Jesus tells a Parable about a man,
who will be
called Greece,
who was burdened by billions of Euro worth of debt, and he had
defaulted.
There was nothing he could do,
no referendums,
no negotiating
tables,
just debt and no way to pay it.
He was called up for it.
Heading into
the European Central Bank office he knew he was in trouble. He pleaded with Mario
Draghi (President of the ECB) to give him more time and not kick him out of the Euro.
Having mercy on
the man in tonnes of debt, the entire debt was written off!
There was no way
the man could pay it, but there was kindness and mercy shown to him.
Later on
the same day, Greece met Germany who owed him some rent money since World War
II (supposedly),
when Germany said she couldn’t pay, Greece made Nazi posters and posted them
on the Internet of Germany, publicly shaming her.
The European Central Bank got
wind of the story and brought Greece back to another meeting.
Greece was told
that even though all their debt had been written off, the ECB was disappointed
with Greece for what they had done to Germany,
"Don't you know what you put on the Internet stays there forever?" Mario asked Greece. "All your debt was forgiven, but you could not pay it forward, and humiliated Germany. You wicked, wicked man."
Consequentially, Greece was forced to bring in reforms that created more austerity and worse conditions for living, until all the debt was paid off.
- Matthew 18: 24-34
Wednesday, 22 July 2015
Friday, 10 April 2015
Should Christians Vote Yes in May?
I clearly no longer agree with a younger, dumber, slightly brainwashed version of myself. But I wanted to leave this here so people can see how humans and knowledge and acceptance can develop in an individual.
I have thought and prayed about the issue of the referendum on the 22nd of May 2015. I have thought and prayed about what I, personally, would vote; what I think about the entire issue; what I think other people should vote; etc. etc. For some time now I have come to some conclusions and for some time I have been debating putting them on this blog.
Previously I have written a post titled "TotD: Why I'm Against Gay Marriage", which can be found on: http://waveysthoughts.blogspot.ie/2013/05/totd-why-im-against-gay-marriage.html. This post will nearly sound contradictory to that previous post. However, it is looking at things from a different perspective, I believe. I still stick by the majority of what I have said there.
The main [Christian] objections against Same-Sex Marriage are as follows:
- The Bible condemns homosexuality.
- Think of the children!
- Marriage is a symbol of Christ and the Church, it is a religious institution from God and should only be between one man and one woman. Same-Sex Marriages (SSM) destroy the sanctity of marriage.
- Religious liberty...
I will try and deal briefly with the first two of these but the third is the one I want to spend the most time on. The fourth may have to be its own post and I have sort of dealt with it before in "Response to the Asher Bakery vs Equality Commission.", which can be found at: http://waveysthoughts.blogspot.ie/2014/07/response-to-asher-bakery-vs-equality.html
1. Does the Bible condemn homosexuality? Should that change how I vote?
Yes, the Bible does in fact condemn homosexuality. It condemns it in all its forms; going as far as to use words that are understood as the male person in a homosexual relationship that gives and the one who takes... Sorry for the imagery.
Yes, the Bible does in fact condemn homosexuality. It condemns it in all its forms; going as far as to use words that are understood as the male person in a homosexual relationship that gives and the one who takes... Sorry for the imagery.
Based on the above should a Christian vote 'no'?
I don't think this fact has any bearing on what to vote in the referendum in May.
Firstly, if you personally have a problem with homosexuality and you think it is wrong, then don't be homosexual [I know it's not that simple, I don't want to get into it more here]. But really, how does a couple of young men, or a couple of young women getting married affect you personally? Yes, it affects them, yes as a Christian I believe that there are serious consequences for people who chose to ignore God [in any and every issue] and live their lives their own way, and yes there is a responsibility to warn people of the things that lie ahead if they keep on this pathway of ignoring God.
However, you cannot force Christian beliefs on non-Christians. We cannot make peoples' choices for them. As the cliched saying goes: "God's law for God's people." Christians cannot, and should not, expect people who do not share our beliefs and convictions to share our rules; where they are not also the laws of the State.
I get that it is a scary time for "Christendom". Christians have been in power in European society for many centuries; it has only been in the most recent ones that the power of the Church has begun to decline.
This terrifies Christians, however, we have to remember that for the first three centuries of the Christian Church it was the minority in society, and it flourished. People said it would die out, be wiped out, etc. It wasn't! The acceptance of Christianity by the Roman Empire is probably one of the worst things that happened to the church, as it opened the doors for people to join the church who didn't believe in Jesus or give a monkeys about any Christian beliefs or doctrines, but had to because of fear of punishment from the Emperor.
Christians see the decline in Christian influence on society as steps backwards, however, "every crisis is also an opportunity", and instead of focusing on "maintaining the status quo" Christians should be asking what "new thing" is God doing in this new day, and how can Christianity be relevant in it.
With that said, Christians need to see a separation between society and the church, a separation that hasn't really existed for a long time; but certainly does now.
Therefore, I don't see the biblical understanding of homosexuality as a reason for voting no.
2. Think of the children!
Another big argument I have heard, from both Christians and non-Christians, against SSM is the children, and how they need both a male and a female parent. Many arguments have been made against this, it is not my interest to present them or join in the debate on their side. In my previous posting, listed above, item three is about children. I abide by that statement, it is my own personal conviction.
However,
The issue of adoption and artificial insemination or surrogacies is not an issue that even comes into the referendum on 22nd of May. Many people, who really should do some reading before they vote, think it is.
In reality, you are not voting on the issues in the paragraph above. Unfortunately, Christian, you don't get a say in whether a homosexual couple are allowed to adopt children, or 'have' children at all. Believe it or not the President is about to sign all those things you are freaking out about into law, it will be law whether you vote yes or no.
You see, earlier in the year the Government brought forward what is called "The Children and Family Relationships" Bill. This grants homosexual couples rights of adoption and clears up some things about surrogacy and artificial insemination and all that jazz.
I think you know where this is going:
Therefore, the issue of the redefinition of the family, and the rights of gay people to "have" or adopt children is not relevant to the referendum this May. It should not come into your decision whether to vote yes or no.
There is no reason, based on convictions about what you think could happen to children brought up by two parents of the same-sex, to vote no in the referendum in May.
3. Marriage is a symbol of Christ and the Church, it is a religious institution from God and should only be between one man and one woman. Same-Sex Marriages (SSM) destroy the sanctity of marriage.
Finally, on to the main reason for writing this blog. Thanks for sticking with it.
The Sanctity of Marriage.
Again, I must reiterate my complete agreement with the Christian doctrine of the sanctity of marriage and express the importance of what a marriage is, how it is seen by God, and what it is a picture of.
In his book Is God Anti-Gay? [one of the best books I have read on the topic of homosexuality and Christianity, and written by someone who knows what they are talking about, and it's only 90 pages] Sam Allberry talks about why he doesn't agree with gay marriage.
He says: “Human marriage is a reflection of this supreme, heavenly marriage between Christ and his people. It is one of the reasons why Christians are resistant to allowing marriage to be defined in such a way as to include gay couples. A man and a man, or a woman and a woman, cannot reflect the union of Christ and the church, instead only reflecting Christ and Christ or church and church.” (22-3)
^Just so we are clear, I agree with him. I loved this so much that I took the time to type it out as I thought it would be useful later; and it was :D
So, here's the big revelation I have had recently, the thing I want to share with you all:
Christians see the decline in Christian influence on society as steps backwards, however, "every crisis is also an opportunity", and instead of focusing on "maintaining the status quo" Christians should be asking what "new thing" is God doing in this new day, and how can Christianity be relevant in it.
With that said, Christians need to see a separation between society and the church, a separation that hasn't really existed for a long time; but certainly does now.
Therefore, I don't see the biblical understanding of homosexuality as a reason for voting no.
2. Think of the children!
Another big argument I have heard, from both Christians and non-Christians, against SSM is the children, and how they need both a male and a female parent. Many arguments have been made against this, it is not my interest to present them or join in the debate on their side. In my previous posting, listed above, item three is about children. I abide by that statement, it is my own personal conviction.
However,
The issue of adoption and artificial insemination or surrogacies is not an issue that even comes into the referendum on 22nd of May. Many people, who really should do some reading before they vote, think it is.
In reality, you are not voting on the issues in the paragraph above. Unfortunately, Christian, you don't get a say in whether a homosexual couple are allowed to adopt children, or 'have' children at all. Believe it or not the President is about to sign all those things you are freaking out about into law, it will be law whether you vote yes or no.
You see, earlier in the year the Government brought forward what is called "The Children and Family Relationships" Bill. This grants homosexual couples rights of adoption and clears up some things about surrogacy and artificial insemination and all that jazz.
I think you know where this is going:
Therefore, the issue of the redefinition of the family, and the rights of gay people to "have" or adopt children is not relevant to the referendum this May. It should not come into your decision whether to vote yes or no.
There is no reason, based on convictions about what you think could happen to children brought up by two parents of the same-sex, to vote no in the referendum in May.
3. Marriage is a symbol of Christ and the Church, it is a religious institution from God and should only be between one man and one woman. Same-Sex Marriages (SSM) destroy the sanctity of marriage.
Finally, on to the main reason for writing this blog. Thanks for sticking with it.
The Sanctity of Marriage.
Again, I must reiterate my complete agreement with the Christian doctrine of the sanctity of marriage and express the importance of what a marriage is, how it is seen by God, and what it is a picture of.
