Well, Happy New Year all,

I hope you've had a great Christmas and an even better New Year. With the end of present-opening comes the inevitable new-years resolutions. We are now in a change of year, change of season and hopefully the changes of some attitudes.

The Campaign is gearing up for a great year. I'm excited to think that by the end of this year we might have seen real victory in the area we are seeking to change. Our goal remains singular and clear: We want to see all magazine and publications which contain explicit images displayed in it's own 'Modesty Wrap'. This, in essence, is a black cover or bag which the magazines are sold in. It reveals nothing other than the title of the magazine and, subsequently, protects the eyes of youngsters and the minds of adults.

We are not saying "stop selling these magazines", and we are not trying to stop shops making money. However, we recognise the need for shops that sell these magazines to take responsibility toward the communities that they choose to place themselves within.

Currently, we have a Facebook Page set up at http://www.facebook.com/pages/Make-Modesty-Wraps-Law/272264356165952. We also have an e-petition running until the end of March this year, and you can add your name to the petition here: http://epetitions.direct.gov.uk/petitions/25536. Finally, we are badgering twitter with our #makemodestywrapslaw hashtag. If you use Social Media in any form then it would be great if you could start passing these links around, and get others to do the same.

I have also emailed my local MP, Bob Walter, about this very issue at my local Co-Operative store (the store that started this whole campaign!). He has, in turn, emailed Mr Peter Marks, the CEO of The Co-Operative and is awaiting a response. If there's a little activist inside of you wanting to get out, then you can also email your local MP and Mr Marks and add your voice to increasing groundswell of support. His email is: peter.marks@co-operative.coop

I have also made contact on twitter today with Billy Bragg, Jamie Oliver and Eddie Izzard. These are three people who have already proven themselves capable of taking on a battle or two in the public arena. I would love to hope that they respond and, better, choose to help support the campaign. If you can think of other people we can approach, then we would love to hear from you.

We have general support across Twitter and Facebook, but we also need more...much, much more. You might not be an activist (I'm REALLY not), but you can play your part. Start talking about these topics...they DO affect you! get the word out, start conversations and pass around these links. If you use Social Media, then start talking about this thing on your pages and accounts. You can also email your local MP about the issue in general...the more they hear about it in parliament the greater the chance that things will change quickly.

You know what? We can make a change in 2012...it's not a hopeless cause. It's something tangeable and achievable. Our question to you is...will you help? If not, why not?

Thanks for reading, and we look forward to hearing your stories of success.

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As I sit here typing, the 'Modesty Wrap' campaign is going well. So far, we've created an e-petition which will be sent off to the UK Government, and we have received 224 signatures in just over a week. Yes, we've got some way to go, but we're moving forward...and thats a good thing! I'd like 1000 names by Christmas, so let's get signing!!

The link to the e-petition is here: http://epetitions.direct.gov.uk/petitions/25536

We've also created a Facebook Page dedicated to the campaign, and have 54 members so far. I would really like to see 100+ members before Christmas, so if you feel like getting behind a cause then this is a really good one to get behind. I'm trying to document everything that is going on with the campaign as and when it happens...the Facebook page will be a good place to check out information.

The link to the Facebook Page is here: http://www.facebook.com/groups/138050672971439/

I've emailed the CEO of The Co-Operative, in order to make him aware of the campaign. If you would like to email him also, then please note that his email address is:

peter.marks@co-operative.coop

Email him and let him know that you're concerned with how they display these magazines. With enough emails hitting his inbox, something is bound to happen!

I've also emailed my local MP, Bob Walter to make him aware of the issue, as well as posting on HIS Facebook page.

I've got all manner of people supporting the campaign, from activists to Feminist groups, Charities to ordinary people in the street, like you and me. Slowly, but surely we are making our voice heard, and I'm excited about it!

Recently, I've been in conversations with a number of people who either show a negative reaction to the campaign, or who cant understand why we would tackle an issue that is both the mainstream norm, and something so big it seems impossible to change. Let me take this opportunity to explain how I see the problem...

These are CHILDREN we're talking about here...your children and my children. These are kids that cannot defend themselves because they're too young to do so. They have no voice at this age and need parents and grown-ups to stand up for them in issues they dont understand but will be influenced by. Yes, I understand that there is a wider and more concerning issue of sex slavery, traffiking and the like...but this is something local that we can make ourselves heard about.

I hate the fact that my kids cannot avoid this material if they want to go buy a comic. I hate the fact that children's perception of what is the sexual norm is being dictated to by magazines like Lads Mags and the internet. Yes, parents need to take a more hands-on approach to these topics, but we're being forced to deal with the issues at younger and younger ages. A lot of this material is being peddled in front of childrens eyes for the sake of the bottom line. This is simply NOT GOOD ENOUGH. It's irresponsible and immoral.

Newsagents, local shops and supermarkets have an ethical and moral responsibility toward the community they choose to place themselves within, and have focussed too much on profit to be concerned with the ramifications of the message these magazines push out to our children.

So, I'm standing up for my kids and I'll stand up for yours. If I stand alone, then I stand alone and that's the way it will have to be. But I WILL stand up and shout for my children because I dont think it's right. Just because it seems to be the norm does not make it ok!

