Dig, and keep on digging!

So Josh,

"I will tell about your justice, and all day long proclaim your salvation, though I cannot fathom its full extent" (Psalm 71:15 NET)

What an amazing verse! We can praise God ALL day long, telling about who He is, while never quite getting all that He is. We can worship Him for ALL he is, whilst never truly understanding all He is. That means we can dig and keep on digging deeper and deeper into Him, constantly going "Wow! So THAT'S who you are!!". Then tomorrow we dive deeper and go "So THAT'S who you are!" as we discover something new about Him. And this carries on. Forever.

God is an ocean of mystery.
God is a mountain of beauty.
God is a sandpit of never-ending treasure

Let's dive, and keep on diving.
Let's climb, and keep on climbing.
Let's dig, and keep on digging.

Flutter: the new twitter

So Josh, first check out this FUNNY video on Youtube

This is a pretty amusing video! I love the idea: "Tweets" take too long, so instead let's "flap". As Zak Ryman (so-called CEO of Flutter says): "I think a lot of people don't have time to Twitter. It just takes too long to compose a message with 140 characters". It's funny because it's so sad, and it's so sad because it's so true. This may be a spoof video today, but who knows when it will become real.

God is inviting us (you and me) to a lifelong relationship of walking with Him everyday, spending time in His presence, hanging out with him every minute of every day. After all, He's got all the time in the world, right? And He wants to spend it with us.

We read in Genesis, "Then the man and his wife heard the sound of the LORD God as he was walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and they hid from the LORD God among the trees of the garden. But the LORD God called to the man, “Where are you?” (Genesis 3:8-9)

God has the time, and He wants to spend it with you!

Jesus even invites us to sit down to a meal with Him:
Jesus: "Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with him, and he with me" (Revelation 3:20)

He's saying this to you. He's saying this to me. He wants to spend time with us. But it's as if we're running round, from thing to thing, firing off tweets to God:

"Gotta run. We'll talk l8r". Or "C U Sunday".

We have an instant message relationship with Him, firing off spiritual MSNs to Him.

"I need U rite now" or "Pls help me"

without taking time to listen to His response, and then we get angry / disappointed / frustrated because He didn't answer our prayer RIGHT AWAY in the way we wanted.

I just want to encourage you to start slowing down; start spending time with God. Read your Bible on the bus, read your Bible in your lunch hour - find a quiet space and just BE with God.

Love you!
Dan

Forever Fame

So Josh

We all have decisions in life to make. Sometimes it's us making them, sometimes they seem to be made for us. I think it's true that everyone desires their fifteen minutes in the spotlight, where everyone sees, recognizes and loves them...the thing is (and the entertainment magazines seem to back this up) that the higher you climb, the farther you have to fall. Is there an alternative?

FIRST WATCH THIS VIDEO

Fame
I'm gonna live forever
I'm gonna learn how to fly
High

I feel it coming together Fame
People will see me and cry

I'm gonna make it to heaven
Light up the sky like a flame
Fame

I'm gonna live forever
Baby remember my name

I was a teenager when I first heard this song from the movie Fame and I still remember how it connected with what seemed like every student’s dream at the time - to do something, be something, or leave something behind that would be remembered forever.

Fast forward 30 years, and we have the remixed, rebooted movie that looked promising in the previews, but still is not a flick that I think will live forever.

Except maybe in the bargain bin of misfit movies at Blockbuster.

That being said, there’s something in the song and movie that I believe still connects with the soul of a teenager. In fact, not only the soul of a teen, but of all human beings. We want people to remember our names, don’t we? I know I’ve never met anyone who said, “Gee…I hope my life turns out to be a meaningless, purposeless collage of failed attempts to be remembered for something.”

But how does one go about lighting up the sky like a flame? Do we have to have mad music and dancing skills? Do we have to attend a special school and look like Abercrombie and Fitch models?

Well, that would definitely rule me out…but no big deal, because I’m looking for a very different kind of fame - the kind that actually will live forever because it’s attached to something that lasts forever.

You get this, right? You understand that even the highest level of recognition and celebrity status will eventually fade away, so that all the attempts to live forever will eventually be thrown into the bargain bin of eternity.

It’s too bad that so many people believe the lie that fame equals happiness and take their God-given desire to leave a mark on the world and use it for themselves.

You want fame? Take this advice:

For the world offers only a craving for physical pleasure, a craving for everything we see, and pride in our achievements and possessions. These are not from the Father, but are from this world. And this world is fading away, along with everything that people crave. But anyone who does what pleases God will live forever (1 John 2:16-17, NLT).

Did you catch the formula for “fame” here? No special talents, looks, or connections…simply an unquenchable desire and unflinching direction to do “what pleases God.”

In other words, when you take fame off your agenda and instead live to make Jesus Christ famous, you attach yourself to something that will never fade away. And if you do have special abilities, you can use the applause of the crowd as a platform to bring praise to God.

Of course, the best way to make Jesus Christ famous is to spread the word about who He is and what He has done for all of humanity. My song and dance in life is telling everyone I know about the High King of heaven who humbled Himself and died a horrible death in our place in payment of our sin, then came back from the dead to show His power and plan to raise us from the grave as well.

And my fame? No, it won’t be in this life and frankly, I couldn’t care less about that because my sights are set on a day that is painted beautifully in this song:

I dreamed I went to heaven
And you were there with me;
We walked upon the streets of gold
Beside the crystal sea.
We heard the angels singing
Then someone called your name.
We turned and saw a young man running
And he was smiling as he came.

