The Protector

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As I wake up this Friday morning I have a lot on my mind.  Filled with excitement at the thought of catching up with an old friend, yet feeling the weight of challenges that many of us are facing. Some have mountains that need to be moved, others have hard decisions to make, friends facing sickness, loneliness, pain..and the list goes on.  


One of my favourite scriptures in the Bible is Psalm 121, and with the weight of my thoughts, I turn to it this morning and meditate upon the beautiful, re-assuring words:

I lift up my eyes to the mountains—
    where does my help come from?
 My help comes from the Lord,
    the Maker of heaven and earth.

 He will not let your foot slip—
    he who watches over you will not slumber;
 indeed, he who watches over Israel
    will neither slumber nor sleep.

 The Lord watches over you—
    the Lord is your shade at your right hand;
 the sun will not harm you by day,
    nor the moon by night.

 The Lord will keep you from all harm—
    he will watch over your life;
 the Lord will watch over your coming and going
    both now and forevermore.

I love how Karl Jenkins entitled his arrangement of Psalm 121 'The Protector'.  How apt.  

While the word teaches us to rest in Him, doing battle against our struggles can be exhausting. He is with us (as so beautifully described in the Psalm above) but we are required to stand (to stand firm, no less!).  And I speak from experience (especially this week!) that standing and fighting, not bowing to pressures and challenges can be so damn exhausting - especially if victory doesn't seem to be anywhere in sight!   But the good news is, victory does come! If you can stay and not retreat I promise (actually He promises) that victory will be yours! 

Whatever you are facing today, know that The Protector watches over you.

Head of the year

L'Shanah Tovah Tikatevu

This morning something wonderful happened. While it may not have been the sound of the shofar I heard, it was definitely a calling. I felt the gentle wooing of my heart and enjoyed the most intimate time with God that I can ever remember. The really bizarre twist to my whole experience is that I realised it was Rosh Hashanah, and while I'm not an observant Jew (in fact I consider myself a Christian, but my roots are Jewish and I am blessed to enjoy such a rich heritage that overlaps so much with my own faith) so much of what was dealt with in my heart this morning was all themed towards the message of Rosh Hashanah.

From what I understand (and it is limited!) at the heart of Rosh Hashanah is our relationship with God – our maker, our sustainer and our redeemer. And central to that is our acknowledgement of God as King of the whole universe, our brokenness and failure and need for repentance and lastly new birth, second chances, the promise of sweet new beginnings...a new year.

Today I feel like a newborn – fresh and alive. Blemish free. Ready to start a new year, a new life. And, I am so grateful for a new beginning.   

Psalm 65 & Psalm 103

The Value of Human Life

As a Christian, I am horrified to admit the jury is still out for me when it comes to abortion.  I say this because murder outside the womb is no different to murder inside the womb. It's all that...murder.

I value human life, but you can bet your bottom dollar if I walked in on someone molesting my child and a loaded gun was handy consider that humans life gone!  Or, maybe if somehow I was transported back in time to Germany 1928 and I had a clear shot at Hitler.  Imagine...the murder of that one man could save the suffering and misery, not to mention the lives of millions of people.  How many Einstein's perished in the Holocaust? How many Leonard Bernstein's or Itzhtak Perlmans? Or, how many Sigmund Freud's? I also do wonder how many great lives never got a chance to shine outside of their mothers womb?  How is it possible that I can say this and at the same time wish Hitler never took a breath outside his mothers womb?

If I put on the mind of Christ I see value and hope in every life.  Even Hitler. I know there is a verse in the bible that says God looks beyond what is and sees what can be.  But can I? 

During my life, growing up I saw first hand the suffering of so many children who in my heart of hearts I wished had not been born due to the intolerable neglect and abuse they sustained in their tiny lives at the hands of their 'parents'.  What hope is there for those children who have experienced such despicable conditions?  What becomes of their lives and the lives of their offspring?  Sadly the stats tell us more often than not if they are kept in this environment they are destined to inflict the same kind of treatment onto the next generation and so on.  I want to cry.  I don't understand any of this.  I don't understand why some are saved from this, while other little ones endure such atrocities.

I value those little lives - the ones that are being neglected and abused.  But the person that bought them into the world doesn't. Where is the value of human life there?

The reality is, I am not the judge. I am not the jury.  I cannot say what is right for one person, and wrong for another.  I cannot say one persons life has more value than another.

