Tilted Halos

A man walked into the doctor’s office and said, “Doctor, I have this terrible headache that never leaves me. Could you give me something for it?”
“I will,” said the doctor, “but I want to check a few things out first. Tell me, do you drink a lot of alcohol?”
“Alcohol?” said the man indignantly. “I never touch the filthy stuff.”
“How about smoking?”
I think smoking is a disgusting habit. I’ve never in my life touched tobacco.”
“I’m a bit embarrassed to ask you this, but – you know how some men are – do you run around with women at night?”
“Of course not! What do you think of me? I’m in bed alone by then-thirty every night.”
“Tell me,” said the doctor, “the pain in the head you speak of, is it a sharp, shooting kind of pain?”
“Yes,” the man said. “That’s it – a sharp, shooting kind of pain.”
“Simple, my dear fellow! Your trouble is you have your halo on too tight. All you need to do is loosen up a bit.”

The trouble with all our lofty ideals is that IF we live up to all of them, we become impossible to live with!

The tilted halo of the saved sinner is worn loosely and with easy grace. The cross of Jesus says: what we cannot do for ourselves, God has done for us. On the cross, somehow, some way, Christ bore our sins, took our place, died for us. At the cross, Jesus unmasked the sinner not only as a beggar but as a criminal before God. Christ bore our sins and bore them away!!! We cannot wash away the stains of our sins, but He is the Lamb who has taken away the sins of the world.

So the saved sinner is prostrate in adoration, lost in wonder and praise. He knows repentance is not what we do in order to earn forgiveness; it is done because we have been forgiven. It serves as an expression of gratitude rather than an effort to earn forgiveness. So the sequence is like this: First forgiveness, and then repentance. Not the other way round! That is crucial for understanding the Gospel.

Jesus said, “Come to Me all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke on you and learn of Me, for I am meek and lowly in heart, and you shall find rest to your souls. For My yoke is easy, and My burden is light.” – Matthew 11:28.

So come, fellow ragamuffin. Wear that a halo a little more easy, and relax in the unconditional goodness of the Father.

Someone recently wrote to me, in response to one of my chronicles. He was quite upset, and told me in no uncertain terms that I was proclaiming a false message by proclaiming the unconditional love of God. He insisted that man has to "do his part' in order to "qualify" for God's salvation. I've been thinking about it, and my thoughts were directed to Matthew 9:9-13, which captures a lovely glimpse of the gospel of grace.

“As Jesus was going down the road, he saw Matthew sitting at his tax-collection booth. "Come, be my disciple," Jesus said to him. So Matthew got up and followed him. That night Matthew invited Jesus and his disciples to be his dinner guests, along with his fellow tax collectors and many other notorious sinners.
The Pharisees were indignant. "Why does your teacher eat with such scum?" they asked his disciples. When he heard this, Jesus replied, "Healthy people don't need a doctor-sick people do.”
Then he added, "Now go and learn the meaning of this Scripture: 'I want you to be merciful; I don't want your sacrifices.' For I have come to call sinners, not those who think they are already good enough.”

Here is a revelation as bright as the evening star: Jesus comes for sinners, for those as outcast as tax collectors and for those caught up in squalid choices and failed dreams. He comes for corporate executives, street people, superstars, farmers, hookers, addicts, SARS agents, AIDS victims, and even used car salesmen.

Jesus not only talks with these people, but dines with them - fully aware that His table fellowship with sinners will raise the eyebrows of religious bureaucrats who hold up the robes and insignia of authority to justify their condemnation of the truth and their rejection of the gospel of grace.

This passage should be read, reread, and memorized. Every Christian generation tries to dim the blinding brightness of its meaning because the gospel seems to good to be true. We think salvation belongs to the proper and the pious, to those who stand at a safe distance from the back alleys of life, clucking their judgments at those who have been soiled by life.

It is startling that the men and women who are truly filled with light are those who have gazed deeply into the darkness of their imperfect existence. I do not have to apply spiritual cosmetics to make myself presentable to God! I can accept ownership of my poverty and powerlessness and neediness.

C.S. Lewis said, "The good man is sorry for the sins which have increased his need. He is not entirely sorry for the fresh need they have produced."

So, to you ragamuffins, filled with regrets, and feeling unworthy to approach God, I say; "YOU are the very person Jesus came for. He not only came to talk to you, but to dine and fellowship with you. So draw near to Him with boldness, and soak a while in the glory of His love and grace."

Six Thousand years before Christ, a Greek philosopher said, "The only thing that is permanent in life is change." Here in South Africa we’re experiencing continual political and economic change, which brings stress, uncertainty, frustration and fear. My friends living in the U.K., Greece, New Zealand and the U.S.A. are not exempt from these changes. Education is evolving, technology advances at an alarming rate, and by the time science textbooks are printed they’re out of date. As if this isn’t enough, we experience ongoing change in our personal lives. Births, deaths, marriages, divorce, job changes and relocation add to our insecurity.
Alvin Toffler says we live in what he calls a throw away world, a throw away society. In other words, things were made to use temporarily and then be discarded. We use something for a while and then toss it. Very few things were made to last any more because we're in a constantly changing world.

Is there anything permanent in life? Yes, there is.
Hebrews 13:8 - "Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.”

There is something on which you can build your life in the midst of an uncertain future – The Love of God. Because God’s love for you will never change.

No matter what happens, no matter what you do, no matter how you feel, God's love for you will never change. You say, "No matter even if I do the wrong thing?" Right. Why? Because His love is not based on what you deserve. His love is based on His grace. He loves you, not because you live up to His standards. He loves you because He's chosen to love you. That's grace. God loves you just as much on your bad days as He does on your good days. He loves you just as much when you don't feel it as when you do feel it. The thing that you can build your life on is that God's love will never, never, never change.

Jeremiah 31:3 - "I have loved you with an everlasting love.”

It is permanent, so you can build your life on it. God's love for you will never change.

Romans 8:35 - "Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword?”

Romans 8:37 - “ No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death nor life nor angels nor demons nor things present, nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything in all creation will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

That is permanent!!!

Alvin Toffler who wrote “Future Shock” says that in a time of change people need what he called "spots of security". When the winds of change are blowing everything away, and everything's being uprooted, we need little rocks, islands, spots of security, that we can hold onto, that we know are not going to move, so we're not blown away by the changes that occur.
The first spot of security that you can hold onto is the love of God.

Do you feel sometimes that you just can't handle the pressure? Do you feel like the changes are coming too quickly, too fast, too great and maybe you feel like you're going to cave in and collapse because of the pressure and stress. Maybe you feel lonely, isolated or rejected. Remember this: God loves you. He always has. He always will. Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today and forever. That is a rock of stability that you can hold onto. If you anchor your life into the rock of God's love, nothing can devastate you because it gives you stability in life.

How do you cope with change? Remember the things that count, the things that last, that cannot be taken from you. You can't get security in a bank balance thinking, "If I just get enough money, then I'll be financially independent and then I'll be secure." You cannot put your security in something that can be taken away from you. You can lose your income overnight. You could get wiped out with a cancer, a catastrophe, a stock market crash, anything. If you want security, put it in something that cannot be taken away from you. The love of God cannot be taken away from you. He says, I will care for you... I will never leave you or forsake you... he says, "Lo, I am with you always.” The love of God will never change - His love for you.