And he said, "Friend you may not know me now."
And then he said, "But wait,
You used to teach my Sunday School
When I was only eight.
And every week you would say a prayer
Before the class would start.
And one day when you said that prayer,
I asked Jesus in my heart."

Thank you for giving to the Lord.
I am a life that was changed.
Thank you for giving to the Lord.
I am so glad you gave.

Then another man stood before you
And said, "Remember the time
A missionary came to your church
And his pictures made you cry.
You didn't have much money,
But you gave it anyway.
Jesus took the gift you gave
And that's why I'm here today."

Thank you for giving to the Lord.
I am a life that was changed.
Thank you for giving to the Lord.
I am so glad you gave.

One by one they came
Far as the eye could see.
Each life somehow touched
By your generosity.
Little things that you had done,
Sacrifices made,
Unnoticed on the earth
In heaven, now proclaimed.

And I know up in heaven
You're not supposed to cry
But I am almost sure
There were tears in your eyes.
As Jesus took your hand
And you stood before the Lord.
He said, "My child, look around you.
Great is your reward."*

*Music and Lyrics by Ray Boltz

That’s fame. That’s forever fame.

Do you want in? Then make this poem your life motto:

“Only one life, ’twill soon be past,
Only what’s done for Christ will last.
And when I am dying, how happy I’ll be,
If the lamp of my life has been burned out for Thee.”
—Unknown Author

Original post taken from "Soul Fuel: Fuel for the Mission" 09.28.09

You can sign up here for your own weekly Soul Fuel email

A Message (from Coldplay)

So Josh,

I was listening to this song on Youtube today. It's called "A Message" by Coldplay. I know you know it, you being the Coldplay freak you are :-)!! The link to the video is here. It's pretty powerful. Check it out. Part of the lyrics are as follows:

A Message
My song is love
Love to the loveless shown
And it goes on
You don't have to be alone

Your heavy heart
Is made of stone
And it's so hard to see you, clearly
You don't have to be on your own
You don't have to be on your own

And I'm not gonna take it back
And I'm not gonna say I don't mean that
You're the target that I'm aiming at
Can I get that message home?

My song is love
My song is love unknown,
But I'm on fire for you, clearly
You don't have to be alone
You don't have to be on your own.

It makes me smile, because today I'm not feeling too close to the Lord. Today, I'm more aware of my humanness and sin than God's holy Presence living inside of me. Today, I'm asking the question: "Why even bother with me, Lord?"

It makes me smile, because even though this song may be, on the surface about human relationships, it's actually a hymn of worship! Don't believe me? Then check out these lyrics to a hymn, written by Samuel Crossman, in 1664:

My song is love unknown,
My Saviour’s love to me;
Love to the loveless shown,
That they might lovely be.
O who am I, that for my sake
My Lord should take frail flesh and die?

You can read the full lyrics here.

Hmmm...interesting similarity, eh? Coldplay...inspired by a hymn? Why not!
In fact, Chris Martin, in an interview with Rolling Stone talks about this song. He said:

"A Message" and "Til Kingdom Come" both come from having quite a religious upbringing. "A Message" is taken from a hymn we used to sing called "My Song Is Love Unknown," and we'd say "kingdom come" every week in the Lord's Prayer. One of the great things about being forced to go to church services is that we'd sing all these big songs. That's partly why I'm obsessed with getting everyone to sing along at our shows. It makes me feel like I'm a part of something.

To read the full interview, click here.

I just need to hear that right now - Christ's love was (and is) shown to the loveless (me). So that I might become lovely. He took my robe of sin so I might wear his robe of cleanness, wholeness, holiness. Why did Christ die for me? I don't know. Except to say it was for love. This is the greatest love song ever - Jesus' life, death and resurrection. This song I can keep repeating over and over in my head, and it NEVER grows old. And the chorus to this song?

Even while I was still a sinner, Christ died for me (Romans 5:8)

That can be your life chorus too.

God: "My song is love unknown.
Love to the loveless shown.
And it goes on: You don't have to be alone"

God: "You're the target that I'm aiming at..."

God: "Can I get that message home? But I'm on fire for you, clearly..."

Me: I'm beginning to get it again. Thank you, Lord.

Imprisoned for 18 years...

So Josh, this is a little different - it's a prayer request from a girl in my youth group, Becky, who is writing about something God has brought to her attention. In bringing this to our attention, she's being obedient to God.

Hey Everyone. It's Becky.

Maybe you've not heard
Now, I'm not sure if any of you have heard about this, and maybe if you have you've been affected by it, just like me. I'll fill you in just in case you haven't heard it, and if you have, well I encourage you to keep reading.

What happened
18 years ago, there was an 11 year old girl named Jaycee Lee Duggard who was abducted in 1991 from her California street. She was held captive in a backyard, by a registered sex offender who was on federal parole for rape and kidnapping convictions. She fathered his two children while she was stuck inside a camp in his backyard, and his wife even knew he was doing this, but didn't object! I'm going to enclose a URL link to a website, so you can read more if you like. You can read more about the story here.

The same age as us
So, that's basically the gist of what happened. But what really stood out to me when I heard about this, is that she had 2 kids, when she was a kid herself. Her children are now 11 and 15. Those are ages of some of the teens/pre-teens that attend our Youth.

