It was October 2008 and it had been a long day, so to compensate Bex and I were treating ourselves by chilling out in front of the television.
“I wonder how many little heathens we’ll get knocking on the door begging for treats this year?” I asked, as I remembered it was Halloween night.
Of course I was only playing, I meant no disrespect to anyone. But believe it or not, that was more or less my attitude.
A little while later, we received a quiet knock on the door.
“I’ll go babe.” I said, whilst singing to myself “Onwards Christian soldier…”
“Be nice!” Bex called out as I walked towards the front door.
I opened the door to find 2 small children, no older than 9 or 10. They looked pretty shabby, I mean how reasonable is it to call a bin liner sellotaped to your t-shirt a proper Halloween costume? Surely they weren’t expecting to be rewarded for this!
“trick or treat?” they mumbled rather nervously.
I paused as I considered my plan of attack. I had spotted my sword on the stairs behind me; my ESV – highlighted for ease of access. I could swing that a few times and cut them right down to size! What bible verses could I turn to? What profound statements could I make? What an opportunity I had to loom in holiness over these sinners!
I looked at my watch, and then looked again at the two vulnerable children stood at my door and decided to have mercy on them, after all I wanted to get back to my nice warm sofa and television, getting into a deep conversation with 2 children would be time consuming.
“I’m sorry guys I don’t believe in Halloween so on your way!” I said, rather succinctly.
As I returned to my lounge to continue watching TV, I thought about what I had just said, and how I had treated those 2 young children who had bravely knocked on my door, and I started to feel quite uncomfortable.
What did I even mean that I didn’t believe in Halloween?
Was I saying that I didn’t believe it existed? Obviously not, that would be stupid. Was I saying that I didn’t believe in the darker side of Halloween; in the practice of witchcraft and the Occult? Again, no as I do believe these things not only exist but have a hugely damaging impact on those who get involved.
What, then, was I saying that I didn’t believe? I was troubled… and then the answer came to me, I didn’t believe that Halloween was right.
I breathed a sigh of relief as I realised that I had faithfully discharged wisdom to those young children, I’m sure the Apostle Paul would have been proud. How lucky they were to have knocked on my door – no doubt those children were returning to their homes, with their heads hanging in shame, provoked and challenged by the fact that “the bloke from number 46” didn’t ‘believe’ in Halloween.
…Of course, that wasn’t what was happening at all. The truth was they just moved on to the next house and had probably decided that next year they wouldn’t bother knocking on my door. More than likely I was already being black listed.
I started to feel quite uncomfortable with how I had just handled myself. I started to feel the ache of missed opportunity. I know that feeling well.
“But Halloween is wrong!” I said to myself, trying to justify how I had behaved. “People need to know that!”
The problem is me standing on my door step telling 10 year olds that Halloween is wrong, just won’t have the desired affect… at all! All I was achieving was isolating myself from the young people in my street, and I really didn’t want to do that.
Quick rule of thumb: If you’re communicating the gospel in a way that doesn’t give hope to the unbeliever, then you’re not communicating the gospel.
It would be very easy to spend my life shouting at everyone who is wrong, but shouldn’t my efforts as a witness to the mercy of God run deeper than that? Shouldn’t I be making more of an effort than that? Isn’t the gospel more effective than that?
Then it dawned on me that I had never been to a Halloween party not because I disagreed with them but because I hadn’t actually ever been invited to one.
“I am sure I must have been – I mean I’m a fun guy to be around – just imagine what a great time you would have with someone telling you that you are wrong all the time!!”
“Oh dear!” I was starting to realise that things need adjusting in my mind.
I had started to learn a very very valuable lesson in life ‘win the person and not the argument’
At the end of the day, as and when my friends start to question life, and want to know the Christian point of view, then I want them to feel like they can come and talk to me, but how likely is that to happen if I’m only ever telling people that they are doing life wrong?
