Meditations of an Alien

The Battle

2006-03-15T21:17:00.000Z

IMG_0079
Originally uploaded by lemonjinky.

There is something in me that longs to fight for something. The times I feel most alive are when I'm crusading for a cause I believe in. I finally got around to reading Wild at Heart the other week and Eldredge talks a lot about this idea of every man needing a battle to fight. As I mentioned briefly in my last post there is a clear battle imbeded into a football match. The fans for one team pack in behind one goal with the opposing fans usually on the opposite side. Its like battle lines drawn. As the game begins there will frequently be chants or songs directed at the opposing fans or players. Some of the classic ones included "Who are ya? Who are ya?" or "Who ate all the pies, burgers,chips and fries, that fat b*stard, that fast b*stard". These songs can get quite clever, here's one that Tottenham sing whenever they play Liverpool or Everton to the tune of "You are my sunshine"

You are the scousers
the ugly scousers
your only happy on christmas day
your mums out dealing
your dads out stealing
please don't take our hub-caps away

There is a definte sense that the those in the crowd feel they are the 12th man on the team. The fans are not only there to enjoy the game but to push their team on to victory. Most people in Britain long to be involved in some kind of cause in which they are an integral part of achieving that goal. Supporting a specific team not only gives people a community to belong to but also an "army" to join. In fact, Scotland's fans are called the Tartan Army. The fight is another part of the appeal of football. There is a sense of accomplishment and self-worth that comes when the team wins.

Christianity offers a battle. In one of his letters Paul says, "our battle is not against flesh and blood but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the world powers of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavens." I've noticed that often the church, in general, will try and suppess talking about "spiritual warfare" until a pre-christian or new christian is "ready". It is like we are afraid that if we introduce them to it to early they will get "freaked-out" and runaway. Part of my thinks this fear is justified and, in some situations, needed in order that people might understand the nature of the spiritual realm. Yet, there are also people longing for a battle, longing for someone and something to fight for. Surely we should offer people what they need to satisfy their longing in the way God intended for them to be satisfied.

Arriving at the Game

2006-03-10T13:46:00.000Z

Arriving at any major event with lots of people always brings a sense of excitement. Whether its Disneyland, a big concert or a sports event the feeling of anticiption in undeniable as you head toward the entrance along with the throngs of people surrounding you. The game I went to last weekend was no different. People crossing the road, with no regard for the doughballs who decided to drive down the main street, pack into the stadium at a remarkable pace. There is a facinating feeling of communal purpose as people randomly cheer and sing about their team. It was snowing this night and Crewe are at the bottom of the division so their supporters were quite sparse. The communal purpose also relates to the unity the fans feel as they are joined by a flock of people, dressed the same as them, in red and white. (Sheffield Utd's colours) I think this communal purpose and unity is further emphasized by the seating arrangment at footy matches in the U.K. Most stadiums place the opposing fans behind one goal and the home fans at the other end. It seems to be almost drawn up as a battle. (But more will be said on that in the next post)

The appeal of sports, especially football, in the UK seems to relate somehow to this desire for community. I think everyone is longing for a place where they can belong, feel accepted, and be part of a team. It is a sad reality that most churches in the UK don't offer a community where you can come as you are and still be loved for who you are. If people are longing for community and the church isn't offering it how can we expect "successful" evangelism. For true community to arise there are a couple areas I feel are necessary. (I'll mention one of these areas in each of my posts on this subject but would greatly appreciated any further thoughts people have on the matter)

Effort is one of the first things that comes to mind. Most times I think most of us, certainly myself, settle for inviting people to meetings. In my humble opinion this is a cop-out. It says we're not really interested in spending quality time sharing life together but in having them join something that we are a part of. It's like we invite people to a football match and are happy to meet them there but we're not interested in having a meal with them before the match or going out to the pub with them afterwards. Part of the appeal of sports is not only the community at the match but the time before and after the match when people get together and talk about their opinions of the team. I know for me living this out requires a bit of dying to myself and what I want for the sake of being in community and bringing others to that place. Even though sometimes I don't feel like being in community I always enjoy it much more than the times I choose to do my own thing. I think, as well, it means inviting people into our lives, events and relationships. The more I analyze people who find Christ it seems they come to God through relationship with someone who is dedicated to both sharing their life with and devoted to praying consistantly for that person. Once this starts happening and people begin to join in our meetings that sense of exitement which we feel going to a major event will be felt at our gatherings. For it is in the Christian context of life together that we find the communal purpose of the Kingdom, joining with Christ and His body in bringing His Kingdom to earth for the sake of His glory.