They need our love and support
I felt like God was asking me to pray for these people, and to spread the word about them too. These are kids that have practically never seen the light of day, a church, a friend's house, and even school. When my dad told me about it, I sat crying in the back of our car, because I thought, How can we be dreading back to school time so much, when there's kids around the world who haven't even picked up a pencil? SO. What I am asking you to do, is to pray for these kids that are so close in age to us. They need our love and support and prayers more than ever now. I'm just going to write down some quick prayer points, and of course, you can add your own.

How to pray

• Pray that God will allow them to see everything he has to offer in a new light, and that any anger or frustration they are having to be wiped clean because Jesus loves them.
• Pray that any guilt that surrounds their thoughts is overcome by a realization of the fact that none of this was their fault.
• Pray that at this point, they can start off fresh, and can experience the world through Jesus's eyes.
• And, please pray for LOVE. That love will surround them and keep them together through everything that is to come.

Thanks so much guys. :) I know we can do this.
Becky

Why not forward this to your friends to encourage them to pray too?

Come, follow me

So Josh,

"Come, follow me". Three simple words. There's not much to them. They were said to two guys, Peter and Andrew, two brothers, ages and ages ago. Just three words. "Come follow me".

You see, three simple words are transformed into a daily invitation of adventure, power, meaning and transformation when we find out who says them. Let's read the passage:

"As Jesus was walking beside the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon called Peter and his brother Andrew. They were casting a net into the lake, for they were fishermen. "Come, follow me," Jesus said, "and I will make you fishers of men." At once they left their nets and followed him." (Matthew 4:18-20)

• Jesus gives them this invitation when they were in the middle of their humdrum, day to day life. Jesus invites us to follow him when we're serving up fries at McDonalds, or working on the farm, or going to a friends party, or swimming in the pool. In the middle of our day to day life - Jesus is constantly whispering to us "Come, follow me"
• Jesus invites them while they were doing what was needed for them to survive. If they didn't fish, they wouldn't eat. If the catch wasn't big enough, they wouldn't eat. If they didn't put in the hours on the boat (at the office, in school etc) they wouldn't move on in life. In the middle of living in survival mode, Christ gives us a different option: "Come follow me".
  
• Jesus invites to leave what they find comfortable. Fishing made sense to them. They'd done it all their lives. They understood the ins and outs of handling a boat, mending a net, what fish to keep and which to throw away, how to gut a fish, how to preserve, what was a good price for the fish. This life made sense. But Jesus invited them out of what made sense, he invited them to leave their comfort zone...to do what? Follow him.
• Jesus is sometimes vague about the details. He didn't give them a 3 year plan, or tell them to get a degree first in healing or preaching or demon casting out. They passed or failed on one thing - would they follow him? To where? They didn't know. For how long? They didn't know. What would the accommodation be like? They had no idea. Did they know at this point that they would be laughed at, persecuted, tired, hungry, angry, hard done by? No. Did they know that they would be responsible for building the church, spreading the gospel, seeing thousands of people come to know Christ through them? No. All they knew what that Jesus said "Come follow me". And they did.

Sometimes we need to know all the details, sometimes we want God's plan to fit into our plan, sometimes we want to have it all figured out, make sure our health insurance is up to date, ensure we have a contingency plan..a plan B. We want God to give us a HUGE sign before we'll even take one tiny step. Have we packed our bug spray, our sun screen, our travel sickness pills?

Sometimes we think "I don't know enough...I'm not good enough...I'm not smart / funny / witty / good-looking / together enough". Still Jesus looks you in the eye and says "Come follow me, and I will make you a fisher of men". He will make you into the person He wants you to be. He knows you better than you know yourself. And He wants to use you. Right here. Right now.

Jesus always takes the first step in inviting us.
We just have to respond by taking one step, and then another, and then another. You see, when you put together a lifetime of taking one step at a time with Jesus - you have an entire lifetime of following Jesus. But all he's asking you for, right now, is the next step. Will you take it? Will you come and follow Him?

Remember the kids song:

"I will make you fishers of men if you follow me"

Perhaps there's more truth to this than we think...

Love you mate

Dan

Transformers or Transformation?

So Josh,
I was checking out a video blog by this guy called Brett Ullman (you can check out his website here). He was reviewing the movie Transformers 2. I've not seen it personally, but have had every intention of doing so. This video blog has given me pause for thought. I'd love to know, Josh, what your thoughts are on this video blog (and I'd love to know the thoughts of anyone else who reads my blog). To view the video, just click here. It's only 7 minutes long, and should get you thinking!
A couple of questions for you to think about and reply to (by hitting the comment button under this blog post).
1) Have you watched Transformers 2? Was Brett's insight the impression you got from the movie?
2) Do you agree with what Brett is saying? Why or why not?
3) Is he making a big deal out of nothing?
4) How far should we take this issue of holiness?
5) Are you and I influencing the world with love and purity, or is the world influencing us?

Let's get this discussion started...

Love you,
Dan

The Dog's Dilemma

So Josh, before reading on, take a couple of minutes just to watch this video. Check it out...it's pretty entertaining!

All done? Good.

