When we think about God...

It's been a while...must do better...but saw this and thought of you...

Day Five

Yesterday was the final day of our £1.50 challenge. Diet pretty much the same as every other day this week. Additional toast as we had a few slices left and half a banana for desert. Also porridge made with milk as we have enough left.

So what do we have left? One slice of bread, half a jar of coffee and enough porridge for about 10 bowls. 

So here are yesterday's numbers.

Energy ... 1802 kcal ... 72% RDA
Fat ... 62g ... 65% RDA
Carbohydrates ... 215g ... 72% RDA
Fibre ... 39g ... 216% RDA
Protein ... 81g ... 146% RDA
Salt ... 6g ... 87% max RDA

I haven't really felt much of an overall impact during the week, but yesterday afternoon I cycled 14 miles (visiting) and then went for a late afternoon 7 mile run - and I don't remember having such a rubbish run for a long time. Certainly looking at the numbers for that run, I was nearly 3 minutes per mile off my normal pace. Just nothing in the legs. May simply be a coincidence, or it may be the knock on cumulative impact of this diet.

When I weighed myself this morning I have lost 2.2 kg since Monday morning - that's nearly 5 lbs in 5 days. Not a healthy weight loss programme then.

Of course, for us, we can eat 'normally' again today. But for so many in this country and overseas that is just not an option. Theirs is a daily struggle to get enough to eat. As we celebrate our Harvest Thanksgiving Service tomorrow we will appreciate what we have and say thank you - whilst thinking of those who aren't as fortunate. 

Day Four

Only one day of the £1.50 a day challenge to go now. This is the food that we have left.

Today's meals were very much like every other day this week. The variations were 5 bits of bread with peanut butter (using up the other piece I didn't have on Monday) rather than 4, and then the tin of mandarin oranges for dessert this evening.

I don't think I've felt as hungry this time round as when we first did this in 2011. But this time we've had an extra 50p per day, and we are only doing the challenge for 5 as opposed to 7 days. Or maybe we just made better choices in terms of what we bought.

Of course it is not just overseas where families struggle to put food on the table. The dramatic rise in the use of Food Banks is a clear indicator of that reality. And whilst this week has shown that you can eat for £1.50 a day it is difficult to eat a balanced and healthy diet on that amount.

Once again today's figures (except protein and fibre) come out below RDAs. 

Energy ... 1814 kcal ... 73% RDA
Fat ... 61g ... 64% RDA
Carbohydrates ...221g ... 74% RDA
Fibre ... 40g ... 224% RDA
Protein ... 78g ... 141% RDA
Salt ... 6g ... 87% max RDA

My job is not particularly physical, but if I was to incorporate the calories burned in cycling the children to school (8 miles a day - there and back twice), and running (at least 500 kcal), then clearly this diet is not enough. For those who have physical jobs, or spend all day walking around, this will not be enough - and whilst it may have no noticeable affect over 5 days, if it continues for week after week after week then eventually it will have an impact on health.

I had a look today at the 5-a-day thing - eating 5 portions of fruit and veg a day. I'm not totally sure how this is supposed to work, but I have assumed that if a portion is essentially 80 g, then 40 g of carrots is half a portion or 60 g of leek is 3/4 portion. I do know that you can only ever count 1 portion of beans - no matter how many you eat.

Bearing this in mind today's total comes to 4.12 portions which breaks down into:

Beans: 1 portion
Sweet corn: 0.81 portions
Carrot: 0.56 portions
Broccoli: 0.19 portions
Leek: 0.56 portions
Mandarin: 1 portion

but we didn't have any fruit for the first two days and our sweet corn has now all gone.

Just like the sunflowers we looked at the other day, growing your own fruit and veg is another key way for aid agencies to help many poor communities help themselves. Whether it is providing the seed to get started, or the necessary tools, or introducing new farming techniques that improve the quality of the soil, or even providing lawyers to help displaced families re-claim their land after a conflict - the addition of fresh veg into the diet can make a real difference.

Day Three

Today we spent our final £1.58 ... on 4 pints of milk, a banana and a tin of pineapple chunks (on special offer).

We had the pineapple after our evening meal - the first pudding we've had all week. Half a banana tomorrow.

Apart from the pineapple, other changes from yesterday: I had an extra slice of bread. I felt hungry late afternoon, so had one of the two slices I didn't eat on Monday - so five slices of bread with peanut butter today. I also cut back to the right amount of milk, having water with my porridge. And - two whole mushrooms with the rice, not just one.