Football

2006-03-06T22:22:00.000Z

Last Friday I went to watch Sheffield United play Crewe. It was student night so the ticket was only 5 pounds and we had great seats, about three rows back to the right side of the goal in the Sheffield end. It was a great experience although the game was kinda rubbish and ended up 0-0. I've got some pictures from the game which I hope to post in the next couple days. I'm also thinking about commenting on British sports, their fans and what is says about their culture. Let me tell you there's not much like having thousands of people all singing in unison at the top of their lungs. I think it also begs a lot of questions about how we do church and why sports appeals to so many people in such passionate ways. Anyways that's just a little preview of what you might see here over the next week or so.

Cold Weather

2006-02-22T19:09:00.000Z

Winter was cool for the first couple months, both literally and figuratively, but now after being sick for a week then recovering then getting sick again I'm kind of tired of it. Admittedly it’s not been absolutely freezing like some places but we've been hanging around zero for a bit to long for my liking. I mean I'm not asking for much, a bit of sunshine maybe temperature in double digits, is that too much to ask? I guess this will make me appreciate spring and summer all the more. Anyway things could be worse, I could live in Elsa, Germany which underwent some dramatic flooding recently.(See German village flooded) Yeah I guess things aren't as bad as I thought. If the cold is the worst problem I have to deal with then I can deal with that...but if the big man could hook the middle of England up with an early spring it would be much appreciated.

Sheffield on Wikipedia

2006-02-20T19:52:00.000Z

Wikipedia's featured article of the day just happens to be the city of Sheffield, (ie. where I am at the moment). I thought I'd post the link just in case anyone is really bored or likes reading random facts about cities. Who knows it might even entice some of you to come and visit me.

Zathura: A Space Adventure...Yippee!!!

2006-02-15T18:38:00.000Z

So last week my friend Ben and I went to see Zathura: a Space Adventure. I'd seen the trailer and saw it was from the "world of Jumanji". Now I quite liked Jumanji but the trailer for this film didn't exactly make me want to go out and spend five quid to see it. Still it was one of the only decent movies on at the time so I thought I thought "What the heck, why not." Perhaps it was my low expectations or just the mood I was in that evening but I really enjoyed it. In fact I would say apart for The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe its probably the most enjoyable movie I've seen in the last 3 or 4 months. I mean the story wasn't exactly riviting, the acting just above decent and Tim Robins is only in the film for about 5 minutes. But there is something about the relationship between the two brothers in the film that I really enjoyed. I'm not quite sure what that thing is exactly but when I figure it out I'll let you know. I think the humor is really what made me like it so much. The kids do a great job of saying great quotes that had me just about in tears.(Uh that would be because they were funny not because they made me sad like another film I saw recently...Munich) I think it is destined to be a cult classic..at least I'm thinking of starting cult about it. Following that thought, what exactly makes a "cult film" a cult film. Am I allowed to have a cult film of which I am the only participating member? How exaclty to you enter a film cult and what do you do when your in it? Anyway I highly recommend Zathura even though most of you who see it will think its crap and mock me for my poor taste in movies. I'm cool with that and I can take all your mockery like a man...sitting in front of my computer, looking up the release date for the dvd.

Ecstasy at Taco Bell and other thoughts on retuning to America

2006-02-10T15:43:00.000Z

It might be hard to believe for some of you but one of the biggest highlights of my trip was getting to go to Taco Bell...twice!! I know it isn't classified as "real" mexican food but I still like it...I like it a lot. I mean the Mexican pizza deserves an award of some kind, it's pure tasty goodness. Returning to the U.S. but to somewhere I had never been before was a remarkably wierd experience. A couple of times I had to remind myself I was travelling to Waco, TX and not Santa Barbara, CA. On the drive to Waco from Dallas we passed many symbols of American consumerism which are also found on the drive from LA to Santa Barbara. So as we passed the Best Buy I would think about what I was going to do when I got to my old room, then I'd snap myself out of it. A few miles latter we'd pass a Home Depot and I'd wonder if my parents would need me to do any DIY when at the house. Of course the Texas scenery, or lack thereof, soon brought clarity to my wandering mind.

