similar to the beauty of 'Parachutes' - the original Coldplay we fell in love with. The Coldplay purists will love it. But other than a variety of skilful instrumental sections, there's nothing revolutionary about it.

Graduation - The Slightly More Emotive Review

2008-07-02T10:06:00.005+01:00

Graduation was a special occasion. It goes without saying that being surrounded by proud and excited family and friends stands out. But the most bizarre aspect was the reaction of complete strangers/tourists. When posing for photos you'd suddenly find ten cameras pointing in your direction! And the absolute highlight of the day was parading through the streets to applauding crowds. It felt like the red carpet at a film premiere.

A truly memorable occasion ... worth remembering for one simple reason - you'll probably never see me looking this smart ever again!

10 Steps to Graduation

2008-06-29T22:29:00.006+01:00

800 years of tradition in a nutshell:
1, Suit.
2, Gown.
3, Hood.
4, March infront of cheering crowds.
5, Hold a mans finger.
6, Kneel.
7, Hands together.
8, Listen to Latin.
9, Step back.
10, Bow
... And that's the graduation complete.

Robinson May Ball

2008-06-18T10:18:00.010+01:00

Exams are over! And the Cambridge way to celebrate is to don a bow tie and party away until 7am. From Indie bands to Swing bands, from ceilidh dancing to rave dancing, lasagne to chocolate fountains, fireworks to dodgems - variety was the key to the hours flashing by, as night turned to day.

The highlight for me has to be an exclusive dj set lead by the one and only lead singer of Bloc Party! Kele Okereke's mixing of current dance tracks with Bloc Party's own beats was sheer class.

I'm Nearly There

2008-05-13T10:48:00.003+01:00

I'm nearly there. In three weeks time I will have finished my final exams. At around the same time I reckon my 3 year slog through reading the Old Testament will also reach its conclusion.

While exam revision will continue to be stressful until the words, 'put your pens down' are uttered for the final time, the Bible narrative already seems to have turned a corner from turmoil to refreshing positive forward-thinking.

Around 500 years before Jesus, the prophet Zechariah presented these words of optimistic future hope:

'O Lord Almighty, for seventy years now you have been angry with Jerusalem... How long will it be until you again show mercy to them?' (1:12)

'My love for Jerusalem and Mount Zion is passionate and strong.' (1:14)
'I have returned to show mercy to Jerusalem. My temple will be rebuilt.' (1:16)
'I will live among you.' (2:11)
'You are symbols of the good things to come. Soon I am going to bring my servant, the Branch.' (3:8)
'I will remove the sins of this land in a single day.' (3:9)
'Shout in triumph, O people of Jerusalem! Look, your king is coming for you. He is righteous and victorious, yet he is humble, riding on a donkey. (9:9)
'Then I will pour out a spirit of grace and prayer ... They will look on me whom they have pierced and mourn for him as for an only son.' (12:10)

Was a Long And Sunny May

2008-05-06T16:57:00.001+01:00

10,000 words. 31 pages. 6 interviews. 1 dissertation. 25% of my degree. Done. Handed in today!

The sun is shining so let's whack on the sun cream, turn up the new Coldplay single and relax.

As a fan of nearly every Coldplay song going, I did have to agree with public consensus that the band were in desperate need of a new sound. On first listen to 'Violet Hill' I admit to raising an uncertain eyebrow. But now I breath a sigh of relief cos I reckon Chris Martin and co have got it spot on. Enjoy!

How Do You Start A Revolution?

2008-05-05T09:54:00.007+01:00

Oasis once sang, 'I'm gonna start a revolution from my bed.' How Do You Start A Revolution? The simple answer is, with one person.

-------------

Within about ten generations of creating an earth that the Creator himself had described as 'very good', the situation was nothing short of disastrous:

The Lord observed the extent of human wickedness on the earth, and he saw that everything they thought or imagined was consistently and totally evil. So the Lord was sorry he had ever made them and put them on the earth. It broke his heart. (Gen 6:5-6)

God faces a dilemma. Is the situation so catastrophic that he should just give up hope? You and I certainly would. Not God. Instead he sets about starting a revolution; a revolution of love to conquer all evil. And the revolution starts with just one man - Noah.

From Noah the revolution gains momentum and builds in number. First there's the family of Abraham. Then Moses and King David help to establish the nation of Israel. Finally it's realised that the good news of Jesus is open and accessible to the whole world.

From the one man of Noah, Gods revolution has today reached over 2 billion people on this earth.

So what exactly was DNA?

2008-04-28T23:11:00.006+01:00

If you've heard me constantly referring to my gap year course, but never quite figured out what it involved ... then this video's for you. It's the new promo vid for DNA, featuring many guys I know well:

As I watch the video I nod my head in agreement with every comment made. I'm so grateful to DNA for helping me grow in confidence; teaching me to appreciate my strengths and weaknesses. And the exciting breaking news today on this blog is that I'm going back for more. Next year I'm doing the part-time follow-up course to DNA ... and I'm so looking forward to it.

Painful Worship

2008-04-27T14:55:00.007+01:00

This has been a tough week for City Life Church in Cambridge. Many this morning found themselves coming to worship God, from a position of much sadness and pain. How could they possibly sing of God's power and goodness?