Here's the breakdown:

Energy ... 1871 kcal ... 75% RDA
Fat ... 59 g ... 62% RDA
Carbohydrate ...241 g ... 80% RDA
Fibre ... 41 g ... 225% RDA
Protein ... 75 g ... 137% RDA
Salt ... 6 g ... 88% max RDA

Here's what the girls ate this evening - it looked good and smelt good.

Day Two

Two small things that made a difference yesterday, on day two of our challenge. First there was the realisation that I had made a mistake with my calculations - and that we have actually allowed for 4 slices of bread a day and not 2. Then at breakfast time I poured a normal helping of our milk onto my porridge before putting it in the microwave - but we don't have enough milk to do that. Fortunately we still have £1.58 of our £15 budget left so getting another 4 pints of milk isn't a problem.

The only other difference to Monday was the addition of a single mushroom to our evening meal.

But the extra milk, the additional 2 pieces of toast (with an extra 30 g of peanut butter) did make quite a difference to the numbers:

Energy...1656 kCal ... 66% RDA
Fat ... 52g ... 55% RDA
Carbohydrate ... 208g ... 70% RDA
Fibre ... 36g ... 203% RDA
Protein ... 72g ... 131% RDA
Salt ... 5g ... 80% max RDA

The thing that really surprised me was getting more than enough protein - so where did that come from? Well the beans, the porridge and the milk all helped, but the peanut butter on 4 slices of toast was significant.

You have probably heard the saying, 'give a man a fish and you feed him for a day; teach a man to fish and you feed him for life'. Aid agencies working with the poorest and hungriest people on earth don't simply give out food parcels but they look for ways to provide long term help so that communities can help themselves.

Sunflower seeds, like peanuts, pack in a lot of energy, fat and protein. Sunflowers are hardy and quick growing. The seeds can be used to make porridge, or turned into sunflower oil. So by providing communities with seed and vital training in modern farming techniques to help protect the young plants, communities are able to grow their way out of poverty. The improvement in diet has a knock on effect on health. Some of the harvest is replanted, some is eaten, some is turned into oil and sold. Meaning that families can afford medical care and to send their children to school.

Day One

Day 1 of the £1.50 challenge is pretty much over - just allowed one more bowl of porridge, which I will have a bit later. It's not been too bad - just felt a bit hungry during the afternoon. The hardest thing has probably been just not getting up and going to have a biscuit, or making some toast mid afternoon. Also drinking hot water from lunch time - no decaf coffee, no tea bags, and not enough milk to keep drinking coffee all day long. Also missing not having fruit and yogurt.

So what did we get for our £1.50 today?

Breakfast was porridge made without milk.

I had 4 cups of coffee throughout the morning.

Lunch was 2 slices of toast with peanut butter.

Then this evening it was a rice, beans, sweet corn, carrot, leek and broccoli meal (plus a couple of stock cubes between us).

Then tonight I will have another bowl of porridge made without milk.

Those of you who know me will know that I never shy away from the opportunity to use a spreadsheet. With such a limited range of foods for the whole week this is the ideal opportunity to create a simple spreadsheet to track the nutritional value of what we're eating, and compare this with the recommended values.

Energy ...1193 kCal ... 48 % of RDA
Fat ... 30g ... 32 % of RDA
Carbohydrate ...168g ... 56 % of RDA
Fibre ... 28g ...157% of RDA
Protein ... 49g ... 89 % of RDA
Salt ... 5g ... 66% of max RDA

So well down on everything apart from fibre. It will be interesting to see what kind of affect this will have over a few days - but obviously if these were the figures long term this kind of diet would begin to have an impact on health.

Looking forward to that porridge!

Nearly there...

The £1.50 challenge starts tomorrow. As Su and I are pooling our resources this gives us £15 for 5 days worth of food and drink. Obviously planning is essential if you're not going to get to Tuesday and find you have no money left. So yesterday we went and did our weekly shop.

Here's what we bought:

• Coffee (our most expensive item) £4.00
• broccoli 33p
• 2 loaves of bread 79p each
• Sweetcorn 35 p a tin
• 1 can of fruit 35p
• 5 tins of kidney beans 23p each
• Leaks 56p
• Milk £1
• Mushrooms 27p
• Carrots 25p
• 1kg Porridge 75p
• Peanut butter £1.09
• Lemon Curd 59p
• Stock cubes 40p
• 1 kg Rice 40p

This comes to £13.42 leaving us £1.58 for additional purchases later in the week if necessary. We may well need some more milk.