Jesus struck a beautiful tension between being hard hitting in His perspective to sin, but inviting to those who were guilty of it. I want to get that tension right.
Like Jesus I want to be invited to parties, I want to be known as someone who befriends people that the ‘religious elite’ don’t mix with.
So what about you?
Maybe you consider Halloween as a festival of darkness – but it’s only light that can disperse darkness and your light won’t shine if you hide it away.
For an idea of a good way to get the gospel and Halloween working together follow this link to UCB’s website.
The Western world has been enjoying the “Elf on the Shelf” phenomenon for the last few years now.
But just in case you’ve missed it, let me read you an excerpt from the official ‘Elf on the Shelf’ website to give you an idea of what this is all about:
The Elf on the Shelf® is a special scout elf sent from the North Pole to help Santa Claus manage his naughty and nice lists. When a family adopts an elf and gives it a name, the elf receives its Christmas magic and can fly to the North Pole each night to tell Santa Claus about all of the day’s adventures. Each morning, the elf returns to its family and perches in a different place to watch the fun.
So the Elf on the Shelf is, basically, a more efficient way of Santa Claus keeping an eye on children – making sure they are behaving themselves. Because obviously as we all know, Santa only gives good gifts to good children.
These Elves are highly skilled little creatures, they don’t miss anything, they cannot be tricked, they can’t even be bribed; everything you do or don’t do will be communicated to Santa Claus on a daily basis.
All joking aside, this idea of an all-seeing Elf – it’s really quite frightening. Imagine if everything you’d ever thought, said or done had been noted down and recorded.
This is what the bible says in Hebrews 4:12-13
No creature is hidden from His sight, all are naked and exposed to the eyes of him to whom we must give account.
According to the bible, everything I have ever done or ever will do will be recorded and presented to God. I wonder what list I will be on? Naughty or Nice? What about you?
If you stood before God would He put you on his naughty or nice list? In fact scrap that question – as you stand before yourself today – what list would you put yourself on?
I’ve got some really exciting news for you:
Whilst Santa gives generously for those who are on his nice list, God actually gives generously to those who are on his naughty list.
Let me just explain what I mean by that.
God’s love of you isn’t conditional – it’s not based on how well behaved you’ve been. In fact, because He knows you inside and out, He knows that you struggle with things from time to time. His gift of forgiveness is to those of us who humbly recognise that we didn’t make the nice list.
In the same way that sick people need a doctor – sinful people need a saviour.
I’ve got no problem celebrating the kindness of jolly Old Saint Nicholas, but the real message of Christmas is the kindness of God.
He came as a small baby, the one who created the oceans and sculpted the mountains chose to be born as a vulnerable fetus. Born for one main purpose – to give His life as a ransom for many – to give us the gift of new life.
Mild He lays His glory by, born that man no more may die,
Born to raise the sons of earth, born to give them second birth.
Christmas time means the end of hibernation for some parts of the Bible. Passages like Isaiah 9 are brilliant all year round, but get extra special attention during the month of December:
For to us a child is born,
to us a son is given;
and the government shall be upon his shoulder,
and his name shall be called
Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,
Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
I wonder what you think of these titles. One of my favourites is:
The Prince of Peace
I reckon most of us imagine “peace” as a state of mind when all is as it should be; money is in the bank, relationships are not too chaotic, you’re not impacted by sickness, there’s no panic about the future – everything is in order and life feels calm.
Feeling peaceful in those times isn’t exactly extraordinary – but genuine peace is actually a bit more impressive than that.
Peace isn’t the absence of problems but a sense of calm in the midst of problems.
That’s why the bible talks about a peace that surpasses all human understanding. Onlookers see you being calm during your current calamity and think to themselves:
“Surely someone going through that situation shouldn’t be as peaceful as that.”
But how do you get that kind of peace?
There really is only one way… you need to meet the Prince of Peace.
Only He can teach you how to be calm in the middle of the storm.