Gallery of Real Life Church Jeffreys Bay

You Are Valuable

Too often we base our self-worth on what the world thinks is valuable. The world thinks that money is the measure of value, and if we don’t have it in great amounts, we feel bad about ourselves. Physical beauty and good looks have just about become a religion in itself, and those of us who don’t have it feel no value in a society that judges by the looks on the outside. In this age of technology, IQ is often used to decide who will be honored, and who will be regarded as a handicap.

Let’s face it: It’s difficult for most of us to measure up. In every area of life there is a constant pressure on us to have to perform! And the more we focus on the world’s standards and values, the more miserable we feel about ourselves.

But here’s some good news for YOU today!!! God has a different system. And if your faith is in Him, you can find some relief right now. God talks about the worth of an individual. His words are really good news to those of us who will never be fashion models, participate in the Olympic Games, become billionaires (although I’ll never give up hoping on this one!), or receive awards from the president.

Christ told his followers not to be afraid of those who attack a person physically, because the attackers cannot touch h a person’s soul. He explained that even though a little bird might be sold for 2c, not one bird can fall to the ground without God knowing it. “So don’t be afraid,” he said, “you are worth more than many little birds” (Matthew 10:31). The Greek word translated “you are worth more” is from the verb diaphero, which literally means “to excel, to be highly valued.”

Now think about this: If God knows the destinies of every single little bird (even though it’s worth no more than 2c), and He cares for every one of them, we can feel pretty good about ourselves, knowing He cares much more about us. If our sense of self-worth comes from God, we don’t have to worry what the world thinks of us or does to us. The fact that God sent His Son to die for you, should be an overwhelming confirmation and affirmation of your worth!

The problem comes when we start comparing ourselves by the world’s standards and rely on our own efforts to measure up. Stay focused on God and the value He has given you – you have been made in His image, and you have been reconciled to Him by the wonderful blood of Jesus.

In the Creator’s value system, you never, ever, have to feel disappointed if you can’t measure up to the world’s expectations. You are valuable! So go ahead, sigh that great sigh of relief right now. Relax, and allow yourself to feel good abut yourself.

Let Go!!!

Let go of your fear. It says 365 times in the Bible - "Fear not." That's one for every day of the year. Let go. Cast all your care on God. Say, “Lord, this is too heavy a burden. I can't handle it. I'm too afraid." Let go of your fear.

How do you let go of your fear? There's only one way. Recognize and remind yourself that God is in control. That's the only way you will ever let go of a fear. Recognize and remind yourself that God is in control. Then you can relax a little bit.

Exodus 14:1 - "Then the Lord said to Moses, `Tell the Israelites to turn back and encamp near Pi Hahiroth between Migdol and the sea. They are to encamp by the sea.”

Who told the children of Israel to camp in a cul-de-sac? There was no exit! The Red Sea was ahead of them, mountains and deserts flanked them, and the Egyptians were chasing them. They had reason to be afraid!!!
But God told them to go there. Not Moses. God led them there. He put them in an impossible situation with mountains on two sides and an ocean ahead and the Egyptians coming.
Sometimes God sets you up for a miracle. He sets you up by pushing you. "I don't know how I'm ever going to get out of debt! This is a total mess. There is no way it can work out." You have a Red Sea on your hands.

Remind yourself that God has led you there and the safest place to be is in the centre of God's will.

So what's the lesson? When God guides, God provides!

It was a test of faith on behalf of the Israelites. Are you facing a personal Red Sea today? My word to you then is "congratulations!"
God can do something significant in your life. Let go of fear because you know if you're trying to the best of your ability (not perfectly), live for the Lord, God has allowed these things. Nothing can happen in my life without the heavenly Father's permission. I am a child of His, so He's watching out for me.

God is in control!!! Therefore I don't need to be afraid because where God guides, God provides. If you're in an impossible situation, you're probably right in the middle of the will of God. He's setting you up for a miracle. So let go! Let go of your fear.

The Story of Grace

1 John 2:1-2 – “I write this, dear children, to guide you out of sin. But if anyone does sin, we have a Priest-Friend in the presence of the Father: Jesus Christ, righteous Jesus.
When he served as a sacrifice for our sins, he solved the sin problem for good - not only ours, but the whole world's.”

The unconditional, all-encompassing grace of God is not an excuse for us to sin. The reality is that sin carries a price tag. Not with God – He does not condemn us or punish us for our sins. Jesus carried that judgment and punishment in full. But sin does have consequences, and they are often painful.

However, the reality is that we all sin and fail. The Bible says that if anyone says he has no sin, he is a liar and he deceives himself. Now the devil has twisted the truth, and people confuse the consequences of sin with the punishment of God. Settle this issue for once and for all – God does NOT punish sin. Since the sacrifice of Jesus on the cross, sin does not separate us from God.

But I still meet people all the time who are living in deep condemnation because of past failures. These people feel unworthy to ask God to help them dealing with the consequences of their failures, because they feel they have disappointed God too deeply and too often. Perhaps you are at a place where you’re about to quit on God. You feel that somehow you’re worse than other people, and your sins are greater and more regular than anyone else.

You need to good dose of the love and grace of God. Perhaps you will find it in this beautiful story;

Fiorella LaGuardia was the mayor of New York during the worst days of the Great Depression and all of World War II. He was adored by the citizens of New York – a colorful character who used to ride the New York fire trucks, carried out raids with the police department, and would take entire orphanages to baseball games.

One bitterly cold night in January of 1935, the mayor turned up at a night court that served the poorest ward of the city. LaGuardia dismissed the judge for the evening and took over the bench himself. Within a few moments, a tattered old woman was brought before him, charged with stealing a loaf of bread. She told LaGuardia that her daughter’s husband had deserted her, her daughter was sick, and her two grandchildren were starving. But the shopkeeper, from whom the bread was stolen, refused to drop the charges. “It’s a bad neighborhood, you Honor,” the man told the mayor. “She’s got to be punished to teach other people around here a lesson.”

LaGuardia sighed. He turned to the woman and said, “I’ve got to punish you. The law makes no exceptions – ten dollars or ten days in jail.” But even as he pronounced sentence, the mayor was already reaching into his pocket. He extracted a bill and tossed it on the bench saying: “Here is the ten dollar fine which I now remit; and furthermore I am going to fine everyone in this courtroom fifty cents for living in a town where a person has to steal bread so that her grandchildren can eat. Mr. Bailiff, collect the fines and give them to the defendant.”

So the following day the New York City newspapers reported that $47.50 was turned over to a bewildered old lady who had stolen a loaf of bread to feed her starving grandchildren, fifty cents of that amount being contributed by the red-faced grocery store owner, while some seventy petty criminals, people with traffic violations, and New York City policemen, each of whom had just paid fifty cents for the privilege of doing so, gave the mayor a standing ovation.

What an extraordinary demonstration of grace. You know what – we, with all of heaven can stand and give the greatest author of grace a standing ovation – for solving our sin problem for once and for all.

