Practical Christianity 1: What comes first, chicken or egg, practicality or spirituality?

The way it works

The socio-political model of biblical Israel, passed through two main phases. There was a time when judges intervened, although they didn’t rule per se, and another time when kings ruled.

Undoubtedly, the latter was worse. Even at their best, the kings were imperfect and they ultimately led the nation to ruin and exile. God warned it would be so.

The upshot of the king model was that it rejected God.

The righteous state

Through the years I often heard somewhat naïve statements about how the world would only be a better place if it had a Christian government. That is unrealistic. In time yes, not now.

It led me to a controversial question: “Could our world or our society carry on indefinitely, if it functioned righteously?” 

No, I am not saying, “if it was Christian”. Our lessons of Jewish and church history disqualify the viability of a theocratic state, per se. Frankly the church needs to get its own house in order.

Thus to argue that only a Christian state is workable is as wrong as saying that any theocratic state would work and endure, which history invalidates. Besides, theocratic states, as in say the Sharia model, tend to be intolerant and repressive, rarely righteous. However, the secular state of Islamic Turkey has historically proven to a moral beacon in our world.

Let my people go

We would all like to believe that God orders everything that happens and is completely in control of every button and lever that sustains this universe, yet it is evidently not so.

It is as evident that He delegates authority and gives life and meaning to everything He makes.

The real dragon to beat in a dragon boat race, is the challenge of working together

I once watched the Oxford-Cambridge boat race. I have never seen athletes as exhausted by a race. They were absolutely broken by the sheer demands of the challenge, aggravated by the fact that for the entire course it was impossible for any one member to goof off or even lose rhythm - it was an all or nothing race, the price paid to even qualify for participation in the greatest eights' race in the world.

Well today I discovered why they were so tired. I, along with a number of my fellow church members, competed in a dragon boat race. It has pagan roots I suppose, but we just entered for the fun and fellowship. It was a relatively short course, yet the impact on arms and shoulders was amazing. Thanks to its resistence, it is very physically demanding to pull an oar through water, although I sense that the stroke used on a Dragon Boat is less natural than for a rowing eight. 

Oh there probably were other factors that influenced the outcome of the race, such as the relative efficiency of each boat, tactics and the draw, which is something of a wild card that influences the effort and outcome of each race. However, time and again, coaches said that by far the greatest success factor in a dragon boat race, and it is true of all boat racing, is the ability of a team to work together.

Trees shed leaves and Fiona fed Shrek, but I shred my tie and almost lost my neck

Interesting things do tend to happen to interesting people. Whether that describes me or not, only you can judge, but I sure have had some interesting moments.

I was recently reminded of a bizarre moment when I took a pile of documents to the office shredder. Most people preferred to simply dump their documents into a large waste bag, so that a worker could bulk shred everything later in the day, but I thought ... well actually maybe I didn't think at all, but I can't remember what I was thinking.

Its what I did that matters. I decided to quickly shred my own documents rather than entrust their confidential content to a worker. Unfortunately, that was in an age where the wearing of a tie at work was commonplace. I had just started shredding when my tie caught in the machine and moved up my tie so fast I only just had time to stop the machine before losing the tip of my nose.

God is preparing His people for war, His children for battle

This is a prophetic word for families.

The bible foretells a merging of ages, so that in heaven the old will be young again and the youth will be mature. But God is already shortening the days, so that you may endure what lies ahead. Forty day journeys will become 40 month or even 40 week journeys and maturity will come quicker because of the demands of the age. Blessed are the sons and daughters of the saints, for to them will be given wisdom beyond their years and character beyond their station, so that they can take their place alongside you without weighing the family down. As they acquire years, so you will lose yours, thus regaining vitality and strength.

First things first - the priorities of global society must exceed points scoring

What a mixed up world of confused agendas and misplaced priorities.

Brazilian President da Silva wants to ban spanking. How extensively he wants to apply the new rule, who knows? Hasn't the Brazilian gvernment got bigger fish to fry? Is this really such an issue for such an otherwise progressive and ordered society, given so many more serious issues.

I have friends who have taught in British public schools who report that the withdrawal of discipline has so seriously distorted normative behaviour that if a child swears at or threatens a teacher, benefits of doubt in any hearing will default to the child.

Social networking: Good or bad?

During a lunchbreak on the course I am currently facilitating, we got around to talking about social networking. At the table was a deputy headmaster, a CEO, some engineers and two consultants. We all agreed that the younger generation have adopted the new fad very well and the deputy head was quick to add that in his opinion the youngsters at his school, one of the top schools around, were anything but spoilt in terms of relationships and friendships.

That, notwithstanding, kids are becoming increasingly two-dimensional and relationally challenged. They may well find a steep challenge in the workplace - or else there may be other consequences for this generation, including a general state of denial.

