The Bible is a dusty old fashioned book loaded with rules, contradictions, half truths, manipulative stories and legends.

“The Bible is a dusty old-fashioned book loaded with rules, contradictions, half truths, manipulative stories and legend. It is at best irrelevant and at worst a dangerous book which has divided people, broken families and caused militants to rise up and kill the innocent. It is a crutch for week people, a hiding place for the weird and a platform for religious nuts to shout and force their opinions into others. Should such a book even be kept in the house let alone read?”

That may be your opinion but I dare you to read it. I dare you to lay aside your preconceived ideas and prejudice to give it a go. If you have been ‘Bible Bashed’ before or people have tried to manipulate or intimidate you with its words then on behalf of all right thinking believers I apologise. The Bible is described as a sword and there have been many, including myself, who have in their enthusiasm and lack of skill flashed it’s blade like a toddler with a light-sabre. 

Why read it?

The Bible is a book like no other; it has not only shaped our country but the world. It has moulded politics, culture, human rights, equality laws and democracy the world over.  Three Bibles are distributed free of charge every second and it remains the world’s No1 best seller.  It has inspired kings, leaders, artists, poets, sports stars the world over as well as billions of others as they go about their daily lives.

This book has something to say to everyone. It teaches us about honesty, hard work, leadership, integrity, charity, compassion, humility, self-sacrifice, putting others first and above all love. It brings hope to the hopeless, comforts those who mourn and shows us than in our brokenness God has made away for wholeness.

I desperately want to make this book ‘trendy again.’ There was time when carrying your Bible under your arm was just as cool as walking today with a set of ‘Monster Beats’  over your ears while plugged into your Ipad. 

Here is just one of many stories that offers great lessons for everyone.  

It’s the 20^th year of Artaxerxes, King of Persia about 450BC and the walls of Jerusalem have been a broken messy rubble for 120 years. They were torn down by the Chaldeans and then allowed to sit unrepaired for now more than a century. Now a city wall in ruins was a bad thing in those days. Not only did it leave the city open for attack, but it prompted ridicule from neighbouring powers. Literally tens of thousands of Jerusalem’s people had seen the broken walls and done nothing. What the people needed was someone to rally them, plan a course of action and take them through the building process. They needed a leader and they got one in a cup-bearer to the King called Nehemiah.

His story is one of the most remarkable stories of leadership ever recorded. He made plans, envisioned the people and worked with them to rebuild the walls. In the end, what lay a mess for 120 years was repaired inside just 52 days.

Are you a leader? There is much you can learn from this guy and you can find his full story inside the Bible in a book that bears his name: Nehemiah

Whey not find that old book and give the story a read... alternatively you can download it here 

Here are some leadership lessons from Nehemiah that we would do well to follow:

• He identified the problem that no-one else could see
• He approached and shared the challenge with key influencers 
• He measured up the task
• He cast the vision before the people
• He encouraged them with stories of past success
• He received ‘buy-in’ from the people
• He organised them
• He worked with them and not just from a desk

The walls were built because Nehemiah had a burden, showed ability to work in a team and led them with clear direction.

A dust irrelevant book? I dare you... blow the dust of the Bible and read it!

I've Found Hope

Romans 15:13 May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.

Take time to read that verse again.

Meditate on it: 

1, The God of hope fill you with joy and peace as you trust in Him.

2, May we overflow with hope

3, By the power of the Holy Spirit.

Sometimes I come across a passage like that and I think: It speaks for itself, i have nothing  more to say or preach on for the Word of God speaks for itself. Any human input if mine would do it an injustice.  If we could all take those three points and marinate in them we will be changed.

This little blog is an extract for Sunday's sermon on these three points. I hope it proves helpful.

Maybe you are reading this blog because you have lost hope. Maybe you are 'at the end of your rope'. Read it again. May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.

Hopelessness is one of the darkest places on earth.

All around us people have put their hope on material things that are failing: banks, businesses, organisations, careers  and relationships. As a result  people are looking for a quick fix; a short term solution to long term problems and so a cycle begins of quick fixes that can often lead to wrong choices and addiction.

I wonder what you find your strength and hope in today? I found my hope in Jesus 20 years ago. When I became a Christian I didn't just 'come to faith', I didn't just 'receive 'his gift of love'; Both are essential but  I found hope... and hope found me.

 The bible says 'These three things remain firm faith, hope and love...and the greatest of these is love'  Sometimes we hear that verse read at weddings and always them emphasis  is on love and little mentioned of hope.  Maybe i should rework my title to 'These three things remain firm... and the least understood of these is hope.

In the U.K and Ireland every 90 minutes there is a death due to suicide and 1 attempted suicide every 20 minutes.

Many are young men cut down in the prime of life.

Suicide rates from 1996 to 2006 are as follows: 

England down 7%

Wales down 1%

Scotland down 12.5%

Northern Ireland suicide is up 111%. That's where I live, that's suicide on the streets I walk on every day.

And it doesn't seem to be  getting any better. Just before I left the Fire and Rescue Service in 2011 I helped a doctor and nurse work on a young man for 40 minutes... he didn’t make it. Another suicide but this time it was up close. Another young man can't find hope and decides to end his life. 

Last week I met with a gentleman who works in the agricultural industry. He informs me that in Ireland there is 1 suicide a week in the farming industry. Often these are men who have inherited their fathers business, worked long hours and spent their lives on the farm only to see it decimate before their eyes. Poor harvest, food prices slashed and EU regulations making driving them into hopelessness.

What can we do?

We need to keep Hope alive in our communities, real Hope is essential for our survival.

Hope is essential to our survival. Webster defines hope as “Desire accompanied by expectation of, or belief in fulfilment; to desire with expectation of obtainment; to expect with confidence.” How vital that expectation and hope is!

