Not Saying Amen

I was trying to do some morning devotions the other week. Just setting my alarm a little bit earlier, so that I could get out of bed earlier in the morning and spend some time reading the Bible and praying to God as a positive start to my day.

I'm not a 'morning person' so it was a bit difficult, but I managed it for several days. But I realised that it wasn't helpful for me to end my prayers with the word "Amen" when I did this.

This was because I was struggling to stay focused on the task (due to still being quite sleepy) and saying "Amen" when I finished praying was starting to feel like I was finished with the 'talking to God time' in my day and moving on to everything else.

This was obviously not the right way to think of life. God is with me all the time, and I generally aim to pray as soon as I feel like I have something to pray about. Jesus made it clear that we don't need special places or times to talk to Him.

But while the word "Amen" is a useful indicator for finishing a prayer when you are praying with a group of people, it turned out to be unhelpful when I prayed in private. It was like me saying "Goodbye!" to somebody I wasn't actually leaving. So I stopped using it.

Swearing

I wouldn't claim to have the cleanest sense of humour, but I do have cleaner-than-average language. I try to avoid swearing whenever possible, and generally succeed. The reason for this when I was a child used to be simply "because I am a Christian" but this isn't actually a very clear reason so as an adult I eventually had a think about my choices with the language I use.

When I gave it some thought, I realised that the question of "Is it OK to swear?" isn't going to have a single answer because there are two different types of swearing, and I need to answer this question for each of them separately.

Bad Christian Jokes

Sometimes it's fun to laugh at how bad something is, including jokes. So I have created the following list of jokes, which are common jokes given a rubbish twist by some imaginary Christian with no sense of humour...

Why did the chicken cross the road?

To convert the unbeliever on the other side.

What is black and white and rolls down a hill?

A zebra that God smited because it was proud of being on top of the hill.

Doctor, doctor, I feel like a pair of curtains!

I worry about the state of your soul.

An Englishman, an Irishman and a Scotsman walk into a bar. The Englishman points out that three men going into one place bears some resemblance of the Holy Trinity, but the Scotsman warns that such a metaphor would be heretical, and the Irishman prays for the Englishman's soul.

Christianity and Homosexuality

Christianity and Homosexuality is a big topic.

This post, more so than many of my others, is for the benefit of myself; I am attempting to organise and summarise my own thoughts on the issue so far. I do not intend or expect that I will bring anything new to the debate.

I am heterosexual, but I have known friends and colleagues who are gay. If you are a Christian living in this culture you are going to be questioned about your views on this eventually. It is a question of when, not if, that question will arrive. So it is worth calmly thinking about it beforehand.

Offensive Grace

I had a chat with a colleague at work once about my faith. It was a good discussion, she was asking honest questions and I was trying to answer in kind, but by the end of the conversation she was confused and a little offended by the concept of grace.

Grace, as a word, is probably best known from the title and opening line of the hymn "Amazing Grace" which contains lyrics about joy and freedom. The definition of grace is to receive a good thing even though you do not deserve it. It is a free gift that has not been earned. So how does such a positive thing offend someone?

Christians Dating Non-Christians

The subject of Christians dating people who are not Christians is one to be careful with. It probably doesn't help that the subject only ever seems to be raised when someone is doing it and someone else wants to tell them why it is wrong.

Both sides of the argument about whether it is OK or not refer to a few bits in the Bible, sometimes the same ones! I am going to leave the task of interpreting scripture regarding this to minds smarter than my own. But I would like to describe 4 possible things that a person may consciously or unconsciously mean when they say "It's wrong for a Christian to date a non-Christian", and my thoughts on each motive or reason.

