Good site

On my ever increasing list of "good sites" is Adrian's Blog which at the moment has an interesting take on "Reformed Charismatics", which he explains in the following way:

"It is really possible they say to pursue a solid biblical knowledge and sound doctrine whilst experiencing the presence of power of God in a real way today. The Word and the Spirit are not in conflict but rather work together to cause us to know God.The charismatics believe in a God who is alive and acts today. We believe in a God who wants a personal relationship with his followers. Who hears prayers. Who reveals himself. Who pours out his love into our hearts. Who never changes and is the same God of the bible today. We believe that receiving the Holy Spirit is a conscious real experience. We believe that this experience of the Spirit is one of the major ways that God gives us assurance that we are saved."

In my naievity, I wouldn't have thought there could be any other way of doing Christianity, but apparently there are. I must learn more - there is no excuse for ignorance! I'll be keeping an eye on this blog.

Persecution

Our service was about the persecuted church this morning. It's been a long and quite horrible week for me (hence the lack of posts) and I guess it brought me down to earth that despite my worries and woes, I have it easy. People in some other countries aren't allowed to worship freely - they can't go to church openly. In some places if they do they get bombed by terrorists, in some places its illegal, in some they are disciminated against in the kind of jobs they are allowed (eg, only low paid). These are our brothers and sisters as much as people in our local church, and yet I don't support them through prayer very much, or financially.

I feel pretty hypocritical really.

And then we sing songs about worshipping God and praising His name, when we aren't stepping out in faith and helping these people (James 2:14). What good is that?

I can do two things now - I can wallow in self pity, and still do nothing (then the devil wins) or I can ask God to help me change the way I think and act. People are tired of hypocrites and liars - Lord, give me Love, and help me be genuine.

"We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair;" (2 Corinthians 4:8).

The Barnabus Fund - Hope and aid for the persecuted church...

Encouragement, Love and The Church

Today began well. Our church is entering a period of significant change - we have been comfortable for too long and feel God wants us to move forward. I really want to be involved in this, and had put together some plans for changes to the church leadership, which I'd emailed to a couple of friends. What surprised me most was that they had independently had very similar ideas! Moreover, this morning before the service, our vicar Mary found me and commented on how excellent she thought the ideas were! I felt really encouraged because I have been bursting with ideas about how to take God out into our local community more, and how to develop our church community, and it was nice to have those affirmed by other Christians who I respect.

I feel encouragement is a really vital part of biblical love. If anywhere in the world shows love, it has to be the church. So many people have been damaged by thoughtless words and deeds, both from non-Christians, and from Christians. As The Bible says:

We are therefore Christ's ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ's behalf: Be reconciled to God.
(2Cor 5:20 - My italics)

That means that through our lives of love, we need to show non-Christians that Jesus is reaching out to them and that He wants to meet with them.

With that in mind, lots of churches in the UK are evaluating what "church" means, both to her members, and also to the public. There's an interesting website called Emerging Church where Christians can share their experiences of doing church differently, and encourage one another. I've also been reading a great book called '21st Century Church' by Rob Warner which is pretty inspiring. And of course, who could forget 'The Purpose Drive Life' by Rick Warren which is an amzing step for individuals and groups to refocus or completely turn around their lives.

We have two options really - we can make sure people know how relevent Jesus is to them, or we can sit on our hands, and fail Him (Matt 28:18-19).

Blimey, now I've written all that, I'd better go and do some of it! G'night all...

Blogs of note...

I'm just getting into this blogging lark. Here are a few I've found that are interesting...
Living Radical - The Jesus Army Life: July 2005
- bankrupt christian -
Blogs4God
Uncovering the gray

Must mow the lawn

Ok, I know it's getting silly now but I hate mowing the lawn! Good job its too wet to mow today!

My Tunes - Christian Acoustic Rock

I've put a few of my songs on the net for anyone that's interested. Do excuse the slightly dodgy MP3 quality!

My MP3s

Town in a stew over a vegetable

Inspiring stuff...

TOKYO (Reuters) - A giant white radish that won the hearts of a Japanese town by valiantly growing through the urban asphalt was in intensive care at a town hall in western Japan on Thursday after being slashed by an unknown assailant. The "daikon" radish, shaped like a giant carrot, first made the news months ago when it was noticed poking up through asphalt along a roadside in the town of Aioi, population 33,289.

This week local residents, who had nicknamed the vegetable "Gutsy Radish", were shocked -- and in some cases moved to tears -- when they found it had been decapitated.

TV talk shows seized on the attempted murder of the popular vegetable and a day later, the top half of the radish was found near the site where it had been growing.

A town official said on Thursday the top of the severed radish had been placed in water to try to keep it alive and possibly get it to flower. Asked why the radish -- more often found on Japanese dinner tables as a garnish, pickle or in "oden" stew -- had so many fans, town spokesman Jiro Matsuo said: "People discouraged by tough times were cheered by its tenacity and strong will to live."

Reuters

Lets just hope the radish can pull through...

My Treo, and the value of rest.

Thanks for the support Dusty - I don't know whether I'm doing a great job on keeping my eyes on God - I think I probably oversold myself - I get the impression God does most of the work!