Here’s my Open Letter response to whoever it is that left this note on my car window outside Doctor Phillips & Partner’s Surgery last week:
“First of all I’m really sorry for any inconvenience caused by my parking, I could tell as I pulled into the space that it was going to cause problems.
The truth is there was no other space left in the whole car park and I parked as best I could right in the centre of the space (something you actually neglected to do).
I am slightly confused however as to why you got so angry in your note – especially outside a doctor’s surgery. Fortunately my wife and I were there for a midwife appointment – but I wonder how you would have felt if your note ended up in the hands of someone who had just been told they were seriously ill, with only a few weeks left. Would it have been worth it then?
I’m not angry with you though… at least not anymore. I was angry at first, really angry, but then I realised that me being angry didn’t really help anything, in fact it made things worse.
Have you ever noticed how easily angered we get these days?
When did anger and suspicion become my default position? How come I jump to angry mode the second someone does anything that inconveniences me or upsets me – always assuming the worst in people and always getting defensive.
Anger seems to be everywhere these days – you see it on the roads, you see it on YouTube comment threads, You see it in the high street, you see it over the dinner table.
As a dad with two small boys and another child on the way I’m frightened for my children’s future… in fact I’m terrified… terrified of what hostility they might encounter.
But despite my fear, I’m convinced there’s only one way to respond to the anger that dominates our world, and that’s with kindness.
It’s only kindness that can melt hatred,
It’s only kindness that can turn an angry society around,
It’s only an act of kindness that can bring hope again,
Lord knows we’ve tried everything else…
You’ve probably noticed that there’s some talk in the news today about parking tickets. The RAC are claiming that it’s likely millions of people have been fined illegally.
I’m sure you’re really well behaved with parking and have never broken the rules – but I have… a few times if I’m honest, although on one occasion I had been ticketed and I was actually genuinely innocent – and I could prove it.
Thankfully after a bit of effort and some evidence I was able to get the fine revoked.
It did get me thinking though…
In this situation the onus was on me to contest my parking fine, even though I was wrong as far as the local authority was concerned I was guilty until proven innocent, they weren’t making any effort to fight my corner – they were just waiting for the fine to be paid.
My relationship with God is a bit like that – I have broken rules and as such I incurred quite a hefty fine, a penalty that needed to be paid, in fact we all have:
“…for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,” Romans 3 v 23
We’ve all been caught out and found guilty, in fact, the bible says we have no excuses:
For what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them. For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse. For although they knew God, they did not honour him as God or give thanks to him, but they became futile in their thinking, and their foolish hearts were darkened.” Romans 1 v 18-21
And the penalty that is owed is a heavy one:
“For the wages of sin is death…” Romans 6 v 23
The good news is that there is one massive difference between what happened with my parking ticket and what happens with God.
I had to pursue the local authority to clear my name, it was up to me to chase up my case and fight for my innocence just so I could be let off a petty £25 fine.
But as I stand before God then I have no defence, I actually am guilty. If the onus were on me to fight for my innocence then I would have no hope.
“But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ.” Ephesians 2 v 4 – 5
Scandalously God fights my corner for me! He puts the onus on Himself.
It’s not about how hard we fight or how much we chase – it’s all about Him who stooped from Heaven to pay the penalty on our behalf. He paid that death penalty that we’ve talked about.
I didn’t think that Kings behaved this way?!
I’ve already quoted Romans 6 v 23, but I only quoted the first half, the whole verse reads like this:
“For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.“
This is breathtaking, have you ever heard of something so scandalous?
I decided that the new Exodus; Gods and Kings movie was one that I had to watch on the big screen, so despite needing to be up at 4.30am the next morning I went for the evening showing at my local cinema on New Years day.
I wasn’t too sure if I was going to write a blog about this movie, film reviews are not something I’m really any good at but with it being a bible based movie I thought it would be worth covering, as I did with the recent version of Noah (click here to read).
