Wednesday, February 25, 2015

Being a bird on a back

I was simply riding along and I saw it...
Not far in the distance was a field. In the field were some cows.
And one particalur cow had a bird on its back...
Why was it there?
What was the plan?
Did the cow mind the free rider?
Maybe silly questions? But questions I pondered quickly as the pedals continued to turn.

I actually thought it was kind of cute.
Here was this smaller creature coming to rest and put their trust in something far bigger than them.
And then it hit me...
Maybe God wants to be my cow, when I feel like a bird?

I am not trying to be silly at all! It is a spiritual truth that I realised again travelling on my two wheels. God wants to be big for me. And I actually need Him to be big for me.
He promises me that I can rest, can trust, can rely on Him.
That He will carry me in the shadow of His wings.
That He is the solid rock on which I can stand.

So little bird, you taught me something and I am thankful for your cheeky reminder.
I am going to be a bird on the back of my God.
That is where I want to be, where I need to be, and where I intend to stay.

Something to think about...

Wednesday, February 18, 2015

I Needed Directions

Before we moved to Taupo I regularly used to do stair climb repeats at Eastern Beach in Auckland. From memory I worked my way up to 12 sets each session.
As I needed to be in the area for some meetings, I planned to check it all out again.  And at the very least I thought it would add some variety to my normal training week.

But here was the issue...
I started off running along the road towards the end of the esplanade. When I got to the end I headed up a part that appeared to weave its way around behind a school on top of a hill. As I reached that area I quickly realised I had no idea where the path was taking me!
Would I get lost?
Would it take me so long to work my back to the beach that I missed my next appointment?
I made the decision to keep moving forward and that when I came across someone, that I would ask for directions.

Eventually I came across two old guys. I simply asked if the path would lead me to where I wanted and they said yes, but without much confidence in their tone.
So I keep going and 2km later I found a couple who had a dog and looked fit. Asked them the same question and they told me to keep going on the same direction I was.

As I carried on my running journey several thoughts crossed my mind...

1. When you are on a journey where you know where you want to go, but are unsure of truly how to get there, you do need others to help you along the path.
I think our spiritual journey is just like that!
We need others who have some better knowledge of the path to coach us along. We should never be afraid to ask for great advice.

2. Even with the advice I was still not 100% they were right!
Even after 2 different groups of people had advised me, I still had a little part of me lacking confidence in their advice. What if they wrong? What if I misinterpreted the advice?
That reminds me about the 'faith' aspect of our spiritual journey.
That no matter how much good advice we get, we still need to have faith that we will make it as planned. Faith does not equal complete comfort, but it offers the right measure of confidence, hope and direction to get you where God needs you to be.

Something to think about...

Tuesday, February 10, 2015

I dare you...again

Occasionally I throw a dare or two out there via this blog...
I have a new one today if you are up to the challenge???

As a Church Family this March we are about to explore together a book of the Bible simply called Romans. It is a great book, but takes a bit of reading/study for people to grapple with it completely.
There are the 'popular' scriptures that once discovered, we all like to quote, and also a few others that we can potentially wrestle a little more with...
Paul wrote it to Romans.
Roman culture is part of our culture today, so it seems to me worth diving into. Worth digging out some truths for our Church Family. Helping us all learn how to apply what we can discover to our lives…
I actually hope it stirs debate, revelation and action in all our lives!

So what is this dare you may ask?
That you join me and others reading Romans before and during this teaching series.
16 jam packed chapters of God's Word awaits you if you are up to the challenge???
And as you read it, mull it over, take notes, debate it among your friends, ask questions of God about it, ask others.

Let's see God impact us through His Word from now until the end of the series!

Who'se in?



Wednesday, February 04, 2015

What do you do?

In the last 24 hours so many things have happened...
- Walking home from one of the kids schools I had a dangerous dog sniffing around my ankles, making me nervous about whether I was its breakfast!
- Reading about a certain city council blocking bulk protest emails so that the staff/councillors don't have to read peoples opinions!
- Read an article that says that having sexual desire, no matter what orientation is simply something you are born with (with reference to pedophilia)!
- Seeing a report that a group threw someone off a building because because they didn't agree with their lifestyle. To make it worse, when he miraculously survived the fall they gathered around him and stoned him to death!
- Found out a friend has been diagnosed with cancer!
...I could go on and on....

What do you do?

Vent your spleen on social media?
Medicate yourself so you don't feel it anymore?
Bury yourself in work or a hobby hoping it goes away?
Go on a shooting rampage?

If you have read any other blog from me you will be smart enough to know that they are not things I recommend!

Here are some options to consider:

Pause
I have found that 9 times out of 10 the best course of action is to pause for a moment and think about what the 'next thing' may be, as opposed to just being the 'next thing'.
Giving yourself a chance to breath means you are more likely to respond the best way.

Proverbs tells us that the wise hold their tongue, not 'flap it' reacting with it.
Consider your move before you make a move...and yes, there is probably a move you can make...

Pray
Praying does more than get things off your chest or let God know how you are feeling!
I have found that though prayer I am better able to navigate my thoughts over what I am facing. Many times I have found myself journeying through the matter as I prayed, coming to conclusions and thoughts that seem more in line with God's plan.
Prayer seems to help position your heart better than when we are left to our own devices.

Proceed (with caution)
The Bible goes to great lengths to tell us what we can be/should be. Never have I found it to say that we should be protestors or procrastinators.
Protesting is the domain of others, not God's people.
And when He brings something to our attention, it is not a call to fence sitting.

I read things like these:
That we are called to the ministry of reconciliation.
That we are called to be the Church, which is the hope of the world.
That we are called to be the Salt and Light in the world.

So whatever you find winding you up this week...
How about consider the P's and see if that helps you navigate, reconcile, move through that thing just a little better?

Something to think about...