In his book Is God Anti-Gay? [one of the best books I have read on the topic of homosexuality and Christianity, and written by someone who knows what they are talking about, and it's only 90 pages] Sam Allberry talks about why he doesn't agree with gay marriage.
He says: “Human marriage is a reflection of this supreme, heavenly marriage between Christ and his people. It is one of the reasons why Christians are resistant to allowing marriage to be defined in such a way as to include gay couples. A man and a man, or a woman and a woman, cannot reflect the union of Christ and the church, instead only reflecting Christ and Christ or church and church.” (22-3)
^Just so we are clear, I agree with him. I loved this so much that I took the time to type it out as I thought it would be useful later; and it was :D
So, here's the big revelation I have had recently, the thing I want to share with you all:
Civil Marriage is not the same thing as a Church Marriage.
In case you didn't get that, voting yes in May will not damage the sanctity of marriage. If you think that it does you are still living in a time when you think church and state aren't separate and you haven't yet 'divorced' them in your head.
Civil marriages have long ago ruined the sanctity of marriage. Take the below image as an extreme example of such:
Okay, if this blog wasn't controversial enough for you, it gets worse.
My belief is that every Christian could vote yes, or abstain from voting, without any conscience issues [I don't see any benefit in voting no, and I question the morality behind someone who would, having understood all that is contained in this post, besides for point 4 reasons]. Christian ministers, preachers and pastors should then opt to leave the civil registrars of solemnisers. [This is not the word sodomiser, in case anyone is getting irate at seeing it, a solemniser is someone registered in Ireland to conduct civil marriage ceremonies, the other is a derogatory term for a homosexual. It is not the latter I am using.]
For a long time, there has been a distinction between a Christian marriage and a civil one; perhaps it is time to make that distinction even clearer and a church leader should marry people in the eyes of God and the church, and a civil registrar could marry someone in the eyes of the State. I know, for a lot of smaller Christian churches in Ireland, that up until recently this was the case; I believe my own parents' wedding was conducted as such. Would it really be that difficult to go back to that system?
If we believe in the sanctity of marriage, as Christians keep talking about, then we should respect marriage enough to have nothing to do with civil marriages; which, whether heterosexual or homosexual, have been known to damage the sanctity of marriage [not that Christian ones don't as well].
This would also stop the foreseeable problem for ministers and church leaders when this referendum does return a yes vote [which it will, don't lie to yourself], of a church leader being asked to conduct an SSM, as they are on the list of registered solumnisers. They won't be on the list, so there is no problem.
Okay, but they are calling them 'Same-Sex Marriages", surely as Christians we cannot stand for that term being used for such a thing... and if we follow what you are outlining here, surely we should start campaigning for all civil marriages to drop the term marriage. Should that be our campaign?
If you feel very strongly about the damage to the sanctity of marriage that an SSM or a civil marriage is doing then I suggest a change of wording or terminology is required. However, marriage and wedding are English translations of biblical terms that are much older.
If you feel strongly about the word, perhaps it should be the original words you feel strongly about, not their translation.
Allow the State to have the words wedding and marriage. Let the Christian church, now pulled out from all civil marriages, instead use the Greek terms Gamos. [If it is that important to you].
Is the sanctity of marriage a reason to vote no in May?
Nope.
Should Christians do something to distinguish Christian marriages from Civil ones in order to protect the sanctity of marriage?
Yup:
- Separate from the civil distribution of marriage, creating a clear distinction.
- Do not Gamos couples in your church 'willy-nilly' as some Churches have a tendency to.
- Teach about the meaning of Gamos so that people will understand and will not enter into marriage lightly.
4. Religious Liberty.
I have one hesitation to voting yes in the referendum this May. That is religious liberty. If a yes is the outcome can a registered solemniser refuse to conduct a SSM if it is against their personal, and churches, religious convictions? Can someone who is not a church leader, but works as a Civil registrar?
These things are not being made clear, and are the things I would like to have cleared up. Is there a conscience clause in this referendum? I don't believe someone who does not agree with a wedding, be it between a couple of the opposite sex or the same-sex should have to conduct their wedding.
Were I a pastor I would not conduct the wedding of my non-Christian [or Christian] friends or congregants who have been cohabiting and sleeping together, unless they came to a point of repentance and understood that their actions were wrong [and they understood the thing they were entering into], nor would I conduct the wedding of two people of the same-sex. This, I believe, should be the attitude of the entire Christian community when it comes to weddings.
To a civil registrar I see the difficulties, but perhaps a clear distinction between marriage under God and a civil marriage would ease issues of conscience on providing a civil marriage for a Same-sex couple.
In Summary:
The reasons Christians have been giving for voting no, and opposing the same-sex referendum on 22nd of May 2015 are not valid ones, in least in what I can see.
The "Children and Family Relationships" Bill is legislating for gay couples to adopt and "have" children and so should not form part of the debate about the 22nd of May. Therefore the result of the referendum will not be a redefinition of 'the family'.
The sanctity of marriage is in tatters anyway. The Christian church needs to clean it up, and no amount of shouting at society that doesn't care what we say will do that. We need to remove the log from our own eye, treat marriage with the respect it deserves within the church first, before we can point to something like SSM destroying the sanctity of marriage. We need to distinguish Christian marriage from both opposite sex and same-sex Civil Marriages.
Questions about religious freedom, not about issues not pertaining to the referendum in May, need to be asked.
Do I advocate a yes?
Not necessarily. I don't understand why you would vote no, in my head it seems futile and pointless, and perhaps even cruel. This issue is to do with equal rights, in the eyes of the State, for our fellow citizens. It is wrong to oppress them, but it is also wrong to think of what they will be doing on the same level as a marriage between a man and a woman under God. So...
I am advocating an abstention, at the very least, if you can't vote yes. I am also advocating a clearing up of the results on religious freedom a yes vote will have, instead of an argument about things not pertaining to the bill; and I am advocating some thought put into the idea of marriage [from a Christian perspective].
Now, can we finally focus on the more important referendum coming in May? The changing of the age to run for President from 35 to 21; that has results that will effect us all more than this Same-Sex Marriage one... The next President of Ireland could be some young 'whipper-snapper'.
Wednesday, 3 December 2014
The McMass Project (the McDonaldization of the Church)
Recently, there appeared on Facebook the following video
Since this was uploaded others have been talking about the success of having a Starbuck's coffee in their church building.
In Calvary, since I started going pretty much, we've been going through the books of Samuel (with a break for Christmas, 1 Thessalonians and 11 weeks of Psalms called mixtape.) This past week we have been looking at 2 Samuel 6, and I feel like it has something to say about the McDonaldization of the Church, to steal John Drane's phrase, though I am sure when he wrote his book he didn't even foresee someone suggesting opening a McDonalds in the actual church!
"David again gathered all the chosen men of Israel, thirty thousand. And David arose and went with all the people who were with him from Baale-judah to bring up from there the ark of God, which is called by the name of the LORD of hosts who sits enthroned on the cherubim. And they carried the ark of God on a new cart and brought it out of the house of Abinadab, which was on the hill. And Uzzah and Ahio, the sons of Abinadab, were driving the new cart, with the ark of God, and Ahio went before the ark.
And David and all the house of Israel were celebrating before the LORD, with songs and lyres and harps and tambourines and castanets and cymbals. And when they came to the threshing floor of Nacon, Uzzah put out his hand to the ark of God and took hold of it, for the oxen stumbled. And the anger of the LORD was kindled against Uzzah, and God struck him down there because of his error, and he died there beside the ark of God. And David was angry because the LORD had broken out against Uzzah. And that place is called Perez-uzzah to this day. And David was afraid of the LORD that day, and he said, “How can the ark of the LORD come to me?” So David was not willing to take the ark of the LORD into the city of David. But David took it aside to the house of Obed-edom the Gittite. And the ark of the LORD remained in the house of Obed-edom the Gittite three months, and the LORD blessed Obed-edom and all his household.
And it was told King David, “The LORD has blessed the household of Obed-edom and all that belongs to him, because of the ark of God.” So David went and brought up the ark of God from the house of Obed-edom to the city of David with rejoicing. And when those who bore the ark of the LORD had gone six steps, he sacrificed an ox and a fattened animal. And David danced before the LORD with all his might. And David was wearing a linen ephod. So David and all the house of Israel brought up the ark of the LORD with shouting and with the sound of the horn."
(2 Samuel 6:1-15 ESV)
In the above episodes from 2nd Samuel we see two attempts at bringing the Ark of the Covenant to Jerusalem. In the first attempt to move the Ark King David, in his hastiness, followed the most recent practice, that of the Philistines. In 1 Samuel the Ark is captured in a battle and the Philistines have it for some time but God proves Himself better than their god, Dagon, and they start getting tumours, so they send the Ark of the Covenant back to Israel on a cart.
Mike (Neglia, teaching pastor, Calvary Cork for those who don't know), mentioned that it was like David knew about this and decided it would be faster to carry the Ark by cart then on some people's backs and he adopted the Philistine practice into the worship of the people of Israel, in a way God had said not to. The result: disaster, Uzzah died.
So, later on they try it again. This time though, David follows all of the proper procedures, he has the right people carry the Ark, he recognises its Holiness and his sinfulness and he worships God in the right way.