"Those who cling to worthless idols forfeit the grace that could be theirs" (Jonah 2:8)

"Those who cling..." - Those who hold on tight with both hands (as if to a lifeline)
"...to worthless idols..." - Mark Driscoll says that an idol is "a good thing that we turn into a god-thing which is a bad thing". Is there anything that you're clinging to which is substituting God's role in your life (as Saviour, Lord, Master, Friend, Lover, Creator...)? Remember, an idol isn't necessarily a sin - it could be something good and noble and great...but if it's squeezing God out of your life...get rid of it!!
"...forfeit the grace that could be theirs..." - Holding on to something with both hands, clinging to something means that you are not in a position to receive anything else (here, God's grace). Your hands are full! If you're holding mud in your fists, how can you eat a cookie? If you've got a bone in your mouth, how can you eat the ground beef? God's grace is always available, but if your grip is on your idols, how can you grasp God's grace? The answer - let go of the idol, and grasp hold of God's grace once again.

Jonah's response:
"But I, with a song of thanksgiving, will sacrifice to you. What I have vowed I will make good. Salvation comes from the LORD."


You can read the whole scripture chapter here.

So, make a decision. Sacrifice your worthless idol(s) so you can grasp hold of God's immense and free grace with both your hands. Vow to God and stick to it, with His power. Don't forget - these idols can't save you - only God's grace can. Salvation comes from the Lord.

"The circumstances are:

You have meat.

And he’s pretty doggone sure you’ll give it to him…if he’ll just let go of the bone.

But you have to understand:

The meat is just a promise; and it may not be much, but he has the bone.

That’s the dog’s dilemma. You see his problem don’t you?"

Don't you?

56 tattoos on her face...

So Josh,
Perhaps this following article puts some of the things that we do that annoy Mum and Dad into perspective! The words I'm writing are to everyone who reads this blog (just in case you're wondering...)! Oh, and another disclaimer - I actually quite like her tattoos!

Star-faced teen admits lied about tattoo

The Belgian teenager who made headlines across the globe after claiming a tattoo artist had drawn 56 stars on her face, rather than the three she asked for, has admitted she lied.

Kimberley Vlaeminck from the city of Kortrijk, 90 km (56 miles) northwest of Brussels said she fell asleep during the procedure, and woke up in pain when her nose was being tattooed.

But the 18-year-old was caught off camera on Dutch television when she said she quite liked the tattoo, but lied about asking for all 56 stars when she saw her father's furious reaction.

Tattoo artist Rouslain Toumaniantz said Vlaeminck initially liked her new look, and that she got what she asked for.

(Reporting by Antonia van de Velde, editing by Paul Casciato)

I'm sure you know that feeling...or at least I do - when you're caught red-handed, right in the middle of doing something you know you shouldn't be doing. You try to lie or excuse your way out of it, but you know the guilt is written all over your face (quite literally in Kimberley's case! Hahaha!)

I've done that before - I remember the shame, the total shame of being caught. But what about those sins / mistakes / screw-ups that aren't written all over our faces? The failings that are only known to us...and God. The skeletons in our closets? Is there any hope?

Let's see what God says, through His word, the Bible

Step 1

⁸ If we claim we have no sin, we are only fooling ourselves and not living in the truth. ⁹ But if we confess our sins to him, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all wickedness. ¹⁰ If we claim we have not sinned, we are calling God a liar and showing that his word has no place in our hearts. (1 John 1:8-9)

OK, so we've all screwed up; we've all sinned; we've all hurt God and chosen other things / people over Him; we've all rejected Him. If you're honest, that's what you'll say. I know it's true about me - Dan Wallis, Assistant Pastor - BIG SINNER, expert repenter! So we've all sinner: that's the bad news. But without the bad news, how can there be good news? Let's keep reading...

Step 2

¹ My dear children, I am writing this to you so that you will not sin. But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate (someone who's on your side) who pleads our case before the Father. He is Jesus Christ, the one who is truly righteous. ² He himself is the sacrifice that atones (pays for in full) for our sins—and not only our sins but the sins of all the world. (1 John 2:1-2)

So, the good news is that, even in our guilt, we can come to Christ and ask Him to forgive us. He then speaks to God on our behalf and clears our name and makes us clean once again. (Yeah!)

But that's not where it ends. Let's keep reading:

Step 3

³ And we can be sure that we know him if we obey his commandments. ⁴ If someone claims, “I know God,” but doesn’t obey God’s commandments, that person is a liar and is not living in the truth. ⁵ But those who obey God’s word truly show how completely they love him. That is how we know we are living in him. ⁶ Those who say they live in God should live their lives as Jesus did. (1 John 2:3-6)

God desires us to be holy, to follow Him, to obey Him. Saying "sorry" just to make ourselves feel better just doesn't cut it - God wants genuine screw-ups to follow Him, who feel genuinely sorry about the way they're living...enough to change their ways (in His power). That's what repentance means - turning round 180 degrees and walking in the opposite direction.

But what if you make that big decision to follow God and then the next day, the same sin grabs hold of your and pulls you down into the pit of shame, self-pity and guilt? (Yup, I've been there more times than I like to admit). Let's read on, one more time...

Step 4

Go back to step 1 and repeat the process. As we keep bringing our brokenness before God, He keeps on forgiving us, keeps showering us with grace and mercy and keeps cleansing us. I know life is WAY more complicated than this, and I HATE boiling mine and your complicated life down to steps, but I created the steps so that you can see clearly the hope that God has given us all (that includes YOU).