The plan is:

Breakfast - Porridge made with water and a couple of cups of coffee

Lunch - Either a peanut butter or lemon curd sandwich (no marg or butter)

Dinner - Rice, beans and vegetables

I know that a number of people are a little dubious and critical as to the value of this exercise but I would challenge anyone to try this for 5 days and not learn one thing that doesn't provide us with a better understanding of the issues that many people in our world face.

For those who are struggling to see what those lessons might be I'll blog my thoughts each day this week.

Time to get planning

Could you live off £1.50 a day for 5 days? Why would you want to?

Harvest is traditionally a time for giving thanks - but for many churches it has also become a time of remembering those who are less fortunate than ourselves. Maybe this was always the case - or maybe this element has come in as we have become more and more removed from the physical harvest. When our supermarkets stock food from around the world why do we stop and give thanks in September or October? A poor summer in Russia might mean an slight increase in the price of bread - but bread will still be available.

But for many people across the world a poor harvest can mean not enough to eat. It can mean not having surplus to sell and therefore not being able to send your children to school this year. And in the most extreme cases it will mean starvation.

When we are surrounded by so much it is perhaps impossible to get our heads around the statistic that half the world's population live on less than $2.50 (about £1.50) a day. What this means for many is that if you can feel coins in your pocket you will eat today. 

So, what is the £1.50 challenge?

Those who attend Comberton Baptist Church have been challenged to live off £1.50 a day (just in terms of food and drink) for 5 days, in the week running up to our Harvest Thanksgiving Service (so Monday 29 Sept. to Friday 3 October). Not that this will in anyway replicate the situation that many find themselves in, but it will help us to understand a little bit more what life is like for so many. 

So if you haven't done so already, and you want to take part, then it is time to get planning. You have only £7.50 to spend on all your food and drink for 5 days. If you're doing this as a family then you can pool your resources which will help as buying in bulk is usually cheaper.

One thing that you won't be able to afford this coming week is variety. In our house it is going to mean lots of porridge, rice and lentils. Meat won't feature at all. Don't forget key items like milk and cooking oil. You do get clean drinking water for free - something that many in our world don't get at all, let alone free. But if you want tea or coffee you won't be visiting Starbucks - one latte will use getting on for half of your weekly budget. You can benefit from your fridge and freezer though.

If you go to work you'll need to think about those coffee breaks and lunch times. You could take a flask, or take your own tea bags, or just drink water, and biscuits are definitely off the menu. Your change in habits will be noticed and will be an interesting starting point for a variety of conversations. Maybe you could get sponsorship and donate the money to an organisation such as BMS World Mission, who are committed to working amongst the poorest communities on the planet.

You can probably expect to feel hungry, especially if you're used to eating between meals.

So - could you live off £1.50 a day? Will you join in with the £1.50 challenge?

[I last did something like this in October 2011 - use the menu on the right to read some of those posts.]

Harvest

At our harvest service on Sunday 5 October we're going to be hearing about the work of BMS World Mission in India.

Here's a look ahead to what we can expect.


Share the Light - Promo from BMS World Mission on Vimeo.

Could you live on £1.50 a day?

Yesterday in church I mentioned in passing the idea of living off £1.50 a day for 5 days in the run up to our harvest service in a few weeks time. More details will follow on Sunday, but for those of you who can't wait that long here are some links to posts from 2011 when Su and I did a similar challenge - living off £1 a day for 7 days. I blogged each day with a breakdown of what we had eaten, but also some thoughts on why we were doing it and what we could learn.

To see my introductory blogs from October 2011 click here and then click here.

The daily blogs start here.

Charities should stick to knitting and stay out of politics

When the government's minister for Civil Society said in yesterday's Guardian that charities should stick to knitting and not get involved in politics I'm sure he was anticipating a response.

Here's one of many - from Matthew Frost, who is Chief Executive of Tearfund, writing in the Huffington Post. Click here to read what he has to say.

Official Shipwrecked Theme Tune Music Video

Now that Holiday Club is over - here's the 'Official Music Video'. Just in case you've managed to get the tune out of your head yet...




Thanks to everyone who made Holiday Club possible - over 120 local children encountered the love of Jesus.