In the Wednesday night 'Deeper' study on the above passage the question was put to us about worship services and how you often hear people say 'I got something out of that'. However, a worship service is about us worshipping God, so the question was put do we think about how God feels about our worship services? Another question asked whether we do something similar to David and his people, do we see something in culture and attempt to adopt it for use in the church when really we shouldn't?
Okay, so what has this got to do with the above video? Maybe you see where I am going with this.
I believe, strongly, that the opening of a secular franchise in your church's building is comparable to the first of David's attempts to bring the Ark to Jerusalem. The Church often engages in evangelistic activities, coming up with new ways of making the church contemporvant (a mixture of contemporary and relevant that I like). This is not a slight to many of those ways.
I think having a restaurant in your church building that helps make a little money, which can be used to fund other ministries and do some outreach at the same time. Similarly, a coffee shop run by the church can be a nice idea too.
There is a difference between these things and a non-Christian franchise though. There is little in the Bible to tell us about how a Church should be run, there are things about elders and leaders, taking communion and being at peace with one another, but not much about how a Church service should look.
The one verse I can think of, and most churches I know of point to, is Acts 2:42: "They devoted themselves to the Apostles' teachings, to the breaking of bread, to worship and to prayer."
This sets up a foundation for what the activities of the church should be: teaching, fellowship, worship and prayer. You can add evangelistic to that as well.
Yes, a McDonalds in your church would cover two of those five, but it could counter the other three.
When you buy into a franchise you buy into a worldview and a mentality and a mission statement. Buying into McDonalds' one is fundamentally opposed to a Christian worldview, mentality and mission statement. McDonalds are part of the consumerist, capitalist worldview. They exist to prey off of people's need to have things.
I believe it was John Ortberg who wrote about the deception of the Happy Meal, it doesn't actually bring lasting happiness.
McDonalds is also a business, and out to make money. It doesn't care about the ministry of the church. Add to that McDonalds initiative called "McDonalds Pride" and it should send most Bible-believing churches heading to the hills.
During Calvary's Wednesday study we actually talked about this very issue, as in writing this blog it has been on my mind, at one point in the discussion someone made the point that a person working in a church-owned McDonald's franchise would be able to evangelise from the cash desk. I said nothing at the time, but the obvious answer is that no, the person could not evangelise from the cash desk of the church-owned McDonalds.
Here's why:
1. When you buy into a franchise you buy into their ideals.
2. One of the statements a quick Google search on "McDonalds' proselytizing policy' shows that McDonalds forbids the promotion of religious beliefs.
3. You have bought into the rules of running a McDonalds franchise when you decided to buy it.
4. Evangelism can't happen.
5. People would be within their rights to complain if you did.
Imagine walking into a McDonalds and ordering pig and a Muslim man was serving you, and he proceeded to give out to you for eating Haram pork? Would you be happy? No.
Think of every experience of McDonalds you have, do you know anything about any of the staff from only attending the restaurant? No, because that is not the kind of experience McDonalds wants you to have. They want every McDonalds everywhere to be the same.
So, you might argue that people will know that your McDonalds is different because it is run by a church.
Again, here are the reasons this isn't true:
1. You buy into a franchise and into the rules that come with that franchise. You become McDonalds, not McDonalds becomes McMass.
2. McDonalds want every franchise of McDonalds to be the same, have the same look, feel, food etc. There is no room for individual expressions of McDonalds (the same is true for every other franchise).
3. When you buy into a McDonalds franchise (which starts at $300,000) McDonalds, according to their franchising website charge you rent for the building (as it is now looking like McDonalds and belongs to McDonalds). So the church building isn't even belong to the church anymore.
It's great that churches want to try something different in order to stay relevant in a changing, and increasing post-Christian, world. Buying into a secular franchise is not the way. The teleos or goal may be honourable and godly, like King David's was in bringing the Ark to Jerusalem, or Uzzah's was in trying to catch it as it fell, but the means does not justify the end. God has commanded us how to worship Him, He has said things that give us a worldview contrary to that of capitalism and consumerism, to buy into those worldviews would be to bomb the rock on which Christianity stands.
Pastoral theology and pastoral care have been learning about this recently. Pastoral care, feeling the need to be professional, bought into modern psychological ideas. Over time this has led to a distance between the church and the pastoral carers. This distance has recently been recognised and efforts are being made to bring pastoral care and counselling back to the Bible and the Christian worldview.
I can guarantee, 100%, that a church that buys into a franchise, over time, will similarly move away from having their worldview grounded in the teachings of the Bible to that of consumerism and capitalism. It may not even be noticed, but in a century the Church will look back and wonder how they wandered so far from the Biblical truth. The McDonaldization of the Church (figuratively and literally) is not a good idea.
Since this was uploaded others have been talking about the success of having a Starbuck's coffee in their church building.
In Calvary, since I started going pretty much, we've been going through the books of Samuel (with a break for Christmas, 1 Thessalonians and 11 weeks of Psalms called mixtape.) This past week we have been looking at 2 Samuel 6, and I feel like it has something to say about the McDonaldization of the Church, to steal John Drane's phrase, though I am sure when he wrote his book he didn't even foresee someone suggesting opening a McDonalds in the actual church!
"David again gathered all the chosen men of Israel, thirty thousand. And David arose and went with all the people who were with him from Baale-judah to bring up from there the ark of God, which is called by the name of the LORD of hosts who sits enthroned on the cherubim. And they carried the ark of God on a new cart and brought it out of the house of Abinadab, which was on the hill. And Uzzah and Ahio, the sons of Abinadab, were driving the new cart, with the ark of God, and Ahio went before the ark.
And David and all the house of Israel were celebrating before the LORD, with songs and lyres and harps and tambourines and castanets and cymbals. And when they came to the threshing floor of Nacon, Uzzah put out his hand to the ark of God and took hold of it, for the oxen stumbled. And the anger of the LORD was kindled against Uzzah, and God struck him down there because of his error, and he died there beside the ark of God. And David was angry because the LORD had broken out against Uzzah. And that place is called Perez-uzzah to this day. And David was afraid of the LORD that day, and he said, “How can the ark of the LORD come to me?” So David was not willing to take the ark of the LORD into the city of David. But David took it aside to the house of Obed-edom the Gittite. And the ark of the LORD remained in the house of Obed-edom the Gittite three months, and the LORD blessed Obed-edom and all his household.
And it was told King David, “The LORD has blessed the household of Obed-edom and all that belongs to him, because of the ark of God.” So David went and brought up the ark of God from the house of Obed-edom to the city of David with rejoicing. And when those who bore the ark of the LORD had gone six steps, he sacrificed an ox and a fattened animal. And David danced before the LORD with all his might. And David was wearing a linen ephod. So David and all the house of Israel brought up the ark of the LORD with shouting and with the sound of the horn."
(2 Samuel 6:1-15 ESV)
In the above episodes from 2nd Samuel we see two attempts at bringing the Ark of the Covenant to Jerusalem. In the first attempt to move the Ark King David, in his hastiness, followed the most recent practice, that of the Philistines. In 1 Samuel the Ark is captured in a battle and the Philistines have it for some time but God proves Himself better than their god, Dagon, and they start getting tumours, so they send the Ark of the Covenant back to Israel on a cart.
Mike (Neglia, teaching pastor, Calvary Cork for those who don't know), mentioned that it was like David knew about this and decided it would be faster to carry the Ark by cart then on some people's backs and he adopted the Philistine practice into the worship of the people of Israel, in a way God had said not to. The result: disaster, Uzzah died.
So, later on they try it again. This time though, David follows all of the proper procedures, he has the right people carry the Ark, he recognises its Holiness and his sinfulness and he worships God in the right way.
In the Wednesday night 'Deeper' study on the above passage the question was put to us about worship services and how you often hear people say 'I got something out of that'. However, a worship service is about us worshipping God, so the question was put do we think about how God feels about our worship services? Another question asked whether we do something similar to David and his people, do we see something in culture and attempt to adopt it for use in the church when really we shouldn't?
Okay, so what has this got to do with the above video? Maybe you see where I am going with this.
I believe, strongly, that the opening of a secular franchise in your church's building is comparable to the first of David's attempts to bring the Ark to Jerusalem. The Church often engages in evangelistic activities, coming up with new ways of making the church contemporvant (a mixture of contemporary and relevant that I like). This is not a slight to many of those ways.
I think having a restaurant in your church building that helps make a little money, which can be used to fund other ministries and do some outreach at the same time. Similarly, a coffee shop run by the church can be a nice idea too.
There is a difference between these things and a non-Christian franchise though. There is little in the Bible to tell us about how a Church should be run, there are things about elders and leaders, taking communion and being at peace with one another, but not much about how a Church service should look.
The one verse I can think of, and most churches I know of point to, is Acts 2:42: "They devoted themselves to the Apostles' teachings, to the breaking of bread, to worship and to prayer."
This sets up a foundation for what the activities of the church should be: teaching, fellowship, worship and prayer. You can add evangelistic to that as well.
Yes, a McDonalds in your church would cover two of those five, but it could counter the other three.
When you buy into a franchise you buy into a worldview and a mentality and a mission statement. Buying into McDonalds' one is fundamentally opposed to a Christian worldview, mentality and mission statement. McDonalds are part of the consumerist, capitalist worldview. They exist to prey off of people's need to have things.
I believe it was John Ortberg who wrote about the deception of the Happy Meal, it doesn't actually bring lasting happiness.