Kimberley can't realistically get rid of the star tattoos on her face. The whole world knows she had her face tattooed. More importantly, her dad knows too. And, perhaps all that she needs right now is for her dad to do to her what we all need our Heavenly Dad to do to us - to forgive her, and to tell her he loves her - tattoos or no tattoos.

"...he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus" (Philippians 1:6)

Going deeper

What are the 'tattoos' on your face? What are the tattoos on your heart? How have you broken the heart of your Heavenly Dad? Are you thinking, man, He'll never accept me -I'm too messed up, too insincere, too hypocritical...

• Take some time and just tell God exactly what's on your mind, weighing you down (don't try to sugarcoat it - just be honest)
• Ask for His forgiveness (take some time to wait in silence)
• Thank Him for His grace (giving us what we don't deserve - His love, strength and forgiveness) and His mercy (not giving us what we do deserve - punishment).
• Worship Him as you watch this video called "Thank you for saving me"
  
• Ask Him for strength to live in a way that honours Him.
  

Thank You For Saving Me

Thank you for saving me, what can I say?
You are my everything, I will sing your praise.
You shed your blood for me, what can I say?
You took my sin and shame,
a sinner called by name.

Great is the Lord,
Great is the Lord,
For we know your truth has set us free,
You've set your hope in me.

Mercy and grace are mine, forgiven is my sin,
Jesus my only hope, the Saviour of the world.
"Great is the Lord" we cry,
God let your kingdom come,
Your word has let me see,
thank you for saving me!

Written by Martin Smith ©1994 Curious? Music UK


If you've never given your life to Christ, for Him to forgive, cleanse and own, click here to read "Steps to Peace with God". If you want to chat, send me an email (its.dan.wallis@gmail.com). I'd love to hear from you. Don't forget to take a minute to comment on the blog!!!

IS GOD DEAD?

So Josh,
How's it going mate? What's God speaking into your life?
It's pretty exciting that I'll be coming over to see you at the end of this month! Don't forget our date - Harry Potter. I actually picked something small up for you that I'll be bringing over - it's not much, but I think you'll like it. Anyways, today's blog...

I stole this from a site called "The Rebelution". These aren't my words, but why reinvent the wheel if something profound has already be said in such a great way? I give all credit to Alex and Brett Harris (pick up their book "Do Hard Things"Still, the following message is just part of the original blog, so make sure you go here to read the rest of the blog.

“It seems that God must have died!”

On one occasion when he was greatly discouraged, Martin Luther, the sixteenth century reformer, was forcefully reminded of this by his wife, Katharine. Seeing him unresponsive to any word of encouragement, one morning she appeared dressed in black mourning clothes. No word of explanation was forthcoming, and so Luther, who had heard nothing of a bereavement, asked her: “Katharine, why are you dressed in mourning black?” Someone has died,” she replied. “Died?” said Luther, “I have not heard of anyone dying. Whoever can have died?” “It seems,” his wife replied, “that God must have died!”

Luther took the point. He, a believer, a Christian, with such a great God to call his Father, was living like a practical atheist. But Luther knew that God was not dead. God was living, reigning, active in the events of history and in Luther’s own life. How foolish he had been! Discouragement was immediately banished.

Knowledge and love of God create an environment in which discouragement and a sense of depression or spiritual desertion find difficulty breathing. That, ultimately is what the psalmists discovered over and over again, and tell us in different contexts and a variety of ways. Let us sit at their feet and learn to see what they saw:

“Hear my voice when I call, O Lord; be merciful to me and answer me. My heart says of you, ‘Seek his face!’ Your face, Lord, I will seek” (Psa. 27:7-8).

I am still confident of this: I will see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living. Wait for the Lord; be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord” (Psa. 27:13-14).

GOT FREEDOM?

So Josh,

I just read that you've started reading this blog. Cool - I love it that we can connect in this way. Today's note to you is ripped off from an email I receive every week called "Soul Fuel" (you can check out their archives here). Often I deal with guilt and shame because of sins that still trip me up and hold me in bondage, when I know I should know better (I mean, come on, I'm a Pastor - shouldn't I have it all together by now? Yeah right!). The email is virtually unchanged and you can read it below. I'm passing it on, because it impacted me in such a huge way. God knew I needed to hear it.

Love you, mate,

Dan

Got Freedom?

You're a slave. Did you know that? No, not in a physical sense - although you may feel like that at work or even at home sometimes. Your slavery is of a spiritual/emotional/mental nature. The chains that bind you are not made of iron, but they are stronger than anything ever forged by human hands.

Don't believe me? OK - let me ask you a few questions:

• How many times a week do you say something, think something, or do something that makes you ask, "Why am I such an IDIOT???"
• How many bad habits do you have lurking in the cellar of your soul that leap out and ambush your life at just the wrong times?
• How many of you have a deep and abiding longing to be set free so you can live the liberated life you always dreamed of?

Yep - me too. And not only me, but probably everyone who has, is, or will walk on planet Earth.

