Category Archives: life

God is good. All the time.

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I really love holidays. Relaxing is good but what I really like is time to think. I feel like my life at college and church is so much about learning that I barely have time to stop and process new information.

Of course the stuff I need to think about the most is often not new but the same old thoughts that often plague me. Today I sit and read ‘Knowing God’ (Packer) with a gorgeous view in front of me (pic below).

I’m reading a chapter called God Unchanging. I know God is good, but more than that I know he is God to me. This picturesque view is just one example of the good things he has given me, all of which are second to the salvation I have in Jesus. So why do I constantly doubt his goodness? Why am I so easily tempted to think he is withholding good from me?

Solving the problem of evil

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Henri Blocher says this of the problem of evil

God wills what is good directly, simply, for himself; he wills evil only in a different manner, while hating it at the same time. Whereas God himself works good by making it, evil is always the deed of one or of several created beings.

A young Augustine said

Evil is nothing but the removal of good until finally no good remains*

It’s no surprise that my study group was unable to solve the problem of evil today. But there were 2 things that we reflected on, however briefly, that I think are worth further thought.

First – when we are in the middle of evil or suffering, knowing that we have a God who has also been in the middle of great and real evil and suffering, actually does help

Second – the apparent tension of a sovereign God who is responsible and yet not culpable for evil is a logical and philosophical nightmare! And yet when we move from theory to experience, it’s often easier to grasp. We may not be able to articulate it, but when we look retrospectively at suffering we often can see both things, and understand them together, with greater clarity

It feels easier to have these discussion in the abstract, but it can be the experience that adds richness to our understanding.

*An older Augustine was slightly bemused at his younger self. In his early days he wrote a book called Beauty and Proportion which he later had all copies burned. His older self elaborated on this privation theory of evil, adding the personal element of our distorted desires

This fb free day…

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… has not been entirely fb free, I’ll admit it. But I only used it to organise a real, face-to-face conversation with someone, and to wish my cousin HB so I’m calling it a win ;-)

Today I’ve used most of my day studying, but the afternoon I’m still dedicating to prayer and friends. My prayer points have been updated, I’ve spent some time praying for others, and right now I’m about to have coffee with the most lovely, and much missed, Belinda. Fb free life is good!

22

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Lily Allen seems to have quite a talent for writing songs that resonate with her fans. Every time I hear ’22’ I’m amazed at how much I feel like this is about me.

When she was 22 the future looked bright
But she’s nearly 30 now and she’s out every night
I see that look in her face, she’s got that look in her eye
She’s thinking how did I get here and wondering why

It’s sad but it’s true how society says her life is already over
There’s nothing to do and there’s nothing to say
‘Til the man of her dreams comes along
Picks her up and puts her over his shoulder
It seems so unlikely in this day and age

She’s got an alright job but it’s not a career
Whenever she thinks about it, it brings her to tears
‘Cause all she wants is a boyfriend, she gets one night stands
She’s thinking how did I get here, I’m doing all that I can

It’s sad but it’s true how society says her life is already over
There’s nothing to do and there’s nothing to say
‘Til the man of her dreams comes along
Picks her up and puts her over his shoulder
It seems so unlikely in this day and age

I get that. When I turned 22 I was living with my partner of 3 and half years, and we were planning a marriage and children. Now, 6 months away from turning 30, I get what she’s singing about. It does feel like society thinks your life is over. Every day marriage seems less and less likely, which is a hard reality to come to terms with a lot of the time.

Here’s another description that was true of the 22-year-old me.

And you were dead in your trespasses and sins in which you previously walked according to this worldly age, according to the ruler of the atmospheric domain, the spirit now working in the disobedient. We too all previously lived among them in our fleshly desires, carrying out the inclinations of our flesh and thoughts, and by nature we were children under wrath, as the others were also. Ephesians 2:1-3

And the almost 30-year-old me…

But God, who is abundant in mercy, because of His great love that He had for us, made us alive with the Messiah even though we were dead in trespasses. By grace you are saved! He also raised us up with Him and seated us with Him in the heavens, in Christ Jesus, so that in the coming ages He might display the immeasurable riches of His grace in His kindness to us in Christ Jesus. Ephesians 2:4-6

Whatever ‘society’ might say, reality is that God, through Christ has brought me from death to life!

