Thursday, 3 August 2017
Poetic Life
Hi. I've been away for years but I now hope to use this blog as a way of posting my poems. There are 2 reasons for this. One is to get my poems 'out there' which will give life to each poem and secondly to give me a focus to try to hone the poems I write as I can be a lazy poet. I nearly called this blog Lazy Poet. I've decided not to change 'onemanandhisguitar' as it might help the reader understand what type of background I write from. I'll try not to bow to the God of rhyming couplets too often.
In the spirit of transparency I find promoting my self quiet difficult and counter intuitive to who I see my self as!
Friday, 12 August 2011
No Hoodies in Church?
I wonder what the world would look like if we really believed what we say we believe and behave like what we say we believe we think it's right to behave like!!!!!!!!!!!!
OK there are way too many 'believes' and 'behaves' in that sentence but if your still reading this then my point is...........................................................(trying not to sound too angry) what the heck is the church's response to riots in Manchester, Birmingham, London and ???????? places
There is SILENCE, not a WORD and whats worse is that the media don't even bother asking.
Have we, the church, really become that irrelevant?
Have we lost our conversation with papers, TV, Radio?
When did we stop being the moral commentators on society?
Who took over?
Yep I have twitter friends (@Cephas535 seeing as you ask!) Facebook friends all saying it's aweful.
Some enjoying seeing the Police kick in the hoody doors and arrest the culprits. Some saying we should be tougher on criminals ............... even saying they should join the army! Ok, so now they know how to kill someone and use guns to batter down shop fronts!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Look at the results of conscription in the USA and the rise of the Black Panther movement in the 60's?
I get amazed how quickly people put down their Bibles and reach for their newspaper when there are looking for answers to disorder in society.
How with one breath we ask for compassion from our Father and with another pick up a stick to beat up those who, we are rightly, angry with.
With one voice we pray 'forgive us our sins as we forgive those who sin against us' and with another follow the clarion call of the Red Tops to 'take away their benefits and put em out on the streets'.................they are rubbish after all!!!! (and I'm not referring to the Newspapers. Oops sorry I am ).
We cry Revival but have nothing constructive to say to the 'Hoody' planning his/her next raid.
We shout "where are the parents?" and I want to shout WHERE IS THE CHURCH?
I've even heard that this is a sign of the end times. So lets not bother praying for peace then!!
People are angry, me too.
People have lost their daily living and don't know how to start again. The Government will make new laws and do anything they can to increase the chance of being elected at the next change of Parliament. People really don't know where to turn..............................and the Church?................mmm?
I phoned the Rector of my home church in Manchester and told them that people in Belfast where praying for them. I asked what we should pray for and she (the Rectors wife) said "for those who are afraid to go into the town centre and those whose buisness has been wrecked"
Fear and anger are being expressed in so many different ways.
My prayer is that the church will find it's voice once again and follow the call of Jesus to be a light set on a hill and to be Salt that brings a pleasent flavour.
It's what I believe. It's how I want to behave
OK there are way too many 'believes' and 'behaves' in that sentence but if your still reading this then my point is...........................................................(trying not to sound too angry) what the heck is the church's response to riots in Manchester, Birmingham, London and ???????? places
There is SILENCE, not a WORD and whats worse is that the media don't even bother asking.
Have we, the church, really become that irrelevant?
Have we lost our conversation with papers, TV, Radio?
When did we stop being the moral commentators on society?
Who took over?
Yep I have twitter friends (@Cephas535 seeing as you ask!) Facebook friends all saying it's aweful.
Some enjoying seeing the Police kick in the hoody doors and arrest the culprits. Some saying we should be tougher on criminals ............... even saying they should join the army! Ok, so now they know how to kill someone and use guns to batter down shop fronts!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Look at the results of conscription in the USA and the rise of the Black Panther movement in the 60's?
I get amazed how quickly people put down their Bibles and reach for their newspaper when there are looking for answers to disorder in society.
How with one breath we ask for compassion from our Father and with another pick up a stick to beat up those who, we are rightly, angry with.
