Quote of The Week

"Fear is the dark room in which all our negatives are developed" Ian Jones

LOOKING IN THE LIONS DEN

What do Lions, Fires, Prisons and Broken Dreams have in common?

These were just some of the challenges Daniel faced from the day he was captured and thrust into a completely new environment with the Babylonians. But lions and fires and bears (hoorah) weren't all he had to deal with. More dangerous than hungry cats in a pit, this amazing teenager Daniel managed to face and overcome four of the biggest challenges you or I are ever likely to face:

• THe CHALLENGE of CHANGE: How do you deal with the transitions in your life?
• The CHALLENGE of CULTURE: How do you respond to the world you live in?
• The CHALLENGE of COMPROMISE: Where are you willing to take your stand and where are you willing to fall?
• The CHALLENGE of CONFLICT: How do cope with the pressure of clashing agendas?

Four big challenges. Four big questions. At some point we will all face up to some of these tests that could leave us feeling hotter than one of Nebuchadnesser's firemen. Why not take some time to look into the lions mouth and see if you can hold your nerve as you consider which of these challenges you are facing right now? Read Daniel Chapter 1 and consider each of the above challenges in the context of his young life. As you identify them in Daniels life, see where they fit into your own.

The Importance of Roots

"Roots are important..." And so ends the last line of a poem my kids wrote today which coincidentally was all about roots. And this line about the importance of roots, turns out to be truer than my six year old may realise.

On a recent walk around our local abbey I noticed several trees that had been uprooted in the wind and literally blown over during harsh weather. It is a pretty sad sight to see something that should have been part of the landscape for years to come, lying uprooted and lifeless on the ground. Why did it lose its chance at life? Because its roots were not deep enough. Perhaps they should have listened my child's poem!

The Bible has a habit of describing people like trees. Psalm 1, for example, tells us that the man who does not listen to the wrong voices but delights in God's word is like a tree planted by streams of water, bearing great fruit. Thats a great example of good roots equalling good fruits. Now In the words of my old drama lessons " I AM A TREEEEE" and therefore I need to consider my roots as well.

Let's look at two types of shrubbery for a minute and see what we can learn from the way their roots grow. The first example is the IVY. Ivy tends to spread all over the place; over walls, up trees, under fences and across buildings, spreading its roots outwards and upwards above the ground. The Oak Tree however spreads it roots differently. They are much less visible. The roots of the oak go deep into the soil and spread in an exact mirror representation of that which is on the surface - as above, so below.

Many people are IVY Christians. They plant roots in things they can see, things they can get hold of and spread themselves thinly in the attempt to gain security from that which is around them. The problem with IVY Christians is that they are planting external roots that rely on external structures to survive. Take them away and they wither and die.

I have also met a few OAK Christians in my time as well. These are the ones who plant their roots deep into something they can't see. Their life mirrors on the outside, what is secure and steadfast beneath the surface. The OAK Christian plants interior roots into internal soils. To them it is what is on the inside that matters. They find their security in an invisible God.

So How do I make sure that I don't end up like that lifeless hunk of wood, shaken and uprooted by the wind?

Ephesians 3:17 urges us to allow our roots to go down deep into the soil of God's marvelous love. God's love must be the biggest anchor point in our lives. If we don't cling onto love above everything else we can easily be uprooted. Colossians implores us to not only root ourselves in God's love, but in Christ himself.

Let your roots grow down into him, and let your lives be built on him. Then your faith will grow strong in the truth you were taught, and you will overflow with thankfulness. Colossians 2:7

If you want to know if your roots are in Christ then consider if you are two things: 1. Strong in truth and 2. Overflowing with thankfulness. These are just two little examples of mirrors that show us what is going on under the soil of our lives.

Having strong roots is not just flowerly talk (excuse the pun). "Roots are Important" and without them things could potentially get dangerous. In the parable of the sower and the seed we see the sad consequences of one who "has no root" lasting only a short time in the Kingdom. As soon as "harsh weather" comes in force, then those who have no roots in God's love and character end up blowing away.

The seed falling on rocky ground refers to people who hear the word and at once receive it with joy. But since they have no root, they last only a short time. When trouble or persecution comes because of the word, they quickly fall away. Matthew 13:20-21

Many times I have heard people describe themselves as wanting to be a Radical Christian, without actually understanding what the word radical means. It literally means "getting to the root". Today, God is calling forth a radical generation who are willing to get to the root of issues in their lives and willing to put their roots deep into God's amazing and marvelous love.