Will you stand with me? If so, then get behind the campaign. You can sign the petition, you can join the facebook page and you can start pushing these links to pretty much anyone you know. Numbers are important, and will show those in charge that people (customers) DO care, and they want change.

Thank you for supporting it....let's get more people involved.

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I write this blog post after a morning of conversations between 4 quite different people. We sat in Costa Coffee and talked about this and that. Many topics were on the table, one of these topics was the force for change that Social Media can invoke.

This, in particular, struck a chord with me as I have been involved in an on-going effort to force a change in our local store. This is my story:

In October of 2008 my local Co-Operative store underwent a refurbishment as part of their update rollout across the country. The end result of the refurbishment, was that the magazine display stand was the first thing you would see as you entered the store. I am assuming that it was a 'strategic' move to place the soft-porn 'lads mags' (Nuts, Zoo, Loaded, etc) directly in line with the entrance, and the console 'gaming' magazines placed next to them. Despite the explicit nature of both the magazines and their front covers no attempt had been made to hide the covers from the visitors to the store walking in. All of the magazine covers in question can be very explicit in nature, leaving nothing to the imagination.

I first approached one of the store workers to ask whether the covers could be hidden or 'wrapped' to hide their explicit nature. I was informed that he would speak to the manager and see what could be done. Nothing was done and, after a month or so of waiting, I then decided to contact The Co-Operative head office.

I first spoke to a gentleman who informed me that he would speak to the buying and trade departments to see what could be done. After a number of months and various unresponded emails it was clear that The Co-Operative were not interested in the complaint.

Since 2008, there have been peaks and troughs with my attempts to force a change in The Co-Operative's best practice. It's now 2011 and nothing has changed whatsoever. Almost every email has been ignored completely and to this day I await a response from an email I sent in April of Last year. 

This company has made its name from trading as an 'ethical' company, and yet it is happy to push soft pornography to small children, and seems not to care about the people within the community they have chosen to place themselves within.

So, I am now reaching out to YOU! This is a situation that simply cannot continue. It's inappropriate and morally wrong for an 'ethical company' to trade like this and not take responsibility for the products they choose to sell, in the fashion that they do. I am not asking them to stop selling the magazines (although it would be good if they did!)...I am merely asking them to wrap the covers in such as way so that minors can only see the title of the magazine.

Please, please, PLEASE get this story out into the arena of Social Media. Let's say to The Co-Operative that it's NOT ok to display sexually provocative material in a way that allows young children to see it. Get this blog post out and get people talking about it. Let's try and make a difference for our children.

I need you, and I thank you.

Make the difference!

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As you will be aware, over the last 4 nights we in the UK have watched with stunned horror as a disillusioned and detached generation riot, loot and burn homes & shops in and around the UK, including London, Manchester, Birmingham, Bristol, and a few places. A week ago we could not have imagined such depravity and wilful lawlessness on the streets of the UK in the way we have experienced over the last few nights.

Transfixed on news channels and social media we watch as basic common decency and respect are pushed aside in favour of greed, anarchy and a selfish desire to wield fear in the face of a public and police force that have, as yet, to stop them.

As I'm sure you will be the same, I've watched the news, dissminated the information, and judged those involved guilty of such heanous crimes. I found myself prouncing the judgements and the punishments in favour of heavy-handed retaliation such as baton rounds (plastic bullets) and water cannons. I've agreed with what I've heard and seen from others who offer their own judgements and punishments.

I think, in fairness, we are probably right to make those judgments, based on what we've seen and heard. When we think about people being mocked as they hide in their homes and businesses, see people being openly mugged, and listen to the looters laugh out "I'm not going to stop stealing until I'm caught" we would be right to make the assertion that any force necessary to bring this to a close is acceptable.

Yes, we would be right in making these judgments, wouldn't we?

In the middle of these riots, however, I begin to notice some very worrying parallels. As I watch a news report, where looters are arrogantly walking down the street, carrying the HD television they have just stolen, I begin to think about MY arrogance. Yes, I can be honest and say that it catches me by surprise, but it's undeniable...I am an arrogant and proud man. As I watch with shock at the audacity of the looters to think they have a right to take whatever they want, I am reminded that I am also a very selfish person. Of course it goes without saying that I dont like to think of myself as such...but I'm sad to say that it's true.

In fact, I've yet to see an attitude in any one of the rioters that I dont possess. Shocking as it is, this is simply the case. Of course, I'm not going to break into a shop and steal some goods, but I am saddened to remember that I already knew these character traits were already in me.

Please dont get me wrong. I'm sure that I'm just preaching to myself, or maybe I'm having a mini-revelation that the rest of the world already had. However, what I feel today is of consequence and of the utmost importance to us all.

We have the propencity to point the finger, whether rightly or wrongly and pronounce our judgments on those either in the wrong or in sin (is there a difference). Yet, like myself, we so often neglect to remember the state of our own hearts. 

Genesis 6:5
"The Lord saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intention of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually"
 

God is speaking about you and me here. It's really not nice to think of ourselves this way, but scripture is undeniable about who we are as a people group. God knows the very number of the hairs on our heads, and he knows what our characters are like. He knows what I am like. I cant escape it...try as I might to hide it away or mask it in a veil of righteousness. Even on my BEST day, God says that my best works are like filthy menstrual rags...thats on my BEST day. It's horrible for me to think about this stuff, but I must. I need to remind myself of who I am as a person, not who I fancy myself to be.