With one voice we pray 'forgive us our sins as we forgive those who sin against us' and with another follow the clarion call of the Red Tops to 'take away their benefits and put em out on the streets'.................they are rubbish after all!!!! (and I'm not referring to the Newspapers. Oops sorry I am ).
We cry Revival but have nothing constructive to say to the 'Hoody' planning his/her next raid.
We shout "where are the parents?" and I want to shout WHERE IS THE CHURCH?
I've even heard that this is a sign of the end times. So lets not bother praying for peace then!!
People are angry, me too.
People have lost their daily living and don't know how to start again. The Government will make new laws and do anything they can to increase the chance of being elected at the next change of Parliament. People really don't know where to turn..............................and the Church?................mmm?
I phoned the Rector of my home church in Manchester and told them that people in Belfast where praying for them. I asked what we should pray for and she (the Rectors wife) said "for those who are afraid to go into the town centre and those whose buisness has been wrecked"
Fear and anger are being expressed in so many different ways.
My prayer is that the church will find it's voice once again and follow the call of Jesus to be a light set on a hill and to be Salt that brings a pleasent flavour.
It's what I believe. It's how I want to behave
Monday, 4 January 2010
Shoot With Your Eyes Closed!
It's a goooooooooooal..........................OK all girlie's don't click off .............this is not strictly a football blog just a good illustration.
They say to score a goal you need to keep your eyes open and on the target.......................
.......this should happen in a football match in fact it's the whole aim of it......to out score the opposition.
I'd like to say that if we kept our eyes shut more often and tried to shoot we'd probably score a lot more!
Let me explain
I had the privilege of listening to a guy called Chad Dedman who came over from the USA. He gave this wonderful illustration about prayer.
When we pray (Christianeese for a conversation with the God!) we need to have the attitude of a footballer.
Every time he/she shoots toward goal they never aim to miss but to score.
If you have ever watched a football match you'll realise that scoring though vital doesn't happen very often....................however it never stops each player trying.
I wonder if we had that attitude to prayer.........healing particularly.......... whether it would change how often and what we prayed.
We talk about faith ................maybe we need the faith of a top striker ............with the ball at their feet they aim, they shoot and they........................
miss by a mile or a millimetre but at the next opportunity, they aim, they shoot and they............
miss by a mile or a millimetre......maybe even hit the post.........but at the next opportunity they aim, they shoot and.................well you get the idea!.............at some point they score.....they were bought because the Manager knew they could score!!
I believe God NEVER gets fed up of us trying to score.
I wish He'd help direct the ball some times but that's my next blog!!
The picture I have is Jesus passing the ball and you receiving the ball and trying to score. There's an opposition trying to stop you but hey you're on the winning side....God promises you that! ( see 1Corinthians 15 vs 57 and 1John 5 vs 4)
He will continue to pass the ball to you.........it's all He ever wants to do...in fact He loves doing it, He sacrificed everything so He could!
Even though at times we want to walk off the pitch or substitute our selves He never ever calls us to come off..............We only come off when full time is called and after that......... its Heaven!
So..............lets aim to score and not to miss.......... put on your number 9 shirt (the centre forwards number) and wait for those balls to come flying across for you to head, shoot with any foot or any part of your body as long as your desire is to score....................I just know you will bust the net!!!
They say to score a goal you need to keep your eyes open and on the target.......................
.......this should happen in a football match in fact it's the whole aim of it......to out score the opposition.
I'd like to say that if we kept our eyes shut more often and tried to shoot we'd probably score a lot more!
Let me explain
I had the privilege of listening to a guy called Chad Dedman who came over from the USA. He gave this wonderful illustration about prayer.
When we pray (Christianeese for a conversation with the God!) we need to have the attitude of a footballer.
Every time he/she shoots toward goal they never aim to miss but to score.
If you have ever watched a football match you'll realise that scoring though vital doesn't happen very often....................however it never stops each player trying.
I wonder if we had that attitude to prayer.........healing particularly.......... whether it would change how often and what we prayed.
