iGod

You are amazing!

I forget how many times I have said to my family that this is a once-in-a-lifetime experience, but the fact is on this occasion, at least, I was right. It will be a long time before we see the London 2012 Olympics come to our country again.

We witnessed 10,500 athletes descend upon the UK, along with the hopes of 204 countries. There were 302 medal events across 26 sports, 70,000 games makers with two million visitors over two weeks. It was estimated that another four billion watched it on TV. Then there is the paralympics which is no less an amazing spectacle in itself.

When I hear the personal stories of courage and endurance it is hard for something not to stir deep inside of me. Athletes will stop at nothing to win and will consequently put themselves through any amount of pain to do so.

Kate Walsh, the captain of the Team GB Women’s hockey team refused to let her injuries stop her from playing against New Zealand. There she was out there on a pitch with a broken jaw, picked up after an early game with Japan, leading the way. For the game she had to have emergency surgery to insert a titanium plate in her jaw and then play with a protective mask.

Kate was restricted to having meals blended and was reduced to drinking through a straw. She also received nerve-blocking injections before each game to dull the pain. Her team eventually walked away with a well-earned silver medal, but hardship and pain are not automatic ingredients for success.

Women’s BMX racer 23-year-old Shanaze Reade told a BBC Sport interviewer of how over the years she had broken multiple bones in her body and dislocated both shoulders, but thought nothing of it compared to winning. However, after a disappointing Beijing Olympics, there was no fairytale ending for Shanaze at London 2012, only further heartache.

Yet, it is these extraordinary stories of courage that “inspire a generation”.

I think we would all be off our rockers if we were inspired by failure, but what really moves me is the capacity of the human spirit to achieve more than we feel able, to overcome adversity, to dig deep and find that little bit more from within.

In the Bible Paul the Apostle writes, “We are more than conquerors” Now, he was someone who knew how to take suffering to make gains. Although his endeavours were not in track, hockey or BMX, he nevertheless put himself through immense pressure and pain for what he believed.

He was not driven for gold, but for his passion for Jesus. But here is where maybe Paul the Apostle and athletes have something shared in common: victory is not found in the absence of hardships, trials and tribulations, but in the overcoming of difficult circumstances. For some, it will mean glory; for others, a wooden spoon, but for all there is a deep soulful satisfaction that no amount of effort and hardship is ever without purpose.

At times I have had to tell people that becoming a Christian is not about having an easier life than others. It is not. In fact, the Bible says quite the opposite. Faith is there to strengthen and empower us to cope with whatever life throws at us.  Jesus, in himself, gives us the deep compelling reason to get up and carry on. It is not a belief driven by a fear of failure, but one driven by love and acceptance.

But there is a second part to Paul the Apostle’s words: “We are more than conquerors…through him that loves us.”

Kate Walsh and Shanaze Reade are both amazing people. No-one is going around feeling disillusioned with them because they have not walked away with gold. In the same way neither does God ever get disillusioned with us. He thinks we are amazing and will never be prouder of us. That’s how deep His love is for us.

For those who beat us ourselves up for failing, it might be time to get a little upwards perspective.

 

ASD

 

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

Sweeping change

Well, what an interesting time we are having as a nation. If you are from the US looking in you may well be wondering what on earth had gone on or for that matter gone wrong. 

This week I spent time with two financial guys. One whose business it is to advise the football world on buying and selling clubs and the other to advise normal people, like me, how best to invest their hard earned money to aim for a half decent retirement, among other things. The latter tells me that he has seen 20% of value has been wiped off the Footsie 100 in less than two months. Not a good time if you are looking to cash in your pension. It is something, as we have seen Stateside, that politicans seem unable to influence or affect the outcome.

And if that is not enough we have had the erruptions on the streets of our beloved country. After the peaceful demonstration over the death of Mark Duggan last weekend the term rioters has been quickly replaced with Looters. Yet, some politicians such as the Mayor of London tell us that Britian is not broken. At this point that remark feels very English and stiff-upper lipped. Others might say it is just sheer denial.

