Nightmare on Swan St (James 5)

Nightmare on Swan St (James 5)

James 5.16 Make this your common practice: Confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you can live together whole and healed. The prayer of a person living right with God is something powerful to be reckoned with. [msg]

I've seen a few horror movies. Nothing too extreme. To those dedicated fans of this genre, my experiences will seem very tame by comparison. I tend to be the person in the cinema with his hands over his eyes saying "is it safe yet?" You just know that the young couple taking a short cut through the woods in the middle of night might as well wear a sign saying 'fresh meat!'

I remember watching Nightmare on Elm St as a teenager. My friends raved about this movie. Eventually curiosity got the better of me and I went and hired it from the local video shop. I knew I'd be scared so I put a plan in place to help minimise the fear factor. I'd watch it on a small black and white TV in the middle of the day. As an added extra, I 'borrowed' the neighbours cat to keep me company. The more tense the movie got, the tighter my grip on the poor cat got. Then the phone rang. I jumped. The cat went flying through the air, hit the wall and slowly slid down to the floor, like something off a Tom and Jerry cartoon.

I may not have seen too many horror films but I know what it is to be afraid. The scariest moment I've ever faced happened just over 17 years ago.

I've come a long way from the person I use to be. Growing up, no one ever really knew the 'real' me. I lived a double life. To most people I was the pastor's kid, actively involved in the church and someone destined for ministry. But that was just a facade. I lived with a secret and my life was spent in fear that someone, someday would discover it. I would deliberately keep people at a distance in an attempt to protect myself. That was until I met Cath.

I was drawn to her. She was beautiful, funny, caring and she had a strong love for God. We started going out and eventually got engaged. That was when things started to go downhill fast. At that time she was living in a small town 3 hours away from Melbourne. The distance worked great for me but not for her. She wanted to know her fiance better and rather than rush into marriage, called off the engagement and moved to Melbourne so that we could get to know each other without the pressure of a wedding to plan. So after she moved to Melbourne I took it a step further and called off everything. I can't remember my exact words but I think I said something to her like, "it's not you, it's me" and something to do with more fish in the ocean.

For the next few years we had one of those on again off again relationships. Sometimes she would break it off and sometimes it would be me. But the truth of the matter was that I was terrified of allowing anyone close to me. What would she really think if she knew my secret?

One thing I've learnt in life is that intimacy can't exist where there are secrets. If I wanted to have any chance of building a life with Cath I had to be honest with her and tell her all about my double life. No more secrets.

It felt like I was about to jump off a cliff. I stood on the edge looking over, trying to find the courage to take that first step. It was Valentines Day 1992 and I rang Cath and asked if she could come over so we could talk. Not really knowing what to say or where to start, I just began sharing my life with her. I didn't preface the conversation with any conditions. I didn't ask her to keep what I was about to say to herself. I was going to do something I had never done in my entire life, I was going to place my life in someone else's hands. She could have done anything she wanted to do with the information I was about to give her.

I told her my secret. I held nothing back. I am sure that she was shocked. I left nothing out.

As scary as that moment in time was, I know it was the beginning of a transformation in my life. Jesus once said, "you shall know the truth and the truth will set you free." For the first time in the long time, I felt the burden of guilt and shame I had been carrying released and I finally could begin to move forward in life. It's like when you bring something into the light, darkness no longer has power over it because light always wins out over darkness.

I wonder how different my life would have turned out if I had trusted someone earlier in life to share my secret with. Someone who wouldn't judge but pray and be there and simply love me like God would? We all need someone like that in our life. Fear keeps us trapped in isolation. But those brave enough to confess their sins will be whole and healed. Anything brought into the light no longer has power over your life.

What was Cath's response? Remind me to tell you one day...

Lord please help me to walk in honesty with those you have placed around my life. Give me the courage to face any fear which may try to keep me captive and help me to understand that my life is not meant to be lived in isolation.

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The Rise of the Machines (James 4)

The Rise of the Machines (James 4)

James 4.14 Yet you do not know the least thing about what may happen tomorrow. What is the nature of your life? You are really but a wisp of vapor, a puff of smoke, a mist that is visible for a little while and then disappears into thin air. [amp]

A little while ago I found myself caught up in the ultimate struggle... man against machine! My computer and I were locked in an epic battle of wills for the better part of a day. What started out as a simple request ended up in hours of frustration and misery. All I wanted to do was print one document but my computer had other ideas. I valiantly battled to exert my dominance as the superior intellect but to no avail.

Finally in the late hours of the night I emerged the victor. I wanted to call everyone I knew to let them know of my struggle and my victory but I was exhausted. As I was laying on my bed reflecting on the events of the day, my joy quickly began to fade and a new realisation began to emerge. Of the limited number of days granted to me to live on this earth, I had just spent one of them doing something which has no eternal value whatsoever!

Life is so fragile. We have no guarantee how long we have here on earth. According to the CIA World Factbook, roughly 56,597,034 people leave us every year. That's about a 155,000 a day.

One day it will be my turn.

I wonder, when that time comes, will I be ready? Have I spent my time wisely? Have I prioritised my life according to those things which are eternal or have I allowed myself to get distracted? Was I purposeful in planning my daily schedule or did I allow myself to be dragged along in the currents of life without stopping to realise that time was quickly passing me by? Were there things I should have said but didn't, things I didn't do but should have? Did I settle for less than God intended?

Can I say like the Apostle Paul, "I have fought the good fight, I have completed the race and I have kept the faith and now the victors crown of righteousness is waiting for me."

I am reminded of Psalm 90.12 which says, "Teach us to number our days, that we may get a heart of wisdom."