We talk about faith ................maybe we need the faith of a top striker ............with the ball at their feet they aim, they shoot and they........................
miss by a mile or a millimetre but at the next opportunity, they aim, they shoot and they............
miss by a mile or a millimetre......maybe even hit the post.........but at the next opportunity they aim, they shoot and.................well you get the idea!.............at some point they score.....they were bought because the Manager knew they could score!!
I believe God NEVER gets fed up of us trying to score.
I wish He'd help direct the ball some times but that's my next blog!!
The picture I have is Jesus passing the ball and you receiving the ball and trying to score. There's an opposition trying to stop you but hey you're on the winning side....God promises you that! ( see 1Corinthians 15 vs 57 and 1John 5 vs 4)
He will continue to pass the ball to you.........it's all He ever wants to do...in fact He loves doing it, He sacrificed everything so He could!
Even though at times we want to walk off the pitch or substitute our selves He never ever calls us to come off..............We only come off when full time is called and after that......... its Heaven!
So..............lets aim to score and not to miss.......... put on your number 9 shirt (the centre forwards number) and wait for those balls to come flying across for you to head, shoot with any foot or any part of your body as long as your desire is to score....................I just know you will bust the net!!!
Wednesday, 18 November 2009
Honestly don't break My heart!!
Which of the following statements can you honestly say?
- Next year I am going to do the London and Belfast marathon and the Great North Run
- This Christmas I am going to give everyone I know a bar of Chocolat
- I am never ever going to make errors at work again
- I will listen and remember everything people tell me
- I want God to break my heart for what breaks His
My point.................it's so easy to pray and sing with out really thinking of the consequences.
I prayed recently "God, take me to a deeper level of Your love for me" and I have found that I have had to face things from my past which I have been avoiding for years.
I have not had the opportunity to serve God in the way I enjoy. Opportunities that used to came my way have seemed to take a 45 degree turn just before they reach me.
When we recently sang 'God break my heart for what breaks Yours' I thought, if we all got the answer we asked for the place would be awash with tears, cries, moans and randomly placed people on the floor!
Maybe thats what the song writer was hoping for (I might ask him!) though I don't think it was what the Leader of the meeting would want!!
Oh that God would break us and challenge us and mould us and fill us with His love to go and heal a broken world...............but lets step back sometimes and say
"God .............I do want this but it's not as easy to experience it as it is to sing it .
Save me from mouthing words which mean so much, which at times I treat with
contempt by letting them loose and not considering just what I am asking You
to do!
Friday, 26 June 2009
Relationships are wonderful and hard
I have a relationship with a tree!
Every time I look at this tree it speaks to me.
It says "You hate me don't you? You sneer at me every morning and you moan and groan about having to take me outside and water me." ..............Yeah, what I call a tree is actually a large plant!
Please don't think I have gone psychotic and hear voices but the 'tree' speaks to me in the voice of my wife!
I have many relationships with lots of things. My car.............. er sorry wife and daughter our car!! My mobile phone, my computer, my bed, my guitar...........ask my wife about that one!
Relationships, in reality, have to be two way and that is where the problems start.
Thankfully if I ignored the 'tree' in our living room it wouldn't cry or get angry with me, unlike those with whom I have a real relationship.
I believe that we were created to be in relationship.
Because of the type of work I do I have to read alot of self help books and study more than a few self help techniques. Everyone of them, without exception, at some point, explain that we need to be in relationship to grow as a human.
It's amazing how many of them also acknowledge the need to have a relationship with someone or something beyond our human understanding. Now that excites me!
Even a relationship with an animal is seen as therapeutic. That unconditional love and undying commitment, fulfills some of our deepest needs.
Jesus needed relationship.
From the creation of the world there was the Triune God. The Community of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
God was placed in a family. Mary and Joseph, mother and father and then after, brothers.
Jesus sought out relationship with 12 other men and also a few women. Not all who were close friends. Not all who were faithful but all who Jesus spent time with.