Bart Simpson vs. Christianity

Brother Faith: "When I was your age, I was a hellraiser, too.  My slingshot was my cross.  But I saw the light, and changed my wicked ways."
Bart: "I think I'll go for the life of sin, followed by a presto-change-o deathbed repentance."
Brother Faith: "Wow, that's a good angle... But that's not God's angle."
(Taken from http://www.snpp.com/episodes/BABF06)

The script above is taken from the episode "Faith Off" form the television series "The Simpsons". In the scene, Bart is talking with a Christian miracle healer called Brother Faith, and I think Bart poses an interesting challenge. Why not have fun as I wish for most of my life, and then ask for God's forgiveness at the last minute? When I watched this episode many years ago, I didn't know how to answer that question.

How Supernatural Should Each Day Be?

As a Christian I am in a relationship with the God who created the universe. But something that Christians can't seem to agree on, and I am not sure about myself, is what this should look like on a daily basis.

Should a follower of Jesus be able to go for days at a time in quiet obedience with no supernatural events? Or should the nature of this relationship cause healing, prophecy and visions to frequently occur?

I do not want to be a miracle-chaser, someone who focuses more on the miracle than the Maker. But at the same time, I do not want to set my standards too low and miss out on the amazing things God might want to give me.

Discussion With A Seeker

The following is the outline of some major points covered in a discussion I have been having with a friend who is seeking to test the idea of Christianity. In some ways our minds work in a similar way, and so I was happy to spend time to think through any questions. The actual discussion happened across many hours on more than one day, but I remember the following 3 questions because in my opinion they were highlights or central points.

Christianity is just one religion out of many in the world, and there is so much within it to think about before I would feel I could commit myself to it.

There isn't enough time in anyone's life to sample or even evaluate every single human religion or faith. Even in Christianity, there is too much to assess within a single lifetime, evident by the fact that committed Christians never stop exploring and learning more about what they believe. Therefore it makes sense to direct your focus to a single question: Was Jesus really raised from the dead after His crucifixion?

God and Small Talk

A few years ago I started putting a question into conversations with friends who I knew were Christians. I was interested in both their response and their answers. The question was, “So how are things between you and God?” or, if they didn’t understand this, I would add “What has God done for you lately?”

I ask people this question for two reasons. First, I am passionate about God, and since I know I get excited by what He does in my own life, I know I would get equally excited by the things He is doing in my friend’s lives. It’s like being nosey, but in a good way. The second reason is to make a point, and hopefully to help some Christians to try and fight what I am trying to fight- the unspoken taboo that is our relationships with God.

Evangelism - Part 2

The following is adapted from the second half of a talk I gave at WYnet Summer Camp 2011. The theme for the week was Discipleship, and I spoke towards the end of the event about mission-ship, or evangelism.

In the first half of the talk, I spoke about What evangelism is, the Context of bad news that makes the Good News worth listening to, and the Distractions of issues secondary to Jesus' death and resurrection.

I introduced the talk by saying that I knew they (the teens) had, or could get, advice on how to be "nice people" very easily, and therefore I wanted to cut straight to stuff about evangelism that could be applied in their school and college lives.

Who

A possbile next question for the simple act of evanglism is "Who do we evangelise to- friends or strangers?" Well, considering the example of Jesus, the answer appears to be "both." He gave lots of time and attention to explaining God to his closest friends, the disciples, but He also healed and preached to thousands of other people in first century Israel.

Evangelism - Part 1

The following is adapted from the first half of a talk I gave at WYnet Summer Camp 2011. The theme for the week was Discipleship, and I spoke towards the end of the event about mission-ship, or evangelism.

I introduced the talk by saying that I knew they (the teens) had, or could get, advice on how to be "nice people" very easily, and therefore I wanted to cut straight to stuff about evangelism that could be applied in their lives at school and college.

What

During my time at the University of Chester, I heard what I think is the best definition of evangelism I have ever heard. It went,

"Evangelism is just one beggar telling another beggar where he can get free food."

Religious Duality

Duality is where a person behaves differently around different people. I've gotten the impression that most of us notice ourselves using it while growing up- you learn to behave differently around your teachers than you do around your friends, for example. It can appear common sense in some situations, but in others it may cause us to question whether we are being genuine.

