Blank verse today like rats on stilts, except , of course, it’s beautiful.

Laugh if you like, but this is often the poem I think of when I hear William Wordsworth’s well-known definition of poetry: “the spontaneous overflow of powerful feelings: it takes its origin from emotion recollected in tranquility.”  Because one overflows late at night and well-sloshed, but re … Read More

via Belly up, it’s A Poetry Feed.

The Ridley students’ association, ‘Logs’, organises occasional debates for the college community, and on 27 May, we asked, ‘Will the real Mars Hill please stand up?’  Mark Driscoll leads Mars Hill Church (Seattle) and Rob Bell leads Mars Hill Bible Church (Grand Rapids).  Both churches are named after Paul’s visit to Mars Hill in Acts 17, a pioneering moment in mission and cultural engagement.  Yet the two churches, not to mention Driscoll and Be … Read More

via Cyberpunk + Blue Twin

He started by adopting some of my interests, some of my sayings –  but before long he was wearing the same clothes and sporting the same ridiculously-over-gelled haristyle.

I hated it! But I was too nice to confront the poor kid about it, and besides, my dad told me that it was some kind of high-level compliment. He said that people only imitate that which they deem to be worthy of imitation.

This morning I read Ephesians 5:1-2 which says this:

Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children. And walk in love, as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.

What does it mean to imitate God?

I read a blog today that said to live like Jesus means “…leaving a coin in a parking metre… stopping to open the door for someone… sending an email, writing a letter, baking a cake.”

I don’t doubt that doing such things communicates love, but our passage from Ephesians suggests that love is less about doing nice things for people, and more about being obedient to God’s revealed will. The call was to imitate God by walking in love.

In the same chapter, verse 15-17 says:

Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise, making the best use of the time, because the days are evil. Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is.

Imitating Christ, walking in love and sacrificing ourselves is less about ‘baking cakes’ and more about living a life of wisdom, obedience and holiness.

Actually, things would be a lot easier if being a Christian really was about courtesy and baking. But walking in love isn’t easy. The days are evil and we need to look carefully to make sure we’re walking as God would have us walk.

The call for us today (and every day) is to look to Jesus and his word for the model and the instructions on how to live a life of love. And if we do that then I guess, along the way, doors will be opened and cakes will be baked.

But first things first. Let’s walk in love, as we walk in obedience.

Since shooting this video, Zac died and went to be with Jesus.

How would you respond to a terminal diagnosis? Watch and learn.

H/T: Georgie Sutton

Renée and I were greatly blessed as we watched the account of his incredible life. However, one incident particularly moved us…

When the Crystal Palace was opened on June 10, 1854, a party of friends, including Mr. Spurgeon and (his future wife) Miss Thompson, were present at the inauguration. While they waited for the ceremony Spurgeon handed her a copy of Martin Tupper’s Proverbial Philosophy, open at a passage to which he pointed as he asked her the question, “What do you think of the poet’s suggestion in those verses?” She read:

Seek a good wife from thy God, for she is the best gift of His providence;
Yet ask not in bold confidence that which He hath not promised;
Thou knowest not His good will: be thy prayer then submissive thereunto,
And leave thy petition to His mercy, assured that He will deal well with thee.
If thou art to have a wife of thy youth, she is now living on the Earth;
Therefore think of her, and pray for her weal.

He then asked her, Do you pray for him, who is to be your husband?*

You may want to update the language, maybe you need to look up the definition of weal, but, gentlemen, you don’t want to change the sentiment. This is great advice to you in your quest for the wife of thy youth.

Now go and pray for her.

* H/T: spurgeon.org

Condemned. That’s how I feel when someone asks me that question. It’s like the question Are you still beating your wife?

Anyway, the answer is Yes. Yes, I’m still struggling with procrastination. Maybe you’ve read some of my self-rebuke on this issue.

Well, the good news is that I’m striving to improve in this area. Because, let’s face it, there’s nothing redeeming about procrastination. It never achieves anything, even your aim is to ‘take an extended break’ it’ll never deliver. You’ll always end up feeling like you’ve wasted time.

I’ve raised the issue again because I’m reading (no, I’m listening to) a great (audio)book titled: Eat That Frog: 21 Great Ways to Stop Procrastinating and Get More Done in Less Time [iTunes link].

The title (apart form being ironic, given that you waste most of the day just reading it in its enormity) refers to something Mark Twain is credited with saying:

“If the first thing you do each morning is eat a live frog, you can go through the day with the satisfaction of knowing that it’s probably the worst thing you’ll have to do all day long.”

Your “frog” is your biggest, most important task. It’s the one you are most likely to procrastinate on, even dread. Yet, it is also the one task that can have the greatest positive impact on your life and create positive results immediately.

I’ll post an (audio)book review on this as soon as I’m done. Expect it to be written in minimum time with maximum impact!

The following is a brilliant poem written by Rob about his experience of conversion.

Like many Christians, Rob didn’t have a dramatic conversion experience like the Apostle Paul did on the Damascus Road.
However, like all Christians, his experience is a testament to the miraculous act of God in bringing people to faith.

This is one of my favourite poems. Enjoy.