Getting to hang out with my friends from Sheffield was great, everyone seemed to get on really well together which always helps. It was really funny to watch their reactions to American culture. Of course the size of everything took them by suprise even though they were expecting things to be a bit bigger. The first night we arrived we went to a place called Whataburger whose sizes were "obscene" in the word of one my friends. I must admit the bucket-sized milkshake might have been a bit excessive. Even I found it strange to see an SUV every other car, they make English cars look like toys. One friend remark that this was the likely cause for the lovely warm weather we had. Seriously though, the weather was amazing;70 degrees and sunny almost everyday. The experience of actually being able to walk outside in a t-shirt was brilliant. Another cultural difference pointed out by my English friends was the fact that American's drive everywhere. The sheer shock of disbelief which came upon their faces as we went through a drive through ATM was worth the cost of the trip alone.

As for the main reason we went, the conference, it was also excellent. I must confess I'm a bit of a conference junkie. I really like being able to scream at the top of my lungs, lose my voice, and join thousands of other believers in praising God. The worship was really good and the band did a great job of getting out the way. As it was a missions conference the focus was on..wait for it...missions. It was cool to be able to see the roots from which the church I'm a part of in Sheffield comes from. I don't know about you but often I can feel as though the western church is floundering in its mission to reach the world but it was encouraging to see that this group is out there on the frontlines planting churches all over the world. Overall it was a great trip and I'm excited to see the things which will come out of the deeper friendships and new revelations which occured in Waco, Texas. And don't worry I'm not drinking funny tasting fruit punch...yet :)

Bono's Homily

2006-02-08T13:06:00.000Z

Links to Bono's speech in video and transcript formats:

Video

Transcript

I know every man and his dog has blogged about Bono's sermon which he gave at the National Prayer Breakfast, but just in case someone has not seen or read it I feel the need to post it on here. Not just because it is Bono or that he is speaking on the poor but because it is simply the greatest sermon I think I have ever heard. I say that without the least bit of hesitation as well which is probably more of a critique of my generation's collective preaching ability than of the brilliance of his sermon, but thats an entirely different topic. It was entertatining, direct, brief and effective. Sure we could nitpick and argue about the Koran refences, the gay issue ect. but then we'd just be right back where we are. Sure we could condemn the messanger whose wealth is probably enough to help more than just a little bit. But when it come to where the rubber meets the road, its what I do with what he's saying. If its true then I must do my part, however small or great that is. Time for me to stop believing what he says and start living it. Those are some of the feelings that were sparked in me, partly from Bono's message and partly from other things God's been showing to me recently. As someone wise once said, "Get busy living or get busy dying."

Leaving on a Jet Plane

2006-01-31T22:41:00.000Z

So tomorrow I'm heading back to the grand ol' U.S. of A. Waking up at 6am, dashing over to manchester airport, flying to the Windy City and then on to Dallas, Texas. Yes, your eyes are alright, that was Texas...Waco to be precise. I know there are plenty of great Texas jokes I could throw in here but I still have to pack so for brevity's sake I'll spare you. The church community I am a part of in Sheffield is based out of Waco, Texas and every year they have a conference called World Mandate. Six of of the student-age group are going along with the pastor and another American who was a part of the church before moving to England are going tomorrow and returning Monday, Feb.6th. I must say I am excited to get back to the states, looking forward to eating some good Tex-mex, and experiencing some good fellowship with the group. The group that are going are all awesome guys and it should be a great experience. Well, I must get back to packing, I'll be sure and post an update when I get back. Bye-now.

My Humble abode

2006-01-29T23:35:00.000Z

Halifax Hall
Originally uploaded by lemonjinky.

