Is this ever how you feel, weighed down by the task that lies ahead, uncertain what the future holds, snowed under by the sheer volume of information to assimilate and process??? If you so then phew…. i’m not on my own. The world we live in breeds this feeling day and daily in our lives : whether it’s work deadlines, relationship strains, health problems, information overload none of us are averse to this sense of helplessness. And for this web 2.0, net savvy, dot-com generation the sheer volume of information seems like a waterfall overpowering us at times with RSS feeds to read, Status updates to check, Emails to process, SMS messages to send, MP3’s to download, box sets to watch…………….
As U2 put it so eloquently, sometimes it seems like there’s “No line on the Horizon”.
And it’s into this chaos of life, this volume of noise, this endless cycle of pressures and to-do-lists, that the still small voice of God calls us to himself, urging us to rest in Him, lay our burdens at the foot of the cross if only we would take the time and Pause, Reflect, Listen, Be……..
Matthew 11:28-29 (MSG) “Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? Come to me. Get away with me and you’ll recover your life. I’ll show you how to take a real rest. Walk with me and work with me—watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won’t lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. Keep company with me and you’ll learn to live freely and lightly.”
So for me it’s time to listen to that still small voice, to pause, to reflect, to BE……… How about you?
If you haven’t heard of this you’ve gotta check it out, laminin : a molecular cell adhesion molecule that is the glue holding together protein molecules in the body. Sounds very grand, but it’s one of those things you’ve gotta see to totally grasp and be blown away by
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Look familiar? Right at the core of our identity is the cross, amazing. For some more thoughts on this check out Louis Gigilio’s talk on youtube.
What are the influences that shape and mould my life?
On what is my identity founded?
These are some of the things i’ve been pondering in recent weeks as I prepare for sharing a few thoughts on this theme at our youth service at church next week. Identity is a huge thing in life, something that shapes many of life’s decisions big and small – we all want to feel like we belong, we have purpose, we are valued and significant. And I guess as I’ve thought through some of the things that give us a sense of Identity, it comes down to what others think about us : status/popularity/success/money/image…..
These words found in verse 17 of Colossians 1 have captivated me somewhat, speaking of Jesus: “He is before all things, and in him all things hold together.” These words speak of how our lives without Christ are missing something, He is the glue that holds our lives together, our Identity centres on Him, and without Him our lives fall apart. Other things in life : money/popularity/success/status : they’re all temporary and fail to satisfy the longing in our heart. Our hearts are restless until they find rest in Him.
So where is your identity found, something i’m pondering along the journey at present, what about you? Feel free to comment below and share thoughts and viewpoints.
Gotta love a freebie – just downloaded the Coldplay album leftrightleftrightleft, listening to it now and loving the live vibe off it. Getting something for nothing is pretty awesome – so if you haven’t got it yet i’d recommend you pop by and make the most of it.
What are you building your life on? What matters in life? What are you living for? These are all pretty foundational questions we all probably ponder over at some stage in life. Money, success, happiness, popularity……. All viable options, but is there more to life? When storms come and shake the foundations of life, do they crumble and fall, or are they sure and firm?
All these questions i’ve pondered over at different stages of life, struggling through questions and frustrations as life has taken it’s twists and turns, high’s and low’s. And this easter is a time to re-visit some of these ponderings. Mark 16:6 tells us one of the foundational blocks of the Christian faith “He has risen!”, and Paul reminds us in Corinthians the importance of this fact when he states “And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins.”
Throughout the gospels we are presented with evidence of the life, death and resurrection of the person of Jesus Christ, his ultimate purpose being to rescue rebels like me from the grip of sin and it’s eternal consequences. The recent Christianity Explored course I’ve been involved in taking has explored some of this evidence through the lens of the gospel of Mark.
Maybe this easter time you may want to spend some moments, as I have been, pondering these things. Ultimately what you do with the person of Jesus Christ is the single most important decision you will make in this life, on what you will build the foundation of your life. The bible, especially the gospels that outline the life of Jesus demand a response. As C S Lewis puts it in his book Mere Christianity “Either this man was, and is, the Son of God: or else a madman or something worse.”
So I’ve chosen to build my life on this foundation, that “because He lives, I can face tomorrow”. What about you this easter time?
The lyrics of this song have came to mind many times in recent months, one line in particular actually : “Just prayed to a God that I don’t believe in”. Kinda got me thinking abit about prayer, and our approach to it, and societies opinion about prayer and God I guess. As a Christian who believes there is a God, and who has experienced the forgiveness of Christ, enabling me to be in a living relationship with the God of all creation through him, what significance does prayer take in my life? Do I believe that God “hears and answers” my prayers? Do I believe in the power of prayer? I’ve been challenged about my attitude to prayer, and it’s place in my journey of faith thus far : something I’ve been looking together at with our young people at our breakfast club, using the resources from the youth awake call to prayer happening during the period of lent.
So what’s your thoughts on prayer, feel free to leave a comment…
Well it’s been a while since I updated this thing, facebook and twitter are updated abit more frequently, but this blog has become abit of a barren land. Since i’m on a day off work, thought i’d jot down a few thoughts here for anyone who’s interested. 2009 has started as hectic as 2008 finished, but life is good : another year older this past week – retirement looms closer by the day!! Still carrying out some follow up to the mission we held back in October, have completed the Christianity Explored with our young people, and a will complete the adults course this Sunday. Has been a busy time preparing weekly for this, but a real time of blessing I trust for all involved – fun, food, faith and fellowship make a good mix. Looking ahead i’m hoping to start a conversation in coming months with church leaders, youth leaders, young people and parents about the youthwork we are doing, and hoping to develop abit of a strategy of where we go from here. Exciting times, scary concept at times, but an opportune time to carry it out, and God willing direct and focus us in the days ahead. In a rapidly changing world we often need to stop from our activity and ask the difficult questions of why/how/where/when we proclaim the never changing truth of the Gospel of Christ in a constantly changing world that is normality to our children and young people.
So thats what’s been going on, and abit of what will be lying ahead God willing, will attempt afresh to breathe some life into this dying blog again, and record my musings as I seek to make sense of this new found faith in the world I am experiencing.
A belated Happy New Year, a week and abit into January and I thought i’d better post something to try and keep this blog alive. Christmas was a restful and enjoyable break from what’s been a pretty hectic time, which was nice. It’s back to busy again which I really don’t like as much, but sometimes there are seasons of life that are just like that. I am attempting to maintain a more balanced rhythm amidst the busyness, but am already wondering how I’ll maintain it over a few busy weeks ahead. Have been asked to speak with our elders in church about our youthwork, the challenges we face, and where we go from here. It’s encouraging, if somewhat daunting, but hopefully a step in the right direction into developing a more strategic approach to connecting with a generation / society.
Proverbs 3:5-6 (MSG)
“Trust God from the bottom of your heart; don’t try to figure out everything on your own.
Listen for God’s voice in everything you do, everywhere you go; he’s the one who will keep you on track.”
Well it’s been a while since I last updated the old blog, monthly postings of late as life’s got busy again. Really looking forward to abit of a break this christmas time, youthwork finishing for a few weeks after Carol singing tonight, and life in general slowing down God willing over this Christmas period.
Things recently have been pretty manic, and I think this Christmas time will be a time of stepping back, and re-establishing the rhythm God intends for life. I too easily fall into the trap of being busy doing stuff for God that I allow my relationship with God and those I love most to suffer, and thats not healthy on a spiritual of physical level. Pausing to reflect isn’t something that comes naturally to me, but something i’m learning (slowly) is necessary to maintain the rhythm God intends for life, stepping back from the rat-race.