You know who else was a slave? The Apostle Paul. That's right - the guy who wrote a huge chunk of the Bible and is one of the primary reasons you have heard the good news of the gospel of Jesus Christ. How do I know he was a slave? He told us! Check this out:

The trouble is with me, for I am all too human, a slave to sin. I don't really understand myself, for I want to do what is right, but I don't do it. Instead, I do what I hate. And I know that nothing good lives in me, that is, in my sinful nature. I want to do what is right, but I can't. I want to do what is good, but I don't. I don't want to do what is wrong, but I do it anyway. I have discovered this principle of life - that when I want to do what is right, I inevitably do what is wrong. I love God's law with all my heart. But there is another power within me that is at war with my mind. This power makes me a slave to the sin that is still within me. Oh, what a miserable person I am! Who will free me from this life that is dominated by sin and death? (Romans 7:14; 16; 21-24, NLT).

Last question: how many of you can totally relate to what Paul is saying? I know I can. But I can also tell you that freedom is possible - the choice is completely yours...but you have to know that freedom doesn't come without a fight.

Just like the amazing freedom we have in America, right? To refresh our memories, King George and the Brits didn't just read the Declaration of Independence and say 'cool beans mates, have fun with the whole new nation thing. Keep in touch - cheerio!"

Ah, no. Thousands of volunteer American patriots spilled their blood and sacrificed their lives at places like Bunker Hill, Lexington and Concord, Saratoga and Yorktown so their children, grand children, great grandchildren, and all future generations (i.e. you and me) would experience freedom from the tyrannical rule of the English.

That's why we celebrate the 4th of July - remember?

Listen, I know you want to be free. Truth be told, you despise your slavery to sin, and God despises it as well. That's why 2,000 years ago, at another battlefield called Calvary, Jesus Christ spilled His blood and defeated the power of sin.

That's why He offers freedom to anyone willing to trust in Him for salvation. The moment you trust Christ, you are set free from your slavery to sin. But you must choose to let Jesus defeat your sinful nature every minute of every day.

That's why the Apostle Paul wraps up his slavery lament with this glorious answer:

Thank God! The answer is in Jesus Christ our Lord. So now there is no condemnation for those who belong to Christ Jesus. And because you belong to him, the power of the life-giving Spirit has freed you from the power of sin that leads to death (Romans 7:25; 8:1-2, NLT).

Thank God indeed! The words are my declaration of independence every single day. I'm a slave, but I am also free when I choose to let the Holy Spirit unlock the chains of my old self and enable me to live a life of freedom I never thought possible.

I've come to realize that I'm always a slave to something, but through Christ I am free to be a slave to Him - which is the only place true freedom is found. Weird, huh?

So how about you?

Ask Jesus to set you free from your slavery and your life will light up this dark world like a major league fireworks display against the dead of night.

And...let these words be your battle cry:

It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery (Galatians 5:1).

Happy Independence Day!

FLASHPOINT

Remember, deep down people know that they are trapped. That's why they hide with sarcasm and try to escape that feeling with addictions and destructive lifestyles. Ask God to open a door to a spiritual conversation about freedom with your friends. Use the 4th of July holiday to talk about the freedom you've found by trusting Christ and springboard from that into presenting the gospel.

ACCELERANT

"The Spirit of the Lord is upon me,
for he has anointed me to bring Good News to the poor.
He has sent me to proclaim that captives will be released,
that the blind will see,
that the oppressed will be set free..." (Luke 4:18).

For the Lord is the Spirit, and wherever the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom (2 Corinthians 3:17).

"And you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free" (John 8:32).

Your heart: God's roadtrip

So Josh,

I've driven many places, visited 45 countries, seen lots of things. And I know (as I'm sure you do) the difference between speeding through the countryside, windows down, sun shining, birds singing, your favourite song playing on the radio and being caught in rush-hour traffic in London, or Toronto, Ottawa or Cardiff. Inching. Along. Ever. So. Slowly. Oh, and it's raining, so you can hardly see anything between the window wipers swipe. Swoosh. Blindness. Swoosh. Blindness. Swoosh. Blindness. The car is getting humid. You're getting annoyed. Your head is starting to pound.

I've been read Psalm 84 all this week - every day in a different translation of the Bible. Today's turn was "The Message" (a paraphrase by this guy called Eugene Peterson). As I was reading, a verse literally stopped me in my tracks. My heart-rate actually increased as I was reading it (I love it when that happens!). The culprit for my near heart-attack was verse 5. The Psalmist is talking to God:

"And how blessed all those in whom You live, whose lives become roads You travel"

Boom! I know about us traveling life's roads. I know about God being our guide, our light, the one who never leaves us. But my life being a road God travels!?!? God taking a road trip in my life? That blows me away!
So my question to me and to you is this:

What kind of road trip is God having in your life at the moment?

Is He having the ride of His life, enjoying the freedom of the open road, speeding down your wholly clear roads? Holy clear roads? Is He loving the scenery, feeling the wind on His face, looking at the sheep running in the fields, the birds singing in the trees, the sun shining?

Or is He stuck in rush-hour traffic, in Youtown? The rain is pouring, there are pile-ups and garbage everywhere? Horns are honking and as He inches along the road of Your life, is He having to turn away from the billboards advertising those thoughts that are littering your landscape, even now?