Social network platforms such as Twitter and Blackberry Messenger Service have been criticised for fanning the flames of angst-ridden teenagers. But actually, surprisingly, I have come out in support of Twitter and other social platforms. As much as they have been used for bad they have also been redeemed for good.

The community has struck back - with a broom in its hand. It has drawn communities together, black, white, young and old, not seen for a long time. Now no communtiy leader or church leaders seems to know exactly what the Conservatives mean by 'The Big Society', but something has happened without too much involvement from the politicians themselves. This, perhaps, could be described as a great example of their philosophy. Dunno.

A friend of mine who runs a young peoples' charity in South East London is plain exhausted with the constant round of meetings with police, politicians and local organisations, but as a Christian leader in the community he has been encouraging supporters to do acts of kindness.

For instance, I heard how one police station in SouthEast London had had delivered to them a load of cookies to their exhausted and emotionally tired officers. With all the recent bashing the police got from politicans the public alternatively has shown their solidarity with their local bobbies. I cannot stress that these expressions of love are equally important as any rushed through law or government initiative.

if you are near a police station that has been on the frontline, maybe this is something that your church could organise to do.

The church, at its best, shows compassion through practical outward signs of invisible grace. For as James said, "faith without works is dead." We stand with all, we cry with all, we shout justice for all. This is God's love in action.

This is the outward-focused church at is best. It is not idle, a talking shop, inward-looking or obsessed with evangelism programmes or simply going deeper with God with discipleship courses. It is loving, generous, kind and sacrifical. It loves without terms and conditions.

Meanwhile, on a more mundane note, our church is about to own a football team, but not sure we will be using the services of my city banker friend. Apparently there is no money in it for him. Ah well, that's the fickle world of football.

ASD

 

 

 

 

What would you do if you knew you could not fail?

Would you swim the English Channel? Would you audition for X Factor? Solve world hunger? Wouldn’t it be great if we were guaranteed success in everything we touched?

Coming down from Mount Olympus, I wonder if a fear of failure stops us from going forward in life. Maybe there is a fear of failing in marriage because our parents divorced.  Maybe getting an education because we fear we will not have the commitment to see it through. We can end up counting the cost of failure more and totally miss the joy of trying.

When I was at school in the sixth form seven of us decided to cycle to North Wales to raise money for a Mountain activity centre in Snowdonia. For some dumb and inexplicable reason we choose to go in the February half term when it was bitterly cold and snowing. Considering that I had never cycled more than five miles in my life, you could say a cycle ride of 180 miles over three days was a risky strategy. Well, we made it and the local newspaper ran the headline “The Magnificent Seven.” Though I seem to remember in the film that only three of them made it. Anyway, moving on.

Life doesn’t give us any certainty, but certainly there is hope. In our church there is no stigma attached to failure. We come as we are. We come as failures being restored.

We have just come through Easter when the Church remembers the great sacrifice that Jesus made for us by dying on a rough wooden Roman cross. The Easter story tells us Jesus took our guilt and shame and substituted himself for us. We acknowledge that we can’t save ourselves from ourselves. It has to have divine involvement.

It’s amazing to think that the first pope of Rome, Peter, did not see himself as infallible, but a miserable failure before his reinstatement by Jesus.

He was one of Jesus’ closest friends, but when the tough got going he ended up denying Jesus three times to save his bacon. Not great qualifications for becoming the Pontiff of Rome you might think. Peter knew he had done wrong against God (sin) but received forgiveness from the only one that ultimately really matters. Furthermore, he was then trusted by Jesus to start the Church, which today sees a third of the world population following Jesus. Not a bad result for a failure.

So perhaps the question is not what would you do if you could not fail, but what will you do when you do? Contrary to some held beliefs, an authentic life in Christ does not live with continued guilt and shame, but allows us to come and be accepted for who we are, being set free and given new hope for a fail-safe future. Now you have to admit that is pretty cool.

ASD