Here's a picture of the residence hall where I'm staying, apparently it is a 19th century mansion which has been revovated into student accomodation. It is really quite cool. I don't live in the old part of the building but in a newer, and nicer place called Jonas Court. It is located just behind this main building. Everyone eats dinner together in the main hall dining room which is on the right side of the picture. More pictures are available if you want to visit my Flickr site by clicking on the picture.

Elie Wiesel on the Hamas Victory

2006-01-27T15:10:00.000Z

I loved this quote, it summed it all up for me...

"Hamas won," said Nobel Peace Prize winner Elie Wiesel. "Hamas is surely not a democratic movement. Its ideas are surely not humanistic ideas. "What do we do now?"

I can see the previews: "Coming soon to a video store near you; When Democracy goes bad?"

It's almost like the Bush administration had the Middle-East right where it wanted it one day and the next the Palestinains are like "try and get out of that one"

Of course electing Hamas was probably the stupidest move the Palestinian people could make, I mean "Hello!!! You have the U.S. on your side, you're on the verge of statehood and you choose to elect the wacko party, please help me underdstand that one.

Home Cooking and Family Friends

2006-01-23T23:41:00.000Z

Tonight I was able to enjoy a lovely homecooked meal, a welcome change from the repetitive cyle of the university dining hall. My parents know a couple in Sheffield who they met once or twice when they were living in Scotland. The couple were nice enough to invite me round for dinner and a chat. Its funny meeting people who met you when you were little, I felt like I should know them and in fact it almost did feel like I knew them in someway. Part of this was probably their hospitality. A good time was had by all, I felt. I know I thoroughly enjoyed sharing life with some people not living in the academic world.

The bizaare thing about this evening was that I was unaware that they did not know my parents very well, the fact that they had not kept in touch was not suprising but I half expeceted the night to be a recollection of the old days. In truth I had to almost retell my parents life-stories, quite an odd experience. As most of you reading this probably know, public speaking is not my forte, and storytelling definietly not one of my strong points. I have a great deal of respect for people who can tell a good story, defintely a skill that I feel is undervalued in our society. Anyway, if any of you have any tips on how to tell stories I would love to hear them.

Junkies, Saints and Signs of Love

2006-01-18T17:48:00.000Z

Brown Sugar Junkies by Kevin Sites

Last week I was touched by Kevin Site's article 'Brown Sugar' Junkies which focused on the the problem of heroin addiction in Iran. (I've posted the link above if you want to read the article) Not only is it great journalism, incorperating the story of a heroin addict named Ali and the controversial doctor who helped him get free, but it also sparked some thoughts in my mind about reaching the lost and seeing transformation. Dr. Bijan Nassirimanesh, who Ali now works for, has developed treatment centers in Iran which include both a needle exchange and methadone programs under the same roof. The needle exchange program serves to decrease the spread of HIV through the use of dirty needles, while the methode programs is for addicts who want to come clean. The doctor points out that when people come to the clinic to get fresh needles for their habit they see the other addicts who have enrolled in the methodone program. Seeing the the improved state of the addicts on the methode program helps to encourage some of the addicts, who are there for fresh needles, to reflect and ask themselves "Why don't I give that a try?"

Though the analogy is not a perfect one, perhaps we, as the church, our those on the methodone program. We were enslaved, addicted and in mess because of sin but God has put us onto an amazing treatment plan called salvation through which we are being transformed into his likeness. Our role as those in the church is to demonstrate to the lost souls still searching for fresh needles that there is a better way. Our witness should be radiant, demonstrating the incredible ways in which God has saved us from death and brought us into life, not only eternal life but a full and exciting existance to be lived out everyday on this earth. Of course often times merely having a joyful disposition is often not enough to make people notice the fullness of life we have. I fully believe that our witness must be both based on our actions and by proclaiming to people the goodness of God in our lives. I know I have often taken St Francis' words, "Preach the gospel at all times and when necessary use words," as my get out clause in order to avoid speaking to people about Christ. As I studied St Francis and how he went from town to town all over Europe and the Middle East preaching in voice and deed I realized his statement did not prohibit us from using words, which often seems to be the way I and many others have interpreted it. I mean the guy even preached to the birds for crying out loud, he was not some silent monk who just did nice things for people, he was a street preacher.