I understand at this point that you might want to close down your browser window and go do something a little less heavy, but I implore you to wait for a second longer. The reason I MUST remind myself of what my nature is like, is so that I can appreciate who God is, what he has done and why he has done it. If I neglect to remind myself of how stained my character is, then I cannot appreciate the grace that God has so quickly given me.

Here's something else I can remind myself of. Every single aspect of my dirtied nature...my arrogance, haughtiness, pride, bitterness, anger, resentment, greed, lust, wanton self-appreciation (you get the idea!), Jesus took upon himself when he chose to go to the cross. Every single thing that I do, I naturally do against God and his ways of doing things. My natural self is a person of rebellion, bent on doing my own things my own way. You only have to watch the news at the moment to see this. Rioters and looters doing what they want because no-one is able to stop them. There is no self-restraint....and there is no self-restraint in me. I'm a rebel!

Yet despite this, Jesus looks at me and says "I take your sin upon myself. I pay your debt for you". No, this doesn't fill me with over-exhuberant joy and jubilation, because I simply cant get my head around the implications of what it means for me in its fullest. However, I can accept that it is true.

I'm acutely aware on most days, that there is a difference between the person I want to be and the person I am. The person I want to be is the guy that lives a righteous and holy life, loving God with all his heart and leading the family around the dinner table in prayer. The person I wants to be has it all worked out, spends hours in joyful study of the scriptures and takes time every day to bask in the glory of God as I worship him with all my heart.

However, most days I struggle to get to grips with the truth of the gospel, try as best as I can to hear what God is saying to me through his word and struggle to overcome the many and various sins in my life. No, I'm not the guy I want to be, but I'm the guy that God loves. Simply knowing that means that I'm not done for. I know I'm saved and I know that I'm a work in progress, and it can mean that YOU are a work in progress also.

So, I continue to watch the news of the riots and the looting and remember just what I can be like. I'm trying not to judge too harshly, and hope that God deals with me a little better than I deserve.

Mike

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Meh, it was ok!

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Something happened at my sons' leaving graduation ceremony yesterday...and it's got me thinking.

I'm sitting with the very lovely Mrs B, and watching my son and his school year share stories, sing songs, read out a poem and offer thoughts about their previous year in 'Primary' school. Since this was my sons final year in Primary education, some of his friends were sharing about what it was like to have spent the last 6 years at one school. It was very moving, very funny, and very poignant at times.

Toward the end of the hour-long ceremony each child was to walk to front, one-by-one and receive a bible, a year photo and a 'Certificate of Achievement'. So, one at a time, we watched each child stand, walk to the front, shake the Headmistress' hand, receive their goodies, then sit back down. We shed a tear when the others cried, we smiled when the children showed clear excitement in receiving their goodies, and then beamed from ear to ear when our son, Lewie, stood to receive his photo, certificate and the 'well done' handshake.

Then something completely unexpected happened...

Towards the end of the ceremony a small, rather plump and (dare I say it) geeky-looking kid stood up. He walked slowly to the side of the other children, started moving around to the front of the stage....then spun round and moon-walked to the headmistress (I'm not even making this up!). This out-of-place kid did something that I dont think will ever leave me.

It was in that moment he encapsulated for me what it means to live a life for Christ.

If you're anything like me, you spent a fair bit of your walk with God trying to either fit in or make Jesus relevant to the people living and working around you. You've maybe stopped yourself from using cliche, Christian phrases in order to make Christianity seem less wierd than you think people see it. You've tried to be cool AND Christian at the same time...something few of us actually achieve deliberately!!

You've maybe quietened down certain aspects of doctrine in order to not offend friends, family and colleagues. You've tried to make Jesus a 'one size fits all' character, and if you've done any of this you've realised how futile it is!

It was in the moon-walking schoolchild that I realised living for Jesus means that I'll never fit into culture, and will probably never make Jesus 'cool'. Why is this? Well, I think it's because Jesus was never relevant or cool...because he never came to be such. Jesus knew that his life and his example wouldn't be accepted by the majority of the people. He was ok with that, and so should we be! 

I think John 15 says it best:

"If the world hates you, know that it hated me before you. If you were of the world, the world would love you as its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you."

It took me a long time to get over the fact that not everyone would like me...even less people would like me because I was a Christian. They would see me as arrogant, bigoted and narrow-minded. I think it's because Jesus came across the same way. However, it's so vitally important that we understand the implications of this.

Yes, it means going against culture and against what the accepted norm is. It will probably mean persecution and ostracisation to some degree, but we hold fast to Jesus because we know the truth of who he is and what he has done. We rejoice in Gods salvation, justification and restoration. We are changed by the Holy Spirit, who has made his home in each and every one of us and, in the way of the Shulamite bride we cry out "Have you seen him whom my soul loves?"

Jesus came to bring life, not the latest fad, trend or hip thing. Jesus chose to come to a depraved, sinful world because he knew it was the only way we could be saved by a payment of blood. Does that make him cool? No, not at all. Does it make him relevant? Probably not, because we live in a world that (by and large) doesn't think it's inherantly bad and doesn't need saving. Does it make Jesus hip? Thankfully not, despite the plethora of t-shirts that will try and tell you that He's your homeboy! Jesus came against culture by living against culture. He came and was so very different.

