Liberation

For the creation waits in eager expectation for the children of God to be revealed. For the creation was subjected to frustration, not by its own choice, but by the will of the one who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself will be liberated from its bondage to decay and brought into the glorious freedom of the children of God.

Romans 8:19-21

The wind blows and clouds form in the blue sky, below River continues its flow towards the ocean. River and Cloud look so different but are in fact made of the same material. This common formation shared between water and vapour mean that they both understand things in a similar way, they have a mutual appreciation of each other. River communicates and Cloud understands clearly, Cloud has felt this same yearning for as long as it could remember.  They both know that their existence, whilst beautiful in so many ways, is not yet as the Originator intended. Deep within them both, is the promise that one day they will be joyously liberated into a new way of existing

River and Cloud don't know how they know, but they do. They have never had eyes so cannot see, no ears so cannot hear. Yet somehow, ever since the Originator first created them, they knew of the liberation promise. For millennia they have known what it is to decay, they understand that their molecular structure is corroding and crumbling. The destructive power of the universe in which they exist is causing them to degrade inside. How long they can continue in this vein they do not know, although frustrating, they have learned to wait. Their very being is focused on the Originator, eagerly anticipating his culmination plan

It was the Originator's plan to leave River and Cloud, and the rest of creation, in a state of unfulfillment. Not because he didn't care but because he saw a better way. This was a mark of supreme self-sacrifice, to hold all of creation in bondage until the magnificent liberty that was to come. The Originator would bring forth the mortal kind, his mortal kind, at the cost of his son. The result of this sublime and monstrous act would be the glorious freedom of mortal and formation. Daughter and Son joining with River and Cloud, Mountain and Bird, Rock and Galaxy, Flower and Sun all celebrating the wonder of the new creation

River and Cloud would face the future together. They did not know when the promise would be fulfilled, but they had confidence in the Originator. He had made them a commitment and they believed he could be trusted. So, River continued flowing to the sea and Cloud was blown around in the sky before releasing its water onto the earth. Both accepting their frustration, knowing that the liberation promise would one day change everything 

The Father's Heart

The Father's heart, the Father's heart

I long to know the Father's heart

For I am his and he is mine

A life of hope he will define

The Father's word, the Father's word

I long to hear the Father's word

To listen well and know his voice

Obey his sound, I've made my choice

The Father's strength, the Father's strength 

I long to have the Father's strength

His grace ensures that I belong

When I am weak, then I am strong

The Father's mind, the Father's mind

I long to grasp the Father's mind

The wisdom shown by God on high

He always knows when, how and why

The Father's life, the Father's life

I long to live the Father's life

We all will fully see one day

Then bow the knee and simply say

The Father's heart, the Father's heart

I long to know the Father's heart

The Father's heart, the Father's heart

I long to know the Father's heart

I'm a Twerp

I'm a twerp, I'm a twit

I'm a fool, I'm a nit

I'm a dork, I'm a fool

I'm a dunce, I'm not cool

I'm a clown, I'm a clod

I'm an oaf, I'm quite odd

I'm a nerd, I can't cope

I'm a goon, I'm a dope

I'm a stupid, moron, brain dead

I'm a cretin, numskull, bonehead

I'm a buffoon, dumbbell, dimwit

I'm a looser, bruiser, halfwit

I try all I can but it's futile 

And often I get things so wrong

But God's power is made perfect in weakness

And I know when I'm weak I am strong

Auschwitz

Over twelve years ago a work colleague and I were driving through Poland, when we popped into Auschwitz, the former concentration camp for a look round. The fact that we could 'pop' in to the sight of one of the ugliest chapters in human history seems rather strange in itself. We wondered sound the huts, looked at the gas chambers, most of the time my colleague was speaking on his mobile trying to clinch a deal to sell soft drinks to someone or other. 

