Re-ignition. #2

It’s been nearly a year since my first blog. 

I had 3 key resolutions: to get up early to read my Bible and pray; to pray more, and pray often; and to make the most of my time. 

That was 51 weeks ago. 

Now, at the beginning of February 2013, I’m looking back and assessing where I’ve come. I’m in a good routine for morning Bible reading. I could still pray more. I could still make better use of my time.

There have been times to just be: paddling in the glorious sunshine on the Isle of Lewis, walking up the beautiful Birks of Aberfeldy, sitting in a sauna sweating, walking on bright and frosty mornings, gobbling Christmas dinner with the family. Blissful being. Still more seldom than I’d like.

There’s been more than enough doing: times away with youth groups, packing boxes, moving house and opening boxes, playing and recording music, giving talks at ladies meetings (a new venture this year – wee old dears are always appreciative, it’s great), midwife appointments (first child due in 12 weeks!). Plenty doing – it keeps me moving.

I’m always thinking, but I still rarely put thoughts together. I’ve actually started taking notes on my phone with the aim of then coming here to put them together. There’s actually a potential 2 or 3 blogs on my horizon. When will I do them? We’ll see…

The first idea: Re-ignition.

Often I’ve felt that I need to wake up. I’ve felt a need to be re-ignited.

I love to sit outside and light up a wee fire. Sometimes just me on my own. Other times with friends and family. Always good times.

I’ve been struck by the ease with which a fire can reignite, even when it looks like the embers are dying. All it takes is a moving about of a log or two, allowing the heat to rise and air to flow, and BOOM! The fire roars again. It wakes up.

Cara put this verse from Ephesians on the mirror in our room:

“Awake, O sleeper,
    and arise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you.”
Ephesians 5:14

She put it up for two reasons. First, a quite literal ‘wake up’. I struggle with mornings, so any encouragement is welcome. Second, that it might be a reminder to wake up each day to God’s grace and live in his light.

Often I’m pretty sleepy. In both senses.

Christ’s words to the church in Sardis were a kick up the pants for me a few months ago.

“Wake up, and strengthen what remains and is about to die, for I have not found your works complete in the sight of my God.”
Revelation 3:2-3

In the Christian life there’s a fine line between being spiritually asleep and dead. I know I’m alive, but I do like the snooze button. Christ called the church at Sardis to wake up. Like a fire that appears to be dying out. Like I often need to.

I’m in good company though. In Gethsemane the disciples couldn’t stay awake. Lazarus was ‘asleep’. Eutychus drifted off and plummeted out a window. We all sleep at the wrong time occasionally.

As Rage Against The Machine’s ‘Wake Up’ rings out at the end of The Matrix, Neo flies off, presumably to start his mission to free minds and wake others up to the reality of the matrix. A brilliant ending to a great film.

Rage called people to wake up to their perceived reality – that capitalism and injustice rule, that people who speak out against the norm are victimised and that wars have been waged wrongly, to name but a few of their grievances.

There are elements of truth in both Rage and the Matrix.* We can get so used to life that we fall asleep to injustice. We can get so lost in our own world that we don’t wake up to what is out there around us. It’s all too easy to doze like this as a Christian.

Volcanoes can lie dormant for years, only to erupt in an instant. CPR can kick start the life of a patient on their way out. A fire can be re-ignited with just a simple movement of logs. Occasionally God will throw verses from the Bible at us like the ones above to wake us up. Other times we are in too deep a doze to hear.

Prevention is better than a cure though.

‘The Practice of the Presence of God’ – a little book of letters from a 17^th Century monk called Brother Lawrence, made a lasting impression on me. His ethos was to see everything as an opportunity for worship, epitomising Paul’s exhortations to do everything and anything to the glory of God (1 Corinthians 10:31, Colossians 3:17).

“Grow accustomed, then, little by little thus to worship him, to ask for his grace, to offer him your heart from time to time in the course of the day, amid your labours, at any time you can.”

Brother Lawrence wanted to stay awake. He loved to see all his actions as “small occasions of fellowship with God.”  Being constantly aware of Christ’s presence in our lives will help keep us awake.