Your treasure is where your heart is

I posed a question to a group of learners today - if money was no consideration, would they choose a small, reliable car over a jewel encrusted, precious watch? After some debate they agreed that the car probably would then have to take priority, given its surpassing utility value.

A bushman was taken into a big city and shown all the marvels of the modern world, but before returning to his arid wild place they asked him, "of all the things you have seen, what would you most like to take home with you?"

I have connections

Somehow I found that one person out there who was somehow better connected to a lot of other people I have known and loved along my life journeys. It was a wonderfully refreshing journey to then work that thread to see faces I had forgotten and read up on people I had lost touch with. Strange how life takes so much away from us through the years, but how delightful to find a way back again.

This all got me thinking that maybe there is a secret key to all relationships, which then brought me to the reality that through one man I am now part of a universal family, drawn from every tribe and nation.

Who are you?

Society is facing more moral dilemmas than ever. For ages homosexuality was a closet sin and so were many other social issues, but now it has become a social sin to suppress what was once frowned on. It is now more wrong to speak right, truth has become an opinion and society has opted for the ten suggestions.

We have a litany of social issues, but in decrying the symptoms have lost sight of the causes. Doctors may treat root cause, not symptoms, but more money can be made from symptomatic treatments. Rather than understand why we feel the way we do, we revert to placebos, pain killers, anti-depressants and so on.

About men: Fatherhood

This cartoon says it all on this Father's day 2010. A busy father was nagged by his son to go fishing. Eventually he could not put it off so he cleared a day in his diary and did it (I don't like fishing either, but I love being with my sons). Afterwards the father wrote in his diary, "worst day of my life". The boy subsequently died in an accident and the father had to tidy up his room, a process that stumbled on the boy's diary. As the father sat down to page through the book he came to the day when the two went fishing - the inscription said, "best day of my life".

The lesson in this story is for fathers to never underestimate their value to growing chidren. There is evidence that the sexual identity of boys and girls is derived from their fathers as is their concept of an angry, absent or loving God.

About men: Biblical manhood

I have often heard leaders defend a masculine model of manhood, arguing that a man must be sweaty and brawny. Why do we need to tidy up incongruencies by putting people into stereotypical boxes and why do we insist on selecting leaders based on impressions whilst God prefers to look into the unseen heart?

The fact is that like so like so many other, I am not that good at sport, nor am I brawny. My center of gravity is more in my heart and mind. I am a thinker and, like David, very reflective – a writer of poetry and books. I have also paid many prices for standing my ground on issues of consequence. Many other men who would pass the brawn and sweat test, yet still fail where it most counts – in their responsibilities to life and family.

Esau was a red, hairy, hard, masculine hunter-brother who regarded his thinker-reflector brother as a nerd. Jacob spent time at the feet of spiritual examples like his grandfather and mother, but Esau relied on his father’s misplaced approval. God loved Jacob and rejected Esau – because he respected his birthright, valued his past and was willing to fight for a noble cause. Rebekah, his mom, was cut from the same cloth and ultimately paid a great price for ensure that the blessing was entrusted to the more dependable son.

About men: the family shepherd

In a previous article I showed that Jacob, Abel, Moses, David and Abraham were all shepherds. They were not distinguished by their physical prowess or sweat capital. God despised those things that we so often associate with manhood: sweat, strength and initiative. He looked beyond those obvious externalities and sifted people to find men who could ably steward his kingdom.

God’s men all happened to have learnt about stewardship though shepherding. God used that to demonstrate the contrasts between them and the men he rejected in their favor. Thus Esau and Cain both leaned on their manly skills but failed to impress, whilst Jacob and Abel deferred to their pastoral skills to win the favor of God.

I have often heard men preach on “manliness” and have felt that in doing so they generally missed the point. Godly manhood certainly does not disdain strength (take Peter as an example). Rather it emphasizes pastoral values.

Root out the ants

The persistence of ants and the way they communicate with each other to target and attack food resources, is a good illustration of the persistent process that continually undermines our families and those we love. It will take concerted resistance and a sound strategy to push back those threats, but it always involves the mediation of prayer.

Click to read more ...

A miracle reunion

I found this delightful, true story about a couple that experiences a miraculous reunion. Its a great illustration of God's deft hand and care for even little things and their power to tell great stories. Indeed, the bible is littered with similar great stories, which are just a small sample of God's great book of memories.

Click to read more ...

What value a wife

What is the value of a wife? The bible calls her a good thing, but there are as many with doubts, as there are wives with doubts about husbands. The concept is a fading throwback to a romantic era.

Click to read more ...

All or nothing

Are we complete in and of ourselves. Can a man truly be effective without his wife. Can a woman reach her potential without her husband? Were we even designed to go it alone, regardless of our personal prowess, potency or other amazing features. Well, Abraham was more than potent enough, but to God he was still nothing without his covenant partner. It was all or nothing.

Click to read more