In between songs, one lady stood up to try and explain her emotions. She said that today, as she lifted her hands up to God, she wasn't surrendering to some higher power - the usual explanation for the action.

Instead, today, she was reaching out to her Heavenly Daddy, seeking to receive a comforting hug.

My sixteenth minute of fame

2008-04-25T10:10:00.004+01:00

First it was in the new prospectus, then it was the face of the 'Admissions Test', now it's on page 3 of 'The Cambridge Student' newspaper... (Click here to find out what I'm referring to.)

Where will this madness end? I'm almost expecting next to walk through the city centre and see the picture plastered across the billboards! If only I was getting 10p every time someone looked at it.

The thing I find funny is: the 'Admissions quiz' - to quote the newspaper - is 'designed to dispel commonly-believed myths that Cambridge is a more expensive place.' 'Ultimately a student from a relatively poor background ends up paying nothing for a world class education.'
... Apparently my face communicates this message!

Student Home Internationals 2008 - End of winning frame

2008-04-23T19:29:00.001+01:00

Here's the moment Rich Wharton of England secured victory.

oh, and regarding a certain own goal last night, I still can't believe it. I sat motionless, head in hands, for what felt like several minutes after the final whistle - knowing the difference that moment of madness could make.

Champions of the UK

2008-04-21T10:10:00.005+01:00

This weekend in April 2008 will go down as my proudest sporting achievement; quite possibly the pinnacle of my pool career. I played my part in the victorious England University team, at the Home Nations tournament in Glasgow. Full of drama and excitement, roaring, cheering and good humour, the weekend had everything - including a memorable final to cap it off. Going into the final as favourites England quickly found themselves 6-0 down to Wales, in a race to 11. We seriously needed to dig deep and pull ourselves together. Regrouping with fighting bulldog spirit, we turned the final on it's head to win 11-9. Cue jubilant celebrations. Brilliant. Simply brilliant.

Mandela on Being Human

2008-04-15T21:50:00.008+01:00

At long last I've finished the autobiography of Nelson Mandela. It hardly seems right to try and encapsulate how the book challenged me, cos I cannot claim to understand his experiences. Instead allow me to directly quote from the great man himself. As we read let us remember Mandela's remarkable worldview was formed through, and as a result of, his 'story of hardship, resillience and ultimate triumph.'

'The brave man is not he who does not feel afraid, but he who conquers that fear. I never lost hope that this great transformation would occur ... I always knew that deep down in every human heart, there was mercy and generocity. No one is born hating another person because of the colour of his skin, or his background, or his religion. People must learn to hate, and if they can learn to hate, they can be taught to love, for love comes more naturally than its opposite. Even in the grimmest times in prison, I would see a glimmer of humanity in one of the guards ... Man's goodness is a flame that can be hidden but never extinguished.'

Deliriously Praiseworthy

2008-04-14T15:59:00.001+01:00

I got the my copy of the new Delirious? album, 'Kingdom of Comfort' on Saturday and have been playing it non-stop.

Here's my review: Every song is so strong allowing the whole album to take you on a journey, smoothly transitioning from bold rocky anthems to beautiful gentler moments. Similarly the lyrics also manage to uplift, challenge and provoke further thought - all at the same time.

I actually mean that. I haven't just copied it from their website!

In a nutshell: I'm a fan! So much so I've already booked my ticket to see the new tunes performed live in Brighton on 10th October. If you're keen to join me get on purashop.com, where you can also get your copy of 'Kingdom of Comfort'. Enjoy.

Fame at Last

2008-04-12T09:53:00.002+01:00

First it was tucked away in the prospectus. Now it's the face of the Admissions Test. To find out what I'm referring to, click here.

Africa

2008-04-10T09:43:00.005+01:00

What with reading Nelson Mandela's autobiography and the confirmation I'm going to Kenya later this year, news stories about Africa are grabbing my attention.

First there's the constant need at the mo to pray for clarity over Zimbabwe's future. Then this morning there was the very random news story that Gordon Brown appeared on American Idol ... to explain Britain's donating 20 million mosquito nets to 'malaria hit countries.' Here's a link to the video.

What really grabbed me in the emotions department was an article on the 24-7prayer website by an ordinary guy (ie. not a celebrity) on his visit to Zambia with his two sons. Here's the bit that hit me:

I wish you could have seen those forty, smiling children dancing around my two blonde boys singing ... I watched as Hudson and Danny’s innate Western suspicion (where did that come from?) began to evaporate in the Zambian sun and before long they too were dancing, singing along and laughing without worrying about looking cool (they didn’t!) It was a beautiful sight for a father to see, and it dawned on me that my children were being given permission by these children simply to be children again. ‘Who needs who?’ I wondered.

It’s hard to feel sorry for people who don’t feel sorry for themselves. These Zambian children find themselves alive without parents, living from day-to-day in a compound called Koloko, where there is no water and no electricity and precious little hope. But they are joyful!

A Blog Post Actually Containing Exciting News

2008-04-07T13:25:00.005+01:00

Guys, guys I have some exciting news!

