iGod

What are you looking at?

Be honest, do you like what you see in the mirror?

There’s no escaping it, in our culture looks matters. Ask any actor, musician, politician, or man in the street.  Our overall confidence and emotional well-being is tied up with it, which I guess is pretty good news if you are in the cosmetic business.

Talking of which, Dove, in their latest campaign for “Real Beauty”, recently hired Gil Zamora, an FBI forensic artist to prove that when it comes to looks, we are our own worst enemy.

He undertook a social experiment to illustrate the ongoing struggle women have with recognising their own beauty.

Without seeing his subjects, the forensic artist created composite sketches of women based on their own descriptions, plus a second sketch based on the description of a stranger that they spent a short amount of time with before the sketch.

The end result was extraordinary. In each case the woman’s own description was different than the description by the onlooker. Their faces were full of “flaws”, but when the stranger described them, the sketches were more accurate and more flattering. In an accompanying video a woman tears up as she realises her self-description resulted in a "fatter, sadder" version of herself, while the stranger saw her as "open, friendly and happy."

 

Dove research shows that women are their own worst critics. Only 4% of women around the world consider themselves beautiful.    

So yes, we do have an image problem. Now, I am not sure quite what percentage of men would consider themselves as good looking or handsome, but the ever-growing shelf of men’s products at my local chemist might be a good indication that low self-esteem and confidence are an issue for us too.

Of course, at one level, none of this should surprise us. We are constantly bombarded with advertising, magazines, films and TV programmes showing people’s skin to be clear, wrinkle and spot-free with symmetrical faces, straight noses and super white teeth.

Is it any wonder that our self-esteem plummets when we look at ourselves in the mirror? And as the weather warms up (finally) we will become even more conscious of our numerous imperfections and want to spend money to fix them.

Yet if we, perhaps, notice more of what we have rather than what we don’t have, our self-perception might just change a little.

Maybe we would stop comparing ourselves with others and for once not be left wanting.

When I read the Bible I don’t see beautiful, perfect, gorgeous people nominated by God to be an example to others. Instead, I see Moses with a stammer, who chose to have his brother Aaron speak on his behalf. I see Paul the Apostle suffering with a speech impediment, as well as well as having bad eyesight. Jesus himself was described as ordinary in appearance. His disciples were equally described as ordinary.

So here is another way to look at ourselves.

Polish psychologist Andrew Bienkowski, a man who was exiled to Siberia and starved himself to death so his grandson could eat his meagre rations, said that we could approach ourselves by thinking: I have breath! I have life! I have shelter! I am here…

Be inspired to see yourself differently. Look at the four basics of life. If you can say that you have breath, family, somewhere to live and some place to sleep you can say, “Thank God my life is full!”

God allows us to focus on his own perfection and goodness and to see ourselves as he sees us. We become grateful and satisfied and learn to avoid discontentment, which always leaves us wanting.

King David famously declares in Psalm 23 says, “The Lord is my shepherd and I shall not want.” So the big, fat, honest questions are: what is the “shepherd” of my life? And does it make me not want?

Our confidence and self-esteem can come from knowing that we are accepted by a loving and gracious God. And by those who know us, perhaps, better than ourselves.

So, come on, put that anti-wrinkle cream back and get real. You too guys!

ASD

Keeping an open mind

At a recent leaders’ breakfast time I was asked by a younger dad what wisdom I would pass on to him, being a parent. I munched over another mouthful of muesli before eventually uttering what was once passing on to me: “Don’t always be right at the dinner table.”

We are, perhaps, at our most open and teachable when we are at school and college. Then we leave and something happens over night - we are expected to know it all, not least as parents. Of course, the worst thing is we start believing that we actually do.

A very respected person from my profession of advertising, who would certainly not call themselves a Christian, was taken back after receiving mounting vitriol from a particular group of atheists on a celebrity webpage.

He had asked a TV comedian, well known for his political views, whether he thought atheism should be taught in schools. He replied, “No, there’s no need to ‘teach’ atheism. It’s the natural result of education without indoctrination.” In essence, his argument was that religion indoctrinates young minds and atheism doesn’t.

But the adman wasn’t sure about the answer and pushed him further. He suggested that Agnosticism was, perhaps, more neutral as it didn’t enforce any firm position.

Thinking it would help the discussion along, he cited a dictionary’s definition of atheism: “a doctrine that there is no deity”. Futhermore, agnosticism was defined as “a position taken by people who hold genuine doubts or a skeptical approach to questions to do with God’s existence.”

He got back a wave of abuse, including from someone who had in their profile “Evangelical Atheist”. Another replied, “Relying on dictionary definitions, how pathetic.”

At this point the poor, battered adman submitted to the growing realisation that these people were no different to “religious fundamentalists”. They were closed-minded. Any sympathy with their view vanished.

It was Thomas Huxley who first coined the term agnostic in 1869. You might even describe yourself as one. You may neither believe or disbelieve, but remain open to the possibilities of God existing. You simply don’t know.

But it is healthy to keep an open mind. Not just about the possibility of God’s existence, but in any area of life. In fact, it is a pretty good way to live. It will help us develop strong relationships with our spouses and children. It will also help us to be more approachable and trusted in the workplace?

The more I go on in my Christian faith, the more I realise how much I have yet to learn. Not least in prayer. I haven’t got it all sussed with neatly alphabetised answers for every situation. Life is not that simple. As with all previous generations, my faith comes with doubt.

Besides, I know that if I did have all the answers I would probably be the most annoying person on the planet. Ask my family. It would also, undoubtedly, put others off from ever being open to exploring the possibilities of God. 