Of all the relationships a person can have, perhaps the most far detached categories are people and God. We relate to people every day, and can choose to relate to God as well, but should we behave differently around the creator of the universe because we cannot see or touch Him?

I am not referring to whether we should respect God or not. That is a question for beliefs and relationship, not for duality. I am instead asking whether we should be behaving very differently to God during our conversations with Him compared to when talking with friends on the street.

Graduation vs. Communion

After years of working hard, the ceremony of Graduation gives each University student a chance to recognise their success, and a sense of closure. It also accompanies at least one motivational speech about facing the future, and the challenges and rewards it may bring.

Graduation is a ceremony which marks the past and points ahead to a hopeful future. So I have found myself comparing it to Holy Communion in church.

Pre-Bible Christianity

Within any debate in Christianity, there is a lot of history. I often feel like I have little background knowledge of an issue that concerns my faith.

I think this is why I love the idea of what Pre-Bible Christianity must have been like. By this, I don't mean I dislike the Bible! I'm referring to the small period in history where the apostles such as Saint Peter and Saint Paul had begun to spread the Gospel by word of mouth, but the letters that would form the New Testament had not yet been written down or collected together. All that believers in the middle-east towns knew about Jesus was what they could remember from conversation.

Seeking God, Doubting Church

I haven't doubted the existence of God for a long time. The creator of the universe has been too big and too apparent in my life for that to happen. I believe God exists, and that I am in relationship with Him, but I have doubted the western church.

All of the churches that I have gone to in the U.K. have the same format: First, the congregation sings some songs. Then, someone preaches a sermon. The songs and sermon format has been a universal experience for me across both traditional and charismatic churches, but I have found myself wondering if the songs and sermon are at all related to a relationship with the creator of the universe.

Pessimistic Faith

Picture a monk in your mind. Make his facial expression quite clear in your thoughts, because I am about to ask you a question about what he looks like.

My question is, is he smiling?

Mine wasn't. My stereotypical image of a monk was a medieval man in a brown robe, with a mostly bald head and a serious face. Historical Christianity has an image of sombre, serious people. Some images could even be said to be of people weighed down by their belief. Maybe God is a kill-joy.

An atheist wrote an article a while ago in which he commended the relatively pessimistic view of religion. He was comparing this view with what he considered the unrealistic optimism of his current culture. He didn't mean that a pessimistic person was moody all day long- he made a point to say that when good things do happen, a pessimist can be as happy as an optimist. The difference is that only the pessimist will also be surprised.

I have faith in God. But am I a pessimist?

Focus in Prayer

Often in Church services or gatherings with other Christians, there is time for prayer. By prayer I could mean listening to God, talking to Him, or hopefully both. But my mind, like many, is easily distracted. I can find it difficult to focus for more than a minute. Here are some of the things that I have found affect me personally. What affects you?

Silence does not help.

Silence is too much of an empty canvas. Sometimes when I come home from work I let myself spend a few moments sitting on the sofa doing nothing just to let my imagination out. It can be like an animal that's been pawing at the door all day because it wants to get outdoors. Giving myself space and silence lets my mind breathe a sigh of relief and become less focused, not more.

The Money Lists

At the moment myself and Jenny host a small group (home group/cell group/life group) each week. I once set an activity that focussed on how different people make priorities with their money. I didn't know how it would go, or what we would find out from comparing the lists. But by the end, I was surprised.

What do we spend money on?

First I got the group to think of a list of about 7 or 8 headings that someone might use to categorise everything on a personal budgeting file. The list was fairly generic. It included food, taxes, recreation, giving/charity, travel, savings, and a couple of others.

Practising What, Exactly?

When you apply your faith to your life in a serious way, you say you are a 'practising' member of that faith.

My first question is, which religion do you claim to believe in?

My other question is, do you practice that same religion, or a different one?