Cigarettes and Alcohol and Rollerblading

It doesn't seem that long ago since Christmas. Seven weeks and five days to be exact.

And now we are already gearing up for Easter. The Easter eggs have been in the shops for a few weeks already. It seems that preparation starts earlier and earlier.

But for pretty much all my life I have not been prepared for Easter. Today is Ash Wednesday and it marks the beginning of Lent. The time period of 40 days or so where we traditionally give up something we love. Maybe for you its coffee, or chocolate or cigarettes, or maybe you are giving up watching LOST. Maybe you gave that up ages ago.

Whatever it is. It's good to deny ourselves some stuff over this period. It's good to direct our minds on something other than ourselves. And I think that is the main point of Lent. It's not that we try and make ourselves miserable for some sort of higher spiritual experience.

But it's supposed to help us to think outside our own existance and help others,

It's supposed to prepare us so we can appreciate Easter more.

I don't think Lent is just about giving up something though. It's also about replacing it with something else that is good and worthwhile. It's about remembering the sacrifice Jesus made by sacrificing something we love.

So maybe you have decided to give up your ipod (I know, I know, how 2007 of me), or maybe you won't go on facebook for a while. I have heard lots of really good ideas. How about not using the radio or having music play in your car so you can spend driving time, praying instead.

But what are we replacing these things with? Who are we helping? Where are we directing our time now that we have given up facebook for a while?

Well as I wrote about in my last post, I am not the most disciplined of people. So instead of this year setting myself up for failure and feeling crap I have decided to follow this Lent Calendar from Marshill. It might be a great way of us to connect better.

There are a load of different ways you can get ready for Easter. You don't just have to give up stuff. You can give up time. You can help someone who needs help. You can take an interest in an issue in the world that is damaging the Earth. You can drink only water and donate the money you normally would spend on coffee or beer to help create clean water for people who don't have it.

I must stress that this won't make you more holier or superior to anyone who doesn't give up something at Lent. But what it will do is give you a greater appreciation of what Jesus did. Of the sacrifice he made. Of the life we now have because of his dying to himself.

Why not give it a go? What is there to lose? What are you going to give this Easter?

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Can't go on, must go on, can't go on, mu.....

I like to write but most of the time I don't feel like it.


I like to blog but at times, like right now, I just can't be bothered. I have no motivation whatsoever. This guy I am not

That sucks when something you enjoy doing is not appealling. I have that feeling and I need to figure out why.


And I think I know.


Discipline.


I hate that word so much. Mostly because I severely lack in that department. Reading the Bible, praying, revising, practicing the piano, all these things we are told are good for us, are not interesting to me most of the time.


And I don't have the discipline to write. But I want to.


Right now I am writing but I want to stop. I think what I am writing is crap and quite possibly it is. These are the thoughts I get when I am trying to become disciplined at doing something. "I don't want to", or "I'm not good at it", or "I don't feel Jesus' presence" or "I am bored out of my skull"


I am writing this sentance and I have written all the previous ones but there is something in me which is telling me to stop and go on to facebook instead.


And I don't even know what it is keeping me going. But somehow I am. Something is telling me to stop but the voice telling me to keep going is somehow winning.


And that folks is all I have for you. I don't have some nugget of wisdom to give you on how to become disciplined. I am the wrong guy for that.


But maybe the point of discipline is that we need to just keep going. Maybe it won't be pretty. Maybe it will be hard and there will be sweat and blood (though if there is I think you are definately doing something wrong) and tears.


Maybe we need to start small and build instead of thinking we need to pray 24 hours a day, or read the whole Bible in a year or learn that piece of music all in one day or whatever.


All I know is that discipline is good. It's important. It is healthy. We grow from it. We learn about ourselves and others from it. But God is it hard.


Maybe its supposed to be hard. Maybe I am just undiscplined. Maybe you think it is easy.


What works for you? How do you get out of that rut where you simply don't want to?

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When pickets turn funny

Right. Enough is enough.

I have been away from here for far too long and I am getting a few minor withdrawl symptoms? (Is that how you spell withdrawl?, is there an e in there? Wow it's been so long I've forgotten how to spill).

