green pastures/still waters

New Blog

2008-06-23T14:59:00.001Z

New blog for the pond...go see

http://dwexcsv.wordpress.com/

The Confusing World of Eagles

2008-03-13T21:31:00.002Z

One of the most oft repeated anecdotes in modern preaching is the one about the mother Eagle that pushes the young one out of the nest to teach it to fly, this is used to say that God pushes us so we step out in faith.

This post is not about the ridiculous romantic nonsense that this anecdote is, after all some eagle chicks eat the other chicks to ensure survival...what are we saying, that religious people devour each other, perish the thought?

The reason I mention it is for because I think when spiritual awakening occurs within a Christian framework it can be often be seen as the end of the journey, as if salvation is the prize, the goal.

My experience dictates that the time of awakening is the beginning of the journey, not the end.

Too many people are peering over the gates of heaven looking for their mansion, but surely the people of faith should have feet of clay, earth is where we were born, it is where we live, and it is where we will die...heaven can wait.

So do not be an eagle sat at the foot of the cliff, thinking that getting out of the nest was the big achievement, sat there hoping to escape predators whilst crying out like a malnourished babe crying 'feed me'.

Spread your wings and fly my friends, soar to the heights of spiritual maturity and be a restorer of the streets and communities in which you live. Lose your lives for others, for it is in the selfless giving to your fellow man that you will truly find yourself.

Question...do you know all the people who live within five doors of you?

Peace neighbour

Dave

No Faith?

2008-03-08T19:44:00.002Z

Little did I realise how much interest there would be in my last post, a post which has, as always, been misunderstood.

Thanks to Peter and Steve who asked me directly what I meant, but for those who have an opinion formed from conjecture and rumour can I make an extra couple of points.

Firstly, I have not abandoned or renounced my faith, I have abandoned and renounced my belief in Christianity. If you cannot see the difference then it may well be that you have faith in Christianity and therefore you may equate any assault on Christianity as an affront to God.

Others have rejected the religion of their day and not rejected their faith in God, some notable people would be Jesus, Paul, Peter and Luther.

Each one of these men reckoned that the religion of their day was a religion of law and not of grace, each one was on the whole rejected by those who were part of that religion. Each one of these people believed that God made the first move towards man (grace), and did not believe that man could do anything to gain favour (salvific) with God (law).

Secondly I have not abandoned or rejected the church, I think it is a perfect way, and that is the crux, church is a way and not an institution, Dingwall has one church, and the church has been part of God's plan always. The reason I do not go to any individual church in Dingwall is simply because most of the preaching is law and not grace, that is not a criticism, it is an observation.

So I still believe all that Jesus said and I still rely that God gives me the strength to live that life...so all I can say to those who are angry at my last post...relax and enjoy life.

Christianity - The End

2008-02-21T21:53:00.002Z

It is almost 17 years since I first called myself a Christian, since then a lot of water has flowed under the religious bridge. My summation of it all now is this.

I have met some wonderful people, and I have met some people who made me think of Jesus.

I have met a lot of people who are fearful, who follow God because they are scared not to, they are running from hell.

I have met many people who manipulate other people and who love people in the hope that it may put extra fuel in their heaven bound train.

I have met many people who are just simple hypocrites, who have an outward religious appearance, but simply do not bear much resemblance to Jesus.

I am not saying I have it all sorted, but I do know that what I see in Christianity is not the good news that Jesus spoke about, it is a man made pagan religion.

So if you do not mind I am leaving, I am no longer claiming Christianity as my religion or faith, no thanks, I was made free, I intend staying free, see you heaven if you make the list.

Farewell
Dave

Changes

2008-02-12T09:59:00.000Z

Today I became a Grandad - nice!!!

Facebook

2007-11-20T22:02:00.004Z

It appears that Facebook is taking over, i have been on it for about a year I guess, not long after notifying my lingering withdrawal from this blog. I wonder just how far this whole social networking thing will go and where it will emerge.
I have just created a virtual filmclub on facebook that will have a physical outworking in the town, will it work, a coming together of the virtual and the real...only one way to find out.

