Playing around with the JESUS code!
|
Aug 7, 2008 2:36 pm
1215 Views
|
Thanks to 'Indescribeable' for the original Jesus code!
(They should make it into a film! lol)
Unfortunately it doesn't display correctly here, but if you click comments (below) you can see how it should look, and better versions also. The code for it is there too.
.
|
|
|
20
Comments
|
|
|
A cold coming we had of it...
|
Jan 5, 2011 5:58 pm
581 Views
|
.
On Christmas Day, 2010, a friend of mine died. At the very time I heard the news I was thinking about birth and death — especially the birth of Jesus, and the death he faced. To be more specific, I was thinking and writing about T.S. Elliot's famous poem Journey of the Magi.
(Please Google it and read it, or hear it read on YouTube.)
In the poem, written after his conversion to Christianity in 1922, Elliot highlights the real purpose of Christ's birth, with his mention of three trees on the skyline, and men dicing for pieces of sliver in a tavern as they kick at their empty wineskins.
I didn't have that problem myself on Christmas day. I'd managed to stock up with a rather nice box of Rosé wine, a five litre keg of German beer, a large bottle of Cider, and several bottles of sparkling water. That was a good thing because the gentleman I'd invited to lunch enjoyed a drink with his meal!
Although it took longer to cook than expected I was pleased with my culinary efforts. We started with smoked salmon on crackers, followed by a stuffed roast bird with roast potatoes, parsnips, carrots, and leeks ... and finished off with the traditional mince pie and Christmas pudding, topped with custard and brandy butter. Yummy!
What we didn't know, however, was that my lunch companion's brother had passed away — either earlier in the day or while we were eating. It wasn't totally unexpected. He was in a terminal care hospice and my lunch mate had seen him the day before and knew that he didn't have long in this life. After our meal he went to the hospice and found that his brother had died. He told me that he saw his brother's body and that he appeared to be peaceful in death.
I knew these two brothers from a dinner club we were all involved with. They're both men of faith, and I have no doubt that at this very moment one of them is rejoicing with the amazing joy that comes from leaving behind this 'vale of tears' and seeing the face of Jesus Christ, the Son of God.
You might ask ... "Apart from the obvious connection of the subject matter, what's that got to do with T.S. Elliot's poem?"
Well, later in the day I was creating an abridged version of it to send to church colleagues by text message, when my friend rang to tell me the news. Suddenly, what had been an interesting but rather academic exercise turned into a powerfully poignant expression of the deepest truths of the Christian faith.
Elliot wrote:
... were we led all that way for
Birth or Death? ... I had seen birth and death,
But had thought they were different; this Birth was
Hard and bitter agony for us, like Death, our death.
We returned to our places, these Kingdoms,
But no longer at ease here, in the old dispensation,
With an alien people clutching their gods.
I should be glad of another death.
Most of us think that birth and death are very different. We see birth as a joyful event, and death as a sad, even tragic, one. But is that necessarily an accurate view?
For Elliot's Magi, their journey was one of spiritual discovery — the discovery that the birth they had travelled so far to witness actually spelt death to all that they had previously held dear. A lifetime before they had enjoyed their royal palaces, with "the silken girls bringing sherbet". Now all that seemed trivial and they were "no longer at ease here, in the old dispensation".
Like many since then, witnessing that remarkable birth brought them to the realisation that our life on this planet is actually our gestation for eternity. They discovered that once you see Christ and touch Him — and are touched by Him — you lose all affection for "an alien people clutching their gods". Instead you find yourself looking forward, with longing, to your own entry into paradise.
For the traveller who has met Christ death is far from being a sad event. Death is a birth — a passing out of this Earthly womb into the infinite wonders of the multi-dimensional universe beyond. And that's not only true for the lucky ones who have had the opportunity to put their faith in Christ, but for all of those who, like Abraham, have heard the voice of God and put their trust in Him... (see Romans 4:3, Galatians 3:6, James 2:23)
It brings a lump to my throat to think that on the day we celebrated the birth of Jesus, my friend passed through God's spiritual 'birth canal' into the bright light of eternal day.