I need to come to the dinner table and say, “This is what I think, but what about you?” I need to be thoughtful. Do my level best to affirm the other person. And if they don’t share my view, that is really okay. We will get more respect that way.

In the Bible Jesus often answers a question with another question. On one occasion rather than saying that he is the Son of God he asks, “Who do you say that I am?” He just loved getting people to think. In fact, you could say that Christ died to take away our sins, not our minds.

Part of what it means to believe in God is to live in the question, not in the answer. It is to enjoy the mysteries of life, of which there are many. But I personally believe that we will get the best out of life by being openly-minded to new possibilities. Not least to the promises and claims of Jesus Christ. Now, you can either choose to believe that last sentence or not.

It’s your choice. Enjoy it.

ASD

Enjoy life’s disruptions

Recently I had a meeting planned over in Oxford, but having heard the weather forecast for snow that weekend I wondered momentarily if I should go.

I kept hearing phrases like ‘adverse weather conditions’, ‘severe weather warnings’ and ‘don’t travel unless absolutely necessary’. And on top of that we are all supposed to know what ‘amber alert’ means.

Not one to give up easily, I decided to toss back my head and laugh in the face of weather warnings and continue with my plans for the trip. Okay…well almost.

I packed an overnight bag, put a shovel in the back of the car, along with jump leads, a blanket and, for some unknown reason, a large bag of Minstrels, thinking if I was stuck in my car on the motorway at least I wouldn’t starve. Oh! and a double CD of Charlie Parker. Well, it could be a long night!

The thing about snow is it is a very disruptive thing. Motorways shut, trains get delayed, schools close, and Amazon can’t deliver.

As someone who generally hates disruption and likes to plans ahead for any anticipated inconvenience, snow is very much my bête noire. (I once drove 26 miles to avoid a 3-mile traffic jam on the M1, I am that sad.)

But having seen the fun that my kids have in the snow and the joy it brings me in seeing them play, I have been helped to rethink one or two things.

What if disruption was not a bad thing, but an opportunity for spontaneity?  What if disruption was a gift that stops us in our tracks and breaks into our carefully planned routine?

What if disruption could be seen as a voice that speaks into our soul and says, “Stop what you are doing and listen to yourself. Listen to others around you. Listen to creation.”

When was the last time you did that?

When did you seriously listen to someone else apart from yourself? When did you give your undivided time to someone you love and spend it actually listening, not just hearing?  When did you stop to ponder about the direction of your own life? Maybe you are slightly afraid to listen to your own real feelings for fear the wheels might come off?

The good news is you are no different to anyone else.

When we are inconvenienced we can find ourselves getting angry, irritable and short with people. True?

These are not good personal discoveries, but then we can think we don’t need to be cured of anything in particular and believe life is just fine.

Stopping is not easy. Like a car, it requires a reasonable breaking distance, depending how fast our life is going. We have to prepare to stop. Sometimes we are forced to slam on the brakes hard.

So what is our Plan B when Plan A does not go according to plan? Do we even have one?

A friend of mine who has partly inspired my thoughts here, Brian Draper, works with executives to nurture their spiritual intelligence. He calls these times ‘holy disruptions’. In his book Less is More he talks about divine opportunities that force us to reconnect with ourselves, others and God. They actually start to help us feel human again and see the return of a sense of purpose. It is where we begin to breathe again in between the quantity of demands and rediscover a quality of life.

As Christians, we would call that a spiritual encounter. We become aware of something other than us that leads to life having a greater significance.

I love those poetic and profound, words of Jesus’ found in Mathews’ gospel: “Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life?”

The funny thing about snow is how beautiful and delicate it is. Something we might not notice if we are too busy trying to avoid it.

ASD

Top 12 from 2012 from Vineyard Churches

 

 

Still playing catch up? Try this 'favourites' list.

Here are the most read, watched and listened to resources of the year from Vineyard Churches.

 

A number of years ago I fell for this girl. She was beautiful, bright and played the cello, but she also had something else that made her attractive, well at least to me. It was an unselfish desire to do something for others in desperate need.

I don’t mean simply giving money to an appeal that comes through the front door or handing in half-worn out clothes to a charity shop, but actively doing something.

And that was how I got involved.  She and I became part of an ambitious homeless project called the King’s Table, which was started by a couple of London Vineyard churches to provide food and clothing to the down-and-outs in central London.

After a church service cars loaded up with large vats of hot food, along with a rusty white transit van full of boxes and clothing rails crammed full of donated items, left for the Embankment, off the Strand. We spent two hours giving away the stuff, as well as befriending and praying for people’s needs.

On my first visit I was staggered to find a queue of over 100 people waiting. Quite honestly, I felt more than just a little out of my comfort zone.

The team leader of The King’s Table, gave me a simple, idiot-proof task. “Andrew, can you collect the ticket numbers? They need to hand them in before they can get food. Got it?”

Got it! What could be simpler? However, it was not long before there was “an incident”. A young man came up with a friend and said, “My mate ‘as just been stabbed, Whatcha gonna do about it? The bloke who done it is over there.” He duly pointed to this moody older man to make his unequivocal point. I really wish he hadn’t.

As I looked down I saw a dirty, shaking hand clutching a wound through a blood-soaked t-shirt. I stole a glance to the older man just an uncomfortable 30 yards away.

“Well, what are you going to do about it?” The lad now glaring at me awaiting a firm and resolute response.

“Do about it? Mate, I just collect the tickets!” Actually, I just thought that.

