STICKS AND STONES

Sticks and stones

And broken bones

And terrorists and mobile phones

And babies cry alone

Children play

And mothers pray

Their children will be suicide bombers

Its a strange world

We live in desperate times

The lines of right and wrong

Have all been redrawn

And suicide means – taking sides

For some its just another day

To hide To pretend

To say, “Its gonna be alright”

Knowing nothings right

And never will be

Till the guns stop

And soldiers go home

And poppies fall

In Albert Hall

And all around is silent

No one speaks a word.

The article below is based on Christ inviting us into the desert place – to the place of testing, not so that we can fail but rather so that we can be toughened up to face the many difficulties that present themselves to us in our lives. Here is the audio version that people will hear on Sunday on the MP3 players. It is an edited version of the meditation below. I want to say a big thanks to Alec shuttleworth who came over during the week to record it, and of course thanks to Rae for her editorial skills. Both Rae and Alec added to the meditation. a lot Oh and James make you comment again so that we can get folks taking up the challenge! AUDIO

Come with me

Leave all this behind

Just for a short time

I know what your thinking

What is this place?

Where am I going?

I’m going to help you to

take the discipleship challenge

I heard you say you wanted to move to a new place

You said you wanted to find a cross shaped space in your life

`I wonder if you really meant what you prayed

I know you’re very busy

Watch your footing

There’s a huge

Chasm on your left

Lots of loose stones

Falling debris

Its easy to drop

Ideas

Hopes

And even dreams

In this place

Once they fall over the edge

They’re gone

Can I say something to you

When you move round the corner

I will have to leave you on your own

Look I’ll be with you

But you won’t see me

You have to face your own struggle

You know there is a voice of evil in this place

Within you

When it speaks you can choose to obey it

Or challenge it

If you do nothing

You will end up obeying the voice

Keep your eyes on the path

Don’t try to see my face

We will meet one day

But Its my feet

you need to look after at the moment

Feet washing is something I’m into

Just follow my footprints.

Come closer

I want you to hear this

I don’t want you ro misunderstand.

There are basically three fundamental temptations

And I suppose seven deadly sins

These are common to every human being

In life – its as simple as that

You humans are not all that complicated

I made you I should know

Funny complete things often come in 3s and 7s

Anyway

You have choices to make

It boils down to

Popularity

Wealth

And

Love of self

Discipleship is all about

Serving others and denying self interest

Do you know the problem with most relationships?

People love themselves

Their image

Their look

Their sexuality

Their singleness

Their definition as sexual beings

The greatest denial of love

Is to make love to yourself

It is to exclude the other

The greatest lie is to believe

You must love yourself first

Before you love another

The truth is if you love yourself

You will leave no room to love another

Discipleship turns everything on its head

Makes for an upside down world

It suggests its only when you love another first

That you come to love the self

You know It sounds impossible to love someone

You don’t know – but its not

True love is not based on knowledge

Its based on unconditional acceptance

To truly love is to make that someone

An indispensible part of your being

It is to deny self love

And embrace service

It is to lose yourself and find your meaning

In caring for an unknown child

An unknown beggar

An unknown person

Your about to turn the corner

Get ready to make

Your choices

It’s strange isn’t it?
We all do it.
We make excuses
I mean we use our
Perceived weakness
Like a barrier
to keep people out.
To hide from ourselves.
We use
the things
the feelings
the attitudes
we have inherited
to define us.
Then we say
Sorry I can’t
I’m hopeless
I’m different from you
I’m not educated
I’m poor
I ‘m schizophrenic
I’m homosexual
I’m single
I’m married
I’m just a partner
I’m working
I’m tired
I’m not in charge
I’d love to but ..
I can’t

Its strange isn’t it
Something
Clicks and you
Simply change
You do something
You go out on a limb
You make a promise
You give something away
That’s what I did
I literally gave my poverty away
I opened my purse
I gave all I possessed to God
I can still hear it clinking in the box
Two little pennies
I had no more excuses left
I gave my weakness away
I walked through
A cross spaced shape
Into freedom.

Recently I’ve been reflecting upon the whole notion of confidence.  We mere mortals need to be more humble as we pass through time into eternity. Especially those of the evangelical kind. Sometimes we can act as though we know everything, or we can give that impression. We leave no room for doubt or those who might want to question.

Dare I say it, I’m sure when growing up I was even part of that merry band. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying we cannot speak of what we have come to understand with a certain amount of confidence. Peter  in his epistle tells us to be ready to give a reason for the hope that we have deep within us.

I’m simply saying we need to remember, we don’t see or understand the complete picture. We  only see through a glass darkly, as Paul says in Corinthians 13. Anyway here are some musing on the topic. While You read  have a listen to ” Gabrel’s Oboe, “Gabriel’s Oboe” from the Mission. I find this piece of music has a wonderful reassuring quality saying all will be well.

TIME ETERNITY ON THE TANNOY

To be standing in the midst of chaos

Like a traveller passing through the night

To feel there’ll be no tomorrow

If you don’t get on the next flight

An announcement on the tannoy

Tries to re-assure your mind

But the voice is so familiar

You  could be listening to yourself

To be walking in the midst of protest

Like a prophet fool of doubt

To know there will be a judgement

Even if the Jury’s out

Then you read a headline in the newspaper

Of what you dreamt the night before

And it sounded so familiar

Like the opening of a door

To be stumbling on the edge of freedom

Like a blind man gaining sight

To take one step forward

And begin dancing in the light

And a voice like a thousand rivers

Roars a welcome not yet heard

And etermity spins in silence

Leaving time to close the door