But why should I be sad? If I am, it's a sadness tinged with joy... which reminds me of a similar story I heard recently.
A few days ago 'D' — another friend of mine — told me of a spiritual experience she had some months after her mother died. Although D believed in heaven and believed that her mother was there, she struggled to come to terms with her mother's death. Then one night she had a dream in which she saw her mother looking down on her from that higher place.
Her mother was exuberant and ecstatically happy. In the dream her mother asked D how she was, and received the reply:
. . . . "I cry a lot, and I'm sad all the time."
Her mother replied, simply...
. . . . "There's no reason to be!"
D told me that the dream was the turning point in her grief journey, and that her recovery started that night.
Her story reminds me of an event that took place just before my own mother passed away, fourteen years ago. I had been abroad, working in Brazil, and returned to the UK a week or so before she died. She had advanced cancer, and was also suffering from the symptoms of advanced Alzheimer's disease.
On the day in question she was in a comatose state, drugged with Morphine to kill the pain. I was sitting alone with her, next to her bed, when all of a sudden she emerged into consciousness and became quite lucid. I asked her is there was anything she wanted, and she asked me to read her favourite poem to her.
A poetry book was next to the bed with a bookmark in it. I opened it and found the poem, Love Bade Me Welcome, by George Herbert. As I read I knew in my heart that God's Spirit was with us. Later I realised that He had brought her briefly back to me in order to bring the poem to my attention. It was for my sake rather than for hers that she asked me to read it.
(Please Google it and read it, or hear it read on YouTube.)
As soon as I finished reading she thanked me and slipped back into semi-consciousness. A few days later she vacated her earthly body and became the guest of the greatest Dinner Host of all. We had not been very close during her life, but that supernatural experience gave me full confidence that one day we will meet again and have the closeness we missed in this life.
All this was a long time ago, I remember,
And I would do it again, but set down
This[,] set down
This: were we led all that way for
Birth or Death?
That's the question we all have to face. Each of us is on a journey and we have a long way to travel. The pertinent question is: Are we travelling towards Birth or Death?
The journey from natural birth to natural death is much less important than the one from natural birth to spiritual birth. If we have made that second journey then natural death holds no terrors for us. It transforms natural death, turning it from a tragedy — a tragedy of monumental proportions — into a victorious home coming on a par with that of any conqueror returning home with the spoils of war.
Where, O death, is your victory?
Where, O death, is your sting?”
The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law.
But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.
(1 Cor 15:51-57)
Yes, our eventual victory over all that wants to conquer us will be sweet. But it comes at a price, and there will have been many bloody battles along the way, some of which will have tested us to our very limit.
A hard time we had of it . . . . . (tell me about it!)
At the end we preferred to travel all night,
Sleeping in snatches . . . . . (a familiar experience)
I loved watching the Narnia films on TV over Christmas. They're a very graphic reminder that there's no gain without pain... that battles — inner, outer or both — are an inevitable, and even necessary, part of life this side of eternity.
But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.
Once we have been born spiritually — born from above, or 'born again' as Jesus Himself put it (John 3:1-20) — then the rest of the journey, though often difficult in this life, is simply part of an eternal story which will go on and on, getting ever more amazing and wonderful, without any end in sight.
All that's required is that we step out of our comfort zones and start the journey the Magi took, looking for the one born King of the Jews (Matthew 2:2) — and born king of everyone else also.
A cold coming we had of it...
... and such a long journey:
... I should be glad of another death.
© 25/12/10
|
|
|
1
comment
|
|
|
Thoughts on living dangerously. . .
|
Aug 20, 2007 6:04 pm
1610 Views
|
A nice bike... (the photo below was taken on my 50th birthday trip to Basel, Switzerland, in 2007.)
I was recently talking to a Christian woman who told me she had a friend who died in a motorcycle accident. As a result this lady dislikes motorbikes and would like to ban her son from riding one.
In the introduction to one of his songs, the gospel singer Steve Green all but says that motorbikes are the invention of the devil and should never be ridden by a follower of Jesus Christ, because of the danger they pose to the rider.
These attitudes are fairly common, but are they valid approaches to the sport of motorcycling, or are they based on fearful and even faulty thinking?