Eventually I muttered something utterly pathetic. “Oh dear, that does look bad. Dear oh dear. Goodness! I, er, well, goodness!” I caught the eye of one of the team. I must have had a look of abject desperation and uselessness because he rushed across and immediately stepped in. The boy was mercifully taken away to safety by an ambulance and the older man arrested. I heard later that he made a full recovery.

It’s not easy reaching out to people with extreme needs. Often they are the unlovable and undoubtedly some of us are emotionally equipped to help more than others. However, for the Christian it is part of what we are called to do, to show the same compassion of Christ. In fact, Jesus talked about how the poor will always be with us, so it demands a compassionate human response.

Homelessness often comes with mental illness and gut-wrenching stories of broken families, sexual abuse and bullying. Sadly for some drug abuse and alcohol problems are never far behind. For me, that first day with the King’s Table changed me forever. My heart was simply broken.

It is one of the reasons I was keen that Stour Valley Vineyard Church made the value of compassion a central part of its local vision.

Our social programme, Storehouse, has now been going for five years. We have provided hundreds of food bags to those in direst need. They include items such as, pasta, rice, cereal, tinned vegetables and meat, tea, UHT milk, as well as essential toiletries. These are then thoughtfully put together to suit maybe a single mum and their baby, or a teenager who is “sofa-surfing” or someone sleeping rough in a tent. It comes with no judgment or strings attached, just a lot of love.  

On Sunday mornings at the Delphi Centre food and household items appear at our Storehouse collection point from members of our church, along with valuable midweek donations from a couple of other local partners.

But it is one thing to give a hand out and another to give a hand up. We have recently assisted someone with a background of drug addiction and prison to move on to start a degree and a new life for himself. Something he could never have imagined once upon a time. 

We also provide a free three-week Money Management course for those who struggle with their finances and slip into debt. No-one at our church gets paid for doing this. It just comes with the satisfaction that today maybe someone’s life might have just got a little better.

The problem is the need is growing, which sadly reflects the national picture. And as the need grows we want to do more through Storehouse. If you are an organisation, church, school or individual we’d like to invite you to help. Could you support Storehouse with a financial gift or donate a couple of cans a week? If so, why not drop a line to our team or ring 07973 710905.

By the way, I married the girl. And grateful I am too.

ASD

Stour Valley Vineyard is a contemporary church with traditional beliefs. It meets on Sundays 10.30 am at the Delphi Centre, Newton Road, Sudbury (apart from the first Sunday of the month).

Well, the biggest sporting occasion this country has ever known has begun and our family has been fortunate to get tickets for the games. We will be attending the synchronised swimming event in the Aquadome. (Hm!) Although, I confess, to knowing little about this sport, but I am sure it must be more than matching swimming costumes and latex hats.

My own sporting achievements have been less than meaningful. When I was young, long-distance running meant missing the bus and haring down the road to avoid being late for the school bell. While an unfortunate rifle shooting incident involving a missed target and a scoutmaster saw the premature end of my scouting days. No medals there.

One of the many ways in which the Olympics are being celebrated this summer is through the re-release of Chariots of Fire in digital remastered form. The scene of the athletes running in slow-motion across the sands, accompanied by the haunting Vangelis soundtrack, still has the power to evoke feelings deep within me.

One of the heroes in the film is the Scottish athlete Eric Liddell, a man known for his strong Christian faith and personal conviction. As the story unfolds we see Liddell taking a stand not to run on the Sabbath (Sunday). A position that seems inconceivable today.

Whether someone shares another’s conviction of faith or not, I find courage often draws the admiration of others. It has a universal attraction and appeal to many people.

It is this human quality in Eric Liddell that inspired David Putnam to make the film.

Liddell says to the crowd in the rain, “You came to see a race today. To see someone win. It happened to be me. But I want you to do more than just watch a race. I want you to take part in it. I want to compare faith to running in a race. It's hard. It requires concentration of will, energy of soul.”

Against all odds the film was eventually produced, overcoming various financial and distribution crises along the way. Putnam observed recently, “At every turn there seemed to be what I can only describe as a “hidden hand” that helped provide the best solution to each seemingly impossible hurdle.” It resulted in an Oscar.

Eric Liddell had his own moment of glory in the Paris 1924 Olympics, winning gold and breaking the world record. But he was later to die ingloriously from a brain tumour brought on by severe hunger after being arrested and interned by the Japanese in China during the Second World War.

His family said later that Eric was never a great speaker, but he was able to communicate his message in the way he lived his life. You remember the line: “I believe God made me for a purpose, but he also made me fast. And when I run I feel His pleasure.”

Ultimately it is not how we say it, but what we do that speaks the loudest. Life is uncertain, sometimes precarious, often challenging and seldom dull. But I believe, like Putnam, there is a “hidden hand” waiting to help.

Being a Christian is not a weak option; neither is it a light decision. It comes from a “getting it” experience, a deep place of conviction, and somehow matters more than anything we are now doing—however good we are at it. As Eric Liddell’s last words state: “It is complete surrender.”

 

ASD

I have often found myself prefixing four simple yet powerful words to a sentence when trying to get our children to behave or to do something. You know the ones: “If you are good I will take you to the toy shop.” “If you are good I’ll let you have a friend round.” “If you are good you can stay up longer.” And so on.

Of course, there are different understandings of what it is to be good. You might have heard, “Sarah’s mum lets her do that.” Or “Grandpa says it’s okay?” Instant conflict!

I suspect being good or doing good matters to most of us. Sometimes it is out of vanity. At other times we are simply moved by compassion to make a situation better and in the process we feel good too. To encourage us more, scientific research shows that we have improved mental health when we do something for others - it takes our mind off our own woes.

