The cost

Its not an original thought, but it is something I have been pondering for the past few days. The God of the universe and everything in it, as well as everything outside of it, created everything with a spoken word. How often do we simply duck into the shops and buy something. Yet the only thing that God has ever bought or had to buy was the church. And what a price he paid. I don't know about you, but that thought blows my mind, and makes me feel very honoured.

A conundrum

Two questions to ponder...

Is there a biblical precedent for the Liberation of Garden gnomes and if so, can the use of force be justified in the process of liberation.

Pee wee

While I was sitting writing my thesis this little bird we find in Australia, a Pee wee, we call it, all black and white all over, was pecking at his own reflection in the mirror of my car which was parked just outside my window. He did this all day for about a week, just fling up onto the roof of my car, leaving a deposit, and then peckig at his own reflection. He was exhausted by the end of those four days. You see many times people in the church are like that, they crown themselves with the office of critic. Lets face it its easy to throw stones. The problem is the more stones you throw the more ground you lose.
What was the key problem. The little bird saw himself in that car mirror. Psychologists say that when you criticise someone you are really just identifying something of your own weakness in someone else. If you acuse someone it probably means you are judging yourself.
What happens when that pee wee bird sees something different in the mirror, he isnt going to attack it, he isn't going to waste his energy and time trying to defend his territory from this impostor.
Where am I going with this... A key part of our calling as christians to be ministering priests is to see Jesus in people. Not just to see Jesus in them but to prophetically call Him out of them. The catalyst of this process is love. We cannot do this when we ourselves are criticising. We need to be changed from the inside first, so that we can look at them with the eyes of love, with the eyes of Jesus. This is the spirit of Matthew 7:5. Its not a licence to take the speck out of someone elses eye, but its a prescription for seeing clearly.
I pray that you may you look with the eyes of love, and may you find those same eyes reflected back at you.

Blessed are the poor...uh...I think

Just what did Jesus mean by that. How does it relate to me in my comfortable middle class world in Australia? The new Testament talks about wealth and resources more than it does about heaven. If what it says is true then Sydney must be the most dangerous place on planet earth.
Oh how the mighty have fallen.
How sad. How tragic. Lord bring them back to you, to your bosom, to the fold of your garment.