Loom Bands

As a dad with three daughters of primary school age I know all about loom bands. Our eldest two, along with some other local children, were filmed for a piece for the BBC's Newsnight which was aired on Friday. The video will only be available for a few more days but if you want to see what they got up to here's the link - start at 27 minutes in.

Click here to watch.

Responding to Iraq Crisis

Do you ever watch the news from places like Iraq and wonder - yes, but what can I actually do?

Christian Today website have a list of five things that we can actually do. Pray. Give. Write. Sign. Raise awareness. To read the article click here.

It's been a while since I posted a video from Christian Aid...

Marked

At our Holiday Club we are looking at the story of Daniel from the Old Testament - a story in which Daniel and his three friends, Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah, are required at a number of points, to stand up for their faith in God - even when that means putting their own lives at risk. To do what they know to be right or to face death.

As a Christian in the UK this is not a reality that I experience. Often when people talk about being persecuted for their faith it is in the context of not being allowed to wear a cross to work.

But for Christians living in many parts of the world this is their experience. In Iraq Christians are experiencing severe persecution. Christians in the city of Mosul have been driven out. The homes of Christians are being marked with an 'N' written in Arabic (N = Nazarene = Christian) along with the choice - leave/convert/pay/die.

You may have seen this symbol - the letter N - cropping up on Social Media sites as Christians as well as Muslims and those of no faith support the Christians in Iraq and call for end to what is going on there.

Shipwrecked

In one of his letters to a young church the apostle Paul talks about the way in which God gives different gifts to each person. He describes the church as a body - hands, feet, eyes, kidneys, bladder - all are different and perform a different task, but the body needs them all to be functioning if it is going to work properly.

We have just finished the first of two weeks of Holiday Club at church and these last couple of weeks have been a great example of what Paul's talking about in 1 Corinthians. We've had people planning, organising and building. Others have been writing songs, scripts or preparing talks. Resources were copied, some needed painting. Some have been cooking meals or providing lunches for our volunteers, others have been washing up afterwards. Some have been meeting to pray each evening. The drama team have been rehearsing and filming. Videos and CDs needed editing. The PA and projector needed operating. Floors had to be hoovered. Coffee had to be made, water bottles had to be filled, bins had to be emptied, toilets had to be cleaned. Children were registered, parents were welcomed, cake was eaten. Games were organised, rooms were decorated. Groups had to be led and leaders had to be helped. Crafts were prepared, and paint was washed off tables. Instruments were played, songs were sung, talks were talked, memory verses were remembered. Children were cared for, they had fun, and they experienced God's love.

Well done and thank you to everyone who took part.

To bow or not to bow

At Holiday Club today we looked at the story of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego not bowing down to the statue of Nebuchadnezzar, and getting thrown into the fiery furnace as a result.

Christians in some parts of the world still face these sorts of choices today.

John 1-12 Wordle

It's been a while since my last post. On Sunday we're going to be looking at a summary of John 1-12. Oh yes, and it's an all age service. What shall we focus on?

Nine years on

Nine years ago today our eldest daughter was born - but her birth was anything but straightforward. Those of you who knew us at the time will probably remember those first few weeks as you waited for daily email updates and prayed and prayed.

There have been very few times in my life when I have felt the presence and peace of God as I did in those first few days. God is faithful and we can trust him.

For those of you who didn't know us nine years ago, and those of you who want to see some of the pictures again, here's my wife's blog post from earlier today...click here

A Trap

Last time we looked at whether we can read John 7:53-8:11 with any confidence that it is the reliable Word of God. My answer to that question is - 'yes we can'.

There are a variety of reasons as to why the story of the woman caught in adultery might struggle to find a home in the early church - and grace might be one of those reasons. In a young church that is trying to find its way within the Roman empire - that is trying to teach what it means to be a Christian in a world that is largely pagan - that is trying to promote a godly understanding of sex and right relationships - this story may not have been appreciated as helping much.

The early church would have shied away from public stonings, but there were plenty of other ways of making a public spectacle of those caught in certain sins - as a deterrent to others. But thanks to Jesus, this woman seems to get away with it - scot free.

This is not a passage that teaches that unless we are sinless we should not respond to sin when we encounter it in the church. But these men were not interested in the woman, there was no sense of wanting to see her restored - they were only interested in trapping Jesus - and whatever happened to her - well, so be it.

What we take from this story will depend on whose shoes we fill. Are we amongst those who judge - but whose own hearts and motives are not right before God? Those who want to punish but not to restore or forgive.