If Jesus and the moonwalking schoolchild can do it, I reckon we can too?

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So...

For the last 3 years I've been metaphorically beating on the doors of The Co-Operative, here in the UK. I've been trying to get changes made to their policy of how they display inappropriate magazines on their display stands.

Currently, they display all these magazines on the highest shelf, no more than 6ft in height, and have displayed them directly opposite the main entrance, so that any child of any age can see the images displayed on the front covers. I've asked them, and asked them to at least wrap the magazines in a sleeve, so that the images are not visible and, 3 years later, am only slightly nearer than where I was back then!

What has been incredibly difficult is that they will consistently ignore my many emails, and will offer no response to any question I pose to them. It's been a long road, and I feel the effects of fighting a "good fight" quite often.

Tonight, I have drafted one final email, where I have the same old ground to the same person. This time, I have sternly asked for the information or have threatened with an official complaint, naming this lady personally. So then, could I ask for your prayers on the matter. I know that, in myself, I have no strength or power to affect any change, but I know that with God all things are possible!

Please pray for:

1) Changes take place quickly to have all magazines covered, showing only the title of the magazine

2) That I receive a quick response to my email, and that NO official complaint has to be made.

3) That God keeps me humble through the situation and, like Job, would not "sin in all these things"

Thank you for your time and your prayers!

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Greetings friends!

I'm part of a team who are going to build additional and much improved facilities at an orphanage on the outskirts of Port Au Prince in Haiti. The build will take place in the Autumn and consist of 3 bedrooms and a small kitchen. 

The children’s charity Bright Tomorrows has been involved in Haiti since the earthquake, developing strong links with an organisation called Mission Rescue and supporting children who have been orphaned or whose mothers are unable to care for them. The charity has bought tents for families and children, funds a breakfast club before school for local children and also supports children’s education by paying school fees. 

Recently, Bright Tomorrows has been looking for ways in which resources could be utilised to help make a long term difference in Haiti. Due to extreme poverty which has been exacerbated by the earthquake, many orphanages are desperately struggling to provide the children with the care they need. They have also had an influx of children due to so many losing parents in the quake. At one orphanage we were particularly shocked by the poor living conditions and lack of sanitation for the 45 children there. We believe that building larger and better facilities will be the most productive way of being able to improve the quality of life for the 45 children living here and making a permanent difference in Haiti.  

I am one of 14 volunteers who will return to Haiti in October to build three new bedrooms and a small kitchen. This will effectively double the number of bedrooms (currently there are 12 children to a room, sleeping on the floor) and give them a functioning kitchen area.  Bright Tomorrows is currently raising the £7,000 needed to complete this project and all the volunteers must cover the cost of their own flights through fund raising/sponsorship. 

I'm blogging about this project, in the hope that some of you may see the vision of what we're going to do and decide to help us in the project. In fairness to you, I'm going to come straight out with it and say "I want your money!". The work we're going to be carrying out is so desperately needed and will bring a great deal of relief to some very beautiful children.

I'm personally looking to raise in the region of £1500 - £2000 ($2500 - $3000). If you can help, or know of anyone who might be able to help the project financially, then PLEASE get in contact with me for more details. You can contact me on twitter via @mikebeecham, or email me personally on teambeecham@googlemail.com.

Please take a little time to consider helping us....large or small any amount you can give will help.

Thanks, and I look forward to hearing from you.

Mike

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I've been reading through the bible this year, as a challenge to myself to complete it.  A guy called Dave Bish (@davebish_ on Twitter) challenged me to read through the bible from cover to cover, and I took up the challenge!

So far it's been great, and God has blessed me in it.  I've enjoyed reading from book to book, taking in the truths inside the pages and discovering more of Gods love than I imagined I would do.  Then I came upon 2 Chronicles 20:33!  

Throughout the books of Kings and Chronicles, it details a bunch of kings who ruled over Israel and Judah, most of which did 'evil' in the sight of the Lord apart from a small number who did all that was good in God's eyes.

Well, we then come to King Jehoshaphat!  The books of Kings and Chronicles talks briefly about Jehoshaphat in a very interesting way.  Scripture says the following in verse 33:

"Thus Jehoshaphat reigned over Judah.  He was thirty-five years old when he began to reign, and he reigned twenty-five years in Jerusalem.  His mothers' name was Azubah the daughter of Shilhi.  He walked in the way of Asa his father and did not turn aside from it, doing what was right in the sight of the Lord.  The high places, however, were not taken away; the people had not yet set their hearts upon the God of their fathers"

This passage really started getting me thinking...How could Jehoshaphat do all that was good in the sight of the Lord, yet not do the obvious thing and remove all of the high places, idols, places of worship, baals, asherim poles, etc?  How was it possible that he did ALL that was good in the sight of the Lord and somehow miss this important act?

I guess to a degree I have no answer yet (more study coming!), but what it did do is get me thinking about my own walk with the Lord.  I know that I'm only saved by grace, and I know that on my best day my greatest acts are like dung to Him.  It is only by his grace that I'm doing well at all...HE gets the glory, not me.

However, in my day to day walk with Jesus I now have to ask "Are there high places of worship in my life that I simply haven't removed?  Are there areas of my life, where I've said to Jesus "this is mine"?  If you're similar to me you dont like to think that you hold anything back from Jesus, but I'm sure there are high places in my life that I should have tore down a long time ago and just left it to 'grace' to deal with.  Could it be that I've absolved myself of the responsibility of putting these things to death, because "grace covers a multitude of sins"?