Here’s the issue: Your sins and failures are no longer a barrier between you and God. People who say that God is judging the world, or judging people, have absolutely no concept of the real story of the Bible. It’s the story of grace! And it’s your story. It is my story. Have you been running away from your Father, instead of running to Him, afraid of His judgment? Fear no more! Turn around, and run home today. He's waiting - waiting for you!

No Religion Just Jesus - Part 1

A Healthy faith has to be based in reality! Unfortunately, most Christians are caught up in a system that is far removed from reality, and is by definition unhealthy.

Morpheus, in the movie “The Matrix” said, “What you know you can’t explain, but you feel it. You’ve felt it your entire life, that there’s something wrong with the world. You don’t know what it is, but it’s there, like a splinter in your mind, driving you mad.”

Every person alive has a vacuum that needs to be filled by God. In our search to have it filled, we have been sold a style of Christianity/religion, which at best, is a very poor substitute for the genuine article – the grace of God. Somehow the church in general today is more interested in looking good than being a place for sick people. Now because the church places a huge emphasis on looking good, people are silently discouraged from ever revealing the true state of their hearts. Consequently people are and remain sick in their hearts. Marriages are screwed up, depression is rampant, and we struggle with secret sins. We can never admit any of this stuff, because “it doesn’t make the church look good.”

David said in Psalm 23:4, “Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me.” That is the expression and expectation of a healthy faith. Not only that God is with us, but that there are some dark, deadly shadowed places in this old world of ours. The valley of the shadow of death exists in our lives! I have seen it and so have you. It exists because we live in a fallen world. A healthy faith, that is honest about these valleys and the condition of our hearts, will get you through the dark times. An unhealthy faith pretends the valleys don’t even exist!

The same David also wrote in Psalm 40:12, “For troubles without number surround me; my sins have overtaken me, and I cannot see. They are more than the hairs of my head, and my heart fails within me.”

In many churches today that would be considered a bad and negative statement. And would probably result in a sharp rebuke. Confessions like that don’t make churches look good.

So what!?

Jesus categorically stated; "It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners."

In my book, David's confession was the expression of a healthy faith. It was the start to the healing of his hearts condition (which wasn’t pretty). In the same Psalm he says, “He lifted me out of the slimy pit, out of the mud and the mire; He set my feet on a rock and gave me a firm place to stand.”

You can only get well when you can admit to God and to yourself that all is not well! Then God can start the process of placing you on a rock and giving you a firm place to stand. But as long as we stay caught up in the show of religion – looking good – we fool ourselves. A friend of mine commented on my post last week and referred to it as “cosmetic Christianity.”
A healthy faith embraces who we are, what we are and where we are. Then it trusts a good, loving, God of grace, to involve himself in my frail humanity, and to fix what I am unable to fix.

Last Sunday, a member of our church stood up during testimony time, and started by saying “I have had a sh*t week!”

Ok, probably not the best language, nevertheless, a delight to my ears. Not because I encourage bad language, but because I’m starting to see men and women get real with themselves, God and each other. You see, the black and white of the issue is that we must either deny our vulnerability or deal with it.

So, my friends, embrace the fact that you are a person who must live by grace through faith every day of your life. Remind yourself that God already knows the condition of your heart, so you might as well get real with him and yourself.

I’m kind of fed up with religion that looks so impressive on the outside, but leaves people sick and weary on the inside. So if you’re feeling disillusioned today because you’ve been sold a form of faith that is actually quite empty, you’re not alone! Your pain is shared by many who have to try to somehow reconcile tragedy and reality with “look good” religion. Your disappointments with God only increase your pain.

Please allow Jesus to use your pain, failures and even sin, to bring you closer to himself. They are NOT a barrier to God. They are in fact a bridge!

John 16:33 – “I have told you all this so that you will have peace of heart and mind. Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows; but cheer up, for I have overcome the world.”

The Victorious Limp

This week I kind of feel like a failure.

Most of the testimonies about a victorious Christian life do not match my own experiences. I hear about people giving their lives to Jesus, and their marriages become orgasmic bliss. A young girl becomes a Christian, and a few weeks later she becomes Miss South Africa. Pimples disappear, and jobless people become millionaires. People are healed of incurable diseases and the Blue Bulls become Currie Cup champions.

I struggle to relate!!!

Yet, when I read the New Testament, I get a different picture. Jesus on the cross. The New Testament image of victory is better described as a victorious limp. Jesus was not victorious because he never flinched, talked back or questioned. But, having flinched, talked back and questioned, he remained faithful.

Get this: What makes a good disciple is not a person who has visions and seventh heaven experiences, understands the mysteries of the second coming or overcomes every obstacle with a broad smile and a skip in their step. It’s the man or woman who has a capacity for honesty and faithfulness.

It’s the person who can admit to themselves that they have been bent by the winds of failure, been battered by their own disorganized emotions, have stumbled and regularly fallen, experienced lapses and relapses, gotten handcuffed to their own lusts and temptations, and wandered off to a far away country. Yet, they keep coming back to Jesus.

After life has left its scars, they can claim, “I am still a ragamuffin, but I’m different.” And they’re right. Where sin abounded, grace has more abounded.

In Hebrews 11, which is often called the gallery of faith heroes, I am confronted by a sobering, yet very comforting truth. Man, what would I not give to be named alongside such spiritual giants. These are the men and women that God chose to give special mention to. Yet, the reality is that Abraham was a liar, David an adulterer and a murderer, Rahab was a whore, Jacob was a cheat, Samson a womaniser and Gideon a coward. That’s what I’m talking about when I refer to the victorious limp!

And then finally I’m brought to the failure of Peter. Peter, the rock, who turned out to be a pile of sand. Jesus told him that before a cock crowed, he would have denied him three times. Of course Peter didn’t believe him He replied “Even if I have to die with you, I will never disown you.” In his mind he possessed all the necessary loyalty, strength and faithfulness to be a good disciple. He made the same mistake we all make. He assumed his relationship with Jesus was dependent on his ability to produce the qualities that he thought would earn him the Lord’s approval.
But, after he had indeed failed his Lord, just as Jesus had predicted, he would remember his failure as the moment of the triumph of grace over failure and Christ’s conquering love. Instead of a shrug, sneer, slap or curse, Jesus responded in the kindest and most gracious way imaginable. He named Peter the leader of the faith community and entrusted to him the authority to preach the Good News to the poor in spirit.

This is the victorious limp I speak of. Sinners, regarded as heroes, not because they’re fantastic people, but because of grace.

In John 1:1 we read that the Word was made flesh and he lived among us. This is Jesus saying to you and me, “Yes, the Word was made flesh. I chose to enter your broken world and limp through life with you.”
One day, when we arrive at the great cabin in the sky, many of us will be bloodied, battered, bruised, and limping. But, by God and through Jesus Christ, there will be a “welcome home” sign on the door.

It was Winston Churchill who said, “Success is never final; failure is never fatal. It courage that counts.”

