writers block

At one time I wrote songs reasonably regularly. If ever I sit down to do it these days I tend to draw a blank. The problem isn't the music but the words. When I look at my attempt they seemtrite or contrived. Could it be that in our increasingly sophisticated world, everything is more difficult to do. Look at the 60's the age of the Beatles and veiw some of their hit lyrics:

She loves you yeah yeah yeah, she loves you yeak yeah yeah, she loves you yeah yeah yeah yeah.

Deep.

Christian songwriters try and avoid the - Jesus died on the cross, to take away our loss thing and do something a bit more creative and come up with stuff like - "Healing rain in falling down, it's coming closer to this old town" hmmm.

It seems to me that the safest way is to find a song that's already been written from the bible, say a psalm and put it to music or else work from a passage, at least the source material would be goo.

I think that's what I'll do, let you know how I get on.

Brotherly Love

I have been thinking lately about the importance of friendship. These are days when commodities increase, those things with a shelf life that we use and discard. Heaven forbid that people should become commoditised; in other words assimilated when of use and thrown away when we judge they have served their purpose. Love becoming a shop window experience rather than commitment of the heart. Callous or not we sometimes see another person as a stepping stone to achieving our goal, someone who we can tread on, albeit ever so gently, in order to attain our purpose.

The remedy for this is true friendship, relationships based not on what a person can do for us but upon who they are. Friendships like this are costly, for no two of us are alike and we have to work at synergy; sacrificing parts of ourselves in order that we may fit better with the other person. This is not about romance, although romance and friendship together can lead to love, it is about brotherhood (call that sisterhood if you like).

In the same way that we can be religious and keep God out of our lives so too we can be social without friends because life does not exist in the outward things but in the heart. Salvation will always be free but walking with God is costly, as is walking with brothers. We would never say that half an hour with God is wasted especially when we have fought our distractions to bring it about in the same way half an hour of "wasted" time with our friend is in fact time very well spent.

Back on track?

Today I went for a two mile run. The first since 7th October. 2 miles six months ago would have seemed like nothing, a walk in the park. My diary earlier in the year shows 6 miles 7 miles 8 miles 10 miles even 11 miles on one occasion. I am grateful that I managed 2 miles and have not shown signs of the symptoms that laid me low earlier this year. Everything is relative. The life that we are given is not to be wasted. I appreciate being able to feel the joy of a relatively healthy body . One day I won't be able to do this stuff.

I am so blessed.

Second guessing God

What is prophecy? I guess you would say it is bringing a word from God. That's serious. Many people have brought prophetic words to me but they were not all from God, or at least they did not all come to pass, so either they were not from God or I failed in some way so they could not come to pass. Prophesy is not an exact science it would seem. I remember a guy who was baptised at Bugbrooke Chapel in the seventies and when he came up out of the water he was encouraged to prophesy. I remember it clearly, or at least parts of it. He said something along these lines "do you think I would let my people suffer says the Lord?" I am not commenting on the validity of this guy's baptism but if that prophecy was from God then he isn't the God I know. Suffering seems to be part of the package, in fact Jesus says blessed are those who are persecuted for my sake. One example of a duff prophecy. Why am I saying this? I guess it has to do with the building we had lined up for the Jesus Centre in Birmingham. We were reasonably sure God had given it to us, then someone comes and buys it from under our noses. Apart from this blokes business going belly up, it's back to the drawing board for us. Was God wrong? Did the devil win? No to both. Having wrestled it through a bit this is the conclusion I have come to. I don't really know but I'm not giving up.

The Silencing of The Word

You speak, your tongue unleashed, a two edged sword
Cutting, freeing, commanding, exposing the heart, loving.
You are the word
You scythe through the complacency of pharisee and sinner alike
Revealing the innermost thoughts of the heart.

When vocalised, your identity weighs heavy
A rock on which men fall,or are crushed to pieces
It turns saints into sinners and sinners into saints,
Water to wine, sickness to health, storm into calm.
It offends the dignity of those who love,
The control they gain from the power of the command set in stone.

They took the word and the word became silent,
The tongue sheathed.
As a lamb before its shearers is dumb.
Seperated from its expression the body of the word was riduculed and mocked
Those who did so becoming emboldened, believing
That the Christ would not perform a final Samson - like act of strength
Which would bring their house down on their heads.
The word spoke but briefly, comfort for a dying man
"Today you will be with me in paradise".
And with the silencing of the word,
Where tongue and lips were frozen in death the citadel of the law,
Was torn asunder.

He Rose

The word on a white horse from his mouth a two edged sword
On his hand and on his thigh written "King of Kings and Lord of Lords"
The name of the word - Jesus
His power in his his name,
Angels and men before it fall and devils fear and fly
Eternally alive.

In sickness and in health

This is not about marriage its about sickness and health. Just recently I have got bashed by a virus and then it was followed up by an infection. Several days off work and when I did go in lethargic and fatigued. I am taking anti biotics now which have started to attack the infection plus killoff loads of useful bacteria but hey, I'm fed up with it now. Having said that I have noticed something. My spiritual life has taken an upward turn whilst I am dragging my body about. If you have seen my last blog on prayer you may question that, but the fact remains that I feel spiritually clearer if that makes any sense. "Though our outer nature is wasting away, our inner nature is being renewed daily", Seems to me that the inner nature responds well to the bashings the outer nature receives. I have often had profound things happen to me whilst I have been ill. Sickness and health go hand in hand each blow of sickness on the outer man weakens the barrier that keeps the inner man from communion with God. The coming of health seems to reinforce the outer nature and that sense of closeness to God lessens. Lets hope the effects of sickness cause permanent change, I like feeling well but I also like being close to God.

Prayer

I have been a Christian for yonks but it occurred to me whilst driving to work this morning that I don't really know how to pray. Better qualify that. I can pray for people in a response time in a meeting and it seems to work relatively well, good results quite often. I mean particularly praying for a person when they aren't there. Apart from the Lord's prayer, the part about "this kind only comes out through prayer and fasting" and that bit about agreement (and we say prayer agreement Jesus didn't) there isn't that much to go on. It seems they didn't have regular intercession in the new testament or if they did it didn't get a mention.

Anyway, I am driving to work and I start trying to pray for someone I know who has a difficulty. I think I can diagnose that difficulty as having its root in the fact that that person has never really felt loved, by God or anyone else for that matter. I say "lord this person needs a revelation of your love" that's it. What do I do now after a five second request. It's over, finished, done, no agonising no groaning no burden carrying. I cannot conjour up those things. I wonder if anyone else has this dilemma? "professional" prayers tend to do my head in a bit, there is this kind of mystique attached to it all. I've read Rees Howells - Intercessor, I have heard about carrying the burden and all that but one wonders if God creates the method to suit the person rather than the other way round. Maybe for me the five second burst of "please sort it out Lord" is all he thinks I can cope with but I must admit (not that this should the aim of my praying for others) it leaves me somewhat discontented.