Saturday, April 20, 2013

I Don't Have Time...

Some years a go now I arrived at my office and was called into a meeting.
My supervisor told me that management were concerned that I was not using my time wisely each day and maybe I was actually being lazy.
So over the next 3 weeks I was required to fill in a time sheet. This time sheet was so detailed and defined I had to note down everything for every few minutes of my working day.

So the time trial finished and I dutifully handed in all the data.
Days went by without any response from my supervisor.
Days turned into weeks...which turned into months. Nothing!

Over a year later when this person had left the business I asked management about the time trial thing I had completed, and they said that they knew nothing about it!
It seems the supervisor had been jealous of our different work loads and how I got my work done faster than she could. It all came down to this valuable thing we call 'time'.

These days I hear a common refrain...
"I don't have time..."

While lifestyles have undoubtedly changed we still have similar amounts of time.
You have the same 24 hours a day that everyone else gets.
What you do with those 24 hours says a lot about who you are or who you want to be.

While that supervisor did have some things wrong, their little test taught me something I still value to this day. By getting me to look at how I allocated my day I learnt how to value the time I do have. It inadvertently taught me how to manage time better.

So if you are a person who says...
"I don't have time..." 
"I don't have time to spend helping someone"
"I can't fit time with God into my day"
"There isn't time in each day to read any scripture"...
I would love to encourage you to log your days for a week or so...
Not because I am checking up on you. But because you may need to review how you are spending the time God has given you. Maybe you will find out some areas you could review and/or adjust to better make use of the time resource?

Your time is YOUR possession - not someone else's!
I think God would like us to make sure we use it the best we can.

Thinking to think about...and maybe look into?

Wednesday, April 17, 2013

Who Is He?


When you want to describe someone, you tell someone what they look like, what they do, what their personality is like...a whole bunch of things.
The better you know them, the more you can say or be able to refine how you say it. If you know someone real well you have some extra authority to what you say.
If you don't know them that well, most of us just share ideas and opinions based on all sorts of influences.

I think my wife Suze could probably tell anyone about me with authority.
We have known each other for over 20 years!
We got married in 1994, so she has nearly 2 decades of actually living with me most of those days that have followed.
She actually knows most of my thoughts. She knows all my motivations. She knows what I like to eat and what my favourite things to do are.
She can probably quote with a high level of accuracy my most important statements I have ever uttered.

I have heard of a guy called Barack Obama.
He is the President of a country. And all around the world many people have heard of his name. Most of the western world will see his image in the media most weeks of the year.
I think I know a little about him. He is married with 2 daughters. First african american president. That kind of thing...
But can I honestly say I really know him?
Can I truly say what he thinks and what he stands for?

You will have heard of someone called Jesus. And if you haven't I want you hear about Him.
One day Jesus asked the people who were closest to Him, who they thought He was. Here is an account of what they replied...
13 When Jesus came to the region of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples,“Who do people say the Son of Man is?” 14 They replied, “Some say John the Baptist; others say Elijah; and still others, Jeremiah or one of the prophets.”
15 “But what about you?” he asked. “Who do you say I am?” 16 Simon Peter answered, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.”
Matthew 16:13-16 niv

Those closest to Him could only recognise who He really was because they were closest to Him.
It wasn't rocket science then. And it still isn't rocket science now.

In light of all that is happening in the world right now.
With all the wars, famines, moral issues and debates, bombings, abuse, greed - the list is endless!
I have lost track of the numbers of people saying all sorts of things about Jesus who don't actually know Him that well.
They say He does this or that, thinks this and that...based on opinions and sometimes even what they hope He is like.

My challenge to you and me is simple...
We need to know who Jesus is more than ever before!
While things happen around us and beliefs and lives are shaken, the only thing that will get you through is how well you know Him.
Christ is supposed to be the rock, the foundation of our existence.
Not a neighbour or an acquaintance. Not a star or a seasonal celebrity.

Get to know Him - and your world will change...

Something to think about...

Wednesday, April 10, 2013

Over Sell


I think it is safe to say I am not the only one...
That feeling of being disappointed, when someone over sells you on something. When the reality of what you get isn't matched by the pitch that got you there.