Or do we stand with the woman, knowing that we have nothing to say in defence of our sin, knowing what the law says, but who nevertheless hear Jesus say, 'then neither do I condemn you - go and leave your life of sin'.

As Paul says in Romans 8:1, 'Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus'.

We don't deserve it. We can't earn it. It's grace. It's a gift.



To listen to this sermon click here. To download the home group notes click here

To read or not to read...

Depending on the version and edition of the Bible that you read you may find that when you come to John 8 the text is slightly different to the rest of your Bible.

In my NIV - my paper and electronic versions - the text is in italics and there is this bracketed introduction which points out that John 7:53-8:11 does not appear in the earliest manuscripts - and in some of these manuscripts the passage appears in different places in John or even in Luke. In the earliest copies of John's gospel that we have the text that we know as 7:52 is followed by 8:12. 

[It is now widely believed that this passage became fixed in its current location in Greek manuscripts from around the 4th century.] 

In his commentary on this passage Gary Burge states that the first question an interpreter must answer when considering these verses is whether to preach or teach from them at all.

What are we to make of all this, and should we be concerned about the reliability of what we believe is the Word of God?

It is true that we do not have access to the original copy of any of the gospels. But what we do have is many very early copies. Personally I find it encouraging that the team of people responsible for the publication of my NIV Bible are not trying to cover up or hide the issues related with these few verses. They make it very clear and obvious - and therefore highlight the fact that similar issues do not apply with the majority of the rest of the text.

We do have evidence of these verses elsewhere in John or Luke (as already seen), as well as evidence that this story was well known within the church from a very early date. [For example, it is believed that Papias refers to this story (approx. AD 125).]

My conclusions from what I have read in preparation for preaching on this passage - and yes I did decide to preach from it - is that whilst this story may not have been written by John, and it may not have been a part of John's original gospel, it is an account of an event that actually took place within the life of Jesus.

I believe that the Bible is the inspired Word of God. God did not dictate what to write to its authors, but God inspired them. This inspiration was also given to those who were responsible for collecting the books together and deciding what was in and what was out - and the will of God was not negated even when the motives for taking decisions were maybe more political or power hungry than 'spiritual'.

For whatever reason God wanted these verses included here. And these verses have the power to transform us.

Next time we'll look at what the verses actually say and see what God may be saying to us today.

When the going gets tough

I'm a little bit behind in keeping up to date with our Sunday mornings, so here's the beginnings of an attempt to catch up.

At the end of John 6 Jesus has been saying things that many of his followers are finding difficult - not necessarily difficult to understand, but difficult to put into practice or accept. As a result many of them leave and no longer follow Jesus.

Jesus is offering them life - but they want to settle for something a little easier.

How do we respond when we are challenged by Jesus' teaching? Do we take the bits we like and ignore some of the harder challenges that require sacrifice?




Jim Elliot was killed, aged just 28, in 1956 as he was seeking to take the gospel into the jungles of South America. 

One of his most well known quotes is, 'He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain that which he cannot lose'.

Those followers of Jesus who walked away that day took the easier option but they gave up the promise of eternal life.

Peter knew that only Jesus had the words of eternal life and therefore he was prepared to follow Jesus whatever the cost - although he still continued to make mistakes along the way.

When the going gets tough - what do we do?

Running for BMS

What does mission work look like these days? What kind of people get involved? I guess if you were to ask someone at BMS World Mission they would probably answer 'all sorts' and 'all kinds'. BMS are involved in the work of transforming lives on four continents, getting involved with communities that are the least evangelised and the most marginalised.

So what does this look like?

In some places it involves planting trees that are able to tolerate the extreme heat of the desert - trees that will provide shelter for local communities in the 50 degree C temperatures as well as helping to halt the spread of the desert - protecting local villages.

On 7 June I'm going to be running a half marathon to raise funds for BMS World Mission. If you would like to sponsor me then please click here.

New Chris Tomlin song

If you've followed this blog for a while you will know that I am a Chris Tomlin fan. Many a long run has been to a Chris Tomlin soundtrack - with nearly 70 of his songs on my iPod there's plenty to keep me going. The only thing with setting it to random shuffle is that I occasionally find myself singing along to songs on his Christmas album - Glory in the Highest - whilst out running in the summer sunshine.

Here's news of Chris Tomlin's latest single, Waterfall, which is out now, and a new album out later in the year.