The ordinariness of a mobile phone conversation in the context of an extermination camp seemed bazaar to say the least. The most poignant moment for me was to see a display board with a photograph of, soon to be gassed Jews, disembarking from a railway carriage onto a platform. There in front of us was the very platform where they had stood

My colleague Slavomir, who was Polish, had a different perspective on Auschwitz than I did. I found it hard to know how to respond, how to act, wanting to behave 'properly' in this concentration camp. Slavomir continued to be the person that he was, not trying to fit in with others' expectation, but carrying on his normal life in this abnormal place

Work

If there is a protestant work ethic, is there a catholic shirk effort?

The Rain Came

"Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock. But everyone who hears these words of mine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on sand. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell with a great crash.” When Jesus had finished saying these things, the crowds were amazed at his teaching, because he taught as one who had authority, and not as their teachers of the law.

Matthew 7:24-29

He was so blessed that he had such a beautiful family, how could he now face the prospect of losing his youngest daughter to cancer? The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house

Many people responded to the minister as he preached the Gospel, but their new-found faith did not last and they gradually slipped away. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house

He made his debut at age seventeen, one of the brightest prospects around. His career was put on hold when he suffered a serious leg injury. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house

A man approaching retirement sees the financial crash have such an impact on his future income that he has to continue working for the foreseeable future. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house

A woman looking to the future with the man she loves, is suddenly told that he is leaving her. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house

Needing three A's to get into her first-choice university, she opens the envelop with not an A in sight. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house

Less than a week before they would exchange contract on their dream home, the solicitor rings to say that the purchase has fallen through. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house

Their son sits down to tell his parents that he has racked up thousands of pounds worth of debt through online gambling. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house

Half way through college, she started a tech company that found a niche in the market. Within five years she was a multi-millionaire before the dot com bubble burst. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house

The rain will always come, there is nothing you can do to prevent it. Having good foundations or bad does not change the reality that the rain will come. The clouds do not move across the sky looking for buildings built on poor foundations. They do not hold back their rain when the see good foundations established. The clouds are arbitrary, the rain will fall where it falls. As has been said, there is nothing you can do to prevent the rain, but there is everything you can do to prepare for it. It is too late to think of your foundations when the storm starts to break, nothing can be done. 

The time to think about foundations is before the beginning of the construction. Foundations are by their very nature, below ground. They cannot be seen from far away, they are not considered in the same way as the rest of the building. Other parts of the building are treated in various ways to be more appealing. They are painted, tiled, plastered, whilst the foundations are purely functional. For any building to remain through the storm, it will require a good foundation 

The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock.

Stone

If your very own brother, or your son or daughter, or the wife you love, or your closest friend secretly entices you, saying, “Let us go and worship other gods” (gods that neither you nor your ancestors have known, gods of the peoples around you, whether near or far, from one end of the land to the other), do not yield to them or listen to them. Show them no pity. Do not spare them or shield them. You must certainly put them to death. Your hand must be the first in putting them to death, and then the hands of all the people. Stone them to death, because they tried to turn you away from the Lord your God, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery. Then all Israel will hear and be afraid, and no one among you will do such an evil thing again.

Deuteronomy 13:6-11

Samuel bent and picked up the stone, he looked at it through sad eyes uncertainty of what would happen next. All around him his friends and neighbours did the same, the act of moving around caused dust to rise. The sun became increasingly hazy as the particles rose into the air. He had chosen the largest stone he could find, for he would be the first one to aim and throw. He prayed that the missile would be accurate, and the resulting blow would knock the woman unconscious before the volley that was to come. He never seen, let alone participated in a stoning before, although he had heard about them from the exotic travellers passing through. But now he faced the awful reality that he was the reason for the coming execution

It was twenty years since they had crossed into the promised land. Moses was dead and the people were now led by Joshua. Even though Moses was no longer physically with them, his impact was still huge. He had motivated, organised and taught them how to be God's chosen people, and because of that they had to live a different way. Samuel had grown to love God and he found his life fulfilled in his prayers, his sacrifices, and in his obedience to the words of Moses. He did not always understand the reasons for the Lord's instructions, but deep inside him he knew that by being obedient to the God of heaven he would know peace

He looked at the woman standing by the city gate, just a few yards from him. The Levitical priests were tying her to a post to ensure that she could not get away. Her brown eyes and complexion seemed darker than usual, all hope had gone, there was no future to look forward to. Everything in him wanted to run to her, untie her arms and legs and flee away with her, but he knew that he could not. He knew the words by heart, 'Show them no pity. Do not spare them or shield them. You must certainly put them to death.' But his heart went out to Sarah his wife and the mother of his children, to the woman who had shared his life for the past two decades. 