To be like Jesus, the highest calling of our life, we must face the challenge of relationships. This means taking risks to love, when it feels like the last thing we want to do.
I believe that broken relationships break the heart of God.......and I speak as one who has gone through divorce.......... for relationship is what He created us for.
Because God loves us He seeks a relationship with us. From the day we were born...........and before!................He has sought to draw us close to Him.
It seems to me that alot of what divides the church is about relationship.
The clear division in healing, for example, seems to be about the emphasis on who has responsibility in the relationship.
For some it's all about letting God do what He wants to do. Playing His part in the relationship. He'll heal or He won't. He'll help us in our suffering or help us escape. We don't have to do much, just let God be God................. cos He is in control.
For others it's all about our faith. Our responsibility in the relationship is to exercise faith. To be active not passive. To make our step of faith. To 'walk out' our healing or in other words, we believe we are healed even though we do not see a physical sign. "Do something you couldn't do before" is the call. It becomes all about my part in this relationship with God.
For some reason these two views seem to be exclusive and find it difficult to relate to each other!!
I wonder if we looked through the lens of relationship were at times to show my love, my commitment in the relationship, I have to give of my self and the other person receives and for the other person to show their commitment to me they have to give me something whether it's time or gifts or conversation, that we can get some perspective.
A relationship is two way. Unlike my relationship with that rather large plant!
Surely, we do what we can...................exercise our faith and God does what He does......................poures His love out on us, however that is expressed.
There is an irony in the fact that what God meant to bring restoration and a blessing is in itself bringing division.
I can only see the enemy at work here.
I think that over 2000 years, the followers of the One who brought absolute restoration between man and God have still alot to learn about just how God and those He loves relate.
Every time I look at this tree it speaks to me.
It says "You hate me don't you? You sneer at me every morning and you moan and groan about having to take me outside and water me." ..............Yeah, what I call a tree is actually a large plant!
Please don't think I have gone psychotic and hear voices but the 'tree' speaks to me in the voice of my wife!
I have many relationships with lots of things. My car.............. er sorry wife and daughter our car!! My mobile phone, my computer, my bed, my guitar...........ask my wife about that one!
Relationships, in reality, have to be two way and that is where the problems start.
Thankfully if I ignored the 'tree' in our living room it wouldn't cry or get angry with me, unlike those with whom I have a real relationship.
I believe that we were created to be in relationship.
Because of the type of work I do I have to read alot of self help books and study more than a few self help techniques. Everyone of them, without exception, at some point, explain that we need to be in relationship to grow as a human.
It's amazing how many of them also acknowledge the need to have a relationship with someone or something beyond our human understanding. Now that excites me!
Even a relationship with an animal is seen as therapeutic. That unconditional love and undying commitment, fulfills some of our deepest needs.
Jesus needed relationship.
From the creation of the world there was the Triune God. The Community of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
God was placed in a family. Mary and Joseph, mother and father and then after, brothers.
Jesus sought out relationship with 12 other men and also a few women. Not all who were close friends. Not all who were faithful but all who Jesus spent time with.
To be like Jesus, the highest calling of our life, we must face the challenge of relationships. This means taking risks to love, when it feels like the last thing we want to do.
I believe that broken relationships break the heart of God.......and I speak as one who has gone through divorce.......... for relationship is what He created us for.
Because God loves us He seeks a relationship with us. From the day we were born...........and before!................He has sought to draw us close to Him.
It seems to me that alot of what divides the church is about relationship.
The clear division in healing, for example, seems to be about the emphasis on who has responsibility in the relationship.
For some it's all about letting God do what He wants to do. Playing His part in the relationship. He'll heal or He won't. He'll help us in our suffering or help us escape. We don't have to do much, just let God be God................. cos He is in control.
For others it's all about our faith. Our responsibility in the relationship is to exercise faith. To be active not passive. To make our step of faith. To 'walk out' our healing or in other words, we believe we are healed even though we do not see a physical sign. "Do something you couldn't do before" is the call. It becomes all about my part in this relationship with God.