Want to know what it sounds like before you pop over to iTunes to buy it?

God is faithful - BMS are happy

If you've ever wondered what kind of things go on at the Baptist Assembly - here's how BMS ended their presentation this afternoon...

I am...

For those who want to listen again, here's the poem that Adrian ended our service with yesterday.

He is risen

Happy Easter.

Here's another of the tracks that we used on Friday to help us reflect on the death of Jesus and what his death and resurrection mean for us today.

A Good Friday Reflection

Here's another clip that we used at our Good Friday service.



Another clip tomorrow.

Good Friday

Don't call your kid 'Phone'

For those of you who like the videos we occasionally show on a Sunday, here's the one from last week - which was Mother's Day here in the UK.

To tip or not to tip

How does it get to being nearly two weeks since my last post? Time flies. Anyway, those of you who use Facebook will probably have friends who are constantly posting links to all kinds of videos - some series, some thought provoking, some funny, some - the less said about the better...

I rarely click on these links but every now and again they will be posted with a comment that at least makes me think that it may be worth a look.

So that I don't sneak over that 'two weeks without a post' line here's a video that I watched earlier on today. Last week we made cupcakes and then went around our neighbours giving them away - and from their reactions it is clear that people just aren't used to something for nothing. They don't expect nice things to happen for no reason. So you'd get conversations like, 'They're free?' - 'yes' - 'I can just take it?' - 'you can have more than one if you want' - 'and you don't want anything for it?' - 'no - we're giving them away' - 'but can I give you something?'

Anyway - here's some incredible generosity...

Why I support BMS World Mission

Do you ever sit down and watch the news or read a paper and hear stories about what is going on in the world and think - surely as a Christian I am supposed to do something about this? How can I sit here on the sofa, in the dry and the warm, with a coffee in my hand and hear about the suffering of Syrian refugees, the struggles of many in Afghanistan, the poverty in North Korea...as well as stories of hunger and hopelessness from within the UK - and not feel the need to respond. But so often the scale of the need seems so great - what difference can I make?

On Tuesday I had the privilege of hearing more about the work of BMS World Mission. BMS look to work amongst the neediest communities on the planet bringing emergency aid in a crisis; helping communities through agriculture, education and health care; providing training and employment for those escaping the sex trade; engaging in justice ministries for the dispossessed; church planting and sharing the love of Jesus in many other different and creative ways.

When I hear about the work BMS is involved in it never ceases to inspire me, and it is great to be able to support them and therefore be part of what they do. God has not yet called me to go and be personally involved in medical work in Chad, or community and church work in Peru, or legal work in Uganda - but he has called his people to go and make disciples to the ends of the earth, and to show love and care and compassion where they encounter need and despair and hopelessness. None of us can be everywhere and do everything, we can't physically respond to every need, but together, in partnership with organisations like BMS World Mission we can be a part of helping those in need in places like Syria. That's why I support BMS World Mission.



Why BMS? from BMS World Mission on Vimeo.

True Worship

Do you ever have those moments where people look at you in such a way that you're left thinking, 'what have I just said?' or 'what have I done?'

I was recently talking to someone about what 'things' had to happen on a Sunday morning to make church church - as opposed to it being a club. We were talking about 'worship' and to clarify that what we were actually talking about was the bit on a Sunday morning when we sing songs I was talking about 'sung worship'. Unfortunately what this person heard me saying was 'sun worship'. Anyway - it was a misunderstanding that was quickly cleared up without me losing my job.

Last time we started thinking about the story in John 4 where Jesus meets a Samaritan woman by a well and asks her for a drink - to see that post click here. We've also seen from chapter 2 that Jesus has already started talking about himself as replacing the temple - the place where we encounter God on earth - find that post here. 

And now in his conversation with this Samaritan woman he tells her that the time has come when people will no longer have to go to this special holy place to worship God or to that special holy place - but instead true worshippers will worship God in Spirit and in truth (4:23-24).

What does that mean? Does it mean that spontaneous singing with eyes closed and hands in the air is what God wants as opposed to singing 300 year old hymns from a dusty old book with a wheezy organ as accompaniment? No - I don't think it does.

First we need to get away from this idea that worship is about singing. Worship is much wider than that. Worship is everything we do in response to what God has already done for us - and if we are looking to obey God all the time, then it follows that everything we do is worship. Coming to church and singing songs is a part of our worship - but it is only a part. We should be worshipping God in everything we do - because everything we do is done in obedience to God.