Obviously we do literally need to sleep sometimes, I’m all for proper rest times. Ask any athlete how important rest is. I’m not advocating a life fuelled by Red Bull and copious amounts of coffee.

Jesus, the Good Shepherd, will lead us to times of rest. But that’s different from being spiritually asleep. I heard a sermon on Psalm 23 on Sunday evening. Christ doesn’t keep us in green pastures all the time. We’ll spend time in the dark valleys now and then, perhaps even more often. But a table is prepared in the presence of enemies, like having a picnic in the midst of trouble. Rest will come, even in hard times, if we trust the Shepherd. His staff – his word, will guide us. His rod – the cross, has defeated our enemies. They are our comfort.

The cross wakes us from darkness. The darkness of sin, of selfishness, of laziness, of jealousy, of immorality.

The cross gives us light to see. The light of new life, of forgiveness, of reconciliation.

Trust in Jesus makes this real for us. By faith we are saved. We wake up to new life.

A fire needs to be fed for it to keep burning. Eventually, if left unattended, a fire will just die. The Christian needs fuel to keep burning, to stay awake. The word of God is our daily bread, our staple diet, our burning logs. The cross brings the light that we must walk in. Seeing everything as an act of worship will keep us alert. It helps having others around us to keep us awake too.

First though – hear the call.

               “Awake, O sleeper!”

...or as Rage put it:              “WAKE UP!! WAKE UP!! WAKE UP!! WAKE UP!!
                                             WAKE UP!! WAKE UP!! WAKE UP!! WAKE UP!!”

 

*There are also most definitely elements that are not so helpful – Zach de la Rocha is a pretty angry and sweary fellow. Can’t say that I endorse all that Rage stand for, but I do love their music.

Matrix ending with Rage Against the Machine’s ‘Wake Up’

The Practice of the Presence of God – my version is from 1981, translated by E.M. Blaiklock. Quotes from p42 and p68. Here’s a newer edition if you fancy a swatch -

http://www.amazon.co.uk/The-Practice-Of-Presence-God/dp/1603862749/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1360275370&sr=8-1

Thanks to Murdo Maclean for the staff/word, rod/cross insights from his sermon last Sunday (3^rd February @ Sandyhills)

SDG!

Doing Thinking Being #1

So I’ve set up a blog. It’s called ‘Doing...Thinking...Being.’ It’s my new way to try and focus my brain… 

Sometimes I feel that life just runs away from me. As my brother Stephen frequently says, “There’s not enough hours in the day.” I’m frequently wishing for an extra hour, frequently wishing for an extra day, if only to catch up with myself.

This Christmas and New Year was great for me. There were special family times. There were lazy, late nights watching films. There were lovely walks in the milder-than-usual-but-still-chilly-enough-to-wear-my-new-hat air. 

More than that, it was a time for me to take stock, to re-align and re-focus, to think and process.

I’m a Christian, and I see life along these lines: 

“So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.”      
(1 Corinthians 10:31)

I felt that I wasn’t really doing this. I was reminded of John Piper’s book ‘Don’t Waste Your Life.’ I read it some years ago, and it had a considerable impact on me then. I was struck by how much time I spend doing things that are ultimately useless, a waste.

One of the key stories Piper shares is of a couple who retired to Florida, to go cruising on their fancy boat, collect shells and play softball.  But what a tragedy this is. He pictures them standing before Christ when he returns: “Look Lord. See my shells.” Maybe for my generation it will be more like “Look Lord. See my apps.” Tragic.

At New Year many people make resolutions. Around that time I was looking at Jonathan Edwards’ resolutions. He made 70, and resolved to read over them at least once a week. I feel more than overawed when reading through them; he set some mighty high standards.

“Being sensible that I am unable to do anything without God’s help, I do humbly entreat him by his grace to enable me to keep these Resolutions, so far as they are agreeable to his will, for Christ’s sake.”

Edwards knew that he would only be able to keep his resolutions with God’s help.  He knew that he was still far from perfect, and sought God’s help to keep them only if they were what He endorsed. The point was that these resolutions were made to assist Edwards in glorifying Christ in all things.