So, to end where I started; I kind of feel like a failure this week. But whilst I’m pretty big on failure, I am bigger on courage. I am nothing more than a ragamuffin! But I am a ragamuffin with extraordinary courage, and next week I will be back to write, having failed, bruised and still struggling. But, I will be back – with my victorious limp!

He Leads Me Beside the Still Waters

Sometime I feel that I’m not a very strong Christian! My faith is fickle and unstable. When thins go well, I feel able to conquer the whole world. When life gets difficult, I wonder if I’m even going to manage to survive the day. Can you identify? I suspect most people can.

Lately my focus has been drawn to Psalm 23, and I’ve discovered some very encouraging truths. None more encouraging that verse 2 – “He leads me beside the still waters.”

Sheep are very timid creatures – something like myself! I’ve read that sheep are especially afraid of fast moving water. I also get afraid when life moves too swiftly for my comfort!
Sheep should be afraid of water. Because of their heavy coat of wool, the water would soak into it, making it heavy, and the sheep would easily drown. But the shepherd doesn’t laugh at the sheep’s fears. He doesn’t even try to force the sheep. Instead, as he leads the sheep through valleys and mountains, he is constantly looking for still waters, where the sheep can be comfortable and quench their thirst. If he cannot find still waters, when the sheep are sleeping and resting, he will gather stones and make a small dam in a stream where even the smallest lamb can drink from without any fear.

So here is the deal: God knows my limitations, my fears and my lack of faith. And he doesn’t condemn me because I have weaknesses. He doesn't force me to go where I can’t be safe. He never demands work from me that is beyond my strength and abilities.

Instead, He is constantly looking after my needs. He understands the loads I carry. And He also knows where the places of relief are located.
It gives me so much confidence to know that even while I am sleeping, the Shepherd is working to prepare for my needs of tomorrow.

Psalm 121:3-4 – “The LORD is your protector, and he won't go to sleep or let you stumble. The protector of Israel doesn't doze or ever get drowsy.”

Here is a practical exercise for you when you start getting stressed: Close your eyes, and get a picture of still waters. Maybe a small dam, tucked away between tall beautiful trees, in the mountains. Perhaps it’s a small stream, gently running down a hill, with green grass at its sides. Perhaps you’re on a beautiful, quiet beach, where the ocean is calm, lapping gently at your feet. When the picture becomes clear in your mind, start repeating and believing; “He leads me beside the still waters.” But don’t just say it. Believe it!!! And keep saying and believing it until it starts becoming a reality to you.

This will help you, when the heat of the day is on, to know that there is refreshing and relaxing power available to you, that comes from our Great Shepherd.
This morning I was paging trough a hymn book – looking for an appropriate song for a family who were preparing for a funeral of a loved one. I stumbled across these words, and I instantly knew that they were meant for you;

“God will take care of you
through all the day
Shielding your footsteps,
directing your way
He is your Shepherd,
Protector and Guide,
Leading His children where
still waters glide.”

I know this is the feeling David had when he wrote the Twenty-Third Psalm. And I know that as these words saturate your mind, it will give you that same assurance too.

Hope

Today is the day that we get to hear what we’ll be paying for electricity – the new tariffs could be an increase of as much as 54%. On Monday the Leader of the ANC Youth League told a gathering that if the President of the ANC is charged with corruption (guilty or not), the youth of this land must take up arms to “enforce the revolution.” Interest rates were hiked by another 50 basis points last weeks. Robert Mugabe has said that he will not accept the outcome of the Zimbabwe presidential elections if he loses, and is prepared to go to war to protect his position. Our South African counterpart doesn’t seem to have the balls to take a stand on the issue. Fuel will increase again next month.

It seems as if we’re spiralling into an ever increasing darkness of hopelessness.
It seems that the country is shell-shocked, unsure or unable to respond articulately to the crisis. Yet, every single day I hear masses of people silently crying out, “Give us some hope! Give me some good news. I need some hope!”

I wish I had a bigger stage from which I could proclaim: “THERE IS GOOD NEWS! THERE IS HOPE!”

Promises have been made before, and promises have been broken. So you will have good reason to doubt my claim of good news. Except, it’s not my claim. It’s a claim made by the one person in history who has never broken a promise – is unable to break a promise.
Did you read the scripture I put on the cover?
Psalm 42:11 – “Why am I so sad? Why am I so troubled? I will put my hope in God, and once again I will praise him, my saviour and my God.”
Come with me, and let’s check out the good news God promises.
In Psalm 23:1 David says “The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not be in want.”
You need to understand the context of this statement. The sheep never worry about the next day. The simply trust the shepherd to supply their every need. They somehow understand that the shepherd is in control. When was the last time you saw of flock of rebel sheep in a trade union meeting discussing a strike, or demanding a wage increase, because the future looked bleak and they were unsure of the shepherds ability to provide???

Friend, I need you to know that God created provision even before a need existed!
Matthew 6:8 – “Your Father knows exactly what you need even before you ask him!”

I cannot but place my hope in what God has promised. If I don’t put my hope in God’s promises, then where can I put my hope? My bank manager? Politicians? The international community? A rich, unknown uncle who may leave me his millions? Somehow, I don’t think so.
So, I choose to put my hope in God, who has also promised,
Philippians 4:19 – “My God will richly fill your every need in a glorious way through Christ Jesus.”
I can’t speak for you, but my hope is firmly planted in what God has promised. Quite frankly, that doesn’t only seem to be my best hope, but my only hope!
Now, I can’t promise that in these times of difficulty, you may not have to sell your house or car in order to downscale, or have to cut back in many other areas, but I can promise that when all is said and done, you will look back and see that God never deserted you.

He never abandoned or left you. But all the way through He remained faithful. When times get tough and difficult, be assured, He is there, sorting out EVERYTHING to work in your favour. If may not seem like it at the time. But it will. It always does!
Psalm 37:25 – “I once was young, now I'm a greybeard - not once have I seen an abandoned believer, or his kids out roaming the streets.”

This is a time to be bold, strong, and courageous, my friends! This is a time for you and I to be bearers of good news and hope to the multitudes who are crying for it. DO NOT be a participant in BAD NEWS stories! Simply steer people’s hope in the right direction. It’s going to make you feel pretty good for having made a difference.

In Praise of Fathers

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The Pursuit of Happiness

In the Sunday Times this week was a fascinating article on Narcissism. (Self-absorption, vanity, egotism, selfishness, conceit, self-importance). It seems the world in general is obsessed with self-absorption.

Confession time: This morning I had a ‘discussion’ with my wife Tammy. Well, perhaps it was more than a mere discussion – possibly a mild disagreement. No…actually it was an argument. A narcissistic argument! Meaning I was absorbed with self-importance and selfishness. Luckily she gently helped me see it for what it was – a narcissistic attitude, and after some sulking, but more importantly, self-examination and an acceptance that I was acting selfishly, peace has been restored to the marriage!

The issue is this: We all want happiness! And it seems we will pretty much do whatever it takes to make me happy. Whether it is pursuing goals and goods, or whether it is stepping all over people around me to achieve my little world of bliss. But I want to be happy! If I happen to make you unhappy in my pursuit of happiness, well, that’s a shame, but it can’t be helped. Or can it? Have we possibly gone about the chase after happiness all wrong?