McDonalds is also a business, and out to make money. It doesn't care about the ministry of the church. Add to that McDonalds initiative called "McDonalds Pride" and it should send most Bible-believing churches heading to the hills.
During Calvary's Wednesday study we actually talked about this very issue, as in writing this blog it has been on my mind, at one point in the discussion someone made the point that a person working in a church-owned McDonald's franchise would be able to evangelise from the cash desk. I said nothing at the time, but the obvious answer is that no, the person could not evangelise from the cash desk of the church-owned McDonalds.
Here's why:
1. When you buy into a franchise you buy into their ideals.
2. One of the statements a quick Google search on "McDonalds' proselytizing policy' shows that McDonalds forbids the promotion of religious beliefs.
3. You have bought into the rules of running a McDonalds franchise when you decided to buy it.
4. Evangelism can't happen.
5. People would be within their rights to complain if you did.
Imagine walking into a McDonalds and ordering pig and a Muslim man was serving you, and he proceeded to give out to you for eating Haram pork? Would you be happy? No.
Think of every experience of McDonalds you have, do you know anything about any of the staff from only attending the restaurant? No, because that is not the kind of experience McDonalds wants you to have. They want every McDonalds everywhere to be the same.
So, you might argue that people will know that your McDonalds is different because it is run by a church.
Again, here are the reasons this isn't true:
1. You buy into a franchise and into the rules that come with that franchise. You become McDonalds, not McDonalds becomes McMass.
2. McDonalds want every franchise of McDonalds to be the same, have the same look, feel, food etc. There is no room for individual expressions of McDonalds (the same is true for every other franchise).
3. When you buy into a McDonalds franchise (which starts at $300,000) McDonalds, according to their franchising website charge you rent for the building (as it is now looking like McDonalds and belongs to McDonalds). So the church building isn't even belong to the church anymore.
It's great that churches want to try something different in order to stay relevant in a changing, and increasing post-Christian, world. Buying into a secular franchise is not the way. The teleos or goal may be honourable and godly, like King David's was in bringing the Ark to Jerusalem, or Uzzah's was in trying to catch it as it fell, but the means does not justify the end. God has commanded us how to worship Him, He has said things that give us a worldview contrary to that of capitalism and consumerism, to buy into those worldviews would be to bomb the rock on which Christianity stands.
Pastoral theology and pastoral care have been learning about this recently. Pastoral care, feeling the need to be professional, bought into modern psychological ideas. Over time this has led to a distance between the church and the pastoral carers. This distance has recently been recognised and efforts are being made to bring pastoral care and counselling back to the Bible and the Christian worldview.
I can guarantee, 100%, that a church that buys into a franchise, over time, will similarly move away from having their worldview grounded in the teachings of the Bible to that of consumerism and capitalism. It may not even be noticed, but in a century the Church will look back and wonder how they wandered so far from the Biblical truth. The McDonaldization of the Church (figuratively and literally) is not a good idea.
Monday, 24 November 2014
Heaven 1. Will I be aware of who I am, and the Earth, in Heaven?
Hey guys,
I know it's a long time since I wrote anything, but I have been thinking about the nature of Heaven a lot recently and have, consequentially, been reading a book called "Heaven" by Randy Alcorn.
Two of the questions I have often had about life in Heaven is the links to our Earthly lives, which I will touch on here, but will probably come back to, and whether in Heaven we are aware of Earth. Randy Alcorn has provided some thoughts I wish to share, which I feel go a long way to answering these questions.
Do we remember our lives on Earth in the Present Heaven?
I have always felt that we would likely remember our lives on Earth in Heaven, for if we didn't remember things we did and said on Earth then how would we be ourselves?
The way I know I am myself (the same person that existed yesterday, last week, last year and a decade ago), logically speaking, is because I can identify within myself the memories of being in places, doing things, being part of things, etc. in those times. I see them from my first person perspective and have my subjective emotions about those times. Therefore I am still the same person, calling myself Wavey/David Cowpar today as the person who called himself David Cowpar a decade ago. (See the chapter on this topic in Philosophical Foundations for a Christian Worldview, by Moreland and Craig, published by IVP [US, I think])
In sum, memory is important in recognising we are ourselves, so I felt it was important that we would have this memory in Heaven.
Turns out we will remember Earth in Heaven. Alcorn says: “In fact, we’ll all likely remember much more in Heaven than we do on Earth, and we will probably be able to see how God and angels intervened on our behalf when we didn’t realize it.” (68) I love the idea that we will see what God and the angels were doing in our lives when we get to Heaven. Praise the Lord.
The Bible actually tells us that we will have to give accounts of our lives to God after we die. If this is the case it is likely that we would have to remember the things we did, good and bad, this would lend credence to the idea that we will remember Earth.
“The positions of authority and the treasures we’re granted in Heaven will perpetually remind us of our life on Earth, because what we do on Earth will earn us those rewards.” (68) - I want to look into this topic more! Below are some relevant verses, in case you would too. Expect a blog on this topic in the (hopefully) not too distant future.
Matthew 6:19-21; 19:21; Luke 12:33; 19:17 and 19; 1 Timothy 6:19; Revelation 2:26-8= verses on rewards in Heaven for life on Earth.
If there are rewards in Heaven based on what we do on Earth I feel like the Church makes too little of this. In the song "How Lovely is Your Dwelling Place" (both the older and newer versions) there is the idea of even being a doorkeeper of Heaven would be a blessing. This is true, but I think, at least in my mind, it has downplayed the idea of there being different rewards and roles given in Heaven based on our faithfulness on Earth.
Can I be the first to say I'm terrified by this and see myself being the poo collector at the moment... Time to pull up the socks and live what I believe in every minute... Help me Lord!
Okay, so turning from awareness of our lives on Earth to an awareness of Earth after our lives.
You have to understand something about the nature of the Heaven we go to before the return of Christ to fully grasp this, I think.
The present Heaven is not permanent. It is temporary. We do not live there forever. Revelation tells us of the time when the old Heaven and Earth will become the New Heaven and New Earth and the New Jerusalem will descend from Heaven and come to Earth, where God will make His dwelling place among us, making the New Heaven and the New Earth effectively one place.
This means that the present Heaven will pass away, it is the place God dwells now, as it is the place where the saints who have already passed on dwell. However, they, and we if we don't live to see the return of Christ (come Lord Jesus), will not live there for eternity.
This is important because an obvious objection to people being able to see what happens on Earth today would be that there is no pain, tears, sorrow etc. in Heaven. This comes from a verse in Revelation (21:4). However, if you see Heaven as the Present Heaven and the New/Coming Heaven, a distinction the Bible makes, then this verse fits into the verses describing the New Heaven, as opposed to the Present/Temporary Heaven.
With that in mind let's look at a couple of passages that seem to suggest we can see Earth from Heaven:
In 1 Samuel 28 Saul goes to the Witch of Endor and he asks her to bring up Samuel.
Now, I have oft. debated what is happening in this passage. Is the woman calling up the actual Samuel or is it perhaps a demon that was assigned to Samuel (a familiar spirit) but one that would have been familiar with his ways and the things he said.
Presently, I lean towards the idea that God allowed the actual Samuel to appear. If you want to ask me about why you can on ask.fm/Wavey1111.
So, God brings Samuel up and he speaks to Saul. In this conversation Samuel recalls things that Saul did during his (Samuel's) lifetime, suggesting he remembers his life on Earth. However, Samuel also seems to be aware of things that have happened since he died and left the Earth. We can infer from this that either God told him before he left Heaven to appear to Saul, or that he could see some of what was happening from Heaven.
Hebrews 12:1;
"Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us..."
(Hebrews 12:1 ESV)
This could be figurative language, but it could also be saying that these people still 'surround' us, and that, not only were they witnesses to Christ while on this Earth, but that they are witnesses to our lives today as well.
Time for the convincing one?
Luke 15:7;
"Just so, I tell you, there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who need no repentance."
(Luke 15:7 ESV)
If there is a party in Heaven when someone comes to a saving knowledge of Christ, it would suggest that people in Heaven are aware of the goings on on Earth, at least when it comes to salvation and God's major acts in Redemption history (see Revelation, there are times when the saints in Heaven rejoice at what God is doing on Earth, or lament about having to wait, etc.)
I don't think we will know every detail of what's happening on Earth... I don't feel like we will physically be able to see the Earth from Heaven, but I think we will have some awareness of what's going on.
This leads me to my final interesting question in this area.
Will we pray in Heaven for those on Earth?
I think it's safe to answer this in the affirmative.
The Bible tells us that Jesus is in Heaven interceding for His people on Earth. Prayer is just conversations with God. If we are in Heaven and able to speak with God, and God lets us know some things about Heaven; at least when someone is saved, possibly also as witnesses surrounding and encouraging believers on Earth to keep running the race that has been marked out for them, then I can't see why we wouldn't 'pray' about those things.
"The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working."
(James 5:16 ESV)
When we are in Heaven, and made perfect in His righteousness and by the spilling of His blood, how much more power will there be in our praying for people on the Earth?
It's a cool thought.
So, there are some thoughts on Heaven and its relationship with Earth....
Let me know what you think in the comments below, want to ask a question anonymously? Do so by copying ask.fm/Wavey1111 into your search bar and leave your question. If you don't need anonymity just post below.
