Maxelcat Speaks

Just had an interesting  moment!

Running “Spotify“on my phone, plugged into the Hi Fi, listening to “What does anything mean, basically” by The Chameleons  – and its been a number of years since I heard it. Nearly every song evokes a strong, significant emotional response in me – you know memories of college, old friends that I haven’t seen in years, feelings of studying physics in the uni library, drinking in the student bar, playing in bands, the optimism of youth etc etc.  Every song a winner, wave after wave of pleasure. Some of the musical arrangements are frankly beautiful; stunning almost – shimmering veils over pounding rhythms that wont let up. They should have been just MASSIVE. Bigger than the biggest thing ever.

Odd thing is, I found myself wanting to worship – like in a really good praise session in church, or when walking through the sunlit woods - you know - when the presence of God is … well… tangeble. I could feel it welling up in my gut as I listened, a tugging, a unspoken longing for something spiritual, lasting  a moment. Deep calling to deep?

But what was this urge to worship that encompassed me?  What is this desire to worship that is so truely innate, and deep within us? When I was part of the throng at a Chameleons or U2 (before they were mega) gig, the desire to express my appreciation of the music, to allow it to take over my emotions, and movements, to offer myself to it was real. This is what I was feeling just a few moments ago.

Offer something of myself to the music? That doesn’t feel Holy to me. It doesn’t feel righteous. But who can deny the feeling of well being after a really good gig? There must be something really significant going on here. A deep need to worship, aching to find expression where it can. Something so “Primevil” that it can’t be ignored.  Somethign that has to be expressed. Its our deepest ache, searching to find relief. And it will find expression.

At the risk of sounding dogmatic humans were to worship (not solely, but all of us).  Worship means many things, but at one level is about “Giving yourself” to something, about expressing your love, your adoration, and offering yourself completely to another. Ultimately, enjoying and appreciateing the music is one thing – that is afterall, part of the reason God gave it to us. 

But, I for one don’t want to offer myself to anything other than Jehovah.

On Sunday 2nd of January 2011 I went on a retreat. This meant going to a nature reserve in the Chiltern Hills, where usually I can wander around for a whole day and not see anyone.

Recently the question “What is the last thing that God said to you?” has been in the air. I’ve heard it asked on serveral occasions. I have convinced that God wants to speak to us. The unique revelation of Jesus Christ was that God is our Father. Logically, what kind of Father doesn’t speak? We wouldn’t think much of a silent one now would we? And of course there are many scriptures that descirbe how the “Normal Chrstian Life” includes hearing God. Maybe I’ll do another post on them!

As I wondered around drinking coffee (always take plenty of coffee on a retreat) I found myself singing “40″ by U2, or should I say “King David”? Anyway, that song has alwasy been a favourite of mine, but the psalm its based on, remained mostly unknown once you get past vs 2! I decided to read it afresh.

And there buried in the middle, was a one verse description of me… not a nice description, but a powerfully accurate one. I am not going to go into the details of how it convicted me of sin, or of how else it spoke. My point is this. God speaks. Through my humming a song that I hadn’t heard in ages, and through the gentle “Why not read it…” prompt light was shed onto an area of darkness.

And to think, for years I didn’t beleive that God spoke except directly through the scripture! Funny how you change isn’t it?

A few years back, when my little ones where really little this song was all the rage. How we enjoyed doing the rain coming down and washing away the foolish man’s house on the sand.

Around that time I was reading Dallas Willards “The Divine Conspiracy”, perhaps one of my all time favourite books. One of the things I took out afresh from this book was just how practical the Sermon on the Mount is. Jesus was truely a genius. He fully understood how people interact with each other, and what goes on in the hearts (inner man) people. So its a good idea to listen to what He says.

If we/I carried out what is written in the sermon on the mount, we’d change the ecosystem around us. You couldn’t help it!

My children where singing and singing that the “Wise man builds his house up on the rock”. And then it hit me – this little parable is right at the end of the sermon on the mount – ie its part of the sermon on the mount. And Jesus also says that the perons who hears His word, AND DOES IT, is like a man who builds his house upon the rock.

I’d never noticed that. You want to be wise, and to be able to stand when the storms of life come. Then DO the Sermon on the mount. Do it. Do it as “Preparation” for when those inevitable storms hit. Jesus doesn’t want admireres, he wants disciples – doers. And He wants us to be “Doers” because its better for us. So let’s joint with the apolstel !!!!!! when he exhorts us to be doers or the word and not jsut hearers.

Read that sermon. Do that sermon. Build that house.