In the book, ‘Quiet Desperation: the Truth about Successful Men in America’, the psychologist surveyed successful men all across America and discovered that successful men are no happier than unsuccessful men.

I read an article about Patrick Swayze, the actor. You'd think he'd have every reason to be happy. He's had one blockbuster hit after another at the movies, he's rich, handsome, adored by millions. Yet he said, "It's true that this is what I've always dreamed of. But once I got here I wondered why my life felt so empty. I'm not satisfied with what I've got and I have no body to complain to."

Then there was an article on Freddy Mercury, the lead singer of Queen, possibly the first rock super star to die of AIDS. At the height of his career he wrote these words: "What is there left for me to do in this life? Did I achieve what I set in my sights? Am I a happy man or is this sinking sand? Was it worth it?"

Matthew 6:3 - "How happy are those who know their need is for God."

The first step toward happiness is to recognize what your real hunger is. The ache in your heart, what's missing is God! If anything but God is at the center of your life, you will not be satisfied. The Bible says God made you as a spiritual being. You're not just a piece of flesh. Pascal says, God created a God shaped vacuum in your heart. When you try to fill that emptiness with anything but God it's like trying to put a square in a round hole. It doesn't fit. What you're really searching for in all of your search for happiness, is God. When He's not the center of your life you are unsatisfied. Augustine said, "Thou, O Lord, hast made us for Thyself and our hearts are restless until they find themselves in Thee."

You were made to know God and your greatest need is to know Him. The sooner you figure that out the easier your life is going to be. Then you stop trying to find replacements, plastic substitutes for the real thing. You get to know God.

Getting to know God results in me understanding that it is God and God alone that meets my needs.

Don't expect your spouse to meet all your needs, or your boss, or anyone. If you expect somebody else to meet all your needs you're going to be disappointed. God says, “Expect Me to meet your needs.”

Rather than frantically grabbing all you can get, relax God will take care of your needs. The whole world belongs to God. If you are His child, they will belong to you. Learn to become a giver and not a taker. Trust God and expect Him to meet all your needs.

Ecclesiastes 2 shows the futility of trying to be happy without God in your life over the long term. The first 11 verses of Ecclesiastes 2 uses "my", "mine", "myself", or "I" 34 times. He talks about my success, my happiness, my health, my harem, my money, my pleasure, my education, my success. It's incredibly self-centered. Self centered people are never happy. Why? If you achieve all that you could ever wanted or ask for, you still have to live with yourself - and when you're self-centered you're no fun to live with. You're miserable. Learn to trust God and don't be so self-centered.

It is not by accident that the baby boom generation -- the Me Generation or the Me First Generation -- is the most self absorbed generation in history. And they are also the most dissatisfied generation in history. Self-centeredness, depression. and a lack of fulfillment.
So here it is – the way to find happiness: Get to know how good God is, and then trust God to give you all you need for your life. That is where happiness begins.

Life is What YOU Make It!

I’m proposing a new sport for the Beijing Olympic Games. Most of us would qualify with ease. It's not new really. It's as old as Adam and Eve because they were very skilled at it. Some of you are skilled at it. It would be a great Olympic game and therefore a lot of competition. I would call this game Passing the Buck, also known as Dodging a Responsibility or Shifting the Blame. The goal of the game is to eliminate all personal responsibility by accusing everybody else for your problems. A lot of people would be able to play but it would probably be boring - politicians would always win.
I know that life is difficult! And I know that life is sometime grossly unfair. I am aware of the fact that life will many times throw you a curve ball. But one thing I also know: Your life will always be what you make it! The sad reality is that we have become experts at blaming everyone else for our problems in life, and have used it as a cop-out for taking responsibility for making our lives good.
There are the people who have an excuse for everything. They can justify any mistake, any lack of responsibility. They can rationalize any failure. They're always making excuses. They say, "That's just the way I am... I've always been that way." That's the ultimate cop out if you don't want to grow.

Jesus talks about this kind of person in Luke 14. v. 16 "Jesus replied, `A certain man was preparing a great banquet and he had invited many guests. At the time of that banquet he sent his servant to tell those who had been invited to come for everything is now ready. But, they all began to make excuses. The first one said, "I've just bought a field and I must go see it. Please excuse me."' [Isn't that a great excuse? You've been invited to a party and you have a piece of land and say, I've got to go look at it. Couldn't it have waited? Was the land going to do anything?] `Another said, "I have bought five yoke of oxen. I'm on my way to try them out. Please excuse me." Still another came and said, "I just got married so I can't come."'“
Benjamin Franklin said, "People who are usually good at making excuses are seldom good for anything else." I think it was George Washington Carver who said, "Ninety-nine percent of all failures are caused by those who make excuses." They spend all their time making excuses so they don't have the energy and the creativity to do something right.
It's interesting to me that the three most influential men of the last 100 years created gigantic excuses for people -- Darwin, Marx, Freud. Darwin said, "Don't feel bad about it. Don't accept personal responsibility.

You're just a victim of your creation. Blame evolution." Marx came along and said, "No, you're just a victim of your circumstances. Economics." Freud came along and said, "You're a victim of your conditioning. Blame your environment." They had all excuses for reasons you couldn't accept responsibility.
The fact is, we are influenced by a lot of factors. But the more you shrink from personal responsibility, the smaller you become. An unhealthy person moves away from accepting responsibility for his own life.
I think the greatest champion in the Olympics so far is a guy named Jeff Blacknik. He won the Greco-Roman wrestling. The amazing thing about Jeff Blacknik is that two years prior to winning gold, this man had Hodgkin's disease. He was dying of cancer, in the hospital, having surgery for Hodgkin's disease. Two years later he won the Gold Medal in wrestling.
Champions refuse to be controlled by circumstances. A winner never makes excuses for his life. He is not manipulated by his creation, his genes or his circumstances, his conditioning. The world's full of examples of people who overcame bad circumstances and made something of themselves because th
The greatest limitation on your ability is your attitude. The Romanian coach who defected a few years ago, who's became the coach for American's women's gymnastics, was asked on TV, "How can you tell a champion?" He said, "I don't look at muscles. I look at their eyes. The eyes tell me what's inside. It's their attitude. I can always develop muscles, but if the attitude is not there, they're not a champion."
A winner will never be an excuser - I just didn't have the right day. Excusers are really just losers.
So, be encouraged this week, my friends. Jesus said that the Spirit in you is far greater than anything in the world. That means that regardless of what life throws your way, you CAN and WILL overcome it. It’s simply a choice you have to make – a choice to believe what Jesus said, and a choice to refuse to allow your circumstances to get the better of you. Be strong!!!
ey refused to be excusers.

Suffer the Children...

Children of War

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Exploring the devestating effects of war on the lives of children


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An Inspiration to Excellence

The Pursuit of Excellence

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A motivational presentation towards excellence


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A Must Read for all Families

The Seven Habits of Highly Effective Families

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by Steven R. Covey


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20Minutes of Music & Slides for Meditation

Spirit

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20 Minutes of beautiful music and slides for meditation and relaxation


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Music & Slides For Meditation

Music & Slides for Meditation

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The Ragamuffin Church - Part 4

We Don’t Do it for Show

It is human nature to want to look good for others. It seems to me that some Christian leaders and organizations (just like some politicians and political parties) seemed totally obsessed with image.