So if you are one of the 8 people who follow this I apologise for my severe lack of blogging. My last post was before Christmas so expect more stuff to come in the next few days. And expect more varied stuff.

I've realised that I want to maybe cut back on the serious blog posts a bit and write a few more laid back posts. Hopefully that will result in a bit more blogging on my part.

So I am excited to be back and if you are new... You are very welcome and I hope you enjoy.

So most of you will be aware of Westboro Baptist in the USA. They are a pretty intense bunch of people/church/sect/cult and their views on homosexuals (their favourite quote is 'God hates fags'), the US army, Obama, and even Ireland are just insane. And oh yeah I should have said, unless you are a member of their church you are going to hell...Sorry to break it to you.

Check them out if you like, but I love how these bunch of guys from twitter gave them a taste of their own medicine by picketing Westboro Baptists' very own picket of the twitter offices. You following? I know there was a lot of pickets in there.

Anyway, makes you think how we should disagree with people. Should we start yelling back and just stoop down to their level or should we show the ridiculous of some situations by demonstrating how ridiculous some of their views are.

What you guys think?

Enjoy

Oh and check out the awesome 'anti-picket' picket signs.

Which is your favourite?

My vote goes to this

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How Rage Against the Machine Saved Christmas

It's Christmas Eve and even though most of us are still unsure about what Santa is going to bring us, or what colour of socks we will get this year, one traditional Christmas event has already been decided upon.

The now 'formerly' x factor, Simon Cowell, everything that is wrong with music' sponsered Christmas number 1.

Last Sunday, much to the delight and excitement of millions of people, for the first time since 2002, a single from an x factor contestant hasn't reached the coveted Christmas number 1 spot. The Christmas number 1 used to be something everyone, even if you didn't normally care about the charts, looked excitedly to. But for a few years now, it's beeen completely monopolised by the x factor.

Not this year. No Sir. An amazing facebook campaign has finally ended that with Rage Against the Machine's 'Killing In The Name' as the number 1 at Christmas.

It's amazing. Never in a million years did I think this track would ever get close to being a number 1, never mind at Christmas. But it has. And that's a good thing.

Because despite what anyone says 'Killing in the Name' is the best Christmas song ever. Sorry Slade fans, sorry Chris Rea, you can drive on home, sorry Joe, sorry even the Pogues (as much as it pains me) but none of you have even hit anywhere near the mark on the Christmas message as much as Rage Against the Machine have.

I'm sure they never intended it to be a Christmas song, but the meaning and emotion behind it reveals the very heart of the Christmas message.

Rage Against the Machine have saved Christmas. Jesus will be happy.

How so, you may ask. Join me on a journey through time and space (well time anyway).

When Jesus was born, he was born in a town in Israel called Bethleham. His parents Joseph and Mary had travelled there to take part in a census that the Roman Empire required everyone to take part in, to help with military stuff and taxes. So Joseph was required to return to his hometown and so his wife and son accompanied him.

When they arrived there, they were visited by some wise men (probaby astrologers) who came to pay their respect to the new King of the Jews i.e. Jesus. But when they got there they asked the possibly first ever pantomime villian, King Herod (booo sssss) where he was (not behind him as it turns out). Herod liked having power and he used it to great effect to rule over his people. Sooo, obviously he wasn't too keen on their being another King of the Jews, especially a baby. So he pretended he wanted to worship the baby, and asked the wise men to return to him when they found him. Ooh sneaky.

Of course God had other ideas, as he usually does. And it was a good job he did because Herod, as I'm sure you've guessed already didn't want to goo and ga at Jesus, so much as, well brutally murder him.

So the wise men took a swift detour to Egypt, as did Joseph and Mary. And this is where I think the message of Christmas is often overlooked.

Joseph and Mary decided that it wasn't a good idea to hang around. They decided that following the leader of the country was wrong. I'm not even sure they stuck around for the census. They decided that the Roman Empire and KIng Herod weren't all they cracked up to be. They decided that there had to be a different way. A better way.

And if Jesus coming to Earth and Killing in the Name shows us nothing else, it is that there is a better way, an alternative way of thinking, of acting, of treating each other.