So true worship is about a Monday morning and Friday evening life that is consistent with what we sing and say in church on a Sunday.

But true worship is only possible with the Holy Spirit - Jesus will identify the picture of living water with the Holy Spirit in a few chapters' time. Jesus started talking with Nicodemus about the Spirit in chapter 3, about being born again - through believing that Jesus is who he claims to be. When we believe this, God gives us His Spirit to help us live out this genuine and authentic life as a disciple of Jesus.

Time for a drink

Friendly rivalry and competition is a key part of sport.



Unfortunately sometimes the friendly rivalry starts to represent something that looks more like hatred.

The rivalry between the Jews and the Samaritans in the time of Jesus was much more outright hatred than anything friendly. Even though they shared part of their history and could be thought of as distant relatives these were two sets of relatives that would not be sitting down to share Christmas dinner together.

And so when Jesus decides to take the direct route from Jerusalem to Galilee - which is through Samaritan territory, he was doing so at a time when most religious Jews would have taken the longer route to the east that avoided Samaria. Contact with a Samaritan would impact your ritual purity. When you add to this that a Jewish man would not be seen talking in public with a woman - you start to get some idea of the shock that the story in John 4 would have created. Not only is Jesus talking with a Samaritan - this Samaritan is a woman - and this woman has a reputation. This was simply a conversation that should never have taken place, yet it does.

Jesus, by his actions, is continuing to dismantle the barriers that society has put in place - and to demonstrate that God's invitation to a new life is open to all. In chapter 3 it was a powerful, influential, (male) Jewish teacher. Now it is someone from the other end of the social spectrum.

Who are the people that we need to strike up a conversation with and what are the barriers that we need to be looking to break down this week?

The power of words

This is great. Enjoy. 

Which is your favourite? Which do you need to say more often? 

Feel free to comment below...

You are the temple

Last time we looked at how Jesus turned up in the Temple, threw out the money changers, chased away the sheep and the goats, released the pigeons and then declared that the temple was now obsolete because he was the real deal, and the temple was just a signpost.

The Temple was the place where God had chosen to dwell among his people and the place where you came in order to make sacrifice for forgiveness of sins. In our series from John's gospel, Jesus is being presented as God on earth (e.g. 1:14) and the perfect sacrifice (e.g. 1:29).

In the light of this progression from Tabernacle - Temple - Jesus, how does 1 Corinthians 3:16 fit: 'Don't you know that you yourselves are God's temple and that God's Spirit dwells in your midst...you together are that temple'?

This was one of the questions that we did not get time to look at on Sunday. So whilst Jesus remains the ultimate sacrifice and the one way to God, the place where people should be able to encounter God is in the church - in terms of the gathered people, rather than a physical building.

When Jesus walked into the Temple he found a whole range of things that would get in the way of people meeting God. That was one of the reasons he was so angry. But what about us as the local church? What are the things that hinder people coming to God? If God has chosen to dwell within the local church - are people aware of God's presence there? If not, why not?

Where are you looking?

Where can you go to find God? 

If you'd asked someone within Israel that question in the days of the Old Testament they may well have pointed you in the direction of the Tabernacle or the Temple (depending on which century you did your asking).

The Tabernacle

God gave Moses the plans for the Tabernacle in Exodus, and right at its heart was the 'Most Holy Place' which contained the Ark of the Covenant - a golden box above which God had promised to meet with the people (Exodus 25:22).

The Tabernacle was also the place where you came to bring your lamb/goat/pigeon etc to present to a priest who would then sacrifice the animal for you and for the forgiveness of sin.

So the Tabernacle was the place where God had chosen to dwell amongst the people and it was the place you came to in order to receive forgiveness.

Solomon's Temple

In the 10th century BC the Tabernacle was replaced by a stone Temple built in Jerusalem by King Solomon. At its heart was still the Most Holy Place and the Ark. It was still the place where God met with his people and the place where sacrifice for sin was made.

By the time we arrive at Jesus, this temple had been destroyed and rebuilt and then was undergoing a major upgrade - it was now known as Herod's Temple. And in John 2:13-25 Jesus walks into the temple and essentially declares through his words and his actions that the temple and everything associated with it is obsolete - and it has been replaced by him. No wonder the temple authorities were wanting to get rid of Jesus - they were in danger of losing their position, their authority and their power.