I have a laundry list of examples from my own life, but here are a few to get your brain juices flowing a bit:

Burgers
One the biggest gripes I have had in the last 10 years is fast food places and the difference between the picture and the actual product.
It looks awesome and sometimes even nutritious. But when you unwrap your burger, it never matches the picture. Not even close.
The amount of product is always less than advertised!

Movies
Has anyone ever told you about a certain movie was amazing, but when you saw it, it really wasn't that amazing to you...

Sins
Most naughty stuff I have ever done seemed good, if bad...and eventually left a bad taste in my mouth.
Getting drunk years a go was kind of fun, but then visiting the porcelain telephone for hours after isn't!
Friends sold me on the fun of it...the reality came back to haunt me.

Church
You are maybe wondering why I threw this one in here?
Well, some people have over sold Church.
They have told others how amazing and wonderful and perfect it is to get people to come or to stay.
The reality is that Church is people. And people by nature have issues. So it can never be perfect in that sense.
Now I am ok with that personally. Church is one of my favourite things in the whole world. Jesus even said it would be the hope of this world.
Over sell is a recipe for disappointment for all of us.
When you promote the created over the creator, you risk a whole lot of trouble...

So what an I getting too here?

You and I are the same. We hate over sell!
It stinks. It leaves you disappointed. It makes you feel ripped off.

I think you have to realign yourself to avoid the pitfalls of others and their over sell techniques and plans.
Here is the rub...
Jesus has never over sold anything!
He said what He was going to do and He did it.
In the Gospels you never see him promise something to His disciples and not deliver.
He never told them that life would 'super fun' following Him...he simple offered them the opportunity.

Therefore for me the antidote to all this over sell rubbish is simple...
It is for me simply Jesus.
I fix my eyes on Him and I am not disappointed.
I put my trust in Him and I am not let down.
I give my all for Him and to Him and I am not ripped off...in fact I gain even more.

I don't think you can over sell Jesus, but you can over sell the side show and opinions!
Please don't let what others have over sold you on rob you of what Jesus wants to offer you.

Something to think about...

Tuesday, April 09, 2013

Momentum

While this isn't my usual way of publishing here, I thought you might like to see the video message we did for last Sunday.
We had some sync issues at times, but my hope is you get the general idea.


Wednesday, April 03, 2013

Fake


When I was a kid and staying at a friends house overnight, we decided it would be a good idea to raid the liquor cabinet.
We grabbed what looked like some whiskey to give it a try.
To our surprise it didn't taste anything like we thought it would.
And when we got caught...which was always bound to happen...we found out we had been drinking something called Claytons. A fake type of Whiskey.

A little later in life I became a teenager. And part of my teenage experience included a holiday with my Dad in Hawaii.
One day we went to the markets and I bought a fancy looking watch.
The problem with it was that every time your clapped your hands or it got some other sort of a jolt...it would reset to 00:00:00.
Not really that helpful when it comes to a watch. It was a fake!

Recently our culture to some degree decided to celebrate a little event called St Patricks Day.
People dress up in green. Some drank green beer. They drink a lot in many cases.
It is called St Patricks Day, named after a real person who existed a long time a go.
But the reality of this event and the reality of history don't match on any level. This Patrick guy was someone who came to Ireland to share the good news about Jesus. For them to stop living their lives worshipping fake gods and even getting drunk. He wanted something better for this people. And we have in turn created a day named after him, to do the complete opposite of what he was about.
You could even say the day might be kind of fake...

Isn't it kind of funny (sad I mean) that we live in a culture where fake does exist.
And even more sad that many prefer the fake to the real.

Jesus does not have this in mind for us.
He said that He wanted us to have life and all it fullness.
He came to open the blind eyes to and reveal truth.
He wants us to understand who God can be to us and His great plan for our lives.

As for me, I don't want fake.
I don't want fake activity disguised as good religion.
I want the the real that God has for me. I want to experience His power in and through my life.
What do you want? Real or Fake?
I leave that question with you...

Something to think about...