You may not find the film club unless you are on facebook as I am not creating a website, so its full steam ahead with the polar express in a few weeks.

Discipleship

2007-11-08T08:36:00.000Z

I wonder if we ever comprehend what discipleship is, we do courses, have study guides, but in my experience it goes far beyond anything we can simply make as an offshoot of Christianity. Discipleship is not optional, it is the only way...see the quote below...

Discipleship is not limited to what you can understand – it must transcend all comprehension. Plunge into the deep waters beyond your own understanding, and I will help you to comprehend.

Bewilderment is the true comprehension. Not to know where you are going is the true knowledge. In this way Abraham went forth from his father, not knowing where he was going. That is the way of the cross. You cannot find it in yourself, so you must let me lead you as though you were a blind man.

Not the work which you choose, not the suffering you devise, but the road which is contrary to all that you choose or contrive or desire – that is the road you must take. It is to this path that I call you, and in this sense that you must be my disciple.

Source: Martin Luther (1483-1546), quoted in Dietrich Bonhoeffer, "The Cost of Discipleship."

Eric the Worship Leader 2

2007-10-25T14:56:00.000Z

Looks like Eric had some spare time on his hands.

Eric the Worship Leader

2007-10-23T12:58:00.000Z

After browsing God Tube (the Christian response to You Tube) I found this, what a great song...nice one Eric

Weird and then some

2007-10-21T15:39:00.000Z

Last night whilst working on the taxi I noticed a series of orange lights in the sky above Tulloch, about 5 in all, I thought they were helicopters coming towards me as they were moving very slow. So I stopped the car to listen for noise and heard nothing, by this time a few more had appeared.

I went to the house I was picking up from and the two customers watched with me as a line of about 20-30 orange lights moved slowly, each one seemed to be about a mile away and a 200 yards apart, though distance in the dark is hard to judge.

Each light followed the same path before disappearing from view, the whole episode lasted about 10 minutes and I never saw them after this. The sky was slightly cloudy with little wind, these were unlike anything I have ever seen before.

I thought they could have been some kind of orange helium balloon with lights inside that had been released from a party, and the uniform track they took would be because of wind currents, but at least one of them at one point moved back against the flow.

Any ideas.

Back

2007-10-19T10:55:00.000Z

Since being ousted from YouTube I have had requests for video's, this one is the most requested, so here it is back for a repeat showing...its Bob and his rulers!

Never say never

2007-10-11T08:39:00.000Z

I am back on You Tube as Micah780, but i have also joined 'GodTube' so expect some good christian stuff over the coming weeks as well.

Scottish Northern Convention

2007-10-04T22:51:00.000Z

Just been looking at posts I never posted - this person never responded to my emails...so here is the post one year on from when it should have been posted.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Flicking through SKY TV tonight and specifically the GOD channels, and there on UCB I find some guy preaching from the Church of Scotland, Dingwall in 2006. It was weird because I could see lots of people I know.

The preacher was speaking about the fool, and saying that basically many non-Christians are fools, and are full of arrogance, he illustrated this by suggesting that if you shine a torch in Wayne Rooneys ear his eyes light up...in other words, Rooney is brainless.

I managed to find out that this man is the Rev David Earnshaw from a church in Swindon, I have emailed him to find out how well he knows Wayne Rooney.

I will let you know his response.

By the way if you want a more detailed look at his sermon you can find it on his website here, he had preached it before (30Oct2005 am).

Looking

2007-10-04T07:54:00.000Z

Some people are looking for a city with visible foundations, a spiritual refuge that has a physical place on earth. Those people believe that their security is in the physical and temporal things of this world.

The kingdom of God is not coming with signs to be observed, nor will they say, 'Look, here it is!' or 'There!' for behold, the kingdom of God is in the midst of you.