Kevin Site's article ends with a great expression of love. Ali is HIV positive and scared that his children might get the disease from kissing him. Yet when he tells them to stop they reply "'No, we don't care, We love you.'" Not much needs to be said about the children's comments other than, I wish I had that kind of love for the broken and addicted souls that surround me during my day. I'm quite sure if the church began loving like Ali's children our preaching would be much more effective and also much shorter. We might only need to say a few words, but a few words we would still have to say. Perhaps, "Jesus cares, we love you" would be enough or perhaps there would need to be more, but let us not limit our witness to actions when salvation is a few words away. Let us also live like we are truly alive, indeed it is usually in the rare moments when I act like one of Ali's children that I truly begin to feel that I am living.

Finally Returning

2006-01-15T23:36:00.000Z

I was in Scotland for the last three weeks. I spent Christmas, New Years and my B-day with my relatives in Saltcoats, which is on the west coast of Scotland around a 45min drive from Glasgow. I had a great time hanging out with my two young cousins Zach and Nicole, playing plenty of Playstation/Xbox pulling mad indy900's in Tony Hawk and watching my beloved England by taken apart by Zach's incredibly stacked Brazil.(He would dominate me no matter who I was) Plenty of good food was had, great conversations and loads of football matches watched. Of course one thing I did find out was that there are people in the world who still don't use the internet. My uncle's computer was 300mhz, some paltry amount of ram and would take 10 minutes to start-up, no joke. Then when you finally reached the AOL start-up screen and found out the modem was signing on using dial-up, connecting at 33k it would freeze and the waiting process would begin again. As an aside how weird is it that AOL is still called AOL even though its not in America. Should there be a UKOL or something? Anyway all that to make more excuses for my lack of posting.

In all honesty my first semester in the blogoshpere started well, but my blog pretty much fell apart once I was put under the pressure of paper deadlines and exams. So one of my New Years' Resolutions is to post to my blog at least two times a week. We'll see how that plan goes, I don't really believe in New Years resolutions as they seem to be an excuse to quit doing something you really want to do or start doing something you really don't want to do. Anyway I'm back in the civilized world wide web and hopefully will find enough material to maintatin my quota of posts and keep them interesting enough to not put people to sleep.

I'm too tired to be creative, intellectual or interesting

2005-12-16T13:42:00.000Z

Well I just turned in my portfolio, the first assessment of my Masters in Biblical Studies. It consisted of a 2 page definition of my research proposal, a bibliography with 20 sources annotated and a 1500 word book review. Didn't get much sleep last night and feeling like a bit of a zombie at the moment. But the sense of freedom for a couple of weeks is very good. Anyone ever been so tired it feels like your losing conciousness, I'm almost there. On a sidenote, I'm listening to old school coldplay at the moment, the song 'High Speed' just plain musical genius, or maybe the lack of cognitive function in my brain is effecting my judgment. Anyway, Monday I'm heading up to Scotland for Christmas with the relatives, should be interesting being my first Christmas away from home.

On other random topics my brain is thinking about at the present moment is how on earth did the Iraqi police arrest and release the second most wanted man in the world? Please, if those guys classify as their police force I'm starting to wonder about democracy in that country. Back to coldplay, how is it their lyrics have no meaning to me but I still agree with whatever their singing about, I mean seriously what is he talking about "I want to live in a wooden house." Onto the weather, I can't remember the last time it rained, its not even that cold outside and I've seen blue sky three days in a row I'm begining to think British weather gets a bad rap.(It'll probably rain for two weeks now) See but this I understand "oh yeah, oh yeah, oh yeah everything's not lost." Since school's winding down here the atmosphere is completely different, there were only 5 people at breakfast today compard the the ususal 75ish.

In other random information chocolate is so much better in the U.K. kit-kats taste like something else, I have to be careful, I'm starting to notice my ripped six pack fade into a bulge of blubber, but seriously though I've never had a six pack and i think people who do are weird. Okay we've switched to some David Gray now, the song Alibi off his new album is great, but I still don't know what he's talking about either, I mean "Stone blind alibi.....prayers like ammonites" I got no clue but it sounds ridiculously sweet. Okay I'm signing off now before my head hits the keyboard or I say something I didn't mean to. Did I mention I'm a big fan of sleep? Absence makes the heart grow fonder? zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz.