For some reason these two views seem to be exclusive and find it difficult to relate to each other!!
I wonder if we looked through the lens of relationship were at times to show my love, my commitment in the relationship, I have to give of my self and the other person receives and for the other person to show their commitment to me they have to give me something whether it's time or gifts or conversation, that we can get some perspective.
A relationship is two way. Unlike my relationship with that rather large plant!
Surely, we do what we can...................exercise our faith and God does what He does......................poures His love out on us, however that is expressed.
There is an irony in the fact that what God meant to bring restoration and a blessing is in itself bringing division.
I can only see the enemy at work here.
I think that over 2000 years, the followers of the One who brought absolute restoration between man and God have still alot to learn about just how God and those He loves relate.
Friday, 27 March 2009
conviction assurance trust confidence reliance
In Bangkok I walked into a room of 200 people and saw David Bekham or was it Alex Ferguson or maybe Tony Blair, Gordon Brown, Barack Obama no! no! it was Jesus but he didn't look like the Jesus I've seen in paintings and Fresco's and statues and he didn't speak a word of English!
He stood out........he glowed...........his demeanour was counter to what his cultural expression was, which would be to hide away in the back ground. He wasn't shouting or being in any way extrovert, in fact he was just talking to the man sat next to him................................but he stood out like someone was shining a spot light on him.
I'd never seen the man before. I didn't know his name ...............hey I can't even spell it!!........but there was something special about this man and I had to find out what it was.
My pride wouldn't let me go up to him so I asked a friend. He told me this man had been jailed by the authorities for 30 yrs
How can I look into the eyes of a man, locked away in jail for 30 yrs for saying that Jesus is more important to him than a political regime and not feel humbled...and not think my faith is minuscule and not be impacted by standing next to him?
In Belfast I walked into Church and saw 2 men from the same Continent and heard them tell their own stories of Governmental oppression and stories of how some Pastors have had to choose between renouncing their love of Jesus or resigning their children to being orphans for as long as they are jailed for.
It would be so easy to conclude that we in the west need to be put under pressure for our faith (Some people think that the eroding of Christian values in our country puts them in that persecuted category.. I don't think it's the same tho.) Or that somehow we are not oppressed enough and that's because we are not as radical or as on the edge as we should be.
I want to take inspiration from these people.
As a teenager I prayed for the suffering Church and I can see now how God has answered prayer.
Thank You God!!
Talking to the visitors from Asia they said they didn't know how they would cope with all the temptation of materialism and consumerism they see here in the rich West
It all becomes relative.
God has me where He has me and has you where He has you.
We are called to exercise our faith in the circumstances He places us in.
We are called to pray for our brothers and sisters who put their lives and the lives of their family on the line every time they pray or worship or open up a Bible.
We are called to GO and show Gods love and favour to the suffering church as well as pray for those who persecute them.
My faith may look so small next to someone who has had to hang on to God in circumstances I can only have nightmares about ( and would probably want prayer for!!)
But I need to exercise my faith in every circumstance and not duck the opportunities that God affords me to trust Him more. I need to take that risk that might cost me money, or worse my pride(!!!) and to say with Paul "For me to live is Christ and to die is gain" (Philippians 1 vs 21) or in The Message "Alive, I'm Christ's messenger; dead, I'm his bounty. Life versus even more life! I can't lose."............We all need other believers to look upto, to be inspired by!
He stood out........he glowed...........his demeanour was counter to what his cultural expression was, which would be to hide away in the back ground. He wasn't shouting or being in any way extrovert, in fact he was just talking to the man sat next to him................................but he stood out like someone was shining a spot light on him.
I'd never seen the man before. I didn't know his name ...............hey I can't even spell it!!........but there was something special about this man and I had to find out what it was.
My pride wouldn't let me go up to him so I asked a friend. He told me this man had been jailed by the authorities for 30 yrs
How can I look into the eyes of a man, locked away in jail for 30 yrs for saying that Jesus is more important to him than a political regime and not feel humbled...and not think my faith is minuscule and not be impacted by standing next to him?