Notice what Jesus had to say about this:

Matthew 23:5-7 - Their lives are perpetual fashion shows, embroidered prayer shawls one day and flowery prayers the next. They love to sit at the head table at church dinners, basking in the most prominent positions, preening in the radiance of public flattery, receiving honorary degrees, and getting called 'Doctor' and 'Reverend.'

Matthew 23:25-28 - "You're hopeless, you religion scholars and Pharisees! Frauds! You burnish the surface of your cups and bowls so they sparkle in the sun, while the insides are maggoty with your greed and gluttony. Stupid Pharisee! Scour the insides, and then the gleaming surface will mean something. "You're hopeless, you religion scholars and Pharisees! Frauds! You're like manicured grave plots, grass clipped and the flowers bright, but six feet down it's all rotting bones and worm-eaten flesh. People look at you and think you're saints, but beneath the skin you're total frauds.

It seems to me there are various ways the church has made an art of trying to look good. I want to list just a few of them;

1. Denial

People in church are discouraged from ever being too real. And this starts at the top. When preachers preach, you will very seldom hear them speaking of their own struggles and failures in their personal lives, marriages, as parents or dark temptations. If they ever do refer to any of these, it’s almost always in the past tense, with the emphasis on how THEY gained victory.
The result is that the “ordinary” people in the church soon get the unspoken message that there is no place or time to disclose their own sins and failures. So they never get ministry for their pain. (And there’s a helluva lot of hidden pain in the church!)
So, a couple who’s marriage is in trouble, will rather hide their torment in an effort to look good. Now they’re cut off from human comfort and spiritual resources and their marriage slides ever closer to destruction.
Paul says in Galatians 6:2 that we should “carry each other’s burdens”, and in so doing will be fulfilling the law of Christ. But when deny our burdens for the sake of looking good, they can never be carried by others.

2. Don’t Talk

Church members are regularly told either directly or indirectly: “Don’t talk!”
Again, this implies that certain things should never be revealed because it might result in the group looking bad. When church members are forbidden to talk about matters such as leadership decisions or how money gets spent, it encourages gossip. Because people cannot voice their opinions in a legitimate way, they resort to speaking to others in a hidden, negative and destructive manner.
In a church communication should flow freely. If it doesn’t it becomes an outright denial of Christian fellowship. People should have access to each other’s opinions and concerns. An inability to tolerate freedom of expression, honest questions and straight talk is a hallmark of an abusive system.

3. A Call to Unity

I have realized that many (if not most) times when leaders in a church call for “unity”, it just an effort to control things. Gene Edwards says, “Beware the leader bearing an inordinate dose of unity.”
No one ever wants to be accused of causing disunity in the church, but in reality it’s often just a ploy to bully people into submission in the name of unity.
So the issue is this: Is it Christian unity we’re looking for, or unchristian uniformity. Because unity and uniformity are not the same thing! If the call for unity includes people keeping quiet and unquestioningly towing the line, then it is not true Christian unity.

4. Phylacteries, Big Bibles and Special Voices

The Pharisees were big on doing things for the show. Check what Jesus said about it;

Matthew 23:5 - "Everything they do is done for men to see: They make their phylacteries wide and the tassels on their garments long.”

The phylactery was a little box that contained a portion of scripture, which the Pharisess fastened to their foreheads in order to publicly demonstrate their devotion to the law. So symbols of devotion became more important than devotion iteslf. It seems not much has changed.
Today we don’t wear phylacteries, but we do have modern day equivelants. For some it might be an extra large black King James Version. For someone else it might be lacing sentences with “Praise the Lord, brother!” Or perhaps it’s the “preacher’s voice” that many ministers take on the moment the get into a pulpit. I suppose they feel it helps them to sound more like the voice of God. For some it’s the clothes they wear to church.
I’ve realized that when we put so much emphasis on looking good for Sunday morning church, and put so much emphasis on setting the standard in the doing of worship, there is usually emptiness and death on the inside.

Jesus said about it:

Matthew 23:25 - "Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You clean the outside of the cup and dish, but inside they are full of greed and self-indulgence.”

5. Places and Titles of Honour

Jesus pointed out that the Pharisees had a need for the most important seats in the synagogue. Now there’s nothing wrong with honouring one another, but the Pharisees demanded it. It makes me sick to my stomach when I see the prima-donna preachers today who demand honour – refusing to minister somewhere unless they get to fly first class, get paid a minimum fee, and have various other demands met. When I read Matthew 23 it seems that Jesus identifies people’s need to be great as being a source of false faith.
These Pharisees wanted to be greated as “rabbi”, which literally means “My great one.” In groups today “The great one” might be “Pastor” or “Senior Pastor”, or “Reverend”, “Bishop” or “Elder”.

Matthew 23:8-12 - "But you are not to be called 'Rabbi,' for you have only one Master and you are all brothers. And do not call anyone on earth 'father,' for you have one Father, and he is in heaven. Nor are you to be called 'teacher,' for you have one Teacher, the Christ. The greatest among you will be your servant. For whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted.”

Unless a title is used to merely indicate a function, it sets the titleholder apart from the common people, and as we know there is no class system in God’s Kingdom. I personally think that a leaders need for a title in order to enhance his or her authority, is in direct proportion to a lack of true authority.

The Ambition of a Servant

People who flaunt their devotion, promote their position and push for power are doing so out of insecurity. A confident person doesn’t need to show or prove anything. So Jesus says “The greatest among you will be your servant.” (Matt. 23:11). He’s not calling us to become doormats here, but describing the secure, God-affirmed leader.
A good leader can have ambition, and can have a high self-esteem. But he will use his ambition and self-worth to seek greater opportunities to serve. Not to be served. Jesus came to be the greatest servant of all.

John 13:3-5 - Jesus knew that the Father had put him in complete charge of everything, that he came from God and was on his way back to God. So he got up from the supper table, set aside his robe, and put on an apron. Then he poured water into a basin and began to wash the feet of the disciples, drying them with his apron.

We’re called to be like Jesus. We can be ambitious, and we can be successful. But our success will not be determined by how many people we control, but by how many people we can openly and honestly serve. You can’t wash someone’s feet when you’re standing on a pedestal.

I wept when I saw these...

Hillbrow 2 (drugs)

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In Praise of Mothers

In Praise of Mothers

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Beautiful pictures, poems and quotes affirming the mothers of the world


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The Ragamuffin Church - Part 3

Keeping Faith Rooted In Reality

There needs to be a balance between a healthy faith life and keeping things rooted in reality.

The fact is, as we have already established beyond any doubt, that we are all sinners saved by graced – nothing more than spiritual ragamuffins. And we should never lose sight of that. Because the moment we do, we put ourselves beyond grace (God’s unconditional favour), and that is a dangerous place to be in. The grace of God not only saves us from being eternally lost, but it also sustains us;
Ø It keeps us in relationship with God
Ø It gives us strength and wisdom for daily living
Ø It offers ongoing cleansing from sin and guilt
Ø It is the alpha and the omega of our faith
Ø It is the one thing that sets Christianity apart from every other faith.