Story

2007-09-30T20:38:00.000Z

In the film Apocalypto one of the tribal elders tells a story (see below). Where are the story telling elders in our society...

And a Man sat alone, drenched deep in sadness.
And all the animals drew near to him and said,
"We do not like to see you so sad.
Ask us for whatever you wish and you shall have it."

The Man said, "I want to have good sight."
The vulture replied, "You shall have mine."
The Man said, "I want to be strong."
The jaguar said, "You shall be strong like me."
Then the Man said, "I long to know the secrets of the earth."
The serpent replied, "I will show them to you."
And so it went with all the animals.
And when the Man had all the gifts that they could give, he left.

Then the owl said to the other animals, "Now the Man knows much,
he'll be able to do many things. Suddenly I am afraid."
The deer said, "The Man has all that he needs.
Now his sadness will stop."

But the owl replied,
"No. I saw a hole in the Man, deep like a hunger he will never fill.
It is what makes him sad and what makes him want.
He will go on taking and taking, until one day the World will say,
'I am no more and I have nothing left to give.'"

You Tube no more

2007-09-25T12:52:00.001Z

It appears that my You Tube account has been removed on the very day I reached 1 million downloads - as I never made many backups all those 96 video's have been lost, oh well, maybe all good things really do come to an end, so now I need find another video hoster...farewell Youtube.

Robert Tilton and Benny Hinn tried to have me removed but I replaced them with images of monkey's, its seems 20th Century Fox finally did the business.

Indigestion

2007-09-24T16:19:00.000Z

So there's these two indigestion tablets having a pint in a pub, its near closing time so they drink up and head for the door. At the door they turn to face the packed bar, the first tablet says 'well its goodnight from me', and the other one says 'and its good night from him', at which they walk out.

A bloke turns to the landlord with a puzzled smile on his face and says, 'who was that', the landlord replies, 'thats the Two Rennies'

The Big 1,000,000

2007-09-24T12:02:00.000Z

Video Views: 1,000,088

I have just reached 1 big fat million video views of my videos on Youtube...here is the first one 15 months ago...and I only ever went on Youtube for a bit of fun, so if you please, excuse well I bask in a bit of self idolising glory...okay thats enough.

1 minute

1 minute

Reconciled

2007-09-20T20:08:00.000Z

Someone was talking to me today about reconciliation and just what it was all about...so I began looking, not for my benefit, I know the deal, but listen to this...

1. Leave your gift there in front of the altar. First go and be reconciled to your brother; then come and offer your gift.
2. Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come! All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting men's sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation.

So why oh why oh why am I faced with people who pretend to be 'in Christ' yet no matter how many times you go on bended humiliated knees they look down with rank disdain and with a mighty swing of their hobnailed gospel shoes they kick your teeth right down your friggin throat.
Im sick and tired of people making out they are God's people but who run roughshod over the teachings of Christ. I think Gandhi (Hindu) was more like Jesus than some 'saved' people I know.

So here is the outcome of my mini rant, if you have anything against a brother, a grudge say, or you look down on them, or cannot forgive them, or think yourself more highly and yet you minister at the altar (as all God's people do) then your ministry is a sham, a clanging cymbal, a dark void.
You see if God reconciled you and gave you the ministry of reconciliation, yet you refuse to be reconciled to others, then you, counting mens sins against them, stop the world from being reconciled to God.

Sorry if all that seems a bit harsh or strong, but these things really hinder the gospel, and I have a far greater loyalty to the gospel of Jesus than to any one persons sensibilities.

I'm outta here

2007-09-19T12:34:00.000Z

Hundreds of people in Peru have needed treatment after an object from space - said to be a meteorite - plummeted to Earth in a remote area, officials say.

They say the object left a deep crater after crashing down over the weekend near the town of Carancas in the Andes....more. The North West passage is now open, and people are being ill due to space objects...