So I’ll keep reminding myself that though it seems like Lily has put my life into song, she missed the most important bit – I’ve been saved and seated in the heavens with Christ, my saviour and my God, and I’ll praise him for it for all eternity!

Facebook Free Fridays

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Last night I decided that from now on my Fridays will be Facebook free. There’s a few reasons I’m doing this but ultimately I recognise that Friday afternoons are a time I easily get distracted and waste, so I’m trying to be intentional about using this time well.

My first time commitment is to prayer in two ways. First is updating people about how they can support me – particularly in prayer. So I have created a Prayer & Support page that I will try to update each week. I’d love for you to be praying for me (I definitely need it!) but, secondly, I would also love to be praying for you. If there is something I can be praying for I’d love for you to contact me and let me know. I’m going to set aside some time on my Facebook free friday to pray and would love to included you in my prayers.

I’ve got quite a few things on my list for Fridays (at this rate I’ll be needing 2 Facebook free days). At the moment my top 3 things are prayer, non-college reading and real contact with people (ie phone calls) I haven’t spoken to for a while. Anything else I should add??

Your adversary, the devil, is prowling

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I’m always saddened and angered by sexual misconduct within the church but this is particularly disturbing

A TEENAGER fighting for her life in hospital was raped before her attacker splashed petrol over her and set her alight, an out-of-sessions court heard last night. [read more…]

14 year old girl. 24 year old youth group leader. Devastating.

And yet this man is no more a sinner than you and I. The devil is powerful. Beware.

Be sober! Be on the alert! Your adversary the devil is prowling around like a roaring lion, looking for anyone he can devour. Resist him, standing firm in the faith. (1 Peter 5:8-9a)

He is looking for ANYONE. Please … I beg you … don’t let it be you.

Jennifer Knapp & Larry King: Why We Always Lose this Debate

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Jennifer Knapp is an american Christian singer/songwriter who recently made public her relationship with her girlfriend of 8 years.

A few weeks back she appeared on Larry King with pastor Bob Botsford, and Ted Haggard. Yesterday I read a very interesting blog responding to the interview and trying to answer this question –

Why is it that whenever a proponent of Christianity’s historical view of sexuality goes head to head with an advocate for gay rights, the traditional Christian almost always loses the argument?

The post highlights 4 interesting thoughts. The first one is particular helpful I think, (although still flawed)

1. We need to shift emphasis from the truth that “everyone is a sinner” to the necessity of repentance.

“We’re all sinners” comes up again and again in discussions like this. In her Larry King interview, Knapp realized the power of having the pastor admit that he too is a sinner. Once she received this admission, she had the upper hand in asking, “Then why are you judging me instead of me judging you?”

Whenever the discussion centers on “homosexuality is a sin… but we’re all sinners,” the traditionalist inevitably comes across looking like he is singling out homosexuality as a worse sin than all the rest. His protests to the contrary always ring hollow.

But this is the wrong way to frame this debate. We are not saying that some of us are worse sinners than others or that homosexuality is a worse sin than pride, stealing, etc. We are not categorized before God as ” better sinners” or “worse sinners.” Instead, we are either unrepentant or repentant. True Christianity hinges on repentance. The pastor on Larry King Live eventually made this point later on in the broadcast, but the rhetorical damage had already been done.

If we are to reframe this discussion along biblical lines, then we must emphasize the necessity of repentance for the Christian faith. The point is not that the pastor and the Knapp are both sinners. It’s that the pastor agrees with God about his sin, while Knapp remains in her sin without repentance. That is why he is questioning her Christianity, for Christian teaching makes clear the necessity of repentance as the entryway into the Christian family.

Ultimately, the debate is not about homosexuality versus other sins. It’s about whether or not repentance is integral to the Christian life.

I think I want to clarify more by saying Christianity hinges on knowing Jesus as both saviour AND Lord. And its in considering Jesus as Lord that repentance needs to be discussed. None the less, it’s a very interesting read. Read the whole thing here.