Church Website

2005-12-03T12:00:00.000Z

I've added a link to the church community I'm a part of in Sheffield. There's even some pictures of my "ridiculously good looking" self on there if you click around a bit. They're a group of Americans from Waco, TX who just moved over here this year to plant a church in Sheffield. The pastor is one of the students in my course which is how I got connected with them. They're a really great group, passionate about seeing the Kingdom come to earth. Just thought I better explain the addition of the link. Take care all!

Creationism and Evolutionism

2005-11-18T15:38:00.000Z

Firstly, I must apologize for the lack of posts. This blogging thing is harder than it looks. I'll try to do better. Anyway here's a new post.

Last night I went with some friends to a debate that was being held at the University. The debate was on Creation and Evolution, although both sides believed in Intelligent design. In fact, an interesting twist was that both sides were Christians, something I was definitely not expecting.

The Creationists main argument centered on the fact that, in his opinion, evolutionists interpret the evidence to fit their specific agenda. He also suggested they see based on the present and not the past. I was convinced, there was no doubt about it. I was ready to accept that I was a stark-raving, bible-thumping Fundamentalist. Then the evolutionist began his argument. He was completely not what I was expecting. He spoke honestly and intimately about his conversion. He presented his argument humbly and respected the authority of the Biblical text. His view was that part of the majesty of God's creation was the way he made it to evolve. He gave evidence countering the creationists view and I was now convinced. I had moved into the modern age. I was a liberal-funadamentalist bashing evolutionist.

Then there was a period of questions. My position would switch depending on who was talking. By the end I was thoroughly confused. What did I believe? Finally, everyone had to vote for one side. I chose to vote for the creationist. The creationist managed to counter almost every point the evolutionist made and firmly demonstrated the weakness in the evolutionist's argument. If I don't have a reason to read the biblical account a new way then I see no reason for me to diverge from the traditional interpretation that has worked for the last three thousand years.

In the end I think there are more important things we should be focusing on. I'm not sure God himself is out to make us read Seven-Day creationism literally rather than metaphorically. We should remember that he created what we see and recognize the significance that there exists someone who is bigger than us. Remembering this shows us there is a being who knows what we need more than ourselves because he created us.

Dance Dance Revolution Praise

2005-10-28T22:54:00.000+01:00

Now we can all dance like David, 21st century-style. The thing I'm wondering about is, will God keep track of the high-scores?

Christian-themed DDR-style game released

The Magician, the Crowd and Jesus

2005-10-28T22:49:00.000+01:00

Last week, while I was downtown, during my lunch break, I ran across a street performer who was just starting his show. He was your classic street performer, funny, partly charming, partly obnoxious. As the crowd was a bit thin he managed to get the people who were there to hoop and holler as if something amazing was happening. Much to my surprise his plan worked and within two minutes there was a crowd of over fifty people forming a circle around him. He was cracking jokes left and right, poking fun at passers by, he definitely had comic talent. His act was tight, smooth, no flaws. He began with a little slight of hand, moving various object under cups on his makeshift table. Unlike many other magicians this guy actually demonstrated how he pulled off some of his tricks, which I thought was quite humble of him.

The finale was the classic routine perfected by Harry Houdini. A volunteer from the crowd placed him in a straightjacket, belt-buckled the straps, and wrapped a large chain around him from head to toe and padlocked it. It took the magic man about five minutes but he finally freed himself, the crowd applauded, most people gave him some money, and then everyone went on their way.

There was one moment that struck me, hurt me and challenged me. During the gathering process, before the show got underway, the magician would joke with the new people arriving. To one couple, he said we (ie. the crowd) were their to begin our Alcoholics Anonymous meeting. To another group of young girls he said he was teaching us about Jehovah Witnesses. The crowd laughed, I laughed, it was amusing to see the victims puzzled responses. Then, a group of construction guys came over and the magician said the comment you knew was coming. "Welcome, we're here to talk about Jesus," he proclaimed. The men believed him to be serious and walked off as if that was the last thing they wanted to hear about. The crowd laughed, I laughed, it wasn't amusing to reflect on our response.