I do not like abortion, but it happens.  It makes me sad.  I hold no condemnation for someone whose had an abortion or for someone who is considering an abortion. And, for the record....either does God.

For Phyllis...

http://weheartit.com/entry/2266173

 There is hymn I love that I don't recall hearing as a child - you are probably wondering why this is unusual?...well, my earliest introduction into 'church' was a small brethren church, then we moved to a Baptist church, and then we moved to a large Pentecostal church and in addition to all of this I was educated in a musically centred Baptist school.  So hymns were part of my upbringing which I am ever thankful for, especially considering a large chunk of my church life has been spent within the walls of the Pentecostal church where hymns are rarely sung.   The fact is, I love what is known as the traditional hymn. I love the music, I love the words....the whole package in my opinion is a truly beautiful expression of worship, which more than often exclusively focuses on Gods might, His power and His love. 

Anyway, getting back to the topic...a few years back I first heard a beautiful hymn called 'There is a fountain' (covered by Selah) and the words are so beautiful...they ooze of such an authentic God encounter.  So, last week I decided to look up who wrote this beautiful hymn.  As it turns out, the author is none other than William Cowper.  Cowper is not known in history as a great orator, preacher or a revivalist - in fact, you've probably never heard of him!  To me, I simply knew him as a contributor to John Newtons 'Olney Hymns' and the author of John Giplin. As it turns out, after reading on wikipedia there is a lot more to Cowper than I realised.  He was crippled for most of his life with mental illness, disappointment and botched suicide attempts.  I bet my bottom dollar he died thinking he lived a quiet, inconsequential life.  However, the truth is his hymns are sung all around the world and have made a great impact on peoples lives.  Cowper probably never imagined in his wildest dreams that his struggles; his walk with God (in a nutshell: just life) would have such an everlasting effect on generations to come.

My point is that so many of us go about our days, to our jobs, to school or attending to our children and think that our actions are of no consequence, when the truth is that our struggles, our questions, our faith, our walk with God does indeed echo deep into the future and our footsteps after we die will be there for generations, evident for all to see.

You are important.  The smallest of actions you take have life changing outcomes that you will never have the pleasure of knowing until eternity. Do you sponsor a child?  Do you pick up a neighbours child so they can go to Sunday school? Have you smiled at someone?  Have you spoken words hope into someone?  Written a letter? Helped with the shopping? All of these things, while they may not seem life changing to you, nor make you feel you have such a 'grand' calling...they are all life changing for that person.  That support, that restored faith, that encouragement, that meal, that car trip, that smile, that prayer...


To listen to William Cowpers beautiful hymn, click here

Lost in translation

Image from weheartit.com

Here is something interesting I realised this morning...my PC desktop was so over populated with files and folders I could no longer see my desktop theme. 

I haven't been myself lately.  Earlier this year I was disappointed, really disappointed.  A chain of events left me with the revelation that someone I had held up (very high) was human and flawed.  I know this seems simple and almost ridiculous, but this disappointment came from someone I had idolised since I was a kid.  In fact, as I grew older I thought she could do no wrong and was the ultimate example of what I wanted to be...kind, gracious and wise.

The realisation that something isn't what you thought it was can be hard to accept (extreme case in point the earth is not flat!). This new knowledge causes us to grow, and sometimes growth causes pain.  The departure of something you held as truth can be an anxious separation.  And, as it turns out, I foolishly went through this growth pain kicking and screaming and it spilled ugly into other relationships and area's in my life.


I realised this morning my desktop looked a lot like my life at the moment.  Ugly, disordered and so busy with un-filed documents that I can't even see the theme in the background.

So, as I tidied it I got myself tidied up too.  With the clearing, look what I can see again...

The Christian Charter

I can't deny it.  I love church history, but at the moment I am struggling with church.  To be more specific, churches that have turned into businesses.  I am unable to reconcile my faith with church that is run like a marketplace.  Enough already...what I really wanted to talk about here was how I want to live.  What I want to be known for.

I want to be know by my actions.  Francis of Assisi once said "The deeds you do may be the only sermon some persons will hear today."  He also famously said "Preach the Gospel at all times and when necessary use words." 

I made the 'wordle' above to define what I actually stand for and how I want to live.  I don't proclaim to be perfect and sin free, but God, please help me to be all these things that you are.