Why not stop trying to be an Ivy Christian, frantically spreading yourself out, trying to place your security in something you can get hold of yourself. Simply dig your roots down deep into the safety of knowing God loves you for who you are. Be like the oak weathering the storms, safe in the knowledge that when the season changes, you may just have produced an acorn of hope, ready to be planted, for generations to come. Wouldn't that be the most radical thing you and I could do?

Every journey begins with a Question Mark?

"Always be ready to answer everyone who asks you to explain about the hope you have" 1 Peter 3:15

Sometimes the questions are more important than the answers...

Today I had the privilege of spending time with some young people who were given the opportunity to ask any question about faith that was on their mind to myself and a fellow youth worker. The questions were both interesting, random and profound. Here are a few examples of what was asked in quick fire mode!

• Why are you a Christian?
• Why do you believe in God?
  
• Do you believe in the devil and ghosts and all that?
• Why did God make humans?
• How do we know that God loves us?
• Why did God make man eating beasts? (Closely followed by Why did God make woman eating beasts?)
  
• Do you believe in hell?
  
• Do aliens exist, is God sexist and what day was Jesus born? (all one question!)
• How has being a Christian affected your life style?
• Is there like another Jesus dying for our sins somewhere right now?
• Why is the Devil a fallen angel?
• If you were God and you could change one thing what would it be?

Each answer had to be given in around 30 seconds to one minute max and had to be said in a way that young people with no religious background would understand. At least one of the questions I answered "I Don't know" which can sometimes have as much power in it as an answer in itself. It shows you are vulnerable, it shows you don't have all the answers and it shows you are on a journey. The most important thing we can learn about helping people get to know God is that everyone is on a journey - even you. Everyone moves forward by the power of the questioning mind. Many times I deal with young people who are defiantly against God one minute and completely change their hearts towards him the next. Why? Because some of the simplist or deepest of questions can unlock new directions and destinies in people.

Brian McLaren once said "Discipleship is not about getting conversions. It is about starting conversations." Good questions are the ultimate conversation starters. Good questions are like signposts that point us in the right direction.

There are times when you have to read between the lines and ask yourself what they are really asking... This is perhaps one of the greatest spiritual keys to discipleship you could ever learn.

So let me leave you with two very simple questions: Who is asking you questions right now and how are you answering? What questions are you asking right now and how are you finding the answers? These two important questions form the basis of what we call our "spiritual journeys" and they determine which direction we are headed.

CHALLENGE: Why not practice answering some of the questions the young people asked above by commenting on this post in as short and as simple way as possible. You can also guess which question I said I don't know to if you like!

Like a Fish out of Water

"Let the little children come to me. Don't stop them, because the kingdom of God belongs to people who are like these children. I tell you the truth, you must accept the kingdom of God as if you were a child, or you will never enter it." Luke 18:16-17

Don't panic, this is not your cue to get back in nappies, start drawing on the walls and go out and throw a wobbly in a supermarket. Not yet anyway. If you want to get in God's Kingdom you have got to stop growing up and start acting like a child.

The thing about Children is that they are completely and utterly dependent on their parents. They don't have any other option for their security. They listen to their instructions (well... most of the time) and they trust beyond doubt. Get the picture? Just like the hand of a son to a dad, so we must place our lives in the guidance of our father.

The other important thing about a child is that they need to know they are loved by the parents, it is in their nature. Youth speaker, Ron Luce describes four broken areas in our life we can find if we don't know we are loved. These are the same areas that psychologists say affect children who do not receive the correct loving nurture from a parent.

Just like a child, if you don’t know you are loved you will:

1. Fail to thrive... you won't grow and mature as you should

2. Be insecure... you will be try to someone you are not or you won't know who you are

3. Display attention seeking behaviour... you may be bold on the outside but scared inside

4. Try to earn approval... you will try to get love by being a success for yourself and others

I wonder if you can relate to any of these things for your own life?

Ron Luce says that the solution for God's children to thrive is to know the love of God for ourselves. He says "If you get close to God, you get close to love, you can't help it. GOD IS LOVE. We are like a fish out of water until we meet the guy who made love."

Fish flap around, gasping for air, trying all sorts of flips and flaps to solve their issues. But what they really need is to be deep in the water, just like we need to be deep in God's love. I pray that today you will stop gasping for approval, writhing for attention and reach out for God's Love. It is right there for you now. You are Completely accepted today. You are Completely empowered today. GOD LOVES YOU.

To become dependent on a Heavenly Father. To know we are loved by a Heavenly Father. Perhaps these are two most childish things we could ever do. And hey, while I am here, fetch me that crayon for the wall...

You can check out some more of Rons thoughts in this clip below (try to endure the american ad at the start!).