As a biker myself I have to say that although I can sympathise and understand where they are coming from, I cannot believe that these are healthy attitudes for an intelligent person to adopt. A little logic makes that clear.
If we want to ban biking because people get hurt doing it, then what else are we going to ban? Rock climbing? Mountaineering? Hang gliding? Sky-diving? Pot-holing? Skiing? Deep-sea-diving? And all the other 'dangerous' sports?
What about people who do risky things for a living? Should we ban mining, building tall structures, being at sea in a storm, underwater construction work, etc etc? And, of course, there are the armed services.
One man's meat is another man's poison. The risks involved may not be to your liking, but to another person they may be the very stuff of life that make it worth living.
I worked as a motorcycle dispatch rider in London on several occasions. I love being out on the open road with only my bike and the angels for company. Yes, I was knocked off on several occasions but I simply got up and carried on. Isn't that what life is all about?
Surely life isn't worth living if you're going to be worrying all the time about how it might end. Does God want us to wrap ourselves in cotton wool and stay in bed for the rest of our lives? You'd probably die of a heart attack from lack of exercise anyway!
Jesus wasn't put off from coming to earth because of the way he'd leave it. Paul didn't refuse to go to Jerusalem even though he was told by the Holy Spirit what would happen to him when he got there. Hundreds of missionaries have refused to be put off from taking the gospel into dangerous situations even though their friends have found a spear waiting for them when they arrived.
Life is for living, not for being scared of. What counts is not how LONG we live it for, but how WELL we live it.
Of course I feel sad when a friend or family member dies but I must ask myself, who am I being sad for... for that person or for myself? Everyone is destined to die sometime before they reach 150. Death itself isn't the big bogey man. How we live our life is what counts, not how long we live it for. A short bold life lived courageously is surely better than a long mediocre life which fizzles out at the end in a sad whimper.
The highly influential Westminster Confession, adopted by many churches as a standard for their faith, states that "The chief end of Man is to glorify God and enjoy Him forever." We can hardly enjoy God if we don't enjoy the life He's given us. And if we spend our life moping around afraid of how it might end we're hardly going to fulfil that noble purpose.
The fourth of the Ten Commandments states, "Love your neighbour as yourself." Jesus famously quoted that in Matthew 22:35-40. The commandment speaks against selfishness, but it also implies the importance of having a healthy level of self-esteem. Learning who we are and what we really enjoy - what fulfills us - is part of growing as a human being.
My argument, therefore, is that if God made me to enjoy speed, and the thrill of navigating the open road on two wheels, then I dishonour Him if I run scared of doing that out of fear. Enjoying God includes enjoying how He made me to be, and doing what He made me to enjoy.
The Christian Olympic runner, Eric Liddell, wrote: "God made me fast, and when I run I feel His pleasure." (Have you seen the film, Chariots of Fire?) I could say the same thing when I'm out on the road in the sunshine on a mean two wheeled machine!
There's another thing about being a Christian biker. When I lived in London I was a member of the Christian Motorcyclists Association. The camaraderie of the CMA was better than the fellowship I had in any church at that time. Going to CMA bike rallies was the highlight of the year for me. And they always had a presence at the large secular bike rallies reaching out with the gospel into that sub-culture.
There's a hymn which means a lot to me. It was written by John Bunyan who spent 12 years in prison because he refused to conform to the official state church. There's an element of 'refusal to conform' within the biker sub-culture... refusal to worship the sacred cows of society. In some ways that makes the biker culture closer to the ostracised and persecuted early Church than many regular churches which exist today. That's my crazy opinion anyway!
He who would valiant be, 'gainst all disaster,
Let him in constancy follow the Master.
There's no discouragement shall make him once relent
His first avowed intent to be a pilgrim.
Who so beset him round with dismal stories
Do but themselves confound, his strength the more is.
No foes shall stay his might; though he with giants fight,
He will make good his right to be a pilgrim.
Since, Lord, Thou dost defend us with Thy Spirit,
We know we at the end, shall life inherit.
Then fancies flee away! I'll fear not what men say,
I'll labour night and day to be a pilgrim.