Herod's Temple

John has already been using language that may have alerted us to what is coming. The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us...we have seen his glory...

God no longer chooses to dwell among his people above the Ark in the Most Holy Place at the centre of the Temple - he now meets with his people in a person - Jesus. The whole sacrificial system was a signpost pointing through the Old Testament to Jesus - the perfect sacrifice. It's now through Jesus' death that we can know forgiveness for sin. 

So whether it's finding God, or experiencing forgiveness, the place to look is not a place, but a person - Jesus.

What are you doing for Lent?

Today is Shrove Tuesday - pancake day, which means that tomorrow is Ash Wednesday: the first day of Lent - the time in the church calendar that runs from Ash Wednesday through to Easter. Traditionally Lent is the period of preparation in the run up to the events of Easter - the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus. A time of reflection and repentance - which in certain church traditions is often accompanied by fasting.

Lent lasts for 40 days but if you've looked at a calendar you will have noticed that there are actually 46 days between Ash Wednesday and Easter Sunday. That's because the six Sundays during this time do not count as days of fasting - Sundays are always a day of celebration as we remember the resurrection.

Your church background and the kind of church you attend will affect your view of Lent. Within some churches Lent is an important part of the year. In other churches it barely receives a mention. 

So are you 'doing Lent'? Some people give up something for Lent - like chocolate or Facebook. Some people take something up. Some people give something up in order to create time to take something up. Some people won't have thought about it yet.

So if you haven't thought about it yet, but you want to do something, here are a few ideas.

Christian Aid is just one organisation that use a series of reflections throughout Lent to raise awareness of their various campaigns and encourage prayer and financial support for their work. You can visit their website by clicking here and downloading their Lent materials.

40 Acts - is a commitment to do Lent generously - so rather than giving something up it is a decision to 40 acts of generosity and kindness. To find out more and register click here.

On Sunday at CBC we were encouraged to either continue with or start the Scripture Union daily Bible readings for 2014. If you're not in the habit of reading your Bible regularly then maybe this Lent is your time to start. You can find all the daily readings, along with some helpful notes and thought provoking questions by clicking here. 

Come and see

For those of you who use social media (such as Facebook) what sort of things do you post? What are the exciting things that we want to share with our friends? My Facebook feed this morning contains a mixture of links to other websites and interesting articles, as well as the usual comments about house work, hobbies, running, holidays and a smattering of inspirational photos and quotes.

My Twitter feed is a little different - but that's because of the way that I use Twitter and Facebook.

But if you'd been following a couple of fishermen on Twitter a couple of thousand years ago they may have tweeted something along the lines of "found the Messiah - come and see" along with a photo and a location.

"Come and see". This is an invitation that we hear on the lips of the first disciples as they go and find their friends and tell them about Jesus (John 1:35-51). They hadn't been on an evangelism course but they knew that they'd found the person they'd been waiting for. Within a few hours of meeting Jesus they'd seen and heard enough to convince them that Jesus was the Messiah. They were convinced that Jesus was good news. They were sure that he was the answer to their questions and therefore they knew that he was the answers to their friends' questions too. And when you have good news you want to tell someone.

I think that sometimes we over-complicate evangelism. Yes, there is a part of evangelism that involves things like street performance, or speaking to strangers on a train journey, or engaging in debate - but there is also a part of evangelism that is simply inviting our friends to 'come and see'. 

Is Jesus good news? Why is Jesus good news? What difference does Jesus make to us? If he has made a difference - if we've experienced peace in the middle of a massive crisis for example - then why not share that with someone who is searching for peace today?

Stick with Foncho

Yesterday was the start of Fairtrade Fortnight. It's now 20 years since the first Fairtrade products appeared on the shelves of British supermarkets - and now there are hundreds of different items that carry the Fairtrade Mark.

It's not just about tea, coffee and chocolate anymore. If you're buying footballs, wine, clothing or flowers there will be a Fairtrade option.

I expect that if most people had to list items that came Fairtrade, bananas would be fairly high up the list. But still 2/3 of bananas in the UK are not Fairtrade and bitter price wars in the UK between the supermarkets is putting banana farmers at risk.

That's why bananas are the focus of this year's Fairtrade Fortnight campaign.



To find out more visit the Stick with Foncho website by clicking here.

A bit more than you bargained for...

Something I found on Facebook earlier...

Sometimes you simply get a lot more than you bargained for...I think they call that grace.