The truth was no one would have given the performer a second glance had he been a street preacher. Why is it there seems to be such an unwillingness to enter into a discussion about Christianity in a group setting? Why is street preaching not the effective form of evangelism it was in the early Church? Perhaps the reason is the message which is preached, perhaps it is the manner in which it is done, perhaps it is the nature of our society.

The part that hurt me was the fact that I laughed. Why should I think it funny to think someone might actually publicly proclaim Jesus in a creative way? Public preaching seems to have become stereotyped within certain strains of Christianity as something negative. I too have fallen into the habit of lamenting over the judgement day, street-corner preachers. Yet, I hope, I pray, I believe that today someone could preach to a crowd, under the guidance of the Spirit of God, and over three thousand would come to know Christ. Maybe I'm just naive.

Eradicating Terrosism

2005-10-14T16:29:00.000+01:00

"[Terrorists] are people who feel devalued, despised and by becoming terrorists they suddenly become supermen, heroes,"
-Taken From -Al Qaeda exploits 'blue-eyed' Muslim converts

Reading a news article today I was struck by this quote. Not sure if your like me but sometimes I struggle to remember that we are all humans, all with desperately wicked hearts in need of redemption. Its easy to hate but hard to love. The importance of love cannot be minimized, it has the power to transform. Terrorism must be eradicated by love. Though they are good ideals, freedom and democracy do not make people feel valued or loved. The evidence of the wide-spread depression within Western society is clear proof that liberty is not the answer to the human condition. Of course it could be argued that true liberty is unrealized in the lives of many Western people who are free to be as miserable as they carry the chains of materialism. Terrorism seems to give people a significance, a purpose, a way in which the true purpose of life is twisted to create an evil illusion of the meaning of life. We were created for love and to love.

Today, while I was walking around downtown, I could not help but notice certain couples whose faces shone with a glow of happiness. There was the gothic looking couple, dressed in black but with faces of light, whose smiles, as they looked into each others eyes, was enough to bring a smile to my face. Then there was an older couple standing in front of me in a store que, their conversation with each other flowed with an underlying sense of true love, each satisfied just to be in the other's company. The challenge to me was not to find someone who can make me happy but who is there around me that needs to feel valued and loved today. Who knows, the next person I choose not to love could become the next terrorist.

Erwin McManus Message

2005-10-08T19:24:00.000+01:00

For anyone who has some extra time on their hands, like me, there is a great message by Erwin McManus at the link below. Just follow the signs for streaming video.

Erwin McManus - Ambition @ 7:22

Global Alien - Part III

2005-10-07T18:24:00.000+01:00

Many thanks to Ryan for the insightful post on being a Christian alien, most of what follows are my thoughts on that topic.

As the Church, we our aliens united by our common identity, aliens who live in the world but are citizens of the kingdom of God. Paul writes in his letter to the church in Philippi that "our citizenship is heaven."(Philippians 3:20) As citizens of heaven it logically follows that we are aliens of this world. Peter confirms this, urging us "as aliens and pilgrims to abstain from fleshly lusts which wage war against the soul."(1 Peter 2:11) I believe the world should notice that we are aliens. People who are alien to us might have a funny accents, different skin colors and dress unusually. If you meet someone foreign on the street you almost instantly know that they are not the same as you. As Christians I believe we should be the same. It is not speech, skin color, or clothes that demonstrates our alienation but our love, holiness, and devotion.

I know that this concept of being alien is challenging. Reading my own words and reflecting on my life, I realize how far I fall short. I am so often not striving to be an alien but "one of the crowd." But if the kingdom of heaven is to come on earth we, as subjects of the King, must oppose the kingdom of this earth, go against the grain, and demonstrate to those around us that there is, as Switchfoot puts it, "a new way to be human." May we all be more alien tomorrow than we were today.

Global Alien - Part II

2005-10-04T13:14:00.000+01:00

I've been settling into the dorms, or "Halls of Residence" as they call them over here, quite well. The food is surprisingly good considering they are cooking for around four hundred people. The other day, while I was eating my roast beef and Yorkshire pudding, which, as a side-note, is not pudding at all but more like a pastry, I couldn't help but notice the cliques that had naturally formed within the dinning room. It might help to have a visual picture of the room. We have fifteen square tables set into a three rows filling a room about the size of your average basketball court. Each table has ten chairs around it and everyone is free to choose where to sit.