In A ainm agus A chuid seirbhis, ~
I know it's a long time since I wrote anything, but I have been thinking about the nature of Heaven a lot recently and have, consequentially, been reading a book called "Heaven" by Randy Alcorn.
Two of the questions I have often had about life in Heaven is the links to our Earthly lives, which I will touch on here, but will probably come back to, and whether in Heaven we are aware of Earth. Randy Alcorn has provided some thoughts I wish to share, which I feel go a long way to answering these questions.
Do we remember our lives on Earth in the Present Heaven?
I have always felt that we would likely remember our lives on Earth in Heaven, for if we didn't remember things we did and said on Earth then how would we be ourselves?
The way I know I am myself (the same person that existed yesterday, last week, last year and a decade ago), logically speaking, is because I can identify within myself the memories of being in places, doing things, being part of things, etc. in those times. I see them from my first person perspective and have my subjective emotions about those times. Therefore I am still the same person, calling myself Wavey/David Cowpar today as the person who called himself David Cowpar a decade ago. (See the chapter on this topic in Philosophical Foundations for a Christian Worldview, by Moreland and Craig, published by IVP [US, I think])
In sum, memory is important in recognising we are ourselves, so I felt it was important that we would have this memory in Heaven.
Turns out we will remember Earth in Heaven. Alcorn says: “In fact, we’ll all likely remember much more in Heaven than we do on Earth, and we will probably be able to see how God and angels intervened on our behalf when we didn’t realize it.” (68) I love the idea that we will see what God and the angels were doing in our lives when we get to Heaven. Praise the Lord.
The Bible actually tells us that we will have to give accounts of our lives to God after we die. If this is the case it is likely that we would have to remember the things we did, good and bad, this would lend credence to the idea that we will remember Earth.
“The positions of authority and the treasures we’re granted in Heaven will perpetually remind us of our life on Earth, because what we do on Earth will earn us those rewards.” (68) - I want to look into this topic more! Below are some relevant verses, in case you would too. Expect a blog on this topic in the (hopefully) not too distant future.
Matthew 6:19-21; 19:21; Luke 12:33; 19:17 and 19; 1 Timothy 6:19; Revelation 2:26-8= verses on rewards in Heaven for life on Earth.
If there are rewards in Heaven based on what we do on Earth I feel like the Church makes too little of this. In the song "How Lovely is Your Dwelling Place" (both the older and newer versions) there is the idea of even being a doorkeeper of Heaven would be a blessing. This is true, but I think, at least in my mind, it has downplayed the idea of there being different rewards and roles given in Heaven based on our faithfulness on Earth.
Can I be the first to say I'm terrified by this and see myself being the poo collector at the moment... Time to pull up the socks and live what I believe in every minute... Help me Lord!
Okay, so turning from awareness of our lives on Earth to an awareness of Earth after our lives.
You have to understand something about the nature of the Heaven we go to before the return of Christ to fully grasp this, I think.
The present Heaven is not permanent. It is temporary. We do not live there forever. Revelation tells us of the time when the old Heaven and Earth will become the New Heaven and New Earth and the New Jerusalem will descend from Heaven and come to Earth, where God will make His dwelling place among us, making the New Heaven and the New Earth effectively one place.
This means that the present Heaven will pass away, it is the place God dwells now, as it is the place where the saints who have already passed on dwell. However, they, and we if we don't live to see the return of Christ (come Lord Jesus), will not live there for eternity.
This is important because an obvious objection to people being able to see what happens on Earth today would be that there is no pain, tears, sorrow etc. in Heaven. This comes from a verse in Revelation (21:4). However, if you see Heaven as the Present Heaven and the New/Coming Heaven, a distinction the Bible makes, then this verse fits into the verses describing the New Heaven, as opposed to the Present/Temporary Heaven.
With that in mind let's look at a couple of passages that seem to suggest we can see Earth from Heaven:
In 1 Samuel 28 Saul goes to the Witch of Endor and he asks her to bring up Samuel.
Now, I have oft. debated what is happening in this passage. Is the woman calling up the actual Samuel or is it perhaps a demon that was assigned to Samuel (a familiar spirit) but one that would have been familiar with his ways and the things he said.
Presently, I lean towards the idea that God allowed the actual Samuel to appear. If you want to ask me about why you can on ask.fm/Wavey1111.
So, God brings Samuel up and he speaks to Saul. In this conversation Samuel recalls things that Saul did during his (Samuel's) lifetime, suggesting he remembers his life on Earth. However, Samuel also seems to be aware of things that have happened since he died and left the Earth. We can infer from this that either God told him before he left Heaven to appear to Saul, or that he could see some of what was happening from Heaven.
Hebrews 12:1;
"Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us..."
(Hebrews 12:1 ESV)
This could be figurative language, but it could also be saying that these people still 'surround' us, and that, not only were they witnesses to Christ while on this Earth, but that they are witnesses to our lives today as well.
Time for the convincing one?
Luke 15:7;
"Just so, I tell you, there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who need no repentance."
(Luke 15:7 ESV)
If there is a party in Heaven when someone comes to a saving knowledge of Christ, it would suggest that people in Heaven are aware of the goings on on Earth, at least when it comes to salvation and God's major acts in Redemption history (see Revelation, there are times when the saints in Heaven rejoice at what God is doing on Earth, or lament about having to wait, etc.)
I don't think we will know every detail of what's happening on Earth... I don't feel like we will physically be able to see the Earth from Heaven, but I think we will have some awareness of what's going on.
This leads me to my final interesting question in this area.
Will we pray in Heaven for those on Earth?
I think it's safe to answer this in the affirmative.
The Bible tells us that Jesus is in Heaven interceding for His people on Earth. Prayer is just conversations with God. If we are in Heaven and able to speak with God, and God lets us know some things about Heaven; at least when someone is saved, possibly also as witnesses surrounding and encouraging believers on Earth to keep running the race that has been marked out for them, then I can't see why we wouldn't 'pray' about those things.
"The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working."
(James 5:16 ESV)
When we are in Heaven, and made perfect in His righteousness and by the spilling of His blood, how much more power will there be in our praying for people on the Earth?
It's a cool thought.
So, there are some thoughts on Heaven and its relationship with Earth....
Let me know what you think in the comments below, want to ask a question anonymously? Do so by copying ask.fm/Wavey1111 into your search bar and leave your question. If you don't need anonymity just post below.
In A ainm agus A chuid seirbhis, ~
Thursday, 20 November 2014
Wavey, the Food Safety Authority of Ireland, Wiki How, and others' Guide to Dishwashing.
For drying skip to Step 7.
Step 1.
Preparation.
You will need:
Step 1.
Preparation.
You will need:
- a sponge- not a floor sponge, or a counter sponge, this should be specifically for dishes.
- a sink
- a drying rack
- Washing up liquid.
- Hot water
- Dirty dishes
Step 2.
Pre-washing.
When you finish eating rinse milk out of glasses (it turns sour and sticks to the bottom) and sauce off of plates, mash out of pots and sauce out of sauce pans.
Rinsing helps make the washing process quicker and easier later as well as keeping the water cleaner.
Washing Dishes Rocket Science: You need clean water to make dirty things clean, therefore the cleaner the water the easier to make the dirty things clean.
Some items need to be soaked. This is also part of the pre-washing stage.
Step 3.
Set-up.
Fill basin or sink with hot water. Prepare dishes so categories are easy to get at.
Step 4.
Cutlery and glasses.
These are the things that go directly into your mouth or touch your mouth:
- Spoons.
- Forks
- Glasses
- Chopsticks
- Cups
- Sometimes knives.
Washing Dishes Rocket Science: The things that directly touch your mouth need to be the cleanest so doing them first means the cleanest and hottest water gets them the cleanest you can.
Remember: you need to clean the outsides of cups and glasses too because people touch them, there are germs there that will stay there if you don't clean it. Plus, leaving a glass on top of a plate with gravy on it means the underside of the glass now has gravy on it.
These two items can be interchangeable, sometimes you will have very dirty spoons but glasses that only had water, clean the glasses first. Most of the time it will be the cutlery that is least dirty.
Step 5.
Mid-range dirty things.
This is stuff like plates, bowls, serving spoons, lightly dirty pots (maybe that had carrots in them).
They cause the least amount of dirt to the water.
Again, there is interchangeable things here. Sometimes plates can be dirtier than some pots, or especially pot lids, do the pot first in that case.
Again make sure you wash the outsides of pots and bowls and the underside of plates.
Step 6.
The dirties.
These are the dirtier pots, pans, oven dishes, baking trays, frying pans, woks etc.
These are usually the dirtiest dishes from the breakfast/lunch/dinner. It makes sense to do them last.
Washing Dishes Rocket Science: If you put the dirtiest things in the water first it will make the water dirty. Then that dirt will float around in there until you put in a glass. The dirty water will likely make the glass more dirty than if you had just rinsed it and put it aside. This is why the method is set this way. Dirty things make clean things dirty as dirtiness is simply an absence of clean.
The end result of doing things backwards is dirty dishes with food germs on them, these are then being passed off as clean dishes, which is unhygienic, of course.
Step 7.
Drying.
It is most hygienic to allow dishes to drip dry on a drying rack.
Drying racks are specially designed to help dishes dry.
They contain a place for cutlery and utensils to stand upright as this has been determined to be better than leaving these items under bigger, wetter dishes.