The hymn speaks of a gritty faith... a faith which doggedly follows the Master, despite the ogres and giants along the way.
"We'll fear not what men say..." for "we know we at the end shall life inherit."
So come on all you noble folk who love to ride for the King of kings! Get kitted up in your leather 'armour of God'... don the 'crash helmet of salvation'... and ride with me into the 'Son-set'.
We will make good our right to be biker pilgrims!
.
|
|
|
1
comment
|
|
|
Success or failure? Things are not what they seem!
|
Feb 17, 2006 5:40 pm
1690 Views
|
.
.
This morning I watched a couple of TV programs about people looking for houses to buy. I felt envious comparing my wee rented home with the nice houses they were looking at - at nice prices! - and I was aware of a strong desire to get onto the property ladder and have a largish comfortable house in the countryside somewhere.
That way of thinking had been fueled by a couple of episodes of another morning program I watched recently called "Pay Off Your Mortgage in Two Years". It was all about finding ways of cutting down on one's outgoings, and finding ways of increasing one's incomings on top of one's normal job.
I suppose the combination of all those shows had got me wondering where my life is going... nowhere it seems, according to those standards. It seemed to me that the people in those programs had been 'successful' in life - successful at getting the things they wanted - and I felt both envious of them and disappointed with myself for not having achieved what they'd achieved.
So, this morning I got into the bath - one of my favourite thinking places - and started to ask myself just what a successful person is. At some point the question popped into my mind, "who is the most successful person who has ever lived?", and of course the answer was immediately obvious - with amazing repercussions! It was as if I'd never thought about it before!
As a Christian I believe that Jesus Christ is the most successful person who has ever lived. What may not be obvious, at first sight, is that that thought has incredible repercussions. It turns our 'normal' worldly view of success completely on it's head.
Having an attractive, spacious and comfortable place to live is key to success from a worldly point of view. Jesus had no place to call his own. Having money in the bank and the ability to do the things you want to do are also key. Jesus had virtually no money or possessions. Having an attractive and sexually fulfilling partner, with whom you rear healthy children, is perhaps the other key worldly requisite. Jesus didn't have those either.
And finally, from the world's point of view, to end one's life quietly in the presence of one's family, to whom you leave a lot of money... that's the epitome of a life successfully lived. What an incredibly marked contrast to the way Jesus' earthly life ended. Who in their right mind would say that an unmarried man violently executed like a common criminal had lived a successful life?
Yet, in the eyes of God, no other life has ever been lived so successfully. It really does turn our way of thinking completely upside down.
So, I asked myself, what was it about Jesus' life that marked it out from the crowd and caused it to be so very successful in God's eyes? Again the answer was simple. He did God's will, regardless of the cost to Himself.
That led me to do a word study, as follows:
"My food," said Jesus, "is to do the will of him who sent me and to finish his work.... For I have come down from heaven not to do my will but to do the will of him who sent me. (John 4:34, 6:38 )
Continuing the study showed me the importance of having the same attitude myself:
"Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven." (Mat 7:21)
Pointing to his disciples, he said, "Here are my mother and my brothers. For whoever does the will of my Father in heaven is my brother and sister and mother." (Mat 12:49,50)
You need to persevere so that when you have done the will of God, you will receive what he has promised. (Heb 10:36)
The world and its desires pass away, but the man who does the will of God lives forever. (1 John 2:17)
That's incredible. I don't think I'd ever seen quite so clearly that doing God's will is a prerequisite for salvation. It ties in with the words of James, that "faith without works is dead". (James 2:20,26)
Many church goers (especially evangelicals) think that all they need to do is to give mental assent to a set of doctrines, and their ticket to heaven is assured. What a shock it will be for some of them when they find that they were wrong, and that they should have concentrated on discovering God's will for themselves and then doing it.
In contrast there will be many who never heard the gospel in this life who will find themselves in heaven. How? Because they did the will of God!
So then, the mark of a life lived in success is not a fine home, fine spouse, and fine bank account... it's hearing those words from the mouth of Christ on the final day - "Well done my good and faithful servant." (Mat 5:21,23)
It's so very very sad to think that many of the people who have the fine home, fine spouse, and fine bank account in this life, at their end will go to the place of ultimate eternal failure.