As expected there’s a lot of online discussion around this new movie with views ranging from the movie being a huge success to it being the activity of the anti-Christ.
The main concerns about this movie surround the fact that Ridley Scott changes or misrepresents various elements of the biblical account of the Exodus narrative, and that’s what most of this blog will address.
First of all, I think it’s worth highlighting that if you’re going to attempt to translate a bible story onto the big screen then you’re always going to be faced with the challenge of creating something worthwhile whilst at the same time remaining 100% true to the biblical narrative – I don’t think anyone has ever achieved this tension… ever!
If what you’re looking for is a movie that communicates nothing other than the biblical text then you’re always going to be disappointed, there are always slight amendments made and they are made for one or all of the following reasons:
- There are gaps in the story
As with most biblical stories some detail is omitted and when that happens, writers often fill in the gaps to help bring the story to life a bit more. Creative license at this point can often lead the writer to include some pretty daft details that clearly aren’t anywhere near the truth, but every so often the added detail can cause you to really consider the reality of the story even if the additions are not based in any truth.
A good example of this could be Christian Bale’s inner turmoil as he dialogued with God over the severity of the plagues. Moses is presented at odds with God at various points, which whilst being an addition to the storyline and therefore not necessarily based in any truth, does cause you to reconsider the reality of what Moses went through. It’s easy to read our bibles too quickly. What Moses went through was far from easy and Ridley Scott helps remind us of this.
Inevitably there are moments when Ridley uses creative licence with great success and moments where perhaps he misses the mark somewhat. A good example of him missing the mark could be the decision to include a more military minded Moses, who attempts to overthrow Pharaoh by training up a small Israelite army which only ends in failure – although it did help to emphasise the point that Moses’ efforts were successful only when he trusts in what God says, which obviously is what he later neglects to remember at his own downfall.
Another moment sure to split opinion is the inclusion of some 8 year old child to portray the voice of God – I’m still uncertain as to what I think about this, there were moments where I felt uncomfortable as God seemed to be more like a belligerent school boy but also moments where it was a touch of genius as it highlighted God’s innocence and His raw passion, either way I applaud Ridley for taking such a creative risk – we need more risk takers in cinema.
- It’s not good cinema
Probably most of the changes made in this movie are simply because Ridley Scott didn’t consider the truth interesting enough for cinema.
For example, this movie portrays Ramesses 2nd as the Pharaoh reigning at the time of the Exodus, which isn’t accurate. Whilst there is some debate over which Pharaoh was in power during the exodus (as his name is ironically not mentioned in the text) it’s pretty much a given that Ramesses didn’t come to power for another century or so. It’s also unlikely that there was such a close relationship between Moses and the Pharaoh in power during the exodus – but again the truth is slightly less exciting for Ridley’s plans to create a blockbuster movie.
Another amendment is that of Moses’ character. According to the biblical narrative Moses lives in Midian for about 40 years before his humble return to Egypt, where he is a different man altogether, however the Moses we see in the movie is more of an agnostic rather than a believing Hebrew. He’s also not a very humble character – in fact he’s somewhat defiant, of God as well as Pharaoh, but again never let the truth get in the way of a good story eh Ridders!?
- The bias of the people behind the movie
It would be naïve to ignore that there is always a bias behind the movies we watch – there are always messages and certain ideologies that leak through what you’re watching but that being said it seems a lot of people go a bit over the top when it comes to the so-called “evils of Hollywood”.
I’ve heard a lot of people tell me about Ridley’s evil agenda but if you actually watch the film there are clearly moments when he seems to communicate with confidence the miraculous elements of the story that many secular directors might have been tempted to explain away, although that being said I’m still confused by the significantly underwhelming parting of the red sea – definite let down in the movie plot.
If we are going to get over-excited about the evils of Hollywood then let us turn our attention to more genuine concerns, such as those movies with more subtle ideologies that affect our way of thinking. In my humble opinion movies that are obviously about God that make bold statements are never as dangerous as films conveying more subtle ideologies.