One thing is for sure, doing good definitely does not just belong in the domain of churches, faith groups or charities. Many companies, too, are encouraged to have social ambitions alongside their commercial goals. Just look around at your local supermarkets and you’ll see what I mean. However, this is nothing new.

Back in the Eighteenth century Josiah Wedgewood, the celebrated pottery maker, gave affordable housing for his workers. He also trained them in an age of wide-scale illiteracy. Wedgewood, also the grandfather of Charles Darwin, provided adequate food supply for his staff and went on to build one of the first so-called company towns. Extraordinary achievements in themselves, but he went further.

He eventually became part of an international campaign that would help to see black slavery abolished. Wedgewood was part of a Quaker-led initiative that had as its advertising slogan “Am I not a man and a brother?” He engraved these emotive words with an image of a slave in chains kneeling and praying for mercy. It was a sentiment that caught the imagination among both the religious and the secularists campaigners of the day.

Josiah Wedgewood made the message into fashionable jewelry for well-to-do ladies. It contrasted greatly with the religious upper classes who at that time only stood in prayer as it would be demeaning to do otherwise.

Today many commentators talk about having a social footprint. We are faced with the challenge of leaving either a positive or negative mark on society.

None of us are as good as we would like to be. We have all done things that we know we should not have done, and possibly even feel guilt-ridden about. Is there any hope for us?

I find my own encouragement in the words of the famous hymn Amazing Grace, written by ex-slave trader John Newton: “Amazing Grace, how sweet the sound / That saved a wretch like me. / I once was lost but now am found / Was blind, but now I see.”

Goodness comes, even from the word alone, from God. In Jesus we see the perfection of all that is good and worthy. This kind of goodness is holy. I know that I shall never be as good as I would like to be, but by God’s grace and mercy, I am working on it. Like Newton, I can also find forgiveness when I screw up. Meanwhile, keeping close to God in prayer is the thing that helps keep it real for me.

How are you doing at doing good?

ASD

A local vicar and pastor stood by the side of the road holding up a sign that said, "The End is Near! Turn yourself around now before it's too late!"

"Leave us alone, you religious nuts!" yelled a driver as he sped by. Then from around the bend they heard a big splash.

"Do you think," said one clergy to the other, "we should just put up a sign that says, 'bridge down' instead?"

I have heard people say that they are not the religious type, insinuating that, perhaps, I am.  As if I came out of my mother’s womb clutching an open Bible with a full-robed choir singing the Hallelujah Chorus by the bedside. I mean who sets out in life to be religious?

For some strange reason though a few atheist writers recently, such as Alain De Botton and Richard Holloway, find “religion” attractive. In fact, the former writer has gone so far to try and set out a religious life for non-believers. Then there is AC Grayling who has even written a bible for the atheist.

Someone once wrote, “To be is to be connected. And to be connected is to be plugged in.” The Bible states that we are all “made in the image of God”. These are both big, big statements and this is a small, small brain here that reflects upon them. Yet, life is a big experience and so I think it deserves a little of our time to dwell on the big stuff once in a while, don’t you?  And it is also okay not to have a conclusive answer in two minutes. Some things are meant to be pondered over a lifetime. Maybe even over eternity.

I guess for many people though “religion” in the UK stands for a shrinking minority of church-goers who hate gay people, resent women and despise those who have abortions, but anyone with a bit of savvy will know that this not quite the case but, of course, it makes a convenient headline.

However, personally speaking, if my faith does come across as judgmental, intolerant and exclusive, it bothers me and the finger needs to be pointed firmly back at my face.

Mahatma Gandhi once said, “Your Christians are so unlike your Christ.” Sadly, I think at times he is right. I have met many non-Christians whose conduct is better people than Christians. Religion in itself does not make anyone a better person - Christian or atheist. But, of course, choosing to follow Jesus is not principally about ethics, it has to do with an awe-inspiring divine-human relationship.

Shortly our local churches will be celebrating Easter, a time we celebrate new life in Christ through his resurrection, but maybe we could see as the time when Jesus Christ, the son of God, came as the non-religious type for the non-religious type to draw all people to himself into a real, relevant and restored relationship with God the Father.

I truly believe the message of salvation is still as powerful and pertinent as it was 2,000 years ago, because you see Jesus’ death happened in a secular setting, not in a private religious community. It was not really a religious event at all. It happened in the city of one of the busiest and most important trading outposts of the Roman Empire.

On Good Friday we remember how Jesus, isolated and with a minority following, gave his life in a divine act of love for the majority, regardless of belief or faith. Now, I am not wanting to impose my position on anyone, but I do want to put it out there to our community.

We are all free to accept or reject, but let me leave you with this last thought: did Jesus really die just to make us religious? It just doesn’t stack up for me.

Maybe see you at Stour Valley Vineyard Church 10.30 am on Easter Sunday at the Delphi Centre.

Happy Easter!

ASD

When I was a young man I met a prostitute. No, not in that sense.

It was in the late Eighties and I had just started working in London’s glittering West End for an ad agency. Everything was new and I was still trying to get to grips with my pocket-sized London A-Z.

Thinking I would take a short cut through some back streets to get to the tube quicker I found myself going down this dimly-lit grubby street. It had been raining and so I had one of those black city-type long rolled up umbrellas. Well, I was trying to make an impression.

Walking fast I caught sight of a heavily made up girl leaning on a door way smoking a cigarette, half-bathed in red light. She was wearing, well not very much to be honest, but what she was wearing was in leopard skin print. But what really struck me were her long black suede boots. They seemed to go half way up her body. I remember thinking what an absolute picture she looked and began considering the kind of person she must be.   