Not Damascus Road

I must have taken the wrong left
Kind Sir, when it said “Damascus Road next
Right” For I find myself scales intact but still
Seeing somehow squinting. And then the Christ blood
Water mingles at my feet and remind me
Will you
I’m in the Light on a different road except
I didn’t fall down ‘el drama’ and so much
As I strained my ear to the sound
Boomless… have I done something wrong kind Sir?
Mine was distinctly bereft of lightning bolts or
Fiery depths or dancing devils absolved by angels.
No there was no this
Or that, for that matter. But it does matter
How you’ve come to embrace a smiling universe, greeted
By all-knowing winks, common creeds, and not one
Falsified faith to speak of. You know, kind Sir, I
Used to wait at the back and not make much noise so
Falling drips of devotion would drown out this
Humble story, of life once lied now lived. It’s some
Comfort though, my kind shall inherit the earth. Not sure
If I’d take my receipt to the customer counter and request
Thunderous God-speak instead, I’d want to be
Deafened by the flutter of angels wings with my left
Over change. It
Didn’t happen on Damascus road and it didn’t lead
Me to revolution from my prison cell. My letters to
Corinth were letters to committee A, B,
And not forgetting C.
It was talking on street corners without customary
Megaphone, loving friends, whispering prayers…
When I get the chance I shall ask
Kind Sir
If all that was
Enough.

Acceptance

• Religion: “I obey; therefore, I’m accepted.”
• Gospel: “I’m accepted; therefore, I obey.”

Motivation

• Religion: Motivation is based on fear and insecurity.
• Gospel: Motivation is based on grateful joy.

Obedience

• Religion: I obey God in order to get things from God.
• Gospel: I obey God to get God – to delight in an resemble him.

Circumstances

• Religion: When circumstances in my life go wrong, I am angry at God or myself, since I believe that anyone who is good deserves a comfortable life.
• Gospel: When circumstances in my life go wrong, I struggle, but I know my punishment fell on Jesus and that while God may allow this for my training, he will exercise his Fatherly love within my trial.

Criticism

• Religion: When I am criticized, I am furious or devastated because it is critical that I think of myself as a “good person.” Threats to self-image must be destroyed at all costs.
• Gospel: When I am criticized, I struggle, but it is not essential for me to think of myself as a “good person.” My identity is not built on my record or my performance but on God’s love for me in Christ.

Prayer

• Religion: My prayer life consists largely of petition, and it only heats up when I am in a time of need. My main purpose in prayer is control of the environment.
• Gospel: My prayer life consists of generous stretches of praise and adoration. My main purpose is fellowship with God.

Confidence

• Religion: My self-view swings things between to poles. If and when I am living up to my standards, I feel confident, but then I am prone to be proud and unsympathetic to failing people. If and when I am not living up to standards, I feel humble but not confident – I feel like a failure.
• Gospel: My self-view is not based on my moral achievement. In Christ I am simul lustus et peccator –simultaneously sinful and lost, yet accepted in Christ. I am so bad that he had to die for me, and I am so loved that he was glad to die for me. This leads me to deep humility and confidence at the same time.

Identity

• Religion: My identity and self-worth are based mainly on how hard I work, or how moral I am – and so I must look down on those I perceive as lazy or immoral.
• Gospel: My identity and self worth are centered on the one who died for me. I am saved by sheer grace and I can’t look down on those who believe or practices something different from me. Only by grace am I what I am.

What do think? Do any of these distinctions pinch a nerve?

H/T: Scott Thomas, Acts 29

Normally outgoing, friendly, fun-loving people turn to stone when their bums hit the pew. For some reason Church works like emotion-killing kryptonite.

I’m not sure why this is exactly – I’ve spent plenty of time trying to figure it out. I’ve also spent plenty of time wishing it wasn’t so, or being frustrated that it is… so.

Until now.

I had a great conversation with another young pastor the other day at a conference. I asked him whether the young people in his church seemed to lose all of their sparkle when they entered the church building. He said Yes, they did. I asked him if he knew why. He said No, he didn’t. But then he went on to explain that, whatever the cause, churches needed to respond by making our services the kind of ‘safe place’ where people could feel free to express themselves.

I couldn’t agree more.

The fact is that young people are exceedingly worried about what their neighbour thinks about them. They’re worried about how they look, how they’re perceived, whether they’re clapping in time… And this forces them [I should say us] to become inhibited in the way that we express ourselves in worship.

I’m going to think about this a whole lot more, but I know for sure that (at least in my context) I need to do all that I can to create safe worship spaces.

I want “David dancing in his underwear” kind of emotional, worship-fueled abandon at my church. Don’t you?

If you’re a pastor, preacher, or in some kind of church leadership position, you should read this.
Read it, and leave yourself open to the punch.

If you’re not, you should still read this and pray for your pastors and leaders.

Can any reasonable man imagine that God should save men for offering salvation to others, while they refused it themselves, and for telling others those truths which they themselves neglected and abused? Many a tailor goes in rags that makes costly clothes for others; and many cook scarcely licks his fingers, when he has dressed for others the most costly dishes.

Believe it, brethren, God never saved any man for being a preacher, nor because he was an able preacher; but because he was a justified, sanctified man, and consequently faithful in his Master’s work.