So I now wonder what these high places, or 'baals' could be?  I guess the simplest answer would be to say that anything which exalts itself highly in our lives that does not glorify Jesus, something which takes our attention away from Jesus, or something which deliberately stands against Jesus would be a high place.  These are going to be varied and different, depending on who we are.

The answer, I would argue, is that we ask the Holy Spirit to give us wisdom.  In doing so, we are better able to recognise these high places in our lives, and then get to repenting of them.  It might mean great sacrifice for some of us (especially if the high place were to be something like finances, or treasured possessions), but if that thing takes greater place in our lives than Jesus, or if Jesus is not allowed access to that area...then surely it has to go?

I leave those questions to you to ponder and pray yourselves...it's certainly got me thinking!

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I've had this word floating round in me for about 8 months now.

It's not something that normally happens to me, as I'm pretty much an impulsive person.  I hear something of God's heart and want to act on it immediately.  I guess it's something that I need to work on, but so far it's not gotten me into TOO much trouble!

Anyway, I've been thinking about the woman with the issue of blood, reading out of Mark 5:25:

"And a great crowd followed him and thronged about him.  And there was a woman who had had a discharge of blood for twelve years, and who had suffered much under many physicians, and had spent all that she had, and was no better but rather grew worse.  She had heard the reports about Jesus and came up behind him in the crowd and touched his garment.  For she said "If I touch even his garments I will be made well".  And immediately the flow of blood dried up, and she felt in her body that she was healed of her disease."

This whole situation has made me think a great deal about what stirs me to pray, to reach out to Jesus or to claim defeat over a situation in my life.  Look at the woman in this passage...she's been ostracised, lonely, ill and desperate for help for 12 years.  If she was married (scripture doesn't tell us) and if she had friends (scripture again doesn't say) I cant believe that it went well for her relationally.

It seems that she was a woman of some money, but over time this had all been spent on a cure that never took place.  She's lonely, desperate and poor.

She's at the end of herself...and then Jesus!

What hope must have filled her diseased body to think that there MAY be one more lifeline to her, one more possibility that she had been made well.  In desperation she cuts across every social, political and scriptural barrier by reaching out to Jesus.  She pushes past a great crowd, and thus technically making them unclean because of her disease.  She shouldn't even have been out in public without first declaring that she was unclean, in line with the Levitical law. She cuts across EVERYTHING to touch Jesus.

Now, what's interesting at this point is that there is nowhere else in scripture up to this point where the grabbing hold of a garment for healing takes place.  In fact in the whole of scripture I think there are only two places...this is one of them!  She's doing something she doesn't even know will work, but she's doing it anyway out of sheer desperation.

Look what happens...she managed to make it through the crowd to reach Jesus and (again due to Levitical law) technically defiles Jesus by touching Him with a diseased body.  Ok, we all know that Jesus is bigger than any law that was set in place by God the Father, but she COULD have defiled the saviour in her mind at least.  Then wonderfully, she touches the fringe of his garment, AND IS HEALED!  Rejoice, because we know that if it can happen to her it can happen to us!!!

Jesus hears our cry of desperation and touches us in the same way...we can be healed, just as this very very desperate woman was healed.

Ok, so let's skip forward one chapter to Mark 6:53

"When they had crossed over, they came to land at Gennesaret and moored to the shore.  And when they got out of the boat, then people immediately recognized him and ran about the whole region and began to bring the sick people on their beds to wherever they heard he was.  And wherever he came, in villages, cities, or countryside they laid the sick in the marketplaces and implored him that they might touch even THE FRINGE of his garment.  And as many as touched it were made well"

See that?  All of a sudden EVERYONE is trying to get in Jesus' way and touch the fringe of his garment, so that they might be healed.  What's the difference between the woman with the issue of blood, and everyone else who's grabbing Jesus' hem?  THEY NOW KNEW SOMETHING that they didn't know before.

The woman grabbed the hem out of desperation for healing, whereas everyone is grabbing Jesus' hem because they now know that if you do...you'll be made well.

This really made me think, about the kind of guy I am...

Yes, there are sometimes that I will reach out to Jesus in very different ways, purely out of sheer desperation.  Most of the time it's because I've bankrupted myself in every way possible, trying to resolve the issue myself.  When I have literally nothing left to draw upon, I draw upon Jesus.  I thank Jesus that he has enough grace for me when I come to him, but I despair of myself sometimes that I have to get to that point BEFORE I reach out.

There are also sometimes that I will come to Jesus, knowing of who he his through either personal or third-party testimony or experience.  I come to Jesus because I know a very little about Jesus..I know that he has sustaining grace for me, and I know that he will turn me away.  His word says that "A broken and contrite heart He will not despise"

So, what kind of person are you, and what situation are you in?  Are you desperate?  I would say to you that He will first call you Son or Daughter, as he did with the woman.  He will re-affirm who you are to him, and will be open to you.  He may not answer your prayer immediately, or in the way you want...but he'll not turn you aside for someone 'better'. 

