You may have heard that thereās an election going on in the US todayā¦
From across the Atlantic, and whatever your political persuasion, whatās really noticeable is the change of mood between 2008 and 2012. Four years ago, Barack Obama swept to power on a wave of āYes, we canā. Whoever wins today will do so on a trickle of āYou probably canāt, but youāre less bad than the other guyā.
If Obama does win, as the polls suggest he will, it wonāt be, canāt be, with the same flood of optimism as in 2008. Then, he was the man. He would make it better. He would make it different. He was the one who would deliver the change you wanted (whatever change that was).
Of course that hope has become tinged with disappointment. He was and is, after all, only a man. Heād been asked to do too much (and, in fairness, had encouraged voters to think he could do too much).... continue reading
My first Advent calendar was in a shoebox. Numbered doors round the outside walls, flaps tucked back in to reuse it each year. But the exciting bit was inside. A 3D tableau of the nativity scene. A window at one end looking in to the box. And masses of stars cut in the lid, their light shining down on the scene inside. It was magical. I loved it. The nativity at the centre. But it told me nothing at all about the real Christmas.
Modern-day Advent calendars are exciting too. Theyāre centred on something beginning with āChā ā not Christ but chocolate. Most donāt mention Christmas ā theyāre about Barbie, Transformers or a favourite Disney character. So is this a rant about the commercialisation of Christmas? No. But hopefully a gentle nudge to reclaim Advent for Christ.... continue reading
"Oh, that my words were recorded,
that they were written on a scroll,
that they were inscribed with an iron tool on lead,
or engraved in rock forever!
I know that my Redeemer lives,
and that in the end he will stand upon the earth.
And after my skin has been destroyed,
yet in my flesh I will see God;
I myself will see him
with my own eyesāI, and not another.
How my heart yearns within me!
āIf you say, āHow we will hound him,
since the root of the trouble lies in him,'
you should fear the sword yourselves;
for wrath will bring punishment by the sword,
and then you will know that there is judgment.ā
Job 19 v 23-29
Job seems to be sinking to new depths of despair, only to rise to new heights of faith and hope! This is a real turning point for Job. Heās been searching for reasons for his suffering. Heās not found any but he comes to a remarkable conclusion: I can trust God; He will vindicate me when I see Him face to face. Unlike Job, we live after Jesusā death and resurrection. Our Redeemer does live ā Jesus Christ, who has bought us back from sin and snatched us from the clutches of death!
One of the most depressing truths about suffering from CCS is that it stops us loving others.
The Bible is full of warning stories which are essentially examples of CCS run riot. Take the historical story of Joseph and his brothers, for instance. Josephās father, Jacob (also called Israel), āloved Joseph more than any of his [eleven] other sonsā (Genesis 37 v 3). And to show this, he gave Joseph, and only Joseph, āan ornate robeā.
How did his brothers respond? When they āsaw that their father loved him more than any of them, they hated himā (v 4). They compared themselves with Joseph on the basis of their fatherās love, came off worse, and were filled with envious hatred.
How did Joseph respond? He shared his dreams with them: āWe were binding sheaves of corn out in the field when suddenly my sheaf rose and stood upright, while your sheaves gathered round mine and bowed down to itā (v 7).
Why did Joseph choose to share his dream in which he ruled his older brothers? Maybe he was simply young and naĆÆve. But probably he wanted them to know that, compared to them, he was greater, more successful, and headed for more significance than them. While his brothers show the symptoms of looking-up comparison, he displays the symptoms of looking-down comparison.... continue reading
Four Pastors are imprisoned in Iran
Wanted: new Archbishop of Canterbury
Christians are persecuted all over the world
Church-goers killed at a suicide bombing in Nigeria
Hollywood has a new passion for Christ
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The way we spot the existence of CCS in us is via the signsāthe feelingsāit produces.
When you compare yourself with someone and they come off better than you, how do you feel?
And when you compare yourself with someone and come off better than them, what feelings does that produce?
When we compare ourselves with others, weāll either āloseā or āwinā. If we lose, weāll find ourselves doing a ālooking-up comparisonā. We might think: āHer children are so much better behaved than mineā or: āSheās so much more confident than meā or: āI wish I had her houseā.... continue reading
One place it happens to me is in a shopping centre. When another woman around the same age as me passes by, I give them a quick up-and-down scan. Itās just a two-second appraisal. And as I look at them, I see that theyāre doing the same thing with meāa quick sideways glance.
What are we doing? Weāre comparing ourselves with each other. How does my figure match up with hers? Does she look more or less stylish/cool/effortless than me? Do I look as good as her without having spent the money she clearly has? On all these measuring scales, do I win, compared to her? Or lose?... continue reading
Hairdressers are dangerous places for women to be. It's not so much the washing, drying and cutting that's the problem. Nor even the colouring and styling. But the sideways glances in which most of us indulge.
I guess you know what I mean. There are the "oh her hair looks gorgeous" glances -" I wish I had her curls or her volume or her ability to carry off that cut". Then there are the "Seriously? You honestly think bright green hair suits you?" glances as we stifle a smirk. The imaginary glances, "I bet she just rolls out of bed in the morning looking stunning". Or the introverted glances, "I love my new hair, I feel amazing now". Or alternatively, "bring me a paper bag NOW".... continue reading
1. Jesus is ____Why does human life matter?
Why should we help Children in Need? Why support Cancer Research? And why does it matter if we āterminate foetusesā or hasten the death of the terminally ill? They are only bodies, after all, complicated bags of cells with things we call reactions and emotions bubbling out of the soup which is life. Or at least, they are if there is no God.... continue reading