Samuel had known that something was wrong only a few months after their wedding. She had started to ask him questions about Moses, about the law, about God and how he could be known. They started off as honest questions, she was seeking real answers to deep questions of faith, but she had a stubborn streak and she refused to accept his answers. He told her to listen to the priests and to follow the law, he encouraged her to pray and ask God to make things clear to her. As the months turned into years, Sarah stopped asking her questions. She internalised the conflict and spoke no more of her doubts, she focused on her children and life continued in a normal way

The priest stood before the crowd and motioned for them to listen. He read out the charge against her, that she had encouraged her husband to forsake the God of Israel and worship other gods. This most serious of crimes had only one penalty, death by stoning. The evil was to be purged from amongst the people, God wanted his people to be holy. Samuel looked at the stone in his hand and then back to the priest. Here he was in front of his wife, ready to lead the people in their violent act. The charge against her was accurate, she was guilty, and she had to die. But he was torn, his love for Sarah was strong, it had kept them going through times of difficulty and of great pain. And yet, he loved God and believed that Moses words had to be kept. How could he satisfy his love? His heart was divided, but he knew what he must do

As their marriage continued, they seemed happy until the dreadful day came. Their youngest daughter, who was only five at the time, woke with a splitting headache feeling drowsy. The pain got worse and it seemed as if she was not going to last the day. The parents were frantic, they called the priest to come and pray and tell them what could be done. He was a kind man and spent the whole day with them. At nightfall he said they would simply have to wait and see if the child recovered. The following day, after much more prayer, the child died. The burial and the period of mourning were excruciating, and gradually Sarah lost all interest in anything or anyone 

That was five years ago, and Samuel knew that the current situation was rooted in that period. It was only two weeks ago that he had found Sarah breaking the law of Moses. He had been away on a trip and had got back late at night, the day before he was due. As he entered the door, he could see her on her knees looking out of the window at the full moon. It hung in a cloudless sky and he could hear her invoking the spirit of the moon as she gazed up. Samuel was horrified at what he saw and shouted at her to stop. She turned around and looked at her devastated husband and without thinking she asked him to kneel with her

So much had happened in the days that followed, Samuel in his devotion to God had told the priests what had happened. And after a careful investigation they had pronounced the death penalty. Sarah begged for her life but to no avail, but there was no one to plead her cause

It was time, Samuel lifted the stone and flung it at his wife, praying for accuracy. But this was yet another prayer that had fallen on deaf ears. The stone hit the pole where his wife was tied and fell harmlessly to the ground. He could not allow Sarah to face a slow and painful death, he loved her too much for that. He ran to her, picked up the large stone and smashed it down on her head. She blacked out and Samuel stepped back to allow the other stones to do their job

The evil was purged from amongst them

Be Still

He says, “Be still, and know that I am God"

Psalm 46:10

When the world is screaming and its sound is overwhelming

"Be still"

When the sharp voice pierces your skin and penetrates your head

"Be still"

When the importance of the decisions that need to be made blunts the heart

"Be still"

Slow your thoughts, slow your eyes and ears, slow your imagination 

Let your eye lids close and your breathing become quiet

Do not look forward into the future, neither glance back to try to understand the past

Linger in the moment

"Be still"

Allow your heart beat to gradually become more measured

Relax as you sit and rest

Recognise, for the time being, that your hopes and fears are out of place and do not need to be given space

Your gifts and calling, your role and responsibilities, your passions and desires all need to be left in storage behind a locked door

Embrace inactivity, welcome inertia as a friend

Do not fill this waking moment

But do not empty your mind, rather allow your thoughts to focus clearly

"Be still and know that I am God"

Words not spoken from Earth but spoken from heaven