Are you in the midst of a situation and you need to hear the comforting word of the father?  I would say to you remember your high position in God (James 1), and remember that he will never leave you nor forsake you.  As many as touched the hem of his garment were healed, and you can know Jesus' grace to you also....remember what you already know about Jesus, then come to him and admit that you need to know more!

Either way, you cant get round the fact that Jesus will be the answer to the problem you're facing, and he'll not deny you his presence or his peace!

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I've been thinking a lot recently about the grace of God, and how it plays out in my life daily.

I'm a guy that tends to get it wrong more times than I like to confess, and who tries to get it right more times than I actually succeed.  It's not that I'm 'down' on myself in any way whatsoever, and I like to look on the bright sides of life (cue Monty Python here!), but I'm also a realist when I can be.  Don't get me wrong here...I'm not trying to be negative and I'm not being too hard on myself, it's just that I know the kind of guy I am.

I'm a husband to one wife and a father to three kids, all of whom know me better than I know myself.  They know when I get wound up, what the look on my face will tell them at any given time, and when things are going well.  They know all my inner stuff, only because I tend to live my heart on my sleeve...I don't mind that at all, and in some ways it helps.

Suffice that to say, whilst they know me very well other people do not know me all that well really.  They dont know about my growing up, my relationships, the baggage that I can carry around with me everywhere I go, how life's experiences have shaped me, what I try to keep secret and what I really want people to see or know about me.  They don't know about the shameful times of my life, things that I have done, thought, said and talked about.

There is a lot that I can accidentally or deliberately keep hidden from those people around me...those people that I would count as my friends.  There is a certain autonomy about this character trait, as well as luxurious anonymity that I can enjoy within my immediate social circle.

However, it's all a front!

What I fail to remember a lot of the time, is that there is a very real and a very loving God who knows EVERYTHING.  He knows all my good parts AND all my junk.  He knows all the things that will push my button, all the things that I can choose to hide from others and all of those things that I can arrogantly choose to put on display for all to see...and HE chooses to look past it all.

I fail to remember a lot of the time that God decides to look past those things and shower me with grace regardless.  I am becoming more and more aware of the sinful nature within me, and Jesus' choice to continue this relationship anyway.  It's entirely his decision to encourage me, challenge me, stretch me, discipline me, love me, comfort me, rebuke me and woo me...all this on a daily basis.  I am more aware of his love and grace daily, only because there is still a desire in my heart to follow him.

I guess I figure that if I no longer desire God then something drastic has taken place in my heart!

Still no, I wake up daily desiring God and desiring his nature in me...and this SURELY is an act of grace on behalf of a loving and benevolent God?  The very fact that I still desire him must mean that he continues to work and draw me to him.  Despite the very great and on-going sin in my life, Jesus is there...always there.  He continues to beckon me and to draw me close to himself.  He continues to whisper in my ear "I love you" and remind me that the very great price paid on the cross was for me.

...And through all of this, I continue to be reminded of that very beautiful passage of scripture in Song of Solomon 1:5 "I am very dark, but lovely"

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I dont know if you’re like me or not, but I have very big ambitions to read the bible through in completion.  Over the years I’ve tried many different study guides….tried to read the bible in a year, etc.

Even recently I started a new type of study guide in order to read the bible through in a year…I got to March before it all started going pear-shaped on me.  I find that I just don’t have the discipline to stick with it day in, day out.

That said, I have a real heart for the word of God and I desire to get more and more out of it as I read.  I pray before I start, asking the Holy Spirit (who inspired the word to be written) to give me wisdom to understand what I’m about to read…I really do desire more and more understanding of the word.

I recently tweeted, asking for hints and tips on studying the word more and better…hints, tips and advice DID NOT come in large quantity.  However, what did hit my inbox was a link to a Rob Frost blog post.  In this, he described an event in his life where he started to meet with a friend and they just read the word.

His friend would read the bible through about 3 or 4 times a year.  That’s right…read the entire bible through 3 or 4 times a year!

This hit me like a truck…”read the word, just for the sake of reading the word”  Nothing more, nothing less.  Just read the word.

I guess I just wanted to encourage you and say that if, like me, you’re struggling with reading the word in a sustainable format then…just read it.  Read it like you would read a novel, read it for the flow.  I’ve started doing this last night, and am at Genesis 7 (I was in bed and tired!!!).  I’ll keep you updated as I go, but how about you try it and let me know how you’re getting on.

My hope is that through reading the word in this way (as well as formal study) then I’ll get to know Jesus in a deeper and more meaningful way.

…I hope you do too!

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Song of Solomon 2:15 says: “Catch the foxes for us, the little foxes that spoil the vineyard.  For our vineyards are in blossom”

Whilst the Song of Solomon is principally a book of passion and sensuality between a shepherd and his Shulamite bride, there’s a little wisdom in there that can be applied to our lives as Christians.

If you’re anything like me then you’ll recognise the fact that sometimes we can be SO pulled in many directions that, all of a sudden, you feel like God’s a million miles away.  For me, it’s like one moment I’m close to God, then all of a sudden he’s dipped off behind the sofa and I didn’t realise it happened.

Yes, we do have to remember that there is a devil who is trying to destroy us at any cost…but aside from the one who shall remain nameless, there are many of life’s distractions that do JUST THAT to our walk of faith…distract us!

I wonder if this, in part, is what the scripture calls “The Little Foxes”?  These foxes that get in and spoil things that they have no right in getting close to…for us it could be one of many things that would typically include our time, our finances, our peace, our relationships, our desires, our attitudes or simply our attention.