REM - Its the end of the world - 4 minute video

The third Angel trumpeted. A huge Star, blazing like a torch, fell from Heaven, wiping out a third of the rivers and a third of the springs. The Star's name was Wormwood. A third of the water turned bitter, and many people died from the poisoned water.

Only kidding, the world is never gonna end ;)

Scottish Baptists

2007-09-13T22:15:00.000Z

I was in college the other day reading about church history and picked up a book on Scottish Baptist church history. What interests me is the diversity of the Baptist church, for we do seem to be more diverse than most faith groups.

We do quite well here in Dingwall with currently just one Baptist church where I often attend, but looking at comparable size towns in the American bible belt I found it fascinating...here is the list for one town.

CALVARY BAPTIST CHURCH

FIRST BAPTIST CHURCH

FIRST SOUTHERN BAPTIST CHURCH

HIGHLAND BAPTIST CHURCH

KOREAN BAPTIST CHURCH

KOREAN GRACE BAPTIST CHURCH

Interesting to see two Korean churches, but thats not my point.

The point is this: Is the diversity of faith communities in small towns a good thing, or does it hinder the purpose of the church?

The Dogs of War

2007-09-13T09:40:00.000Z

Snow Patrol - You're All I Have

Video runs for about 3m47s

I have been listening a lot to Snow Patrol, as Phoebe testified on a recent car journey to Manchester. All the songs are pretty good, but the one above has really tasked me these last few weeks.

It seems that wherever I look in these days of ours, from South Africa to the carnage in Iraq where the innocent blood of 3000 killed on Sept 11 2001 has been mixed with the innocent blood of undeniably more in another futile war, chaos is gripping the whole world.

In Shakespeare's Julius Caesar the following is quoted...

A curse shall light upon the limbs of men;
Domestic fury and fierce civil strife
Shall cumber all the parts of Italy;
Blood and destruction shall be so in use
And dreadful objects so familiar
That mothers shall but smile when they behold
Their infants quarter’d with the hands of war;
All pity choked with custom of fell deeds:
And Caesar’s spirit, ranging for revenge,
With Ate by his side come hot from hell,
Shall in these confines with a monarch’s voice
Cry ‘Havoc,’ and let slip the dogs of war;
That this foul deed shall smell above the earth
With carrion men, groaning for burial.

It is a fact that a fire is a whole lot easier to start than it is to put out, one small flame can kindle a whole world of fire. So with listening to Snow Patrol it struck me from the opening line, that for me there is one objective/purpose in life.

It is not the purpose of the reductionist gospel of the evangelical fundamentalists who have salvation as the common denominator for their fractious groupings.

You see my (your) purpose, be it in home, community, self, committee's, church, wherever I am, is simply as Snow Patrol puts it in the opening line...to 'train this chaos turn it into light'. If we do not do this then the lions of destruction will continue to ravage this world, ripping and tearing and leaving people in pieces.

We cannot solve the world's ills, but we can be a people who take what is dark and chaotic and transform it into light and order.

Let's train this chaos turn it into light,
I've gotta see you one last night,
Before the lions take their share,
Leave us in pieces, scattered everywhere

Reluctant Grace

2007-09-12T09:50:00.001Z

The other day someone wanted to give some money away, I felt they should not give it away. Why? Because it was in a complex way my money as well.

Anyway suffice to say: sometimes I act more like Judas than Jesus.