Well, I lost my concentration and managed somehow get my “man about town” umbrella caught in one of my shoelaces. I began to run uncontrollably towards this lady trying to stop myself from tumbling over – but, alas, too late. I ended up slumped awkwardly face down in a puddle by her thigh length black suede boots.

I felt this hand reach down and grab mine and pull me up to my feet. My briefcase and its contents were scattered unceremoniously across the street. Not good.

“Are you alright? Can I do anything? Do you need any help? I looked up with utter embarrassment and saw something unexpected - kindness. Not for the first time that evening I had been caught unaware and wrong-footed.

I have learnt over the years, thanks to this chance encounter with a sex worker, that kindness is what makes us human. There is much in society that tries to demean its virtue and label it as the act of church-goers, do-gooders or weak people.

The Roman philosopher and emperor Marcus Aurelius declared that “kindness was mankind’s greatest delight”, but humanist thinkers such as Voltaire saw it as a weakness and argued that there was nothing in it for the individual. He vehemently disagreed with the Christian virtue of “love your neighbour as yourself.”

Nowadays this Enlightenment thinking has gone deep into our society to make us naturally suspicious of any kindly behaviour. It is often dismissed by clever people as being sentimental or moralistic.

Some say that we are only kind to each other to get something out of it for ourselves.  Maybe, but for the Christian our motivations are different. We live not for ourselves but for the pleasure of God. Again, not a popular concept in a secular individualist society. Yet in that place, personal fulfillment and life purpose has a chance to go deeper than if we just live for our own ends.

Admittedly there is vulnerability in doing acts of kindness, but it is a risk we take. We learn to take on board “the greatest commandment” given by Jesus: “love the Lord your God, with all your heart, with all your mind, with all your soul and with all your strength.” And along with that, “love your neighbour as yourself.”

Now it may seem a foolish thing to believe in today’s culture but, hey, seeing today’s society as it is, I think I’ll take my chances and be a kind fool for Christ and see where it takes me.

ASD

(My article reproduced from Community News)

I have a love-hate relationship with technology. I love it when it makes my life easier, but absolutely hate it when it interferes with my routine and it becomes the master, not the servant.

Quite unabashed, I have been an Apple Mac user ever since my second year at ‘vicar factory’ back in the early 90s. Before then I kindly borrowed someone’s Toshiba Portable MS DOS computer, which in truth wasn’t that portable. Not only was it heavy and left dents in my knees, but the battery life was shorter than a queue to the Crazy Paving Appreciation Society’s Annual Lecture.

Nowadays, alongside my lighter laptop, I also have my mobile or should I say ‘smart phone’, but as I discovered recently this has not been without its problems.

I attempted to upgrade my phone software to the latest whizzy-whiz, faster, better-than-ever-before version. Also known as iOS 5. In truth, I was not unhappy with how things were before, but the thought of something better and free, well…it was simply an offer I couldn’t refuse.

So on a quiet weeknight I hit the download button to let technology do its best. Unfortunately it decided to do its worst. With a big gasp I watched my entire set of emails, calendars and contacts disappear before my eyes. (And, no, my emails weren’t backed up!) If ever there was a time to find a grown man crying in a corner it was then. The promise of a better-connected life had let me down.

It has made me think how we can often put a lot of blind faith in things that are not necessarily proven, but given enough hype can accept anything as truth. We want to believe that something will make our lives better.

It is natural to want to upgrade the standard of our lives. We can look at the current version and think, “This just sucks! Maybe something has to stopped functioning in our life or we see something in someone else’s and want what they have.

The late Steve Jobs, founder of Apple said famously in a university plenary speech:

"No one wants to die. Even people who want to go to heaven don't want to die to get there. And yet death is the destination we all share. No one has ever escaped it. And that is as it should be, because Death is very likely the single best invention of Life. It is Life's change agent. It clears out the old to make way for the new.”

The immensely successful and talented Steve Jobs recognised his products were not ultimately enough in them self. That is quite something, isn’t it?

Life has a spiritual profundity that modern science still struggles with any integrity to make redundant. There remains this longing in us all to be known, loved and accepted for who we are, not for what we have achieved. Many Christian commentators have called this a God-shaped hole wanting to be filled by himself through his Son Jesus Christ.

If the promises of God are true and Jesus is who he says he is, it requires a full upgrade to a new way of seeing and experiencing life. The old version will never do.

St Augustine, the early church father said rather wryly:

“I have read in Plato and Cicero sayings that are wise and very beautiful; but I have never read in either of them: ‘Come to me all you that labour and are heavy burdened.’” [quoting Jesus]

Is God’s Life Version any better than the modern alternatives around?

I give the last word to Paul the low-tec Apostle who said this about the great iPriest, “If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!"

ASD

Storehouse – offering more than a can of food

A number of years ago I fell for this girl. She was beautiful, bright and played the cello, but she also had something else that made her attractive, well at least to me. It was an unselfish desire to do something for others in desperate need.

I don’t mean simply giving money to an appeal that comes through the front door or handing in half-worn out clothes to a charity shop, but actively doing something.

And that was how I got involved.  She and I became part of an ambitious homeless project called the King’s Table, which was started by a couple of London Vineyard churches to provide food and clothing to the down-and-outs in central London.

After a church service cars loaded up with large vats of hot food, along with a rusty white transit van full of boxes and clothing rails crammed full of donated items, left for the Embankment, off the Strand. We spent two hours giving away the stuff, as well as befriending and praying for people’s needs.

On my first visit I was staggered to find a queue of over 100 people waiting. Quite honestly, I felt more than just a little out of my comfort zone.

The team leader of The King’s Table, gave me a simple, idiot-proof task. “Andrew, can you collect the ticket numbers? They need to hand them in before they can get food. Got it?”