In Belfast I walked into Church and saw 2 men from the same Continent and heard them tell their own stories of Governmental oppression and stories of how some Pastors have had to choose between renouncing their love of Jesus or resigning their children to being orphans for as long as they are jailed for.
It would be so easy to conclude that we in the west need to be put under pressure for our faith (Some people think that the eroding of Christian values in our country puts them in that persecuted category.. I don't think it's the same tho.) Or that somehow we are not oppressed enough and that's because we are not as radical or as on the edge as we should be.
I want to take inspiration from these people.
As a teenager I prayed for the suffering Church and I can see now how God has answered prayer.
Thank You God!!
Talking to the visitors from Asia they said they didn't know how they would cope with all the temptation of materialism and consumerism they see here in the rich West
It all becomes relative.
God has me where He has me and has you where He has you.
We are called to exercise our faith in the circumstances He places us in.
We are called to pray for our brothers and sisters who put their lives and the lives of their family on the line every time they pray or worship or open up a Bible.
We are called to GO and show Gods love and favour to the suffering church as well as pray for those who persecute them.
My faith may look so small next to someone who has had to hang on to God in circumstances I can only have nightmares about ( and would probably want prayer for!!)
But I need to exercise my faith in every circumstance and not duck the opportunities that God affords me to trust Him more. I need to take that risk that might cost me money, or worse my pride(!!!) and to say with Paul "For me to live is Christ and to die is gain" (Philippians 1 vs 21) or in The Message "Alive, I'm Christ's messenger; dead, I'm his bounty. Life versus even more life! I can't lose."............We all need other believers to look upto, to be inspired by!
Monday, 16 February 2009
Finding out........... why God loves me?
It's snowing! It's snowing! ...............so I catch a snow flake and it melts in my hand. I had a quick duke / butchers (depending if you're English or not!!) before it melted and it looked nothing special, quite simple really, just a bit of white(ish) ice.
However
Look up pictures of snowflakes and you'll see every flake is different ,apparently, (for the geeks here is a web page)http://www.its.caltech.edu/~atomic/snowcrystals/faqs/faqs.htm
Hey, a snowflake is a snowflake is a snowflake to me. Its simple.
So if I told you I KNOW why God loves us.............. what would you think?
" no way! I'll never understand it's too profound and deep" or "no chance I am too ...........(fill in the blanks) He never could"
It aint that simple!
I was reading a J Piper book the other day, getting a bit bored as he banged on about the election of the Saints!!................... and he commented on a passage from Deuteronomy 7 vs 7-8. .................you know the famous passsage ?? !
" The LORD did not set His love on you nor choose you because you were more in number than any other people, for you were the least of all peoples; 8 but because the LORD loves you, and because He would keep the oath which He swore to your fathers, the LORD has brought you out with a mighty hand, and redeemed you from the house of bondage, from the hand of Pharaoh king of Egypt. " (New King James)
His conclusion was........................
'God loves us cos He loves us'............... WOW! .....................
Cue flashes of lightening...........Pete falls to the floor ..........sees Angels.........hears the Saints singing above.............dreams dreams .........has visions...........bursts into heavenly toungues...........is healed of all his memories, scars and wounds and is raptured!!
....well not really but it DID hit me in the gut and ring around my head all weekend and is still soaking into me. Yeh!
"He loves me cos He loves me"
So profound yet so simple.
I don't deserve it
I can't earn it
No matter what I think about my self , it's still true............. I may not even feel like a child of God or believe I'm not a Christian (follower of Jesus)
........................ still He loves me cos He loves me.
This is bread to my hunger and water for my thirst.
Simple eh.............like a snow flake!
And a PS.............for those who may have followed my scribblings over the past while and picked up some financial challenges..........faith journeys.........and moans
God has come thru for both a course I am studying and a short term mission trip combined with a wedding anniversary holiday.
He IS faithful.........and thanks for your prayers and thoughts.
Pete
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)