When we abandon grace, we get into deadly legalism, which will ruin an authentic relationship with God. Stephen Aterburn says that, “When all you do is jump through hoops to try to get to God, it is easier to either give up or get weird trying to earn God’s favour.” The church today is littered with both.

Rebecca’s dad died when she was very young. Her mom struggled to keep food on the table, and had to work two jobs. When Rebecca was fourteen she started working too, to keep the family going. Her mom was a woman of faith, who trusted God to provide for her family. She prayed, and regularly attended church. Rebecca went to church with her mom, but it was something she did out of routine and respect for her mom. Somehow she couldn’t relate to the message that was preached at church. The pastor consistently preached a message that said when you became a Christian, there wouldn’t be any more problems. Life would become easy, and life would be full of miracles that took care of all needs. Faith in Christ was presented as an insurance policy against pain in the present. So Rebecca started to wonder, If God is so loving, and if he really cares so much, why isn’t He helping us? If there really is a God, why does He allow my mother to struggle so much?
Because the message didn’t match her real life experience, she abandoned the church and God and started looking to anything that would bring relief. It started with alcohol, then drugs, then sex, until she contracted an incurable disease.

Rebecca’s story is a common one. The expectation of an easy life has caused more people to run from church and God than any other wrong belief.

The message that accepting Christ causes all problems to vanish is not a balanced faith message. Faith in God didn’t help James who was killed with a sword by Herod, or John who was beheaded by Herod, or the missionary Jim Elliot who was killed by Auca Indians in Ecuador, or Cassie Bernall who was shot in the Columbine School massacre after she said, “Yes, I believe.”

Psalm 23:4 - Even if I go through the deepest darkness, I will not be afraid, Lord, for you are with me.

That’s the expression of a healthy and real faith. Not only that God’s presence will go with us, but that there will also be some dark, deadly shadowed places in our lives. They exist in my life and they exist in your life. Just this week I was comforting a family who had lost a loved one through a heart attack at the age of 35. The brother, tears running down his cheeks, said to me, “I just don’t understand why this stuff happens. Four years ago I buried my child, and now I’m going to bury my brother.” Indeed, we don’t understand why. But these things are a reality of our lives. A healthy faith gets us through these dark times. An unhealthy faith believes these things don’t happen to God’s children.

Look what else David wrote;

Psalm 40:12 - I am surrounded by many troubles - too many to count! My sins have caught up with me, and I can no longer see; they are more than the hairs of my head, and I have lost my courage.

That is a healthy expression of faith. Because it’s true. It’s real. It’s the way things are and David never had a problem saying it like it was. A healthy faith helps us embrace who we are, what we are, and where we are.

The issue is this (once again): We are sinners, fallen people, who live by grace 100% of the time. We have to embrace this fact. We have to embrace the fact that we are nothing more than ragamuffins. That’s the way it is. That’s the black and white of it. That is reality. And we must either deny our vulnerability or deal with it.

Discomfort is very real. Conflict is very real. Pain is very real. Disappointment is very real. An unhealthy faith will deny this dark side, and that creates an even greater conflict within us, that causes us to question our faith, our acceptance by God, and sometimes even our salvation! But in reality we all thrash around in slimy pits from time to time.

David said;

Psalm 103:13-14 - The LORD is like a father to his children, tender and compassionate…For he understands how weak we are; he knows we are only dust.

I know of some people who teach that a Christian can reach a level of spirituality where he no longer sins. Now that’s not only unbiblical, it’s just plain unrealistic. Reality means understanding and accepting the truth about who and what I am. John couldn’t have said it simpler;

1 John 1:8-10 - If we say we have no sin, we are only fooling ourselves and refusing to accept the truth. If we claim we have not sinned, we are calling God a liar and showing that his word has no place in our hearts.

Look carefully at what he’s saying: If we choose a path of self-deception and so doing deny what is obviously truth, we are actually calling God a liar! And when we do that we cut ourselves off from the grace of God – which is the very air by which we live.

The final kind of unhealthy/unreal faith I want to discuss is the concept that God causes EVERYTHING to happen. I can’t tell you how many times, next to the open gave of a loved one times I’ve heard people say, “God did this for a reason. I don’t know why He chose my loved one, but I guess He knows what He’s doing, and at least one day we’ll understand why.”
I need you to know that is an UNHEALTHY faith. Pain has enough problems of its own, without people having to try and figure out why God singled them out to inflict pain on their lives. It is true that God WILL USE every problem and pain to achieve good things in our lives, but God does not CAUSE bad things to happen. The problem with thinking that God is the author of pain is it causes people to see God as schizophrenic. Good to His children one day, but a grim joker who hurts them the next. Deep down this causes insecurity in people’s faith, and subconsciously at least they never know whether they can really trust God.

A good healthy faith accepts that pain and problems are simply part of the fallen world in which we live, and that not one of us are exempt. But when I get real about it, I am in a position to allow my pain to draw me closer to God. Pain does not become a barrier, but a bridge to God.

John 16:33 - “The world will make you suffer. But be brave! I have defeated the world!"

Quotes from The Ragamuffin Gospel

Great Quotes from the Ragamuffin Gospel

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A Selection of inspirational quotes taken from The Ragamuffin Gospel.


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The Ragamuffin Church - Part 2

The reality is that we are all fellow-strugglers - we’re just at different stages of the journey! We’re all ragamuffins saved by grace.

James 4:12 - God is the only lawgiver and judge. He alone can save and destroy. Who do you think you are, to judge someone else?

I read of a young man who had the job of laying a pipe line through a rural country area. Part of the pipeline had to be laid through a farmers land, and he wasn’t too keen on having this pipeline running through his lands, even though the necessary permission had been obtained. The farmer’s land was protected by an electric fence, and when the young man got there, he carefully checked to see the electricity had been switched off. He then carefully straddled electric fence to climb over, when out the corner of his eye he caught sight of the farmer running for the farmhouse. It never crossed his mind that the farmer was running for the electric switch! Needless to say, what followed was a shocking experience – with this young man caught straddling the fence in a very vulnerable position.

Many times the church is like that farmer running for the power switch. Instead of turning up the grace, we turn up the power and heat – especially if their weakness makes us look better.

Matthew 7:1-5 - DO NOT judge and criticize and condemn others, so that you may not be judged and criticized and condemned yourselves.
For just as you judge and criticize and condemn others, you will be judged and criticized and condemned, and in accordance with the measure you [use to] deal out to others, it will be dealt out again to you.
Why do you stare from without at the very small particle that is in your brother's eye but do not become aware of and consider the beam of timber that is in your own eye?
Or how can you say to your brother, Let me get the tiny particle out of your eye, when there is the beam of timber in your own eye?
You hypocrite, first get the beam of timber out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the tiny particle out of your brother's eye.

By the way, there is a difference between judging and disagreeing.