Got it! What could be simpler? However, it was not long before there was “an incident”. A young man came up with a friend and said, “My mate ‘as just been stabbed, Whatcha gonna do about it? The bloke who done it is over there.” He duly pointed to this moody older man to make his unequivocal point. I really wish he hadn’t.

As I looked down I saw a dirty, shaking hand clutching a wound through a blood-soaked t-shirt. I stole a glance to the older man just an uncomfortable 30 yards away.

“Well, what are you going to do about it?” The lad now glaring at me awaiting a firm and resolute response.

“Do about it? Mate, I just collect the tickets!” Actually, I just thought that.

Eventually I muttered something utterly pathetic. “Oh dear, that does look bad. Dear oh dear. Goodness! I, er, well, goodness!” I caught the eye of one of the team. I must have had a look of abject desperation and uselessness because he rushed across and immediately stepped in. The boy was mercifully taken away to safety by an ambulance and the older man arrested. I heard later that he made a full recovery.

It’s not easy reaching out to people with extreme needs. Often they are the unlovable and undoubtedly some of us are emotionally equipped to help more than others. However, for the Christian it is part of what we are called to do, to show the same compassion of Christ. In fact, Jesus talked about how the poor will always be with us, so it demands a compassionate human response.

Homelessness often comes with mental illness and gut-wrenching stories of broken families, sexual abuse and bullying. Sadly for some drug abuse and alcohol problems are never far behind. For me, that first day with the King’s Table changed me forever. My heart was simply broken.

It is one of the reasons I was keen that Stour Valley Vineyard Church made the value of compassion a central part of its local vision.

Our social programme, Storehouse, has now been going for five years. We have provided hundreds of food bags to those in direst need. They include items such as, pasta, rice, cereal, tinned vegetables and meat, tea, UHT milk, as well as essential toiletries. These are then thoughtfully put together to suit maybe a single mum and their baby, or a teenager who is “sofa-surfing” or someone sleeping rough in a tent. It comes with no judgment or strings attached, just a lot of love.  

On Sunday mornings at the Delphi Centre food and household items appear at our Storehouse collection point from members of our church, along with valuable midweek donations from a couple of other local partners.

But it is one thing to give a hand out and another to give a hand up. We have recently assisted someone with a background of drug addiction and prison to move on to start a degree and a new life for himself. Something he could never have imagined once upon a time. 

We also provide a free three-week Money Management course for those who struggle with their finances and slip into debt. No-one at our church gets paid for doing this. It just comes with the satisfaction that today maybe someone’s life might have just got a little better.

The problem is the need is growing, which sadly reflects the national picture. And as the need grows we want to do more through Storehouse. If you are an organisation, church, school or individual we’d like to invite you to help. Could you support Storehouse with a financial gift or donate a couple of cans a week? If so, why not drop a line to our team or ring 07973 710905.

By the way, I married the girl. And grateful I am too.

ASD

Stour Valley Vineyard is a contemporary church with traditional beliefs. It meets on Sundays 10.30 am at the Delphi Centre, Newton Road, Sudbury (apart from the first Sunday of the month).

A legacy of sport that keeps on running

Well, the biggest sporting occasion this country has ever known has begun and our family has been fortunate to get tickets for the games. We will be attending the synchronised swimming event in the Aquadome. (Hm!) Although, I confess, to knowing little about this sport, but I am sure it must be more than matching swimming costumes and latex hats.

My own sporting achievements have been less than meaningful. When I was young, long-distance running meant missing the bus and haring down the road to avoid being late for the school bell. While an unfortunate rifle shooting incident involving a missed target and a scoutmaster saw the premature end of my scouting days. No medals there.

One of the many ways in which the Olympics are being celebrated this summer is through the re-release of Chariots of Fire in digital remastered form. The scene of the athletes running in slow-motion across the sands, accompanied by the haunting Vangelis soundtrack, still has the power to evoke feelings deep within me.

One of the heroes in the film is the Scottish athlete Eric Liddell, a man known for his strong Christian faith and personal conviction. As the story unfolds we see Liddell taking a stand not to run on the Sabbath (Sunday). A position that seems inconceivable today.

Whether someone shares another’s conviction of faith or not, I find courage often draws the admiration of others. It has a universal attraction and appeal to many people.

It is this human quality in Eric Liddell that inspired David Putnam to make the film.

Liddell says to the crowd in the rain, “You came to see a race today. To see someone win. It happened to be me. But I want you to do more than just watch a race. I want you to take part in it. I want to compare faith to running in a race. It's hard. It requires concentration of will, energy of soul.”

Against all odds the film was eventually produced, overcoming various financial and distribution crises along the way. Putnam observed recently, “At every turn there seemed to be what I can only describe as a “hidden hand” that helped provide the best solution to each seemingly impossible hurdle.” It resulted in an Oscar.

Eric Liddell had his own moment of glory in the Paris 1924 Olympics, winning gold and breaking the world record. But he was later to die ingloriously from a brain tumour brought on by severe hunger after being arrested and interned by the Japanese in China during the Second World War.

His family said later that Eric was never a great speaker, but he was able to communicate his message in the way he lived his life. You remember the line: “I believe God made me for a purpose, but he also made me fast. And when I run I feel His pleasure.”

Ultimately it is not how we say it, but what we do that speaks the loudest. Life is uncertain, sometimes precarious, often challenging and seldom dull. But I believe, like Putnam, there is a “hidden hand” waiting to help.

Being a Christian is not a weak option; neither is it a light decision. It comes from a “getting it” experience, a deep place of conviction, and somehow matters more than anything we are now doing—however good we are at it. As Eric Liddell’s last words state: “It is complete surrender.”