Sad

2007-09-11T21:03:00.000Z

From rockinthegrass.blogspot.com

11 September
Today is a sad day.... Sad because it marks the death of so many people.
Some died in the terrible act of terror on the World Trade Centre in New York. And I will never forget the images of the twin towers on fire. And of people trapped helplessly inside the building. And I wept on September 11.
Many more people have died as a consequence of the revenge taken by the people of the United States of America. The angry frustration of the American people boiled over in Afghanistan, and in Iraq. And now there are noisy threats against Iran. And uncounted thousands have died at the hands of modern American warriors.
And I weep at the senselessness of it all.
I cannot see how killing more people is the way to making us all feel secure. I do understand that it might grant some sort of temporary relief for those who want to hit back. And I do see how it can be some sort of outlet for those who want to be seen to be doing something.
But I do not feel safer after the blood-letting. I choose instead to follow the teachings of one who said “..do not take revenge on someone who wrongs you” (Matthew 5:39)...because “I will pay back says the Lord” (Deuteronomy 32:35). When I take revenge I presume to play God in other people’s lives. And there are way too many cruel people who claim to act on behalf of God already.
Cry with me today.

Now that's funny

2007-09-09T23:12:00.000Z

'What if' and I mean just go and place all your theological and doctrinal safety blankets with the baby Jesus in the crib for a moment...but what if, God, just for a laugh, just for the biggest wheeze in history, just for the most raucous and side splitting cosmic laugh ever - decided to let everybody into heaven after all.............Would you laugh or be angry?

The dynamic of a gift

2007-09-09T22:47:00.000Z

I have been thinking a lot about gifts lately, and the whole range of gifts that people possess. I wonder what is your gift(s) and if you know what they are how did you know that.

It has taken me many years to really begin to know who I am and therefore know the gifts that I possess. Some people have concluded that gifts are simply the things they do well and excel at, that I think is a reasonable conclusion to reach.

For me I believe the gifts I have were given to me by divine impartation, and that for me it was Christ who gave them for the building of His Kingdom here on good ole earth.

So how would we feel if we gave someone a gift and they went and buried it in a field, or hid it under the bed. Would we not be offended? So I ask then, what use is a gift if the receiver never takes the bright paper off it and plays/uses/explores that gift.

Sometimes other people can make you hide your gift, or they can tell you that your gift is rubbish, this comes from a jealous and fearful heart. For those people life is turmoil, yesterday is full of regrets, today is full of anger, and tomorrow is a grey day on the impending horizon.

So, are the gifts you possess being used? I know for me that the gifts I have only reach partial expression in the spiritual life I live. So I need to do something about it, as old red says in Shawshank Redemption, either get busy livin', or get busy dyin'.

Miss Teen America - George Bush

2007-09-05T13:21:00.000Z

This is funny, and I am not being anti USA, runs about 2.30mins

Sunday's Sermon

2007-09-02T21:53:00.000Z

I was at the local Baptist church on Sunday and heard a very good explanation of Jesus parable of the 'prodigal' son.
It sparked off some thoughts of my own surrounding Jesus words...these are just sketches and outlines that may need developing a bit more.

1. The two parables preceding the prodigal in Luke 15 tell of a one lost sheep (1/100) and a woman with one lost coin (1/10), the striking thing for me was that neither the coin nor the sheep (being lost) could do anything to make themselves unlost. Jesus is setting up the next parable and especially the prodigals 'coming to his senses' bit. The question for me was 'did he really have a change of heart'? Or was his scheming to get home just a form of self-justification and therefore self-salvation - the way of law and not grace. One thing is sure, it is the initiation of the father that makes the son found, and it is the searcher who finds the sheep and coin.

2. The pharisees were declaring (indirectly) that ritual cleansing is acceptable to God, that it was through class, religious and/or social standing that one became acceptable to the temple cult and therefore God. Jesus destroys this position by declaring grace.

3. The other son is like those who will miss out on the big banquet at the end...we leave him in the parable forever angry, forever jealous and forever outside the party, but with the sounds of the party always within earshot.

4. Remember that both sons receive their inheritance, the father ends up like a tenant!! So listen what Jesus does, he has the father (tenant) take the inheritors (angry son) prize calf and use it for the feast on the son who is (wrongly) seen as unclean. He takes what is rightfully the inheritors and gives it to the squanderer.