There are so many areas of our lives that the devil AND daily life ‘stuff’ would trample on, that we could be forgiven or even justified in thinking “This must be my lot” and “Perhaps there’s something wrong with me, that my relationship to Jesus is never consistently strong”

In reaching this place of desperation (yes, even the beloved get a little desperate sometimes!) we also need to remember that things were never going to be easy for us as Christians.  Jesus himself said that “Narrow is the path that leads to everlasting life”.  Yes, daily stuff might get in the way but this could be indicating an area where we need to discipline ourselves a little harder.  

It could be that, in order to cultivate our relationship with Jesus we need to get off the sofa, put down the bag of nachos, switch off the TV and actually get before God in worship and prayer.  It could be that if you’re not feeling a particularly close sense of his presence then other things might be creeping in instead.

This would, ultimately, be something that you would need to weigh up for yourself with humility and integrity…but it’s never too bad that it cant be resolved.

There again though, it could be that the father of lies is trying to pull you off track with God through one of a many different ‘foxes’.  It could be that he’s trying his hardest to pull you away from spending time with Jesus, that he’ll do just about anything to accomplish this task.  If you’re in this camp then TAKE HEART…Jesus is with you, and desires your presence SO much.  If you just call out to him then he’ll help you right where you are.

Those little foxes can pretty much come in any shape or size for you.  Whatever they look like for you, the principal remains…that they are there to spoil the vineyard of your relationship with Him.  Your role in this is quite simple: to recognise when it happens and remember what to do in that moment.

I’m not advocating the destruction of all sofas and nachos…but in taking some of these transitory things out of our lives for a moment, it might give us the opportunity to step back with clarity and see what’s really going on!

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I’ve been thinking a little this week about the ‘Fear of the Lord’, and how that plays out in my Christian life.  I tend to listen to a lot of teaching podcasts, including the excellent teaching from Apostles Church in New York.  

Recently, they’ve been talking about this very subject which has really challenged me, particularly when it comes to the uncomfortable subject of my sin.  It’s something that I’d really rather not think about…my sin.  I’m assuming it’s something that you dont tend to give a lot of thought to in your day to day life either.

The truth of the fact is, if I DON’T think about it and if I try to sweep it under the carpet then I would be a darned site happier.  However, I need to get real with myself.

If we take scripture, for example, there are MANY examples of how a Holy and a Righteous God abhorred sin.  You only have to think about the story of Annanias and Saphira and how they dropped down dead…for lying! What about Lot’s wife who turned to a pillar of salt because she chose to ignore ONE thing that God had told her.  Let’s not even get into the subject of Old Testament sin, and how that was dealt with back then.  

Simply put, God HATES sin!

Now, were I to fear God as I should then things would be very different.  I would be VERY careful about what I put in front on my eyes, what I do with my hands, what thoughts I allow through my mind, where I allow my imagination to wander to, what I allow my mouth to speak, where I place the treasure of my heart and what I allow into my ears.  As scripture says, it’s not what what goes into a man that defiles him…it’s what comes out of him!

Were I to REALLY fear God as I should then my life would be very much different!

Don’t misunderstand me…this isn’t an exercise in naval-gazing, or even a quick little pity-party.  However, it is a small wake-up call to myself about how I choose to live my life.  I want to fear God as I should, but for some reason I dont…perhaps I’ve not suffered enough for my sin yet, or that I rely too much on the grace that Jesus chooses to pour out on me.

However, what I DO know is that something’s not right.  As the famous line in “The Matrix” goes…

“…I know *exactly* what you mean. Let me tell you why you’re here. You’re here because you know something. What you know you can’t explain, but you feel it. You’ve felt it your entire life, that there’s something wrong with the world. You don’t know what it is, but it’s there, like a splinter in your mind, driving you mad.” 

It’s like a splinter in my mind…knowing that there’s a resulting way to live, and not being there yet.  I want to fear God, but dont completely…and why I don’t frustrates me no end.

That said, what I DO know is that the grace of God covers a multitude of sins.  I don’t take that grace for granted, but am thankful that it’s given regardless of who I am.  I’m thankful that Jesus chooses to look past who I am and what I do but loves me regardless.  Perhaps THAT’S the good news we’re always talking about?

These are really just my musings on the matter, but I believe that there are more of you out there feeling the same.  Let us encourage each other in this…Not fearing God as we should does not mean that we’re not saved, or are not becoming the people of God that we’re called to be…I think it simply means we’re continuing works in progress.

What do you think?

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This is a tough one for me, as it’s been a complete change of mindset over the past couple of years…

You see, for many years now I’ve viewed church as the big place that contains lots of people.  I would go on a Sunday and sing, pray and listen to someone preach on this or that topic.  All seemed well, but I wondered why I was becoming bored and disillusioned the same ol’ routine!

I’ve now begun to realise that instead of going to church, I need to start BEING the church.  I say ‘begun’ because the practical outworking of this is more than the intellectual understanding of it.  I am beginning to understand the implications of what church means to me, and how I contribute to it as a whole.

What does scripture say?  Well, it tells us to love God and then love our neighbours…THAT’S church.  Loving God first and foremost and then loving the people around us.  I’m also beginning to realise that I’m not supposed to have an agenda…love people so that they’ll love God.  I’m beginning to realise that I need to be loving people because God loves us.