The very real danger we face when we jump on “controversy band wagons” chatting about Ridley’s evil plans and the Illuminati etc is that we stop believing that God is able to use popular culture to make a difference in people’s lives. I’m not for a second thinking that Ridley is hoping to preach the gospel in his directing career, as far as I can see he wants to make good movies and probably a good living – but the truth is God can use his efforts just like He can yours to make a difference. Therefore if there’s an opportunity for us to engage with our unbelieving friends – like there is with any biblical blockbuster then why wouldn’t you want to grab it as a conversation starter?
If God can use Balaam’s donkey to get a message across I’m sure He can use Ridley Scott.
Let me close with this… if you’re going to make a judgement on the movie at the very least make sure you watch it first – after all as Jesus reminds us in Mark chapter 7 it’s not what goes into you that defiles you – it’s what comes out from your heart.
Anyone notice how much our generation seems to have been massively influenced by vampires?
I don’t get it to be honest, not got anything against vampires, I’m sure they’re wonderful people, but I think we’ve gone a teensy bit overboard with them. They’re in the movies, they’re on my television, they’re in novels, I think I even saw one in my corner shop the other day – although it’s Halloween at the moment, so perhaps it was just someone in costume.
Anyway it’s got me thinking about how similar a vampire is to sin. A slightly strange observation to make perhaps, but then I am slightly strange at times.
So here goes; 5 reasons why I think sin is like a vampire:
1. Vampires have to be welcomed in
A vampire cannot come into your home, until you first welcome them in. At the point at which you welcome the vampire into your life, their identity may be hidden. Perhaps you have even been charmed by the tall, dark and handsome stranger without realising just how dark this stranger is.
Most of the time when sin exists in our lives, it does so because we first embraced it. Perhaps we were totally unaware of the havoc that the sin was destined to cause, blinded to the fact that we were beginning to walk towards disaster and ruin… with a smile on our face.
2. Vampires suck your blood 
Probably the most famous fact about a vampire is that they survive by sucking on human blood. Most well known stories about vampires involve a vampire luring their victim to a place of extreme vulnerability and then at their most vulnerable the vampire plunges his fangs deep into the neck of his helpless victim and sucks the life out of them.
Often, the vampire won’t suck all the life out of their victims, they will keep them alive so as to destroy them entirely by returning and devastating them again.
The one thing worse then death, I suppose is ongoing death. Sin has this very same characteristic. Like a leech it attaches itself to you, feasting on your blood, draining the life from you, leaving you weak and helpless and without the ability to escape or to fight back. We love to think that we are in control, but the truth of the matter is if you cannot master your sin, then your sin is mastering you.
The likelihood is that you think that when you engage in sin you’re the one making the decisions, but is it possible you’re no longer in charge? Is your life being sucked out by your sin? Have you noticed the disaster that it leaves behind?
3. Vampires have no reflection 
We’re often told that vampires have no reflection, they cannot be seen in a mirror. How similar this is to sin.
Often when you look in the mirror you cannot see the sin looming over your shoulder. Your friends and family are also often oblivious to the severe devastation taking place behind closed doors.
Somehow sin has a way of remaining hidden, it blends into the background and has no reflection. Sometimes, just like a vampire, the only way you know you’re a victim is by noticing the wounds that are left behind.
4. Vampires cannot survive when exposed to the light
The survival of a vampire is at significant risk when exposed to the light of the sun. If I have learned one profound fact about sin, it is that it flourishes in the shadows; just like vampires, sin becomes very vulnerable in the light.
“For everyone who does wicked things hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his works should be exposed.” John 3 v 20
“…God is light, and in him is no darkness at all. 6 If we say we have fellowship with him while we walk in darkness, we lie and do not practise the truth. 7 But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin.” 1 John 1 v 5:7
Even though the final victory over sin has been won it would be stupid to think that that means we are immune from tasting to some degree the devastation that sin can cause.