Things such as "repetitive, loveless, cheap sex; a stinking accumulation of mental and emotional garbage; frenzied and joyless grabs for happiness; trinket gods; magic-show religion; paranoid loneliness; cutthroat competition; all-consuming-yet-never-satisfied wants; a brutal temper; an impotence to love or be loved; divided homes and divided lives; small-minded and lopsided pursuits; the vicious habit of depersonalizing everyone into a rival; uncontrolled and uncontrollable addictions; ugly parodies of community. I could go on " (Galatians 5:19-21, MSG)

You see, God wants to set you free - He wants Your landscape to be green and clear, the road smooth and straight. He says Himself:

"It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery" (Galatians 5:1 NIV)

He also promises that as we repent (which means we turn around, walk away from our sin and towards God):

"I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you will be clean; I will cleanse you from all your impurities and from all your idols. I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh. And I will put my Spirit in you and move you to follow my decrees and be careful to keep my laws" (Ezekiel 36:25-27)

As God drives through this new, fresh, clean landscape he, passes through towns such as:
Love-ville, Joy-town, Peace Springs. He sees signs for Patience Village, Kindnessborough, and makes a mental note that He really wants to visit the Township of Goodness , Faithfulness-ville
Gentleness-town and the District of Self-control (Galatians 5:22-23).

God is traveling your roads.
What kind of a journey is He having?
If there is junk or sin that is stopping Him from traveling to every part of your life, confess it to Him and invite Him to come in and clean everything up. Remember - you can't clean yourself up...you can only invite Him in with His all-powerful, Holy Spirit clean-up service to do what is needed. The price has already been paid - Jesus paid for your freedom when He died, thinking of you. He has paid the price to set us free! He has paid the price to set you free!

Remember:
"It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery" (Galatians 5:1 NIV)

Love you mate,

Dan

"And how blessed all those in whom You live, whose lives become roads You travel"

Lessons from Herbal Essences (How to more than just survive the summer)

So Josh,

I think I'm going crazy. Or at least you will, when I tell you what I'm going to tell you...

Shampoo has started speaking to me. In the shower. This very morning.

I hope the church leaders don't read this.

Let me explain.

You see, I was there in the shower, still half asleep when I happened to glance ahead and read the label on my wife's shampoo bottle.

You can see it in the picture - it was talking to me. Her shampoo bottle has a voice, and it's trying to sell itself to whoever is unlucky enough to read it. My wife was one such person - sucked in by the dulcet tones and sales power of a shampoo bottle. Talking to her.

WHAT THE SHAMPOO SAID TO ME
"Your colour-treated hair will love my replenishing shampoo and conditioner marriage, fused with extracts of acai berries and satin. I'll help protect your colour-treated hair because I'm packed with conditioners to help keep your hair healthy looking and truly radiant. And that's a sign of happiness"

OK, so my wife's shampoo is promising to have my back as well as bringing me happiness. Firstly, Mrs (Mr?...Ms?..do shampoo bottles have genders? - I guess that since it's pink, and belongs to my wife, let's go for Mrs)...firstly, Mrs Shampoo Bottle, what the heck are acai berries and how do you fuse them with satin? According to wikipedia, satin is a material! That's like trying to fuse denim and strawberries. I guess if you threw strawberries really hard at a pair of jeans, they might leave a bit of a stain...but I can't see how you could squeeze that into a shampoo bottle (I can see the bottle now..."fused with extracts of strawberries and denim")

Anyways, let me return from my rant against a bottle of shampoo...

The thing is that the bottle of shampoo promises me lots of stuff. And I can look at it and believe that my hair colour will stay radiant. I can look at it and believe that it is indeed packed with conditioners. I can believe I indeed will love her "replenishing shampoo and conditioner marriage.

But until I obey the instructions to "make a lush lather, make your colour treated hair happy with it, rinse & repeat" (yes, that's actually what the bottle says!) then my hair's going to look at dull and lifeless as it did before the shower.

SHAMPOO SPIRITUALITY
Dear friends, you always followed my instructions when I was with you. And now that I am away, it is even more important. Work hard to show the results of your salvation, obeying God with deep reverence and fear. For God is working in you, giving you the desire and the power to do what pleases him. (Philippians 2: 12-13)

"Work hard"..."God is working in you"

I put the shampoo in my hair. The shampoo does what the bottle says it will.

I work hard. God works hard.

If I do all the work, it's legalism and not love (legalism is trying to make God love me by doing all the 'right' things) .
If God does all the work, it's laziness and not love (laziness is sitting around on your butt all day doing absolutely nothing...but I'm sure you know that!)

The key is trust.

We trust that the bottle of shampoo with make my hair radiant, and we show that trust by putting it on our hair and following the instructions.

The trust results in action.

We trust that God has my best interests at heart - that He wants to lead me into holiness (make me more like Him) and that's there's nothing I can do to make myself acceptable to him - I just have to accept His free gift.

COLOUR ME HAPPY
But I can't just look at that free gift - God's grace has to make contact with my life for it to make a difference (just as that shampoo has got to make contact with my hair for it to make a difference).

Many people sit in their pews Sunday after Sunday, Wednesday after Wednesday saying:

"I believe that the shampoo can make my hair clean. I believe it can make my hair truly radiant and healthy looking, perhaps even happy"

Well not really, what they say is:

"I believe that God can make me clean. I believe He has a purpose for my life and He can make me radiant and spiritually health, perhaps even happy"

But until they take the plunge and actually receive free God's gift of grace, it's all for nothing.

Perhaps you're not there yet. Perhaps you're questioning the label and saying:

"Come on, give me a break - I've heard this sales pitch before. I'm tired of hearing it - it's so disconnected my real life...my everyday pain, my everyday anxiety, my everday worry"

Tell God that. Ask Him if He's for real. Then take time to listen - see how he responds to you.