I made the mistake of leaving my Treo at home today. For those uninitiated into the world of gadgets, a Treo is no ordinary mobile phone. It is also a diary, e-mail machine, calendar, internet machine, and PC in the palm of your hand! It tells me where I should be, when I should be there, how to get there. I have medical text books, two Bible versions, games, MP3s on it. It even runs my bath (OK that's not strictly true). It is truly a wonder.

Perhaps it did me good to survive without it!

I wonder what I would do if I lost everything in a national disaster? The terrible events of Pakistan and East Asian tsunami certainly concentrate the mind. Would the more simple life enable me to become at one with nature, enjoying time to ponder, pontificate and philosophize, or would I go mad without "stuff" to entertain me? I suspect surviving may become my primary goal in that circumstance.

I read an article a while back (I think in the Times Magazine) which asked whether our children are too entertained. From 5 years (soon to be less if Tony Blair has his way) they prepare for exams at school. They then come home and are whisked off to their ballet/football/music/drama/French lessons, fed dinner, bathed and put to bed! There is no time for kids to get bored. You may think that's a good thing, but if we constantly spoon feed activities to children, when do they learn to rest? When do they learn how to make a castle/underground lair out of a sheet and 2 chairs? When do their imaginations and creativity develop? Will we develop a generation who are unable to concieve new thoughts or think laterally. Perhaps that generation is here already - 24 hour TV, internet, groceries, cinemas, clubs and pubs are all available should we want them.

I suspect that if God can create the whole world in 6 days and then have a day off (Gen 2:2), we can rest assured it will not fall apart if we follow His example and rest too. Maybe I'll try that this Sunday - I wonder how long my rest will last...

Tube train perils and a blessed relationship

Somewhat regretting my late night last night this morning, but made up for it with a snooze on the train - something I can't do whilst driving to work normally! However, despite my power-nap, I later felt very relieved that I don't live in London and commute every day. For some reason I became very anxious on the tube train home this evening. One particular chap in the carriage was acting a bit strangely, and in my post 'London bombings' stupidity I became concerned that he was up to no good. No matter how hard I reasoned with myself, I couldn't get the image of more terror attacks from my mind, or quell the feeling of rising panic. How judgmental and reactive we can become when we're scared. As rational as I was trying to be, I was glad to get off the train. The poor guy, God bless him, was just going home like me.

Lorna's on night shifts at the moment, so I'm feeling rather hard-done-by! However in less than a year, she'll be a GP registrar (a family doctor under supervision in a practice), and she'll never have to work a night again (unless she wants to!). Subsequently, our marriage will only be subject to my rota!

Being a doctor does put a strain on a relationship. I've lost count of the number of people I've heard of having affairs, splitting up from their partners, and generally being lonely in the health service. This must be in part due to the time spent apart when working a shift system. People who know Lorna and me comment on how "lucky" we are, how they can't believe we're still together and as close as we are. I don't believe it's luck, I believe God blesses our relationship, and helps us stay committed to keeping together. He inspires me to cherish and love Lorna by the Holy Spirit and the example of Jesus' love of The Church.

What binds us so strongly is that we try to base our faith on firm foundations, not on shaky ground (Matthew chapter 7, verses 24-29), and our marriage involves not just Lorna and me, but God as well - "A cord of three strands is not easily broken" (Ecclesiastes 4 vs 12). I'm not boasting, saying that we are any more special, clever or good at being married than any other couple (I can assure you we're not!), I'm trying to emphasise that we need Jesus in our whole life including our marriage - not just for an hour on a Sunday morning - He is not an added extra or a hobby. Hence the title of this blog - Jesus be the centre - of our churches, but also of our communities, our relationships, our souls. Only then do we give God the worship he deserves, and only then do we fulfil our true purpose in life.

Wedding day 2

Just a couple of pics of the wedding day (Oct 2004). Great day - very blessed. This blogging is addictive - must go to bed! Nighty night.

Wedding day!

Hello

Well, I've joined the herd and started a blog. Hopefully I'll be able to put something of use on it! Essentially, this space is going to be somewhere for my thoughts, an update on the things happening in my life, and hopefully a journal of my faith and what God is doing in my life and church.

Just to introduce myself, I'm Pete, a junior doctor in the UK. I'm married (a year and a bit now) to Lorna (another doctor!), and live in a small village called Bicknacre in Essex (East of London if you really want to know). We go to church locally to St Andrew's, which is a C of E church, and I'm involved in leading worship - it's a happy clappy upbeat place so we have guitars and the like! Apart from God and Lorna, music is my passion. I write, record and attempt to produce music, however, I'm usually better at starting than finishing! I also enjoy gadgets and all round geekery, and am frequently berating myself for buying too much junk, but hey, I'm a bloke. Lorna has clothes, I have expensive electrical items.

I'd better sign off now as I'm off to a study course tomorrow - sadly, even after qualifying as a doctor, there are still exams to pass - I have MRCP part 2 in December. I'll update you on that when I've done it!

Thanks for reading, and here's hoping I'll have some interesting stuff to tell you soon...