 

ASD

How are we doing at doing good?

I have often found myself prefixing four simple yet powerful words to a sentence when trying to get our children to behave or to do something. You know the ones: “If you are good I will take you to the toy shop.” “If you are good I’ll let you have a friend round.” “If you are good you can stay up longer.” And so on.

Of course, there are different understandings of what it is to be good. You might have heard, “Sarah’s mum lets her do that.” Or “Grandpa says it’s okay?” Instant conflict!

I suspect being good or doing good matters to most of us. Sometimes it is out of vanity. At other times we are simply moved by compassion to make a situation better and in the process we feel good too. To encourage us more, scientific research shows that we have improved mental health when we do something for others - it takes our mind off our own woes.

One thing is for sure, doing good definitely does not just belong in the domain of churches, faith groups or charities. Many companies, too, are encouraged to have social ambitions alongside their commercial goals. Just look around at your local supermarkets and you’ll see what I mean. However, this is nothing new.

Back in the Eighteenth century Josiah Wedgewood, the celebrated pottery maker, gave affordable housing for his workers. He also trained them in an age of wide-scale illiteracy. Wedgewood, also the grandfather of Charles Darwin, provided adequate food supply for his staff and went on to build one of the first so-called company towns. Extraordinary achievements in themselves, but he went further.

He eventually became part of an international campaign that would help to see black slavery abolished. Wedgewood was part of a Quaker-led initiative that had as its advertising slogan “Am I not a man and a brother?” He engraved these emotive words with an image of a slave in chains kneeling and praying for mercy. It was a sentiment that caught the imagination among both the religious and the secularists campaigners of the day.

Josiah Wedgewood made the message into fashionable jewelry for well-to-do ladies. It contrasted greatly with the religious upper classes who at that time only stood in prayer as it would be demeaning to do otherwise.

Today many commentators talk about having a social footprint. We are faced with the challenge of leaving either a positive or negative mark on society.

None of us are as good as we would like to be. We have all done things that we know we should not have done, and possibly even feel guilt-ridden about. Is there any hope for us?

I find my own encouragement in the words of the famous hymn Amazing Grace, written by ex-slave trader John Newton: “Amazing Grace, how sweet the sound / That saved a wretch like me. / I once was lost but now am found / Was blind, but now I see.”

Goodness comes, even from the word alone, from God. In Jesus we see the perfection of all that is good and worthy. This kind of goodness is holy. I know that I shall never be as good as I would like to be, but by God’s grace and mercy, I am working on it. Like Newton, I can also find forgiveness when I screw up. Meanwhile, keeping close to God in prayer is the thing that helps keep it real for me.

How are you doing at doing good?

ASD

Easter is not just for the religious type

A local vicar and pastor stood by the side of the road holding up a sign that said, "The End is Near! Turn yourself around now before it's too late!"

"Leave us alone, you religious nuts!" yelled a driver as he sped by. Then from around the bend they heard a big splash.

"Do you think," said one clergy to the other, "we should just put up a sign that says, 'bridge down' instead?"

I have heard people say that they are not the religious type, insinuating that, perhaps, I am.  As if I came out of my mother’s womb clutching an open Bible with a full-robed choir singing the Hallelujah Chorus by the bedside. I mean who sets out in life to be religious?

For some strange reason though a few atheist writers recently, such as Alain De Botton and Richard Holloway, find “religion” attractive. In fact, the former writer has gone so far to try and set out a religious life for non-believers. Then there is AC Grayling who has even written a bible for the atheist.

Someone once wrote, “To be is to be connected. And to be connected is to be plugged in.” The Bible states that we are all “made in the image of God”. These are both big, big statements and this is a small, small brain here that reflects upon them. Yet, life is a big experience and so I think it deserves a little of our time to dwell on the big stuff once in a while, don’t you?  And it is also okay not to have a conclusive answer in two minutes. Some things are meant to be pondered over a lifetime. Maybe even over eternity.

I guess for many people though “religion” in the UK stands for a shrinking minority of church-goers who hate gay people, resent women and despise those who have abortions, but anyone with a bit of savvy will know that this not quite the case but, of course, it makes a convenient headline.

However, personally speaking, if my faith does come across as judgmental, intolerant and exclusive, it bothers me and the finger needs to be pointed firmly back at my face.

Mahatma Gandhi once said, “Your Christians are so unlike your Christ.” Sadly, I think at times he is right. I have met many non-Christians whose conduct is better people than Christians. Religion in itself does not make anyone a better person - Christian or atheist. But, of course, choosing to follow Jesus is not principally about ethics, it has to do with an awe-inspiring divine-human relationship.

Shortly our local churches will be celebrating Easter, a time we celebrate new life in Christ through his resurrection, but maybe we could see as the time when Jesus Christ, the son of God, came as the non-religious type for the non-religious type to draw all people to himself into a real, relevant and restored relationship with God the Father.

I truly believe the message of salvation is still as powerful and pertinent as it was 2,000 years ago, because you see Jesus’ death happened in a secular setting, not in a private religious community. It was not really a religious event at all. It happened in the city of one of the busiest and most important trading outposts of the Roman Empire.

On Good Friday we remember how Jesus, isolated and with a minority following, gave his life in a divine act of love for the majority, regardless of belief or faith. Now, I am not wanting to impose my position on anyone, but I do want to put it out there to our community.

We are all free to accept or reject, but let me leave you with this last thought: did Jesus really die just to make us religious? It just doesn’t stack up for me.