We're presented with so many things at Christmas, that this message has been lost somewhere. The message that Jesus came to allow us to be free, to buck the trend. To change our perception of how to love each other. The Christmas story tells us there are two ways of living. The Herod Christmas and the Jesus Christmas.

The Herod Christmas tells us that its all about OUR power and needs. The Jesus Christmas tells us its all about OTHERS and people who need help.

Herod Christmas says we need to spend massive amounts of money to show we love people. Jesus Christmas tells us we can give money to people who have nothing, so they can eat on Christmas Day and every other day.

Herod Christmas tells us that those in power are always right. Jesus Christmas tells us that power comes in how we treat others well, not in showing our dominance.

Herod Christmas says that strength is in power over people. Jesus Christmas says that strength is in loving people.

And this is the message of Christmas that Rage Against the Machine are expressing, even if they know it or not.

"And now you do what they told ya, now you're under control".

Joseph and Mary did not do what they were told and so they became free. They realised the truth, that much of what society or our Governments, or our Religious estbalishments tell us, is wrong. They realised that there was injustice going on in the world and it doesn't have to be like that.

They realised there is a better way. A way that gives everyone life, not just those who want control.

They realised that life is about looking to Jesus and realising that Christmas should be about loving others in ways that matter, not by making ourselves sick with food, or entertaining ourselves with stuff we get bored with quickly.

But by meeting with a friend who needs to talk to someone. To go and give food and a blanket to someone who will be sitting in the snow on Christmas Day. To sacrifice a present this year and give money to a family who need it to pay the bills.

Jesus came so we can change how we live. Yeah he came to save us from our crap. But he came for so much more. To show us a way of loving others rather than ourselves.

A way that requires us to sometimes say

We won't do what you tell us

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God time.....or other suitably rubbish names for Quiet times Part 1

Last week I started to try and get into the rhythm of something that I have never really been that good at. The dreaded QT. Quiet times. I want to talk about a few things that I think I have learned over the last week about God and spending time with him.

I wish I was the kind of person who was able to sit down and feel God's presence and not get distracted. But I'm not. Plus I always felt Quiet times were boring and for the overly religious. I never thought God was boring but I just thought spending time with him was. Strange.

So last week I decided to have a quiet time every morning for the week. If only to see how it changed me, if at all. I have never been one for disciplines. I always thought they would make me boring and condescending or something like that. But I knew that if I at least gave it a go, then I could say I have made an effort getting to know God better.

Mistake number 1.

You see I thought that quiet times were going to radically change me. They were going to stop me sinning. They were going to stop me being tempted. They were going to give me some sort of understanding about God that was going to solve all my problems.

But it didn't.

And normally that would be enough to put me off doing it anymore.

But it hasn't.

And why? Because I think I have learned something important about quiet times. They aren't meant to magically solve everything. They are meant to be about being in God's prescence.

I read in an article recently about a guy who struggled with temptation and depression, who used to ask God to take away all his problems, to heal him.

But everytime he just heard silence.

I can relate to that. Wanting God to just take away some problem in my life so that I could properly follow him. I prayed so many times that if he took it away he would see a new me. For me it was porn. For you it could be something else. It doesn't really matter.

But for the guy that wrote the article and for me, we were often met with silence. I think that if God solved all our problems, or took away all our temptations we would simply look for something else. We wouldn't really be satisfied. We wouldn't really see a 'new' me. We would head somewhere else instead.

And that's what I think the point of quiet times are.

Jesus.

Jesus wants a relationship with us. He doesn't want to be our genie.

Sure he might grant us our wish but do I know Jesus better because of it?

If I woke up tomorrow and I wasn't tempted anymore does that mean I will be closer to Jesus?

I don't think so. I think we should have quiet times so we can get closer to God. Just enjoy his presence. Let him into everything we are experiencing. Not just to solve our problems. Be honest.

Does God want to save us from the things we struggle with? Of course he does.

But if thats all he does then we aren't really getting to know and enjoy him and we aren't really growing.

And that's why I am going to stick with times with God. Because even if I don't sin anymore I still won't have Jesus.

And I would rather have Jesus.

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