When life hurts and dreams fade, nothing helps like hope.

Without hope, prisoners of war languish and die. Without hope, students get discouraged and drop out of school.

Without hope, football teams slump and keep losing... even Chelsea! 

Without hope, amateur authors will stop writing, farmers loose confidence in their business, addicts return to their habits, married couples decide to divorce, inventors, artists, entertainers, and entrepreneurs lose their creativity.

Without hope, even preachers, and strong Christians, struggle to press on.  

Hope is not merely a nice option that that helps us temporarily clear a hurdle. It is essential to our survival. It is something that is as important to us as water is to a fish, as vital as electricity is to a light bulb - hope is that basic to life.

When we are trapped in a tunnel of misery, hope points to the light at the end.

When we are overworked and exhausted, hope gives us fresh energy.

When we are discouraged, hope lifts our spirits. 

When we are tempted to quit, hope keeps us going.

When we lose our way and confusion blurs the destination, hope dulls the edge of panic.

When we struggle with a crippling disease or a lingering illness, hope helps us persevere beyond the pain.

When we fear the worst, hope brings reminders that God is still in control.

When we must endure the consequences of bad decisions, hope fuels our recovery.

When we find ourselves unemployed, hope tells us we still have a future.

When we are forced to sit back and wait, hope gives us the patience to trust.

When we feel rejected and abandoned, hope reminds us we’re not alone...and that we’ll make it. 

When we say our final farewell to someone we love, hope in eternal life gets us through the grief.

I want every Christian reading this today to do this: Adopt hope like a little daughter and carry her in your heart everywhere you go. May we overflow with hope, that's what the bible says. OVERFLOW WITH HOPE.

Speak hope into our children, speak it into our churches and communities. Let hope live within you and give it away freely to others. Be intentional today to live out hope. 

Maybe you are reading this because you have put your hope in the wrong things and are seeing it fall apart before your eyes. Turn your eyes toward Jesus, the source of hope. Spend some unhurried time with him and rest in his presence. Cast your cares upon him and trust in His goodness. He has never failed me yet.

Pray this prayer:

Dear Jesus, thankyou for the promise of your word. Fill me with joy and peace as i trust in you. Through the power of your Holy Spirit let your confident hope fill every area of my life and overflow into the lives of others. In Jesus name, Amen.

Extracts from sermon for Sunday June 2013

The Bible: A book of failures for failures

 

The Bible is a book of failures for failures

 

Tom Watson, Sr., founder of IBM, was being interviewed by a young man who asked the following question: “Mr Watson, how can I be great like you?”  Without hesitation Mr Watson responded, “Double your failures.”

Albert Einstein’s teacher described him as mentally slow, unsociable and adrift in foolish dreams.

Walt Disney was fired by a newspaper editor for lack of ideas.

Winston Churchill failed in sixth grade and did not become Prime Minister until he was a senior citizen and eligible for a bus pass (62)!

And what about this guys climb to success!

Failed in business – bankruptcy, 1831

Defeated for legislature, 1832

Failed in business – bankruptcy, 1833

Sweetheart dies, 1835

Nervous breakdown, 1836

Defeated in election, 1838

Defeated in U.S. Congress, 1843

Defeated in U.S. Congress, 1846

Defeated in U.S. Congress, 1848

Defeated for U.S. Senate, 1854

Defeated for U.S. Vice President, 1856

Defeated for U.S. Senate, 1858

Elected President of the U.S. 1860

 

His name: Abraham Lincoln

 

I guess the point I am making is this; if you have failed a few times you are in good company. The greatest business people are often those who have also failed most. Every ‘no’ can take us closer to a ‘yes’; it’s how we respond it that really matters. Are we teachable? Can we learn from our mistakes? 

Remember: Failure is only temporary but quitting lasts forever.

 

The Bible is a great book to guide us through failure and into success. It is littered with stories of people who are remembered ‘to put it mildly’ for being less than consistent due to failure:

King David, Solomon, Moses, Joseph, Abraham, Jacob, Peter, Paul to name a few. Each one has a story of failure. All of these people where called by God to do great service and had the Bible been a book of fiction you would only have read about consistent and exemplary lives. You would not expect major blunders. Yet, what do we find in their lives: weak parents, jealous leaders, lies, arrogance, corruption and deceit. We see real people who took their eye of God and failed. Go and read them for yourself...these are stories we can relate to and learn from and in our weakness we can draw strength from their experience and see how gracious and merciful God is in spite of our failures.

Have you a failed business plan? Have you messed up with your family? Maybe you didn’t get the grades you hoped for in this year’s exams. The challenge is not to remain in the failure. Learn from it, lift your head and overcome. The people who rarely fail are usually the people who rarely try. Success is not how fast you reach the top, but how fast you bounce back when you hit the bottom.  Seeing yourself as a failure will not make you feel better and even more importantly will not help you do any better. Find new ways to work, focus on your strengths, admit your failures and plan to bounce back.

The worst thing we can do is worry about past failures for this will just compound yet more failure in the future. The Apostle Paul gave this great advice: ‘This one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead’ Philippians Chapter 3 verse 13. This was Paul’s secret of success. It can be ours too - forget about past mistakes and think about how we can do better in the future.The Bible is a book for wobbly weak-kneed people who are big enough to admit they sometimes fail and need help.

 

 

 

Here is little prayer we can all pray: God, thanks for not giving up on me, thank you that you did not create me to become a failure. Help me to understand that in all my mistakes, disappointments, hurt and failures you waste nothing and you can turn it around for good.  Amen.

The lesson we need to remember is: we all fail but only failures stay down. Keep on trying and looking to help others when they fail too.

 

Make today a day when you give your very best.