They provide space for bowls and plates, showing that you need to allow them to dry facing vertically.
Washing Dishes Rocket Science: If you stack wet bowls or plates the water that is on top of each one will just stay on top of it. Gravity teaches us that if you place things in a way that allows gravity to pull whatever is on top of them downwards that it will do so. This is why plates and bowls are stored sideways and not stacked when you are leaving them to dry.
These drying racks sometimes have a space for glasses and mugs, other times they do not. If they do place the glass/mug upside-down to allow gravity pull the water down from the glass/mug.
If they do not include such an area leaving the glasses on the draining board (usually found next to the sink) works the same way.
Washing Dishes Rocket Science: Like plates and bowls above the glasses dry on the same principle. Leaving them facing upright will mean that the water will go to the bottom of the glass and not dry. Similarly, leaving them on a flat surface, such as a counter top, will cause the water to gather at the top of the glass, leaving it wet at the rim.
Finally, pots and pans. Again, sometimes a drying rack will have a space for these. If not it is ok to put them on top of glasses or plates, providing they are not stopped from dripping in doing so. Always put them upside-down (see glasses and mugs above).
For example, if you placed a pot the right way up the water will gather at the bottom, and not dry, if you place the pot on a plate that is lying down, not on its side, then the water will gather at the plate, keeping the plate and the pot wet.
Step 8.
Adding more dishes later.
Washing dishes is the job that is never done. If you find you have more dishes, and there are still some on the drip dryer, that are dry, then put those away before washing anything else.
Washing Dishes Rocket Science: Putting wet things on top of dry things makes the dry things wet, not the wet things dry for dryness is an absence of water.
And that's pretty much it. Happy dish washing dish washers.
Monday, 10 November 2014
25 Things I've Learned
Today is my 25th Birthday. That equals roughly one third of my life, already lived (presently male life expectancy is 76.8 years in Ireland.) That kind of thing causes one to think about life, and what, if anything, have I learned in my 25 years on this planet.
So, here is a list of 25 things I've learned... expect some to be shallow and others to be deep, some to be cynical and hopefully one or two to be hopeful.
1. There is no such thing as democracy, and the government probably don't care too much about you as an individual, but it is still important to vote!
Yeah, cynical observation number 1. I don't think democracy exists. In Ireland every political party roughly stands for the same thing, the same policies and there is no real choice. Also, when we vote no in a referendum it is just put to us again a year later, and probably annually until we say yes.
I also have learned not to trust politicians, they say all the right things in their policy documents but they will likely do none of that once in power.
On the flip side of this Ireland has a great Social Welfare system (even if it has a lot of red tape) and the tax breaks for charities and churches existent in 2014 is such a great thing.
2. The government isn't as bad as we like to say.
Everyone in Ireland complains about the government, but really they have budgets, loans, the IMF and the EU watching their every move. There is really only so much they can do. Though I don't think they are out for your benefit or advancement, I also don't think they are out to get you, as many Irish people believe. They just want to balance the books and maintain the status quo, by and large, and change one thing per 5 year term.
3. Media rules the world.
The majority of people you meet on the street have their opinions formed by RTÉ news, the Irish Times and maybe Sky News and CNN, that may sound harsh, but it is true. People of the twenty-first century ingest news in quick, bite-size chunks.
The average, and not so average, person you talk to on the street will believe everything they hear on TV or in a newspaper, never taking an objective look at the ideas being presented. It's an annoying part of life and makes for very dull conversations.
4. You can't find your worth in other people.
People will let you down. If you idolize someone, or even look up to someone, they will eventually do something that causes you to feel hurt, betrayed, abandoned and lost.
You should never find your worth from a friendship, a relationship, a group of people etc. Those things are fleeting and what are you left with after they are gone?
5. Hold onto your friends.
With all the bad that there is in the world one of the best things is friends. Friends are the family you choose and they are so important. Yes, you will have fights, you will go through times of intense dislike of each other but these are the people who want to be around for life.
I'm not, of course, saying 'hold onto the people you thought were your friends but they stole all your money, burned down your house, slept with your girlfriend, cheated with your wife, took a loan out in your name and didn't pay it back, got you in legal trouble' etc. But the real friends, the ones who love you and care about you and want to see your good come about, those are people to hold onto.
6. If you have no friends like the above, go and find them.
Similarly, if you had a friend like this, but fell out of touch and don't have one anymore go and find them again. They are probably worth getting back in contact with.
This one is especially true for guys. It is not weird or wrong to have good, deep friendships with other men. It's important to have these for your own sake, as well as your future wife's sake and your children's sake. If you surround yourself with good male friends then your children have even more good male role models. That's a win-win.
7. Disagree in love.
You will not agree with everything you come across in the world, and when you don't there are a number of reactions you can have to those disagreements.
1. Lord it over the other person because in your eyes you are better than them.
2. Pull away from that person because you can't deal with the confrontation.
3. Tell them you disagree with what they think, but love them anyway.
I think three is the best option ;)
8. Love your enemies.
It has often been said that the only person grudges hurt is the person bearing them. If someone has hurt you move past it. Now, that might take you some time, and by all means take that time, but don't retaliate out of anger, you'll feel better for a minute but regret it in the long run.
Wish good for the person who has wronged you, want to see them do better in life, and be better people to their other friends.
Love your enemies, because there is nothing more frustrating for someone who hates you for you to love them. The Bible says love your enemies for it will be like heaping hot coals on their heads.
9. Don't break the law unless it's pointless.
I mean if you have a law that says you can't have yellow flowers in your window... You have yellow flowers if you want, but otherwise probably best to keep it. It's there for a reason.
10. Be unique.
There is nothing more boring than meeting the same person in a different body twenty times in one day.
This is especially true of the Christian world. We have created a Christian culture which we all try and fit into and the end result is every Christian is the same and boring. We all have things we like (computers, writing, art, sport etc.) be part of those things too.
11. Be Individual, but don't believe in individualism.
You should be unique because God designed you to specifically be you, but don't believe in the philosophy of individualism.
You are not the most important thing in the world, sorry, that might shock you, but you aren't. Don't think that the world should cater to your needs, it has been here a long time before you were born and will be here a long time after you die.
Individualism, or the belief that the human person, you, your mind and your rationale, are all there is and the starting point to knowing the world and making yourself known in the world is a bad thing to believe. It leads to pride and selfishness, it leads to coldness and jealousy and it's all just terrible.
Be yourself, but realise you are part of a greater unit called society (and/or the Church) and that your needs and wants don't trump everyone else's just because you need or want them to.
12. Don't give up meeting with one another.
People will let you down, friends will come and go, you will feel betrayed, you won't like people, but don't become a recluse. This title comes from Hebrews 10:25, God often knows what He is talking about when He gives commands to His people, and this one is a command.
Whether you are a Christian or not don't stop meeting up with people, seeing people, getting out there, having the chats, bants, a coffee, a dance or whatever it is with other people.
For Christians, we are all aware how much of a disaster the Church is, and how annoying other Christians can be, but remember God loves each and every one of them, and died for them all. If He loves them, and could see all their sin, our sin, my sin, and still die for them... us... me, how much more can you get on with them, even love them, if you only see some of their annoying characteristics. Remember you are a great sinner too, as am I. Let's rejoice that we have a great Saviour together, and not in our own bedrooms watching sermons online and listening to YouTube worship (that's if we aren't asleep anyway.)
13. Question everything.
Questioning everything is the only path to true wisdom.
We are fed tonnes of lies on a daily basis, about ourselves, our looks, our bodies, our relationships, sex, the world around us, the history of the earth and people on it... everything has a slant, the more questions you ask the more you can start seeing the slants... The more you see the slants the more you can find real truth, which I do believe exists... so ask questions about everything.
14. Be authentic.
Following on from the everything has a slant above is the idea of authenticity. It's so important in a world where practically everything, every organisation and every person has a hidden agenda.
The person on the phone selling you a new internet package may sound like your next best friend, they are not. Don't be taken in by it and don't become that kind of person yourself. Be real with the people you know, be authentic, don't hide behind masks in life. Life's too short.
15. Don't Save Money, unless you are saving for something.
Don't get me wrong, saving money is a good thing and it's always nice to have a little 'nest egg' or 'something for a rainy day' but I think it's a bit pointless.
If you spend all your time saving you will never do anything fun because you are saving for something bad.
I don't mean don't save money for a holiday, or for the future, but don't turn down opportunities because you are afraid of finding money in the future. Make sure you pay your bills, don't blow your paycheque on a workable R2D2 robot and end up homeless, with a demanding Astro-mech Droid to boot.
I feel like if we spend too much time and thought on saving money in case something goes wrong what does that say about what we think of God. I don't think God gives us free reign to be stupid with our money, but I do think He wants us to have faith in Him and His provision for us. A pension plan is part of His provision, as is PRSI and Health Insurance and rent/mortgage repayments... too much savings might be sending the wrong message to yourself though, that you are okay without God.
16. See the World.
You won't be able to when you are in Heaven and the New Earth might look different. I know it is hard to see the world when you have no money (maybe trips are one of those things that you should save for) but with Ryanair and cheap hostels it is easier to see Europe now than it was before.
I have recently been to London (twice), Barcelona and heading to Los Angeles. Go places, see things, experience other cultures. It's worth it.