Nope, I'm not engaged or pregnant...

In October I'm going to go to Kenya for 3 weeks. I'll be joining a team from my home church on a trip to a remote village in Pokot. This forms a part of an exciting post-uni year that is taking shape for me at the mo...(I'll share more soon.)

A team of 15 went to Pokot last summer and the videos and photos they brought back were incredibly moving and inspiring. The team taught in the local school that my home church had raised money to build (pictured below) and installed water facilities amongst other helpful projects. What is in store this year?? C'MON!

Word of Blog

2008-04-04T16:58:00.002+01:00

Finding a quality album from within the 'Christian music' scene is often a tough task. Not because there aren't any good ones, but because I reckon ironically, all the reviews are too positive.

Word of mouth is usually the best bet. Or word of blog. Hence my recommendation today, which I borrowed from a friend. It's Hillsong United's latest offering and I've enjoyed listening to it on many different levels - sometimes to relax and other times when I've needed some energy.

High Five

2008-03-31T19:39:00.004+01:00

Pool updates on this blog have recently tracked some contrasting highs and lows. Today it's the turn of my biggest high yet. On Saturday I went to trial for the England Universities team. I had little expectation of making the team, but thought I'd give it a go.

Every match I played was close and at some crucial moments I rode my luck. 5 games later and somehow I'd won them all: 4 of them with the tight tense scoreline of 3-2.
I'd qualified - I honestly couldn't believe it. (Here's the report if you can't believe it either.)

At the end of April I'm off to Glasgow. Will England beat the other Home Nations? It's a pretty exciting thing to be a part of, really!

The Passion - Episode 4

2008-03-23T08:41:00.003Z

VICTORY FROM THE JAWS OF DEFEAT: So the resurrection eh? That's a bit far-fetched isn't it? Is this where Christianity moves into the realms of fantasy?

Did Jesus rise from the dead? The answer can either be yes or no. What does the historical evidence suggest happened?

This is the most important question of all time, because answering it holds massive implications. Without the resurrection Christianity falls flat on it's face. It can be reduced to nothing more than another set of decent life values. With it, the promises of Jesus have been proved to be true. We can have forgiveness and new life. Our own personal victory from the jaws of defeat.

It's an event which makes possible the promise that one day, 'He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain.'.

2 days ago hope had been destroyed. Nietzsche had been justified in his horrific claim. But not any more. Today, hope has been restored and renewed like never before!

The event is beyond superlatives. In some respects it's beyond comprehension. And yet some of it's aspects are so ordinary.

Jesus is initially mistaken for a gardener. He shows his friends his wounds before going on a fishing trip with them.

Let's pause in this scene to bring our eventful exploration of Easter to a close. Grab yourself some of the freshly caught fish, combine them with some bread, and sit down to eat with Jesus and his mates. Having passed the food round, and shared some quality catch-up time, Jesus has a question burning within him:

After all Jesus has been through, after all he's achieved, there's still one question left which needs to be answered......

......Jesus wants to ask, 'Do you love me?'

The Passion - Episode 3.

2008-03-22T09:44:00.004Z

THE MOURNING AFTER:
As the dust settled on the tragic events of the day before, the friends of Jesus would have started to mourn. As tears fell and grief took over, they would have been asking some deeply profound questions.

Wasn't this supposed to be the long-awaited Messiah? The Rescuer? The one that would overthrow the Romans from their land? This wasn't much of a warrior. Why had he just let it happen? Why hadn't Jesus fought back? If this guy knew God as well as he claimed why hadn't God intervened?

Was Jesus just a wannabe like the cons of the past? Had they all been tricked by some cheap joke? Had they just been taken for a ride for the last few years? And now their safety was in jeopardy because of him.

But what about the miracles they'd witnessed with their own eyes? Surely they meant something? Maybe he was just a prophet who got a bit carried away? A bit deluded perhaps? But not even prophets deserved this injustice. This was our friend who we enjoyed hanging out with. He's been taken from us, despite being innocent. WHY?

...

There are more unanswered questions here than in an episode of LOST. But unlike in LOST, our next episode will provide answers to all these questions. In fact all these profound questions were soon to pale into insignificance.

The Passion - Episode 2

2008-03-21T09:13:00.000Z

'Do we hear the noise of grave-diggers who are burying God?
Do we not smell the divine putrefaction? - for even Gods putrefy!
God is dead!
God remains dead!
And we have killed him!
How shall we console ourselves,
the most murderous of all murderers? ...
Is not the magnitude of this deed too great for us?
Shall we not ourselves have to become gods,
merely to seem worthy of it?'

I'm pretty sure Philosopher Nietzsche didn't have Good Friday in mind when he wrote these 19th century social observations. But for me, these haunting, depressive words sum up the brutal events that we remember today.

I desperately wanted to use the benefit of hindsight and finish this sad post with an optimistic 'TO BE CONTINUED...'
But then I thought back to the friends of Jesus as they witnessed his death. Their hopes had been destroyed. For them, this was the furthest thing possible from a 'good' Friday!
In their minds there was no 'TO BE CONTINUED.'