It really makes you think!
.
|
|
|
2
Comments
|
|
|
Spiritual Warfare
|
Mar 10, 2008 6:47 am
1138 Views
|
.
Some days ago I read a devotional page about spiritual warfare. This comment from it is SO true:
"Few combatants in war ever wanted to fight but they could not shake off the conflict once it consumed them. Once the shooting starts, all you can do is choose sides."
For seven or eight years (in the early noughties) I suffered from Chronic Fatigue Syndrome. I discovered that it's no joke! After many attempts to treat the condition at a medical level I became convinced that its causes were predominantly spiritual. One of my neighbours was a Freemason, another was into Buddhism, another into Spiritism, and others were into other occult activities. Yet because of the illness I struggled financially and wasn't able to move house.
On many days I experienced HEAVY spiritual attack, and there were no churches in the vicinity that I knew of which I could rely upon to support me in prayer. Frequently no amount of praying seemed to help. On one occasion, after railing at God for not helping me I sent a text message to a friend saying: "Christianity just seems to be a bad joke!"
Earlier that same day the Holy Spirit had told me to listen to the Bible on the Internet, but I didn't feel like it and ignored His prompting. Later I felt I should go out for a 'Jericho prayer walk' so as to clear my head, and so as to be able to engage the enemy more effectively. But I allowed my tiredness to keep me indoors. A spiritual warrior I was not! Hardly a wonder, then, that the day was a wash out.
One of the things I have learned is that the spiritual battle is not so much about focussing on the enemy in order to defeat him, but it's about fixing our eyes and ears on Jesus, our Commanding Officer. Listening to and obeying the promptings of the Holy Spirit is crucial. That's where the battle is lost or won.
While I was living in that locality I knew I was there for a purpose. By actively engaging in spiritual warfare -- something I had little choice about -- I was showing the principalities and powers (Eph 6:12) in that area just who is The Boss... the Lord Jesus, not me! I knew that if I didn't do it I'd have been be very ill indeed. But even in those circumstances I found that it was still too easy to relax just a little too much and pretend that the battle was all in my mind.
Let me explain by by quoting from my diary:
"A few Mondays ago I went for a prayer walk. (Please be prepared for a shock.) My usual route took me through the woods next to my house. In a place known as the quarry I came across a man hanging by the neck from a tree. Two people had arrived just before me and were calling the emergency services. His toes were just on the ground and I was concerned that he might still be alive, so on advice from the emergency operator I went to feel his wrist for a pulse. The 'body' was still warm. Paramedics tried to resuscitate him and then we saw them drive him away in an ambulance. Later I learned that he never recovered consciousness and died three days later in hospital.
"Whether this incident has any occult connections I don't know, but it followed a spate of particularly heavy attack, and counter attack on my part. One of the people who got there before me said that that place is renowned for suicides. I'm praying now that that will cease."
Brothers and sisters, spiritual warfare is a reality. God puts us where He puts us for a purpose, and the devil will do anything to try to throw us off track. At one level -- the spiritual -- that event strengthened my resolve to fight the good fight; with all my might!
To this end I labor, struggling with all his energy, which so powerfully works in me. (Col 1:29)
But on another level -- the emotional -- the event affected my willingness and desire to engage in the war. Knowing just how serious the conflict is doesn't necessarily make it any easier!
The only thing you and I can do is to continue to keep our spiritual eyes and ears open, praying for the strength and will-power to do what the Holy Spirit asks us to do. He sees the end of the war from the beginning -- and the beginning from the end. With Paul we need to continually affirm this truth:
"For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord." (Rom 8:38-39)
Jesus said:
"In this world you shall have tribulation (tell me about it!): but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world." (John 16:33)
Paul wrote:
We were under great pressure, far beyond our ability to endure, so that we despaired even of life. Indeed, in our hearts we felt the sentence of death. But this happened that we might not rely on ourselves but on God, who raises the dead. (2 Cor 1:8,9)
Reliance on God -- that's what it's all about. Here we have many battles. But our General is Lord of the Universe, and He has already won the war! We're really just engaged in mopping up operations.