As it turns out most people seem to gather together with people similar to them. For example, we have the Asian table. A lovely group of guys, very friendly but understanding the conversation can be quite difficult. I am left saying the only Asian I know, taught to me by the one and only James Rohl... "Watashi wa baka desu," at which point they all burst out laughing. I definitely don't "fit in." You might say I'm the alien when I sit at their table. Another table is the party animals. This table is easily identified by their sleepy-hungover-"where am I?" look as they stumble into breakfast. There are also quite a few normal tables who are identified by where they live, the fourth floor of the Annex, for example, almost always eat together. Then there are the few, myself included, who roam from table to table completely unaware of what kind of dinner conversations they will encounter. You usually pray that the Medical student does not describe in graphic detail how they performed their dissections that day. Sometimes though a bunch of us "roamers" will find ourselves all at the same table.

An interesting thought occurred to me the other days while thinking about this. The other tables are all related by something familiar, like ethnic background, social lifestyle, or living proximity. When a table of roamers meet they are related by one main thing, they are all feel alien to the familiarity of the other tables. The interesting thing is that as familiarity brings comfort, the roamers start to seek out meeting with other roamers. The alienation which they all feel to a certain degree becomes the bond which unites them together. So my table is now normally made up of a couple of guys from Africa, an Indian, a Sri Lanken, and an Iranian. The paradox that alienation can be the bond which unites a group of people together is quite a fascinating thought.

Global Alien - Part I

2005-09-30T22:47:00.000+01:00

For as long as I can remember I have been an alien. Let me unpack that statement. I was born in Glasgow, Scotland on January 10, 1984. Two and a half years later my family and I left Scotland for Boston, Massachusetts. As my family left Scotland, we entered America as permanent residents holding "Green Cards." I'm not sure if you have ever seen a Green Card but on the front of the card, which is quite similar in form to a Driver's License, it declares that the person is a "Resident Alien." An alien, as the dictionary tells me, is a foreigner. Why the U.S. Government prefers calling its visitors' aliens, which has the connotation of flying saucers and big grey beings with big black eyes, I have no idea.

I was both foreign to America and America was foreign to me. Since I don't remember anything before I was about three and a half, I can with confidence claim that my identity has always been "foreigner," or if you prefer "Alien." If we had remained in America, I would have likely been assimilated. My accent would have been American, my mannerisms American, my identity American. Alas, my family moved to New Zealand a short while later and proceeded to move countries with remarkable frequency and consistency. For the last ten years, I had been living in America. Perhaps I was even slowly beginning to become American. I even became an American citizen last year. Yet, I still felt an alien and if you asked me where I was from I would not have said America. Thus, wherever I have been I have always been a foreigner.

Recently I moved to Sheffield, England...back to the Motherland, back to home...or was it. It felt somewhat like I was returning home, I thought to myself, "Perhaps I would no longer be an alien." As it turns out, ironically I might add, I am still a foreigner. Whenever someone asks me where I'm from I usually say California, after all thats where I've been for the last eight years, yet if you had asked me the same question in California my answer would have been different.

As an alien in my homeland one fascinating occurrence has been my ever-changing accent. It usually gets jumbled into some indiscernible mess that switches depending on whom I'm talking to, of course when I start talking in broken English with a hint African, as I talk with my friend from Ghana, I start to get a little worried. More ruminating on the theme of "alien" will be emanating from these pages in the next few days, but for now I guess I'll always be an alien, always unfamiliar, never regular, and I wouldn't have it any other way.

Joining the Blogosphere

2005-09-30T21:34:00.000+01:00

I've finally done it...I've entered the blogosphere. My Blog is mainly for the sake of the many people who want to be informed of my happenings, feelings and experiences while I'm at the University of Sheffield. (Reading that back I am concerned that Blogging is quite an egotistical practice...why should the world need to hear what I've got to say) Anyway, for anyone who cares here's a place where I'll record some of my life experiences and meditations. I encourage you to please post comments, e-mail me ect., if you have any questions, thoughts, concerns or just want to chat.

Peace to all