So in the minds of the pharisees this would be abstract parabolic horror, Jesus was saying 'by the way guys, you know those sinners that you were looking down on at the start, well guess what, I've accepted them on terms that you know nothing about - there in and your out!!!

So for me the sermon stirred up lots of thoughts (thanks Lewis), but it also led me to these conclusions...
1. Salvation is given - not earned (some people do still try and earn it)
2. It is not us who decide who gets salvation
3. True religion starts and ends with God

Like I said, just some thoughts.

The Blog Vicar

2007-09-01T12:28:00.000Z

A new blog for those in need...

The Blog Vicar

Blog Tidy

2007-08-30T18:16:00.000Z

Today I deleted some blogs, I do not do much internet stuff anymore...seems the real world has invaded my cyber world (damn you real life).
Anyway Im just working on a new blog - a kind of agony aunt type blog...could be live tonight, maybe in a few days...who knows?

Vanishing Moon

2007-08-21T22:56:00.000Z

The moon came up tonight and then went down again

Cousins

2007-08-21T22:24:00.000Z

Moon

2007-08-21T22:20:00.000Z

Noticed the moon on the opposite hill tonight from our lounge and snapped this image through the scope.

Memories

2007-08-13T23:07:00.000Z

I made a video for Michaela and her family, thanks again for all the kind words...For all of you who have lost someone dear to you I hope these words make you remember them with a smile on your face...Dave

Carol

2007-08-08T08:50:00.000Z

Carol is my mother in law, and she was diagnosed with ovarian cancer a while back, she came on holiday to Dingwall two weeks ago, but cut the holiday short because she felt rough.
Yesterday Michaela (my wife) got a call to say her mum was still bad and getting worse, Michaela's sister was up here with her family on holiday, so they both drove to Manchester yesterday getting there around 11.30pm.
At 1.30am Carol peacefully slipped from this time and space and is now at rest. I know some people who read this blog ask have asked about her, thanks for your prayers, Dave.

Vision

2007-07-21T23:10:00.000Z

What is your vision for your particular group, church, home, life...I so want to hear some inspiring stories, please share if you can.

Whoa!!

2007-07-18T23:37:00.000Z

Its nearly a month since I last posted, its curious how some things die without is realising, the blog has been slowly dying for ages, so I am just back for a quick bout of CPR, this is not resurrection, just a little glimmer of life...

Pete (my pastor friend from South Africa who is heading to the UK) wrote...

And just when I thought it was safe to be with Roman Catholics….

This week Pope Benedict XVI reasserted the universal primacy of the Roman Catholic Church. He corrected the “erroneous interpretation” of Vatican Two that had dropped the Catholic Church’s insistence that there is no salvation outside of the Roman Catholic Church. Pope Benedict writes that other Christian denominations are not true churches but are instead ecclesial communities and, therefore, do not have the “means of salvation”.

Asshole.
How can he think that belonging to his church guarantees salvation?
When will he discover that God loves all people - irrespective of the church, mosque, temple or tree they sit under?
And that God comes in search of people.
And that God does not require membership of a religious organisation to befriend human beings.
And that God chooses to save anyone God pleases - without first examining a membership card.
Asshole.

Snail Update

2007-06-21T20:31:00.000Z

Okay snaily is now on his way to Manchester, but there is a problem. He is meant to be meeting Lynch jnr for a beer in Manchester at 3pm Sept 20th 2019.

Now according to Mayan prophecy the world will end Dec 21st 2012, so snaily will not reach Manchester and his sad demise will occur (along with ours) somewhere around Junction 5 on the M74 near Belshill.

Expect to start hearing muchos newso about this date over the next few years. Its Y2K all over, but this time slightly more worrying.

Known as Time's Special Witness, 7th century Mayan prophet Pacal Votan left a universal message for future generations of an evolving Earth.

Proclaiming,"If Humanity Wishes To Save Itself From Biospheric Destruction It Must Return To Living in Natural Time," he foretold of our accelerated technological society, and the resulting damage of our collective divergence from Natural Law in exchange for materialist values.