Let me finish with the incredibly inspirational Old Testament story of King Jehoshaphat. Israel was under attack from a huge army they had little chance of defeating in the natural. He called the whole nation together to pray and one of the prophets spoke up:
'Do not be afraid or discouraged because of this vast army. For the battle is not yours, but God's. Tomorrow march down against them. They will be climbing up by the Pass of Ziz, and you will find them at the end of the gorge in the Desert of Jeruel. You will not have to fight this battle. Take up your positions; stand firm and see the deliverance the LORD will give you, O Judah and Jerusalem. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged. Go out to face them tomorrow, and the LORD will be with you.'" (2 Chron 20:15-17)
The next day Jehoshaphat appointed a choir to go out ahead of the army, to sing God's praises, in defiance of the 'foreign gods' (that is, the demonic principalities) which their enemies were relying on. I bet some of those singers wondered why they had signed up for the choir rather than the army! At least the soldiers had swords! (chuckle)
But the passage says that as they began to sing and praise, God moved in power and turned their enemies against each other. When they reached the site all the Israelites found were dead bodies, and a very large amount of valuable plunder!
What's your Pass of Ziz? Which routes does the devil use to come up against you? Yes, you know your weaknesses, and I know mine - and so does he!
We all have a Pass of Ziz -- several no doubt. But do we all have a 'gorge in the Desert of Jeruel'? Do we have a place of praise and worship which the devil hates -- hates because it's where he gets defeated again and again?
You see, Jehoshaphat and the people didn't wait for their enemies to come to them. They went out against their foes, in the worship filled power of the Lord! When you see trouble coming to rip you off (to quote Larry Norman) do you wait passively for it to strike, or do you go on the counter offensive, taking the battle to the trouble maker with your eyes fixed on Jesus?
The battle is not yours, or mine, but God's. It's not even great faith that we need, but faith in a Great God! Whether the enemy attacks our body (aches and pains), or our mind (negative thoughts), or our emotions (negative feelings), or our spirit (spiritual depression and/or lethargy) -- or all of those Ziz routes together -- we don't have to put up with it. We can fix our eyes on Jesus, and worship him in our spirit, with "psalms, hymns and spiritual songs" (Eph 5:19; Col 3:16) and the victory will be ours.
It may take a little while, and some gritty battling through, but the outcome has already been determined.
Many blessings!
|
|
|
1
comment
|
|
|
Where, oh death, is thy sting?
|
Nov 15, 2005 9:01 pm
1753 Views
|
.
.
Earlier today I found this interesting and thought provoking comment, from an article on Death, by an agnostic writer. It highlights the existential crisis which sensitive people who have no faith must face when looking at death.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
"So here's the problem. If you don't believe in God or an afterlife; or if you believe that the existence of God or an afterlife are fundamentally unanswerable questions; or if you do believe in God or an afterlife but you accept that your belief is just that, a belief, something you believe rather than something you know -- if any of that is true for you, then death can be an appalling thing to think about.
Not just frightening, not just painful. It can be paralyzing. The fact that your lifespan is an infinitesimally tiny fragment in the life of the universe, and that there is, at the very least, a strong possibility that when you die, you disappear completely and forever, and that in five hundred years nobody will remember you and in five billion years the Earth will be boiled into the sun.
This can be a profound and defining truth about your existence that you reflexively repulse, that you flinch away from and refuse to accept or even think about, consistently pushing to the back of your mind whenever it sneaks up, for fear that if you allow it to sit in your mind even for a minute, it will swallow everything else.
It can make everything you do, and everything anyone else does, seem meaningless, trivial to the point of absurdity. It can make you feel erased, wipe out joy, make your life seem like ashes in your hands.
Those of us who are skeptics and doubters are sometimes dismissive of people who fervently hold beliefs they have no evidence for simply because they find them comforting -- but when you're in the grip of this sort of existential despair, it can be hard to feel like you have anything but that handful of ashes to offer them in exchange.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Pity the poor agnostic/aetheist. But then they might say that they pity us because we allow ourselves to be deluded so as to make life easier for ourselves.