I am increasingly convinced that in terms of dealing with sin in our lives, one of the most effective weapons is exposure. This can happen in 1 of 2 ways. We can actively expose sin as we partner with the Holy Spirit as He sanctifies us. Or, as I’ve seen once in a while, for our own good, God exposes it for us, often the latter is more painful.
If you have started to notice the wounds of sin, perhaps it’s worth considering exposing that vampire to the light. Try being more accountable with some God-hungry friends that you trust.
5. The only way to kill a vampire is with a stake through the heart
There are a few ways to kill a vampire, but perhaps the most definite, is to drive a stake through the heart. 
This is the one way we can be certain of finishing off a vampire.
The same is true of sin. The sin that exists in my life and in your life has a talent for survival. The only way we can be confident of its definite demise is to deal with it ruthlessly – and that means driving a stake through the heart. That will mean something different to all of us – but the issue is the same, we need to deal a definite death blow.
Jesus Christ is better than Buffy
It seems fitting to finish by pointing out that Jesus Christ is the ultimate vampire slayer.
By shedding His blood Jesus Christ dealt the ultimate death blow to the enemy. Satan has been properly beaten! Even death has been undone as a result.
Although the way He did this was really interesting; rather than driving a stake into someone else’s heart, He allowed the very men He created to drive nails into His hands and feet.
As Graham Kendrick once wrote: “Hands that flung stars into space, to cruel nails surrendered.”
2,000 years ago as Jesus Christ died on the cross, and as His blood was shed, all of us who are guilty of doing wrong things, were given hope again. Hope that the vampire of sin could be beaten.
The blood of Jesus brings us life! When you look at it that way – maybe we’re the ones who are vampires!?
If there’s anyone I think I blame for England’s defeat at the hands of Uruguay last night, it’s not Rooney, it’s not Hodgson, it’s the fans…
Don’t get me wrong it’s hugely disappointing to watch and there’s definitely things our national team need to get better at, and from my massively inexperienced perspective it’s the basic footballing principles, things like closing a player down, marking your man, applying pressure are things we seem to struggle with at the moment.
But hands down the biggest cause of our defeat in my opinion is me and you, the English fans, the English press. Have you noticed just how much we crucify our players in the media or on twitter if they don’t perform?
Something I noticed during last night’s game against Uruguay – we started off shaky and nervous and things got more shaky the moment Suarez headed his first goal past Joe Hart, BUT the moment Rooney finally managed to hit the back of the net, then things changed for us, it might have only been for a few minutes, but they changed. Suddenly we were confident, energetic, creating space and opportunity.
Here’s what I think is happening.
England are suffering a serious lack of confidence on the pitch, confidence that as individual players, they have buckets of whilst playing for their clubs.
Take Wayne Rooney for example, there’s absolutely no doubt that this guy is a world class player – he’s scored some mind-blowingly good goals in his career and he’s respected and renowned the world over, and yet he receives so much abuse from English football fans.
This year it’s even gone up a notch – people have now targeted Wayne’s wife; Coleen. Seriously? I mean seriously when did that become an OK thing to do?
We tweet all these abusive comments and gestures and then for some stupid reason seem to think that it won’t make any difference but of course it will.
How stupid have we become?
If we are continually abusive towards people then that’s going to have an impact. If we continually apply pressure onto the shoulder of our sporting representatives then of course eventually every so often they will buckle.
I’ve got a revolutionary idea to fix this… it’s crazy so you have to bear with me.
Why don’t we become supportive.
The clue’s in the title a little bit – I’m an English supporter… therefore I ought to support England!!
As a dad with two young boys I can tell you I get a much better response when I’m encouraging and supportive towards my boys. That doesn’t mean that I don’t give them the hard truths at times – but I do it with respect.
There you go… RESPECT, that’s something we’re not too good at here in England.