We are bombarded. If, like me, you have embrased  facebook and forums, can’t turn off your mobile, and check your emails constantly then you are bombarded too.

I think the greatest invention of my lifetime is the Walkman. This is because it ultimately gave brith to the iPod, which in turn led to an explosion of wonderful, wonderful podcasts. There is a fantastic banquet of epic proportions laid out for internet savvy Christian who has access to iTunes (other podcast systmes are available…).

And I can’t get enough! Thank you Father for your provision!

Not an Orirignal Idea in Sight

When I teach I often joke, saying that I have yet to have an original thought. I find that when I teach, its usually a smogasbord of all the other teaching that I have been bombarded with other the last months. And that’s not necessarily a bad thing! However, wouldn’t it be great to have something really orriginal to say? To be frank, I have had some orriginal ideas,but just to give credit where its due here’s my list of sources – well, some of them – you’ll find their influences through out my teaching!

• Derek Prince
• Creflo DollarChris Vallouton
• BETHEL MAN
• Dallas Willard
• VINEYARD THESIS MAN
• Leslsy Malpas
• Bob Craine

All that’s good of course – you listen, you filter, you assimilate you pray over. But I crave the orrigianl.

The orriginal in your hands…

I am convinced that God has much to say. There is an inexahustable supply of fresh insight for us, waiting. Derek Prince said soemtihgn along the lines, respectfully, that the bible isnothing more than black marks on white paper if the Holy Spirit doesn’t make it alive. You can read it, and its interesting, maybe even beneficial, but you need teh Holy Spirit to bring the words to life.

The words in the bible have to be applied to our situations. If they aren’t, it can do your head in. When the Holy Spirit of God breathes on a passage, often just a line or two, and applies them directly into our lives it is life and health and food and drink. Now there’s my orrigianl thought.

To my experience the orriginal most often comes when I draw away. Get quite. Just me, and my bible (and sometimes coffee…).

So, just perhaps, it might be good to consider just how often we download new sermons. Maybe, its easier to download a new Chris Voluton, than it is to draw away, still your mind, and listen to God. He’ll bless in what you listen too, if you apply it (remember that Wise manbuild his house upon the rock). But when you get your own, orrigianl application, breathed on by the Holy SPirit. Well, there’s my orrigianl thought.,

Recently I sitting in a cafe with my friend Andy, pondering upon the bigger issues of life – what is the role of a man in the family, exploring our visions, looking at God’s calling, should I have another latte? He asked me “What floats your boat, what really gets you going?” Apart from all the obvous stuff about creation, my children and so on I’d have to say teaching. I love to teach.

For 15 years I was a secondary school teacher. I taught 7-13 year olds in various comprehensives and even a sixth form college. And there was lots that was good. And there was lots that wasn’t. Much as I’d like to elucidate upon the rigours of that vocation this isn’t the place. But one thing that stays with me is the feeling I used to get wathcing the penny drop. There was nothing like the look on a worried face as the clouds of mis-understanding where drawn aside as the enligtenmnet came.

I haven’t been in the classroom now for 5 years. To be honest I can say that I haven’t missed it once. Leaving teaching wasn’t easy I can tell you. I tell my children that its mostly good to “Never say never” afterall - you never know what God will do. (I recently heard Him described as “Jehovah Sneaky”.) So whilst its probably good to never close a door completely, the classroom door is bolted, locked,  patrolled by alsatians, flanked by  lookout posts, behind a mine field … you get the idea.

Sometimes I get the opportunity to preach – maybe 6 times a year. I find it deeply fulfilling on the one hand. And deeply frustrating on another. Its like having a fire in my belly. Jeremiah the prophet said:

But if I say, “I will not mention him or speak any more in his name,” his word is in my heart like a fire, a fire shut up in my bones. I am weary of holding it in; indeed, I cannot. Jer 20:29

I  so relate to this. Obviously I don’t really knolw what it was like for Jeremiah. But I do know that there is a relief that comes to me after preaching – as if I have let go of something that was burning. To mix my metaphors I sometimes think I am a different person when I am preaching. I feel that the words flood out, that there is a great, big dam waiting to burst.

I find I have lots to say – my Christian faith affects every aspect, every nuance of what I am and what I do. Every opinion that I have seems to be affected by my faith. I am not boasting here, because I know many people like this, and many who are much deeper in the water than I am. But I want to explore this.  My purpose in this blog is that I want to explore this teaching. I want to get some of this stuff “out” -  I have a lot to say, and in a way I am testing out if this is part of what God wants for me. So, let’s jusmp in and see where we go!