What would you say to somebody who had just written the above piece?
.
|
|
|
3
Comments
|
|
|
What's in a name?
|
Aug 10, 2008 5:07 pm
1172 Views
|
Whats in name? What's in your name? My name (John) comes from the Hebrew name translated "Yochanan" meaning 'Yahweh is gracious'. What does your name mean?
In our image conscious world names are very important. Any entrepreneur looking for a name for a new company, or choosing a new brand name, would agree with that. Celebrities often change their name to something that sounds good if they don't feel their original one has enough clout.
Its all about image. The name(s) we give ourselves, and the name(s) others give us, can hugely shape our self-image and the image others have of us. Even God seemed to be particularly concerned with names, and hence image, in Biblical days at least.
The first job description of the first man (or symbolic man) was as "official namer of flora and fauna". As such Adam (or early Man) became a scientist, having been given the job of classifying nature.
Not only was he a scientist but Adam (early Man) was also a linguist since he was expanding language by creating new words for things. Language is the basis of thought and the more complex our language the more complex our thinking can be. Ponder this... as children learn to talk they also learn to think.
The process of naming children was very important throughout the Good Book. Zechariah - the father of John the Baptist - was apparently struck dumb by an angel because he balked at calling his son John. So much fuss over a name!
Then there's Jacob, who became Israel after his intimate personal encounter with God. (He wrestled with God... anyone else done that? I do it most of the time!)
My first name is John too, but I was actually called by my middle name - Basil - throughout my childhood, teens and 20s. I grew to HATE it! You can imagine how often I was teased at school because of that name.... Basil Brush! Basil Brush! etc. etc. etc.
That name became associated in my mind with a host of negative feelings... feelings associated with unjust criticism (at home as well as at school), unthinking authoritarianism (particularly from boarding school days), and generally poor family dynamics. It was my own choice in my 30s to stop using Basil and start using John, and I felt a lot better about myself when I did that.
So for me, changing my name was a means of stepping out of something bad into something better. Other people also change their names for similar reasons.
I lived in South India as a young child because my parents ran a mission hospital there, way down South near the Cape. One of the patients was a young man called Mutukuti (pronounced Mu-tu-ku-tai) which means Little Star, in Tamil. He was a tender of coconuts and fell out of a coconut tree badly injuring himself.
While in hospital he gave his life to Christ. As was the custom he changed his name at his baptism to Yesumutu - Star of Jesus.
His name change signified a major life transformation.... a transformation from something not-good (being part of the corrupt world system under Satan's domination), to something very good (becoming part of the kingdom of God under the lordship of Christ).
That story causes me ask myself some searching questions. How do I live my life? Do I live it as a 'little star'... my own little celebrity in my own little world in which I am my own boss... or do I live it as a 'star of Jesus' - a beacon of light shining in a dark world, as the power of the Holy Spirit burns within me and radiates out of me?
I'd like to think its the latter, but I know in all honesty that too much of the time I'm my own 'little star'.
Maybe instead of calling myself a 'Christian' I should call myself Star of Jesus. Then when the inner fire burns low and I cease to care what kind of light comes out of me, perhaps I'd me more inclined to stop, take stock, and dig down deep again to get in touch with the divine nuclear power house inside.
|
|
|
5
Comments
|
|
|
Tall Poppy Syndrome...
|
Jan 13, 2006 5:28 pm
1426 Views
|
.
For those who have a bit of time to read a word or two, here's something I've written in response to the following excerpt from a dictionary of Australian colloquial expressions (posted by Edna):
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Tall poppy syndrome (TPS) is a term used in Australasia for a levelling social attitude, pushed to the point of bad behaviour. Someone has tall poppy syndrome when they are envious, defamatory, or overly critical of someone because of their notionally higher economic, social or political position.
For the majority of the population, the targets are those who are seen as taking themselves too seriously or flaunting their success without humility.
Tall poppy syndrome is also used to refer to the notion that when people feel small they believe it is due to the fact that other 'poppies' are taller than them. Therefore they seek to denigrate these individuals.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
I have a cat called Poppy... she's very pretty and very sweet, and very mischievous, and I love her very much! She's not very 'tall', my other two cats are bigger, but I love her even more because of her diminutive size.