17. Volunteer.
Now that we are combatting the philosophy of individualism we have grown up in (see point 11) we can see that we are not the most important thing on the face of this planet. If that's the case, if we are persons living in community with other persons, then we should probably try making life better for other people as well as (or more than) ourselves.
Volunteering is a great way to do this. I don't necessarily mean going off to remote Africa or Asia to do some volunteering trip/teaching/building/medicine (though if you want to do that you should go for it) volunteering can be anywhere. Help run a society on campus, it will be a blessing to others who like that as well, help the old lady bring her messages home, make the tea and coffee in church.
It is never time wasted time that is spent helping others; even if they don't appreciate it in the end.
18. Don't Ignore Your Dreams.
By 25 we are probably beginning to let go of those dreams now... You know the ones you filled in in sixth year, or maybe sixth class in primary school. In some cases that might be a good thing... If you can't sing there's no point in dreaming you'll win the X Factor, but some dreams are worth following and keeping alive.
Your dreams and desires show your innermost thoughts, the sacred part of yourself, the you you want to be.
I was told I would never be published, I'm not very successful but I have two books on the market... If that can happen it is likely some of your dreams can too.
When I talk about dreams I mean those ones that you have chatted to God about, the ones He has placed in your heart, the callings He has placed on your life. The things you lean towards and bring you joy, which also bring Him joy.
19. Be Grateful for Everything.
Life is so much better when you find things to be thankful for. Those Facebook things that have been annoying us lately about what people are thankful for for five days, they really are good.
When something bad happens you can dwell on the bad, or you can find something positive and be thankful for it. Someone is a horrible person to you, but a friend buys you a drink to chat about it. Don't dwell on the friend/acquaintance that was horrible, but the one that showed you kindness and love.
I started a prayer diary about a year ago now. I write prayers in it everyday (though not necessarily on the day, I am not that disciplined). At the start I found myself describing my day to God (in writing), but as time moved on there was less description and more thankfullness. Now there might be six points a day and four of them start with thank you, or contain it somewhere.
Those of you that know me any bit well know I am not a positive person, I am still not, but this diary in which I write things I am thankful for has probably made the most positive I have ever been in my life.
20. Don't Try to Do Things.
Master Yoda once famously said: "Do or do not, there is no try" and he was dead on. When we try to do something we fail, we might try again, but if we fail again we are more likely to give up on that thing. Take that to times five failures, or ten, we are definitely giving up now.
In contrast to this we know the phrase "practice makes perfect" is true. If we know that why do we try? Why don't we train? Training is so different to trying because when we train to do/be something we expect failures and we assess them, and we learn for them, and we get back up and we start again.
If we think of things we want to accomplish as training, instead of trying, then each failure is a learning opportunity, a chance to better ourselves, not a defeat we will find it hard to come back from.
This is especially true, in my opinion, in our walks with God. If we try not to sin we will fail and become downcast. However, if we train to be more like Jesus then we expect the failures, the lapses in judgment, the sin to happen again. Instead of wallowing in self-pity an attitude of training will bring us back to God, where we tell Him about the failure and hit the ground running again.
Sometimes it is all in the attitude.
(This one comes from one of my favourite authors, John Ortberg).
21. Read Books.
I know some of you are cursing me under your breath for this one (that's why it's 21, I figure all you non-readers are gone by now).
Seriously though, books teach you vocabulary, grammar (I spelt both those words wrong the first time around) and interesting things about the world.
I am an avid supporter of reading. It doesn't matter what it is, start with comics, or buy an audio book and the book that you can follow along with the reader.
Reading really does make you more intelligent and well-rounded. Read!!!
22. Spend time Reflecting.
This doesn't mean staring at yourself in front of the mirror, it means looking at your life, who you are, where you are heading, what you want to do, why you make the decisions you make, your inner self.
I think a lot of the crazy/wrong/silly/stupid and dumb things we do have a root cause. Spend time finding that out and sorting it out, make yourself the better person, the best person you can be. [Note this doesn't say the best individual you can be. A person is not just out for their own benefit, but for the enrichment of the lives of those around them too].
Earlier (point 18) I talked about dreams and callings and inclinations. Do you know what yours are? If not reflection (and prayer) are the ways to find out.
23. If You Feel Like God is Telling you to DO Something, Do it!
Make sure it is Him first, He isn't going to tell you to sin, so if it's anything like that it probably isn't Him. Nor will He go against His Word, so check it out there (see point 21).
However, if it does seem to be pleasing to Him and not against His will or His Word then do it.
For whatever mad reason God has chosen human agency as one of His methods of communicating with people. If He tells you to say something, say it. If you say no your heart hardens and eventually all you can say is no.
This is something I'm learning recently, and I still say no more than yes, but I want to be a Yes Man, for God. I want to speak His words to people.
24. Be an Encourager, and Learn Love Languages.
I am terrible at encouraging people... But it is so important to be an encourager. If we are people in relationships with other people we can't be negative all the times. We NEED to encourage one another. It is so important.
Learning love languages links in to this. The best way to encourage someone is to do so by speaking their Love Language.
There are five.
-Physical Touch (hugs, pats on the back, etc.)
-Quality Time (spending time with someone can be such an encouragement to people, sometimes you don't even have to say things.)
-Words of Affirmation (using your words to uplift another person by complimenting them [authentically, see point 14])
-Acts of Service (things like doing the dishes, helping around the house etc.)
-Gift Giving.
Learn the important people in your life's Love Language and use it to show you care for them, and to encourage them. It will impact your relationships if you do.
25. Love God.
After all, He loves you enough to die for you so that you can be with Him.
I don't think we spend enough time, as a culture, thinking about where we are going, and what will happen, after we die. Heaven is for Real (as the movie title goes, though I don't necessarily endorse said movie).
Loving God is the thing that will change your life most. He is an insane being, I don't understand why He bothers with me half the time, but He does. He is love, complete love. He is amazing, and the true definition of awesome.
He promises to be found by those who seek Him, if we seek Him with all of our hearts. Seek Him, learn about Him, you will love Him too. That's life-changing.
I hope you enjoyed these 25 life lessons.
If you did/didn't leave a comment. If you think something is missing, comment below.
If you have questions you can direct them, anonymously if you chose, to ask.fm/Wavey1111
So, here is a list of 25 things I've learned... expect some to be shallow and others to be deep, some to be cynical and hopefully one or two to be hopeful.
1. There is no such thing as democracy, and the government probably don't care too much about you as an individual, but it is still important to vote!
Yeah, cynical observation number 1. I don't think democracy exists. In Ireland every political party roughly stands for the same thing, the same policies and there is no real choice. Also, when we vote no in a referendum it is just put to us again a year later, and probably annually until we say yes.
I also have learned not to trust politicians, they say all the right things in their policy documents but they will likely do none of that once in power.
On the flip side of this Ireland has a great Social Welfare system (even if it has a lot of red tape) and the tax breaks for charities and churches existent in 2014 is such a great thing.
2. The government isn't as bad as we like to say.
Everyone in Ireland complains about the government, but really they have budgets, loans, the IMF and the EU watching their every move. There is really only so much they can do. Though I don't think they are out for your benefit or advancement, I also don't think they are out to get you, as many Irish people believe. They just want to balance the books and maintain the status quo, by and large, and change one thing per 5 year term.
3. Media rules the world.
The majority of people you meet on the street have their opinions formed by RTÉ news, the Irish Times and maybe Sky News and CNN, that may sound harsh, but it is true. People of the twenty-first century ingest news in quick, bite-size chunks.The average, and not so average, person you talk to on the street will believe everything they hear on TV or in a newspaper, never taking an objective look at the ideas being presented. It's an annoying part of life and makes for very dull conversations.
4. You can't find your worth in other people.
People will let you down. If you idolize someone, or even look up to someone, they will eventually do something that causes you to feel hurt, betrayed, abandoned and lost.
You should never find your worth from a friendship, a relationship, a group of people etc. Those things are fleeting and what are you left with after they are gone?
5. Hold onto your friends.
With all the bad that there is in the world one of the best things is friends. Friends are the family you choose and they are so important. Yes, you will have fights, you will go through times of intense dislike of each other but these are the people who want to be around for life.I'm not, of course, saying 'hold onto the people you thought were your friends but they stole all your money, burned down your house, slept with your girlfriend, cheated with your wife, took a loan out in your name and didn't pay it back, got you in legal trouble' etc. But the real friends, the ones who love you and care about you and want to see your good come about, those are people to hold onto.
6. If you have no friends like the above, go and find them.
Similarly, if you had a friend like this, but fell out of touch and don't have one anymore go and find them again. They are probably worth getting back in contact with.
This one is especially true for guys. It is not weird or wrong to have good, deep friendships with other men. It's important to have these for your own sake, as well as your future wife's sake and your children's sake. If you surround yourself with good male friends then your children have even more good male role models. That's a win-win.7. Disagree in love.
You will not agree with everything you come across in the world, and when you don't there are a number of reactions you can have to those disagreements.
1. Lord it over the other person because in your eyes you are better than them.
2. Pull away from that person because you can't deal with the confrontation.
3. Tell them you disagree with what they think, but love them anyway.
I think three is the best option ;)
8. Love your enemies.
It has often been said that the only person grudges hurt is the person bearing them. If someone has hurt you move past it. Now, that might take you some time, and by all means take that time, but don't retaliate out of anger, you'll feel better for a minute but regret it in the long run.