One of the phrases that gets thrown about during these times is “national disgrace” – the media hang the players out to dry, but I think the real disgrace is how we treat our team and I think it needs to change.
I’m proud of my heritage and I think we’re better than this. We have an opportunity to properly get behind our team, show them our support, show them that they’re not alone in this tournament. Rather than kicking them when they’re down it’s our job to pick them back up again and fill them with confidence, to help put that British Bulldog fire back into their gut.
So it’s Friday and we have a game against Costa Rica on Tuesday, our fate this year largely depends on what happens between the other teams in our group – but why don’t we as supporters start tweeting encouragement to Stevie G and the boys in the run up to potentially our last game. If we are going to go out in the group stages let’s go out with a bang.
Unless we start respecting our team and doing our bit to give them confidence I don’t think we will ever win a World Cup or a European Championship.
It’s up to you… you know what needs to be done.
Sometimes we can experience moments of real tragedy and heartache in life. I wonder if you’ve ever had one of those moments, a situation that totally floors you.
If you’re anything like me bible verses like Romans 8:28 can be tough to work through in these times. How can God be working all things together for good when so much suffering exists?
Recently I’ve started to view my life as a jigsaw puzzle, and each day of my life is represented by a single piece of this puzzle.
Some days are colourful and vibrant – full of joy and expectation.
Some days are less colourful.
Other days are just totally black.
I don’t know if you’ve ever noticed but for a picture to come to life, there needs to be depth and dimension.
Even those shady and dark jigsaw puzzle pieces have a purpose in this regard. A picture can’t come to life without some shading to provide definition. The darker colours help the brighter colours stand out more.
Ultimately the dark days can be used to help emphasise and highlight and draw attention to the colourful and vibrant parts of the overall jigsaw puzzle.
It might sound crazy but even the dark days of our lives end up playing a huge part in making our finished picture beautiful.
It’s in our times of lament that we often learn life’s most valuable lessons.
It’s in our times of trouble that we remember to treasure what’s most important to us.
It’s in our difficult days that we learn to be more like Jesus.
Your life is a jigsaw puzzle and every day is important.
“And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.”
We heard recently that the prince of the PR world, Max Clifford has been sentenced to 8 years in prison for sexually assaulting 4 women.
Max Clifford is a man who has made his living from the secrets of the rich and famous. His job involved ensuring the continuity of the popular facade of those in the spotlight.
Now I’ve never met Max but certainly a lot of people seem to suggest that it’s possible an element to his success also involved using the secrets of certain celebrities to his advantage, after all when you have your publicist knowing the detail of your dirty laundry then it would be dangerous to not treat him like your best friend – wouldn’t it?
What I find most interesting is the stark contrast between the behaviour and reputation of Max Clifford and that of Jesus Christ.
Whereas (it has been suggested) Max Clifford knew the deep and dark secrets of many and used these secrets to enslave people in order to profit himself. Jesus Christ knows the deep and dark secrets of everyone and still works to see people set free… even at great cost to Himself.
Many who have approached Max Clifford in the past will have done so to prevent people from finding out about their hidden shame, and Max was able to provide them that service albeit it at a cost.
Many more have approached Jesus not just to remove their hidden shame from the public arena but to remove it totally. Jesus Christ isn’t interested in making you look good, he’s interested in making you completely good, He’s interested in setting you totally free.
You see Jesus can deal with your bad habits and your bad behaviours. Max Clifford may have been a pro at covering up shame but that doesn’t deal with the root problem, it didn’t deal with his problems… he’s now in prison because of them.
All those who have put their trust into Max Clifford will be sorely disappointed and no doubt fearful.
All who have put their trust into Jesus will never be disappointed and need never be afraid again.
Whoever you are, or whatever you’ve done Jesus Christ wants to help you.
It doesn’t matter what your secret is Jesus Christ is trustworthy… still!
My Theo-Blogy 