What about you?  Where do you fit into this?

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I’ve been thinking recently about communion and why we do it…so I wanted to share some thoughts with you…

I no longer think it’s enough to just do it, more that we understand WHY we do it.  There are so many aspects of our Christian life that we take for granted…we go to church, we sing, we pray, we fellowship, we listen to numerous sermons and we also take communion.

Perhaps we do these things SO often that the impact of what we’re doing starts to fade.  We no longer recognise the power that accompanies these aspects of our ‘walk’, and we end up getting complacent and blase’ about them.

After much scripture-searching a thought hit me.  The night of Jesus’ betrayal, in the Garden of Gethsemane Jesus prays “Father, if it be possible let this cup pass from me”.  However, we already know that Jesus went to the cross for our sins, so it makes perfect sense that there WAS no other way for our redemption to take place…Jesus HAD to die on the cross.

Put another way, if God knew all things before the beginning of time and knew of redemptions’ plan, then He already knew what it would cost him to redeem us.  Despite this he still carried out the plan.  Bear in mind that he cast out Satan and a third of the angels from heaven so that justice would be carried out, so he didn’t actually HAVE to save us…he CHOSE to.  Therefore, knowing this drives home the point:

God didn’t have to save or redeem us.  He could have cast us out on the basis of perfect justice (SOMEONE had to pay for our sins…it should have been us!) but instead he chose another to pay for our sins.  He knew it would be his son and he sent him anyway.

Now THATS grace!

So back onto the subject of communion and answering the question of why we do it.  Simply, we do it because it’s important to remember.  Jesus at the last supper instructed the disciples to “Do this in remembrance of me”, and there is no reason why we should stop.

In the busyness of our lives we need to pause sometimes and remember that all we have is given to us by grace.  We take the bread, remembering that someone had to pay for our sins…and Jesus took the punishment upon himself.  We take the wine, remembering that our sins are many (I know mine are!) and that Jesus’ blood paid the price for them all.  We remember because it’s important to remember.  We remember because this is our way of appreciating once again that it cost Jesus EVERYTHING.

So next time you’re taking communion, remember Jesus and remember the price that was paid.  He gave up everything for us, so that we could receive everything from him.

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What is the Prayer Room?

I've been using Seesmic as my main Twitter source for quite a while now, and I'm stunned as to how good it is.  I signed onto Twitter in June of last year, not really thinking that I would use it.  However, I forked out some money also last year and bought a HTC Hero, which has twitter integration.

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I find myself stuck in the middle of an on-going moral battle with my local store.  Believe me, I didnt really want to get involved in such a ‘campaign’ of sorts…really, I didn’t.

It began when the local store underwent refurbishment, and the ‘top shelf’ of the magazine stand ended up being no higher than my chest.  It’s really not that high in all honesty.  Upon re-opening, I noticed that they had started selling a lot of the latest ‘lad mags’, Nuts, Zoo, Loaded, etc.  I also noticed how explicit in image and text the magazines were.

It’s not that I was really shocked…I’d spent the first 19 years of my life immersed in these kinds of images, I guess as any young guy would be.  However, what struck me the most was simply how inappropriate the covers of these magazines were in relation to their height from the ground.  I am easily 6ft 4″, and the top shelf came no higher than my chest.  Additionally, none of the covers were wrapped in black wrappers to conceal them.

I found myself so annoyed that they would allow small children…young children to view these publications just as easily as they could read the comics.  Taking a moral and ethical standpoint I raised this with the store in question, but was told that they would simply “pass the message on”…hmmm!  Anyway, nothing changed after a couple of weeks, so I decided to get in touch with the store’s head office.  Yes, they seemed to be sympathetic to the issue at hand, and promised to make some changes.  They reversed the magazines on the display stand for a week…ummm, well that was it really!

Months have now passed and nothing has changed.  Ahhh, well some things have changed…the covers of the magazines continue to get more and more explicit.  The lastest features proudly display fully naked women almost kissing each other, with the title “girl on girl action”…or better still, a fully naked woman with the strapline “stone me”.  I’m not sure they realise how close to reality this would be in some countries!!

Listen, I’m a dad of 3 small kids and try as hard as I can to parent them well.  Within my home, I have jurisdiction as to what they watch, read, and listen to in an effort to help shape them into great kids / great adults.  Within the home I am able to steer them, direct them, instruct them and shape them to become all that they could be, whilst respecting those around them.  Yep, I get it wrong a lot of the time, but I try to do better the next time round.

However, what do you do when the world at large seems to go against what you’re teaching them?  How do I teach them that the objectification of women is a bad thing when all these magazines ’seem’ to show women enjoying themselves being photographed nude.  Even more than that, how do I teach them about a moral lifestyle when the media would seem to be setting a different agenda?

Seriously and simply put, how much change can one person really make when he KNOWS that these publications take the moral low-ground?  How can we affect change in this country when no-one will respond or listen to reason?

Thankfully, I’ve come across an organisation called, “The Front Page Campaign”.  I’ve been in contact recently to see what my options are in regards to affecting change in my community..I hope to get back some favourable information.  If you’re just as worried as me, then by all means take a look at http://www.thefrontpagecampaign.org.uk/

…see what you think!

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