You know... God loves each of us uniquely regardless of whether we are tall, short, thin, fat, attractive, plain, clever, dumb, etc etc. In fact, Scripture tells us that he loves those of us more who are less gifted in the natural areas. Sometimes I think I'm pretty clever... a 'tall poppy'... but when I do something always comes along to make me realise I'm not so smart after all!
Poppy talks to me. She's SO sweet! When she wants some attention she makes a bee-line for me, wherever I am, even if I'm in the loft (yes she climbs ladders like any window cleaner). When she's in ear shot she meows and meows (well it's more like a squeak) to let me know she on her way... so I better just get ready 'cos she's a commin!!! (chuckle) Then she jumps up and sits on my lap and I can't help cuddle her and make a fuss of her, no matter how many times a day she appears.
God loves to hear our 'meows' and 'squeaks' as we come to him in praise and prayer. If I was Johan Sebastian Bach I'd compose an oratorio, prelude, or concerto to praise Him. If I was Rembrandt I'd paint a masterpiece to worship Him. But I'm just me, and He loves my meows and squeaks just as much as any marvellous symphony or great work of art.
What more can I say about my vewy favourwiteest pussy cat?!!! (I'm a soppy date I know.) Here she comes now! She follows me around the house and is always there when I need company. The other two male cats only come for a cuddle occasionally. In fact they are skittish and often run away when I come near. Sadly they miss out on the love I'd like to give them.
A heart of loving devotion is far more important to God than any of our natural giftings, or even our spiritual giftings. It brings joy to His heart when we follow Him closely and keep Him company, thanking Him and worshiping Him all day long. He never refuses our request to jump up on His lap and survey our spiritual surroundings from the comfort and safety of His love.
The devil often comes along with his lies and tries to tell me that God doesn't love me. "If God really loves you, why doesn't He answer your prayers for this thing, or that thing, which you've been asking for, for months or years?" It's a good question and I don't know the answer. But I do know that I have to live one day at a time, not wishing things are different, but accepting the circumstances I find myself in, trusting that God really does know best, and looking forward to the day when all heartache will be ended.
It's silly, I know, but sometimes I think I love Poppy more than any human being I know. Perhaps I don't have many close friends. Perhaps I fear that friends will let me down. Who knows? The only demand that Poppy makes on me is for food. Otherwise she gives her love freely and without constraint.
All I need to ask from God each day is for the food of His Word, and the air and water of His Spirit. Everything else I might want, or even demand, is superfluous and not really necessary at all. Even if I didn't have enough to eat and died of starvation, it wouldn't really matter. It might be painful for a time, but soon I'd be in a place where all hunger and want is done away with.
What can Man or Nature do to me? They may attack my body... they may vex my soul... but if my spirit is secure in the lap of God's love then all the wild hurricanes of life are no more than the frothing of waves beating on the rocks... the rocks below my strong strong Lighthouse. All God asks of me is that I keep the glass clean and the light burning. He does the rest.
Jesus said: "Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light." (Matthew 11:28-30)
Yes, Lord Jesus... at the start of this new year I come to you and lay down my burdens... all my selfish struggles. Though you are like an untame lion, you are also gentle and humble and I can rest in your warm embrace. Help me now to take up your burden - your yoke - the deep concern that you have for the lost and the hurting in this beleaguered world. Show me how, in 2006, I can help lift someone else's troubles... ease their pain... light their path...and smooth their way to You.
Amen
.
|
|
|
4
Comments
|
|
To link to this blog (jojouk) use [blog jojouk] in your messages.
|
|
|
| Sun |
Mon |
Tue |
Wed |
Thu |
Fri |
Sat |
| |
|
|
|
|
|
1
|
2
|
3
|
4
|
51
|
6
|
7
|
8
|
9
|
10
|
11
|
12
|
13
|
14
|
15
|
16
|
17
|
18
|
19
|
20
|
21
|
22
|
23
|
24
|
25
|
26
|
27
|
28
|
29
|
30
|
31
|
|
|
|
|
|
Most Recent Comments by Others
|
. . . . . . 