I hear people referring to gays as faggots or moffies. Now that’s personal. I’m not attacking the person’s view anymore – I’m attacking the person – his/her individuality. In a ragamuffin church there is no room for that! I know that we can NEVER all agree with each other on what we all believe in. I don’t expect us to! I don’t expect you to have to embrace a homosexual lifestyle, but we can disagree with what the other one believes, without making it personal.

The fact is that regardless of what someone thinks or believes, they are still valuable, unique creations of God, who have gifts that God wants to use. You have no right to undermine that value and gifting!

Jesus is a brilliant example of this: When he walked the earth, he encountered many different groups. But his eyes were always fixed on the individuals, never on what the group stood for. He refused to reject and label people. Instead he reached out to tax collectors, Samaritans, lepers, prostitutes, beggars and the rich.

Wherever you find Jesus, you would find a bunch of sinners. Sinners liked him and they felt comfortable around him and they felt the need to be near him. The more screwed-up somebody was, the more they liked Jesus. Everybody who was rejected by society felt comfortable when they were around Jesus.

I have to tell you that I wish people felt the same way about the church today. But the reality is that we are the last people sinners want to be around in this world. If you are really messed up, if you’re an evil-doer, you don’t want to be around church people!

Matthew Shepherd was a young man who was openly a homosexual. One day he was literally crucified against a fence. His family were obviously distraught. At his funeral, where the family were trying to grieve their loved one and find closure, some Christians gathered to declare; “This is God’s judgment on gays.”

Probably the best example we have in the Bible of God’s attitude to sinners and people who have really stuffed up is the story of The Prodigal son in Luke 15. The emphasis of this story does not fall on the errant ways of the son, but rather on the unconditional love and grace of the father. Here is a boy who makes a very conscious decision to go his own way and do his own thing. When he eventually comes to his senses, he decides to go home to his father, but feels unworthy and thinks that he will ask his father to take him on as a servant. When he arrives home, the amazing thing is that the father is WAITING for him, and the father runs out to meet him. The boy immediately starts apologizing. Now if I were that father, I would have let the boy grovel for a while! And then I would have laid down some very strict conditions for his return. I would have put him on “probation” to see if he had really repented and to make sure he wasn’t going to go back to his sinful ways. But not this father. The boy was still making his apology – but the father wasn’t listening! He was too busy telling the servants to bring his finest clothes to put on the boy (a beautiful picture of God taking our ragamuffin garments and replacing them with garments of beauty and righteousness when we don’t deserve it). The father tells the servants to prepare for a party, because a lost child has come back to his father.

Now God wants the church to reflect his attitude to wayward people. There needs to be a “house” somewhere, to which wayward children can return, without fear of rejection and condemnation. A place of unconditional love and grace.

The Ragamuffin Church - Part 1

“I contend there is a place for unique local congregations. Churches not based on any one camp’s values. Groups that discover their identity listening to the leading of the Holy Spirit, and evaluating the makeup of their unique communities.” - Ragamuffin

You broke the bonds

You loosened the chains

You carried the cross

And my shame

You know I believed it…

But I still haven’t found what I’m lookin’ for…
- (U2)

The debate surrounding the validity and effectiveness of the local church is one that rages on, and quite frankly confuses me. I’m confused because of my own conflicting emotions on the subject. Some of the very best times of my life have been in a local congregation, and some of the very worst times in my life have been experienced in a local congregation. So, based on my own history, and reading and listening to the widely conflicting views of so many people’s own experiences and opinions, where does one discover balance, and more importantly, truth?

What adds to my confusion is the apparent presupposition that you have to join a “camp” that you believe in – and then be prepared to be labelled as one its adherents. There’s the emerging church camp, the purpose driven church camp, the seeker sensitive church camp, the fundamentalist camp, the list goes on and on. Out of the bunch I probably identify most closely with the emerging church. But to be perfectly honest, I cannot identify with all that they stand for. In fact, I can’t identify fully with any of the camps. So where does that leave me? A vagabond schmuck out in the wilderness? Frankly, I don’t think many identify fully with any particular camps’ values and beliefs. For example, I might identify with 90% of a particular groups values, but when it comes to the gay and lesbian issue, we’re miles apart. Within the perimeters of their values, if I declared my church to be gay-friendly, I would become an instant outcast. But when I check out the websites of the self-declared gay friendly churches in our country, I find certain values that I cannot subscribe to. And not subscribing to those values would probably make me unwelcome there too.

So where do I go? What do I do? I have an inherent desire to “belong”. The fact is that I generally love the values of the emerging church. But there are some aspects of Rick Warren’s philosophies, and Max Lucado’s views, and Kobus van Rensburg’s opinions, and Joel Osteen’s style that I think SHOULD be incorporated into the local church. Particularly mine – knowing the needs, values, culture and history of the community in which I live. I LOVE the worship at Buckhead Church, but there’s something about the majestic worship at Robert Schuller’s Crystal Cathedral that hugely appeals to me, as much as Vineyard’s values concerning worship resonates with me.

I contend there is a place for unique local congregations. Churches not based on any one camp’s values. Groups that discover their identity listening to the leading of the Holy Spirit, and evaluating the makeup of their unique communities. What and who is their target group in that community? Then go for it and set your own values, working within the confines of your own conscience regarding remaining true to Scripture.

Mike Housholder, pastor of a Lutheran church once said in a sermon that the local church is a broken, often sinful entity – but at the same time, it’s also the very best answer for encountering the living presence of Christ on earth.

So yes, I DO think that the local expression of church is valid and still has a divine role to play in the world. With all it’s issues and politics, I do love the local church.

Over the next few weeks I’m going to explore several aspects of local church – sharing some of my own successes and failures, and sharing some of the insights I’ve discovered and found useful. I’ll also share some of the resources I’ve stumbled upon. Just maybe there is a ragamuffin out there that find a bit of inspiration and usefulness in my chronicles. I want to speak about attitudes, values, worship and whatever else is important to local church.

In keeping with the theme of my blog, I’m going to refer to it as The Ragamuffin Church. No, it’s not a NEW movement that I’m starting! It’s simply an exploration of how ordinary people (ragamuffins) in ordinary (ragamuffin) churches can explore their individuality, and become something that it valid, highly effective and relevant to many people.

I still believe in local church. It’s just its mechanics that confuse me. Ragamuffin Rambler quotes Nouwen – I think it’s apt for me to conclude with these wise words.

"The Church is an object of faith. In the Apostles' Creed we pray: "I believe in God, the Father ... in Jesus Christ, his only Son … in the Holy Spirit, the holy catholic Church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body and the life everlasting."We must believe in the Church! The Apostles' Creed does not say that the Church is an organization that helps us to believe in God, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. No, we are called to believe in the Church with the same faith we believe in God.Often it seems harder to believe in the Church than to believe in God. But whenever we separate our belief in God from our belief in the Church, we become unbelievers. God has given us the Church as the place where God becomes God-with-us." (Henri Nouwen, Bread for the Journey)

I’d love to hear some of your views on local church, and particularly some of your experiences in local church. Please let me know what has worked for you, and what you’ve discovered in your experiences of local church.