Wish good for the person who has wronged you, want to see them do better in life, and be better people to their other friends.
Love your enemies, because there is nothing more frustrating for someone who hates you for you to love them. The Bible says love your enemies for it will be like heaping hot coals on their heads.
9. Don't break the law unless it's pointless.
I mean if you have a law that says you can't have yellow flowers in your window... You have yellow flowers if you want, but otherwise probably best to keep it. It's there for a reason.
10. Be unique.
There is nothing more boring than meeting the same person in a different body twenty times in one day.This is especially true of the Christian world. We have created a Christian culture which we all try and fit into and the end result is every Christian is the same and boring. We all have things we like (computers, writing, art, sport etc.) be part of those things too.
11. Be Individual, but don't believe in individualism.
You should be unique because God designed you to specifically be you, but don't believe in the philosophy of individualism.
You are not the most important thing in the world, sorry, that might shock you, but you aren't. Don't think that the world should cater to your needs, it has been here a long time before you were born and will be here a long time after you die.
Individualism, or the belief that the human person, you, your mind and your rationale, are all there is and the starting point to knowing the world and making yourself known in the world is a bad thing to believe. It leads to pride and selfishness, it leads to coldness and jealousy and it's all just terrible.
Be yourself, but realise you are part of a greater unit called society (and/or the Church) and that your needs and wants don't trump everyone else's just because you need or want them to.
12. Don't give up meeting with one another.
People will let you down, friends will come and go, you will feel betrayed, you won't like people, but don't become a recluse. This title comes from Hebrews 10:25, God often knows what He is talking about when He gives commands to His people, and this one is a command.
Whether you are a Christian or not don't stop meeting up with people, seeing people, getting out there, having the chats, bants, a coffee, a dance or whatever it is with other people.
13. Question everything.
Questioning everything is the only path to true wisdom.
We are fed tonnes of lies on a daily basis, about ourselves, our looks, our bodies, our relationships, sex, the world around us, the history of the earth and people on it... everything has a slant, the more questions you ask the more you can start seeing the slants... The more you see the slants the more you can find real truth, which I do believe exists... so ask questions about everything.
14. Be authentic.
Following on from the everything has a slant above is the idea of authenticity. It's so important in a world where practically everything, every organisation and every person has a hidden agenda.The person on the phone selling you a new internet package may sound like your next best friend, they are not. Don't be taken in by it and don't become that kind of person yourself. Be real with the people you know, be authentic, don't hide behind masks in life. Life's too short.
15. Don't Save Money, unless you are saving for something.
Don't get me wrong, saving money is a good thing and it's always nice to have a little 'nest egg' or 'something for a rainy day' but I think it's a bit pointless.
If you spend all your time saving you will never do anything fun because you are saving for something bad.
I don't mean don't save money for a holiday, or for the future, but don't turn down opportunities because you are afraid of finding money in the future. Make sure you pay your bills, don't blow your paycheque on a workable R2D2 robot and end up homeless, with a demanding Astro-mech Droid to boot.
I feel like if we spend too much time and thought on saving money in case something goes wrong what does that say about what we think of God. I don't think God gives us free reign to be stupid with our money, but I do think He wants us to have faith in Him and His provision for us. A pension plan is part of His provision, as is PRSI and Health Insurance and rent/mortgage repayments... too much savings might be sending the wrong message to yourself though, that you are okay without God.
16. See the World.
You won't be able to when you are in Heaven and the New Earth might look different. I know it is hard to see the world when you have no money (maybe trips are one of those things that you should save for) but with Ryanair and cheap hostels it is easier to see Europe now than it was before.
I have recently been to London (twice), Barcelona and heading to Los Angeles. Go places, see things, experience other cultures. It's worth it.
17. Volunteer.
Volunteering is a great way to do this. I don't necessarily mean going off to remote Africa or Asia to do some volunteering trip/teaching/building/medicine (though if you want to do that you should go for it) volunteering can be anywhere. Help run a society on campus, it will be a blessing to others who like that as well, help the old lady bring her messages home, make the tea and coffee in church.
It is never time wasted time that is spent helping others; even if they don't appreciate it in the end.
18. Don't Ignore Your Dreams.
By 25 we are probably beginning to let go of those dreams now... You know the ones you filled in in sixth year, or maybe sixth class in primary school. In some cases that might be a good thing... If you can't sing there's no point in dreaming you'll win the X Factor, but some dreams are worth following and keeping alive.
I was told I would never be published, I'm not very successful but I have two books on the market... If that can happen it is likely some of your dreams can too.
When I talk about dreams I mean those ones that you have chatted to God about, the ones He has placed in your heart, the callings He has placed on your life. The things you lean towards and bring you joy, which also bring Him joy.
19. Be Grateful for Everything.
When something bad happens you can dwell on the bad, or you can find something positive and be thankful for it. Someone is a horrible person to you, but a friend buys you a drink to chat about it. Don't dwell on the friend/acquaintance that was horrible, but the one that showed you kindness and love.
I started a prayer diary about a year ago now. I write prayers in it everyday (though not necessarily on the day, I am not that disciplined). At the start I found myself describing my day to God (in writing), but as time moved on there was less description and more thankfullness. Now there might be six points a day and four of them start with thank you, or contain it somewhere.
Those of you that know me any bit well know I am not a positive person, I am still not, but this diary in which I write things I am thankful for has probably made the most positive I have ever been in my life.
20. Don't Try to Do Things.
Master Yoda once famously said: "Do or do not, there is no try" and he was dead on. When we try to do something we fail, we might try again, but if we fail again we are more likely to give up on that thing. Take that to times five failures, or ten, we are definitely giving up now.
In contrast to this we know the phrase "practice makes perfect" is true. If we know that why do we try? Why don't we train? Training is so different to trying because when we train to do/be something we expect failures and we assess them, and we learn for them, and we get back up and we start again.
If we think of things we want to accomplish as training, instead of trying, then each failure is a learning opportunity, a chance to better ourselves, not a defeat we will find it hard to come back from.
This is especially true, in my opinion, in our walks with God. If we try not to sin we will fail and become downcast. However, if we train to be more like Jesus then we expect the failures, the lapses in judgment, the sin to happen again. Instead of wallowing in self-pity an attitude of training will bring us back to God, where we tell Him about the failure and hit the ground running again.
Sometimes it is all in the attitude.
(This one comes from one of my favourite authors, John Ortberg).
21. Read Books.
I know some of you are cursing me under your breath for this one (that's why it's 21, I figure all you non-readers are gone by now).
Seriously though, books teach you vocabulary, grammar (I spelt both those words wrong the first time around) and interesting things about the world.
I am an avid supporter of reading. It doesn't matter what it is, start with comics, or buy an audio book and the book that you can follow along with the reader.
Reading really does make you more intelligent and well-rounded. Read!!!
22. Spend time Reflecting.
This doesn't mean staring at yourself in front of the mirror, it means looking at your life, who you are, where you are heading, what you want to do, why you make the decisions you make, your inner self.
I think a lot of the crazy/wrong/silly/stupid and dumb things we do have a root cause. Spend time finding that out and sorting it out, make yourself the better person, the best person you can be. [Note this doesn't say the best individual you can be. A person is not just out for their own benefit, but for the enrichment of the lives of those around them too].
Earlier (point 18) I talked about dreams and callings and inclinations. Do you know what yours are? If not reflection (and prayer) are the ways to find out.
23. If You Feel Like God is Telling you to DO Something, Do it!
Make sure it is Him first, He isn't going to tell you to sin, so if it's anything like that it probably isn't Him. Nor will He go against His Word, so check it out there (see point 21).
However, if it does seem to be pleasing to Him and not against His will or His Word then do it.
For whatever mad reason God has chosen human agency as one of His methods of communicating with people. If He tells you to say something, say it. If you say no your heart hardens and eventually all you can say is no.
This is something I'm learning recently, and I still say no more than yes, but I want to be a Yes Man, for God. I want to speak His words to people.
24. Be an Encourager, and Learn Love Languages.
I am terrible at encouraging people... But it is so important to be an encourager. If we are people in relationships with other people we can't be negative all the times. We NEED to encourage one another. It is so important.
Learning love languages links in to this. The best way to encourage someone is to do so by speaking their Love Language.
There are five.
-Quality Time (spending time with someone can be such an encouragement to people, sometimes you don't even have to say things.)
-Words of Affirmation (using your words to uplift another person by complimenting them [authentically, see point 14])
-Acts of Service (things like doing the dishes, helping around the house etc.)
-Gift Giving.
Learn the important people in your life's Love Language and use it to show you care for them, and to encourage them. It will impact your relationships if you do.
25. Love God.
After all, He loves you enough to die for you so that you can be with Him.I don't think we spend enough time, as a culture, thinking about where we are going, and what will happen, after we die. Heaven is for Real (as the movie title goes, though I don't necessarily endorse said movie).
Loving God is the thing that will change your life most. He is an insane being, I don't understand why He bothers with me half the time, but He does. He is love, complete love. He is amazing, and the true definition of awesome.
He promises to be found by those who seek Him, if we seek Him with all of our hearts. Seek Him, learn about Him, you will love Him too. That's life-changing.
I hope you enjoyed these 25 life lessons.
If you did/didn't leave a comment. If you think something is missing, comment below.
If you have questions you can direct them, anonymously if you chose, to ask.fm/Wavey1111
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