The wonderful thing is that after applying the shampoo, after choosing God to rule your life and heal you from your sin and your crap, God says this...

"I am working in you, giving you the desire and the power to do what pleases me"(Phil 2:13)

Not only does He give you the power to do what He's created you to do. He gives you the desire. He says He will give you the desire. He will do what's necessary to make you want to serve Him. You don't even have to worry about wanting to serve Him. You don't have to drum up a happy smile when inside you're falling apart. You don't have to "pull yourself together" and just do it. Just. Trust. God. Another way the Bible puts this is in Psalm 37:4-5:

Delight yourself in the LORD
and he will give you the desires of your heart.

Commit your way to the LORD;
trust in him and he will do this:

It doesn't say "try your very best and He will give your the desires of your heart"
Just delight in Him.
It doesn't say "read your bible for half an hour every day"
Just delight in Him.
It doesn't say "Stop smoking, drinking, screwing around"
Just delight in Him.

As you delight in God, He will give you your hearts desire...Himself.
HE WILL GIVE YOU HIMSELF

I mean, it'd be pretty ridiculous to think you had to first clean your hair before using Herbal Essences. The whole point of Herbal Essences is to clean your hair.

It's just as ridiculous to think we have to clean up our act before coming to God. Come to Him with all your sin, your shame, your hopelessness, your habitual sin, your dirt and scum. And let Him work on you, not just to make you clean, but to make you radiant. Holy. Just like Him.

HE WILL GIVE YOU HIMSELF

Just open the bottle, make a lush lather and massage it into your hair. The shampoo does the rest...and once you've taken the plunge and tried the shampoo once, you'll keep on coming back to it day after day after day - and your hair will become even more radiant, until it looks just like Jesus Christ's...

Check out this video called "He Never Said" by one of my favourite artists, Martyn Joseph

Lessons from the Bubble Buddy (or how to survive exams)

So Josh,

Last week I picked up a Bubble Buddy from a yard sale for about 50 cents (that's about 25p). On Sunday afternoon, I spent sometime outside with Wendy and the girls - Enya loved the Bubble Buddy - you get so much more bubble-for-your-buck than the regular bubble-blowing wand.


The deal with the Bubble Buddy
You see, the deal with the Bubble Buddy is that you press the trigger, which lowers the wand into the little pool of bubble soap at the end of the gun. Then, after the wand is loaded up, you release the trigger, which flips the wand up and simultaneously makes a fan turn for a couple of seconds. Et voila! Bubbles! The thing is, though, is that the fan runs down after a couple of seconds and the bubble soap is all used up. So, you have to keep pressing and releasing the trigger, pressing and releasing the trigger, pressing and releasing the trigger so bubbles can keep being created. It takes a little bit of effort, but its the only way to keep producing bubbles. The bubble wand needs to be recharged and the fan needs to be restarted for bubbles to keep on being made.

I think you've already had your exams, but there are a bunch of teens here who are just going into exam week. So this is for them, as well as a reminder for you.

Lingering in the bubble soap
I don't know about you, but my tendency is, when things are getting tough, to get close to God, receive from Him (dip the wand in the bubble soap) and start blowing bubbles (living in the power of the Holy Spirit). What I often forget is that I cannot blow today's bubbles on yesterday's soap, using yesterday fan. I need to put some effort in every day to make sure that I'm lingering with God (just as the bubble wand needs to linger in the bubble soap) which gives the Holy Spirit the permission to blow through my life once again, gracing this world with the bubbles of His grace, His love, and His power.

The only sadder than a Bubble Buddy (created to make bubbles) without bubbles is a Christian (created to glorify God) without the power of the Holy Spirit. You've seen them. I've seen them. They are miserable, because they are denying who they have been created to be. They are trying to do Christian things without the life-giving power. The sad thing is, that it's way too easy for me to be that person. Too often I am.

So stop exhausting yourself trying to blow bubbles. I mean, when's the last time you just lingered with God? Spent time with Him? Prayed to Him? Listened to him? Stop trying to live life in your own power. You. Can't. Do. It. Instead spend some time with God and as you get up from this time, the Holy Spirit will be blowing, you will be recharged because you will remember, exams or no exams, that God is on the throne, that He has a purpose for Your life, that He died and rose again to give you life and power in Him (click here for Romans 8:11). You will be blowing bubbles once again!


Don't forget the Bubble Buddy, buddy!
If you want to do something about this, why not take 5 minutes and visit Sacred Gateway. It's like a gateway into God's presence right at your computer screen. Alternately, check out this amazing song as you are renewed in God's presence. Don't forget, bubble blowing starts with dipping the wand in the bubble-soap.

Let's be forever blowing bubbles, pretty bubbles in the air!

Love Dan

So Josh, why the "So Josh..." blog?

So Josh...I'm creating this blog for a few reasons:
1) You're in Wales, I'm in Canada - it's a way we can have our big bro / little bro chats across the pond. Mostly it'll be one way (that's the nature of blogs) but I look forward to you commenting on my chats with you, and so making it a conversation...
2) Summer's coming very soon, and I'm hoping that, in the summer months, some of the youth who I've I feel responsible over here in Canada for (and who I very much care for) will perhaps stumble across our little chats from time to time and be encouraged / challenged as a result...
3) I think that's about it really.

Love you, mate,
Dan