A quick search on Google reveals a snapshot of the reality of our world today. 11 million children under the age of five will die this year from a preventable disease (9 million of them before they turn 5), an estimated 112 million children are underweight, there were an estimated 2.7 million new infections of HIV Aids this past year, 900 million people still have to rely on water from unsafe sources and 2.5 billion people did not have access to improved sanitation and 1.2 billion had to practice open defecation. I could go on and on...

What about in my own community, my church, my street, my workplace, my school, my family, my home?

Lord please help me to count my days. Help me to focus my attention on those tasks which have eternal consequences. Let my life count.

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Sticks and Stones (James 3)

Sticks and Stones (James 3)

James 3.3-5 A bit in the mouth of a horse controls the whole horse. A small rudder on a huge ship in the hands of a skilled captain sets a course in the face of the strongest winds. A word out of your mouth may seem of no account, but it can accomplish nearly anything—or destroy it! [msg]

There is a place in England called the Cotswolds. Although I have never been there, from what I have seen via photo's and television, it is a very beautiful place with gentle green hillsides, sleepy villages and known by visitors and locals alike as being so 'typically English'. It was here back in 1894 that GF Northall first recorded a phrase used by the locals in his book 'Four Phrases of Four Counties'. You may have heard it before, "sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me."

This same phrase has been repeated down through the generations and is one of the biggest mistruths carelessly taught to children all over the world.

Like most of us, I have experienced the destructive power of words. Being a rather plump child I was on the receiving end of my fair share of unkind words and I must confess that I have also been guilty of doing the same to others. I am one of those people who have the tendency to speak first and think later. How I wish I had the ability to go back in time and erase some of the stupid things I have said in the heat of the moment. Or those things I've said jokingly but were hurtful. But I can't and even after I have apologised, the damage has been done.

Singer David Barnes summed it all up in his lyrics, "You would have kept those words on your tongue, if you had known the hurt they had done. While your fists stay by, right by your side, your words they bruise me deep inside. I'd rather have sticks and stones and broken bones than the words you say to me, cause i know bruises heal and cuts will seal but your words beat the life from me."

Our words are powerful. They have the ability to encourage people to greatness or destroy their passion and dreams. I really want to be someone who is known as an encourager. Every day, in every conversation I have, God has given me that opportunity.

In this passage, James is resonating the writings of King Solomon from the book of Proverbs by highlighting the power of words. Death and life are in the power of the tongue, and those who love it will eat its fruit. (Proverbs 18:21)

Lord help me to be a person who speak words of life to those I come in contact with. Help me to take responsibility for what I say and help me to think first before I speak. Let my words bring honour to You.

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Christian Zombies from Outer Space (James 2)

Christian Zombies from Outer Space (James 2)

James 2.26 For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also. [nkjv]

I've been in church for the past 30 years. Being a pastor's kid you gain a unique perspective on church life. Not only do you get to see behind the scenes but also you get to sit through a lot of meetings. I estimate that over the past 30 years I've sat through over 4020 sermons. I think I could safely say that I've heard just about everything you possibly could on what it means to be a Christian... until recently!

A few years ago I started working with an organisation called Compassion. They do amazing work ministering to children in extreme poverty, working with local churches to provide food, clothing, shelter, education, medicine and hope to these often forgotten ones.

Compassion, as is exists today, is a huge international ministry but it started as a result of one man's faith and obedience. In 1952, Everett Swanson, an American missionary in South Korea, went for a morning walk through the streets of Seoul. He saw homeless children dressed in rags, sleeping in doorways to avoid the cold. He came across what he presumed to be a pile of rags being loaded onto a garbage truck. Upon closer inspection, he was horrified to discover that the rags were in fact the bodies of street children who had died during the night from exposure.

The challenge which came to him from the Lord was, "Now that you've seen, what will you do?" 50 years later, Compassion has ministered to over two million children in need in over 25 countries. It's this same challenge which James presents us in his writings. Christianity is best expressed by one person, stepping out in faith, to show love to someone else.

To be a Christian takes more than just lipservice. It is not enough to talk the talk, but we need to be people who act as well. If our faith has no action attached to it, then it is dead.

My heart's passion right from when I was young has always been to be someone like an Everett Swanson in this world. To see this become a reality, I need to stir myself, get off the couch and begin to put my faith into action.

Lord help me to be a Christian who sees the needs and then stirs to action. Let me be faithful with every opportunity which comes my way and grant me boldness to step out in faith and minister Your love to a needy world.

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All God Things Take Time (James 1)

All God Things Take Time (James 1)

James 1.25 But he who looks into the perfect law of liberty and continues in it, and is not a forgetful hearer but a doer of the work, this one will be blessed in what he does. [nkjv]

A few years ago a survey was conducted in the USA to discover just how many teenagers read their Bible. The results were staggering. After interviewing 30,000 Christian teenagers, the survey showed 86% never opened their Bible outside of church!

What does this say about our generation? Are we becoming Christians whose faith is based purely on the Sunday sermon? A generation of listeners but not doers. In our church, we have the most amazing Senior Pastor who has the ability to take the Word of God and break it down into simple bite size pieces. Despite how good he is, I still have a responsibility to be in God's Word continually throughout the week if I hope to grow in my faith. The Sunday sermon is not enough!

According to James, we need to be people who consistently spent time with God in His Word and then put it into practice. Jesus likened this person to a wise man who builds on a rock. The thing about this is that to build a house takes time and it also takes effort on the builders behalf.

In our instant society have we lost the ability to continue in our labour even if the fruit is slow in coming? There is a saying which goes, 'all good things take time.' This is true of my spiritual growth as well.

I may not see results today, but I know that if I am consistent, change will come.

Lord help me to continue in Your Word consistently. Help me live out my faith in this world and never be content just to sit back and do nothing.

What was God speaking to you about through this chapter?

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