Maybe see you at Stour Valley Vineyard Church 10.30 am on Easter Sunday at the Delphi Centre.

Happy Easter!

ASD

Me and the Prostitute

When I was a young man I met a prostitute. No, not in that sense.

It was in the late Eighties and I had just started working in London’s glittering West End for an ad agency. Everything was new and I was still trying to get to grips with my pocket-sized London A-Z.

Thinking I would take a short cut through some back streets to get to the tube quicker I found myself going down this dimly-lit grubby street. It had been raining and so I had one of those black city-type long rolled up umbrellas. Well, I was trying to make an impression.

Walking fast I caught sight of a heavily made up girl leaning on a door way smoking a cigarette, half-bathed in red light. She was wearing, well not very much to be honest, but what she was wearing was in leopard skin print. But what really struck me were her long black suede boots. They seemed to go half way up her body. I remember thinking what an absolute picture she looked and began considering the kind of person she must be.   

Well, I lost my concentration and managed somehow get my “man about town” umbrella caught in one of my shoelaces. I began to run uncontrollably towards this lady trying to stop myself from tumbling over – but, alas, too late. I ended up slumped awkwardly face down in a puddle by her thigh length black suede boots.

I felt this hand reach down and grab mine and pull me up to my feet. My briefcase and its contents were scattered unceremoniously across the street. Not good.

“Are you alright? Can I do anything? Do you need any help? I looked up with utter embarrassment and saw something unexpected - kindness. Not for the first time that evening I had been caught unaware and wrong-footed.

I have learnt over the years, thanks to this chance encounter with a sex worker, that kindness is what makes us human. There is much in society that tries to demean its virtue and label it as the act of church-goers, do-gooders or weak people.

The Roman philosopher and emperor Marcus Aurelius declared that “kindness was mankind’s greatest delight”, but humanist thinkers such as Voltaire saw it as a weakness and argued that there was nothing in it for the individual. He vehemently disagreed with the Christian virtue of “love your neighbour as yourself.”

Nowadays this Enlightenment thinking has gone deep into our society to make us naturally suspicious of any kindly behaviour. It is often dismissed by clever people as being sentimental or moralistic.

Some say that we are only kind to each other to get something out of it for ourselves.  Maybe, but for the Christian our motivations are different. We live not for ourselves but for the pleasure of God. Again, not a popular concept in a secular individualist society. Yet in that place, personal fulfillment and life purpose has a chance to go deeper than if we just live for our own ends.

Admittedly there is vulnerability in doing acts of kindness, but it is a risk we take. We learn to take on board “the greatest commandment” given by Jesus: “love the Lord your God, with all your heart, with all your mind, with all your soul and with all your strength.” And along with that, “love your neighbour as yourself.”

Now it may seem a foolish thing to believe in today’s culture but, hey, seeing today’s society as it is, I think I’ll take my chances and be a kind fool for Christ and see where it takes me.

ASD

Life Version 2.0

(My article reproduced from Community News)

I have a love-hate relationship with technology. I love it when it makes my life easier, but absolutely hate it when it interferes with my routine and it becomes the master, not the servant.

Quite unabashed, I have been an Apple Mac user ever since my second year at ‘vicar factory’ back in the early 90s. Before then I kindly borrowed someone’s Toshiba Portable MS DOS computer, which in truth wasn’t that portable. Not only was it heavy and left dents in my knees, but the battery life was shorter than a queue to the Crazy Paving Appreciation Society’s Annual Lecture.

Nowadays, alongside my lighter laptop, I also have my mobile or should I say ‘smart phone’, but as I discovered recently this has not been without its problems.

I attempted to upgrade my phone software to the latest whizzy-whiz, faster, better-than-ever-before version. Also known as iOS 5. In truth, I was not unhappy with how things were before, but the thought of something better and free, well…it was simply an offer I couldn’t refuse.

So on a quiet weeknight I hit the download button to let technology do its best. Unfortunately it decided to do its worst. With a big gasp I watched my entire set of emails, calendars and contacts disappear before my eyes. (And, no, my emails weren’t backed up!) If ever there was a time to find a grown man crying in a corner it was then. The promise of a better-connected life had let me down.

It has made me think how we can often put a lot of blind faith in things that are not necessarily proven, but given enough hype can accept anything as truth. We want to believe that something will make our lives better.

It is natural to want to upgrade the standard of our lives. We can look at the current version and think, “This just sucks! Maybe something has to stopped functioning in our life or we see something in someone else’s and want what they have.

The late Steve Jobs, founder of Apple said famously in a university plenary speech:

"No one wants to die. Even people who want to go to heaven don't want to die to get there. And yet death is the destination we all share. No one has ever escaped it. And that is as it should be, because Death is very likely the single best invention of Life. It is Life's change agent. It clears out the old to make way for the new.”

The immensely successful and talented Steve Jobs recognised his products were not ultimately enough in them self. That is quite something, isn’t it?

Life has a spiritual profundity that modern science still struggles with any integrity to make redundant. There remains this longing in us all to be known, loved and accepted for who we are, not for what we have achieved. Many Christian commentators have called this a God-shaped hole wanting to be filled by himself through his Son Jesus Christ.

If the promises of God are true and Jesus is who he says he is, it requires a full upgrade to a new way of seeing and experiencing life. The old version will never do.

St Augustine, the early church father said rather wryly:

“I have read in Plato and Cicero sayings that are wise and very beautiful; but I have never read in either of them: ‘Come to me all you that labour and are heavy burdened.’” [quoting Jesus]

Is God’s Life Version any better than the modern alternatives around?

I give the last word to Paul the low-tec Apostle who said this about the great iPriest, “If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!"

ASD