I found out on Sunday past that William Booth also made resolutions. He kept his to only 6, but they are no less of a standard. I like his practical simplicity (maybe because I’m simple and like to be practical…).

Booth’s 6 Resolutions:

1. That I will rise every morning sufficiently early to wash, dress and have a few minutes, not less than 5, in private prayer.         
2. That I will, as much as possible, avoid all that babbling and idle talk, in which I have lately so sinfully indulged.
3. That I will endeavour in my conduct and deportment before the world and my fellow servants especially to conduct myself as a humble, meek, and zealous follower of Christ, and by serious conservation and waning endeavour to lead them to think of their immortal souls.
4. That I will read no less than 4 chapters in God's word every day.              
5. That I will strive to live closer to God, and to seek after holiness of heart and leave providential events with God.
6. That I will read over this everyday or at least twice a week.

As a youth worker for a busy youth project, a band member, a husband and family member, I sometimes spend too much of my time doing. In any spare time that I do have I often find myself at one screen or another. Sometimes my iPhone, sometimes my laptop, sometimes my TV. I find it all too easy to get lost in the world of Facebook, or in reading articles about sport (particularly rugby), or in playing silly wee games.

I often think about things, but don’t often think to a conclusion. Perhaps it’s because I crowd out thoughts with everything else that goes on in my life. I don’t take the time out to step back and process.

I struggle to just be sometimes.  First and foremost I want to ‘be’ in relationship with God. Since New Year I’ve started reading through ‘The One Year Bible’ each morning. I long to spend more time in prayer and biblical meditation or reflection.

Some of the greatest times of being for me are when I’m out in God’s creation. 

I love sitting watching glorious sunsets.                             Psalm19:1-6 (ESV)          

I love going out to my back garden and having a fire.        Hebrews12:28-29 (ESV)

I love standing in a loch or sea in my wellies.                     Psalm 33:6-9 (NLT)

There’s more occasions, but these are some of the things that help me to just be. To be in awe of the Creator of the universe. Even more, to be in awe of the Creator who came into his creation, to redeem it.

I’m at a point where I feel it’s time to get a grip. I need to be more balanced in my doing, my thinking and my being. I want all my doing, thinking and being to be to God’s glory.

Part of this is taking a leaf out of Edwards’ and Booth’s books.

I’m making three key resolutions:

1.      Get up early to read the bible and pray

2.      Pray more, and pray often.

3.      Make the most of time - plan more and use spare time in a wiser way

I’ve been keeping a list of things I want to do better, or simply just do. They’re in no particular order. They’re just a bunch of stuff that I feel I let slip all too easily. Not necessarily anything deep.

·        Keep the car tidy.

·        Stop using my phone while on toilet

·        Do dishes straight after dinner

·        Read more

·        Shave at least once a week (normally a Tuesday)

·        Cut my hair at least once every four weeks

·        Get some exercise (cut down on my pork life)

·        Write things down.

·        Make contact with other people (make phone calls and such like)

·        Don't let two days pass without playing guitar

·        Go to more rugby matches

·        Do something nice for Cara at least once a week

·        Learn a wee bit of Gaelic every week

·        Go to bed at a reasonable time (don't just faff about for pure ages)

·        Get cycling

·        Print photos

·        Be less critical/cynical

·        Write some music

·        Watch the news sometimes

·        Read this list now and then!

·        Start a blog.

·        Just be.

I started writing this about five weeks ago. I think the fact it’s taken until now to finish it demonstrates exactly what I’m thinking about. 

I wish I had some more time.

I want to live for God’s glory.

I don’t want to waste my life. 

I’m making some resolutions.

Knowing that I can only do any of this by the grace of God, I pray that He will give me the strength to glorify Him in all my doing, thinking and being. 

Soli Deo Gloria! 
- To God Alone Be The Glory!

The Resolutions of Jonathan Edwards

http://theresurgence.com/files/pdf/jonathan_edwards_1723_the_resolutions.pdf

http://www.desiringgod.org/resource-library/articles/the-resolutions-of-jonathan-edwards - put in helpful sections.