2007-06-21T08:27:00.000Z

On walking to the shop on a damp Highland evening, me and Andrew moved a snail from the path.
So we (I) wondered how long it would take for a snail to walk from Dingwall to Manchester. So we took the snail home and enticed it to walk.

it took the snail 3 minutes and 07 seconds to walk (slime) 12 inches.

Dingwall is 385 miles from Manchester, so how long would it take to slime the whole distance.

True Forgiveness

2007-06-13T22:34:00.000Z

What I spoke, last/this week, it may contain grammatical errors.

This weekend I am going on a journey, physically and spiritually, that trip is to the 25^th anniversary of the end of the Falklands War. It seems so long ago that I made the journey to the South Atlantic to fight an enemy I did not know. Thankfully the war ceased before we could steam the 8000 miles from Plymouth, but the time will still be sad. One friend was lost on HMS Ardent and one injured when the Atlantic Conveyor was sunk. Two nations battled in a windswept and cold corner of the globe. The Falkland Islands are similar to the islands around these shores (Scotland), not many trees, a lot of sheep, and the smell of peat burning stoves. One side won and one side lost, but both sides suffered heavy losses, more British servicemen died in the space of six weeks then in both Iraq events. Yet the rhetoric I hear from British and Argentinean servicemen is respect for one another and forgiveness on both sides, time helps I guess, and after 25 years the memories fade.

All over the world today flowers and grass will fade, and people will fade into the pages of history, and in the midst of this dance of decay we live. Therefore how we live today is what is important to us, and as I sat and read through some parables, one thing above all others struck me, and that is the message of hope, of peace, of grace and of forgiveness.

So today I bring a word that not a single one of us dare ignore. No frills, no fluff, just the simple message of the forgiveness of God, and one that we must heed. I do not know how many times during my preaching I have called the community of God’s people to live in the Kingdom, to reject powerless religion, to drink from the true water of life, sadly for the most part this has gone unheeded, and now I am tired, and I know in small measure how Jesus felt when he wept over Jerusalem.

So let us head over to Jesus and see how he deals with the whole issue of unforgiveness, for I have observed that it is unforgiveness that is at the root of most if not all broken relationships, and therefore a root of all the worlds evil. Before we head to Jesus though, let me define unforgiveness.

It is that state that occurs when one person has been hurt, and that hurt person then decides to withhold forgiveness, and in fact is active in digging their heels in, and that digging is the action that plants the seeds of injustice, which in turn grow into roots of bitterness, that finally flower into division and the breakdown of community.

Two examples of how to respond to being ill treated if you please. First and foremost we look at God in the garden; his prize creation has just gone dysfunctional, wilful disobedience that destroys the harmony and unity of man and all the created order. God turns up after being away for the day chairing a sons of man conference in heaven to find that the whole shooting match has gone pear shaped and his two prize possessions have decided to play the first ever game of hide and seek.

God wins, no need to count to ten, he finds them in an instant, and his response is crucial, miss this and you miss it all. God did not turn on his heels and storm off. Back up to heaven to sulk and devise a plan to get his own back, no phoning another God to bitch and gossip about the pathetic little creatures he made. I don’t even think that he thought ‘oh no, now I will have to sacrifice my son’, I believe he responded the only way he could ‘where are you’. Can you feel the pain? Why are you hiding my dear children, I love you, I will not harm you. The fall of man created in the man a fear of God who had only ever loved them.

Sometimes my children have lied to me and hidden, and that breaks my heart, for my love for them is not affected by the actions they commit, my love, and therefore so much more God’s love, is motivated internally and is never a response to an external action committed by someone else. We cannot earn the love of God, and so we cannot do anything to lose the love of God, for his love radiates from him regardless of our actions, God does not love…God does not love, God IS love.

God responds in the garden from his abundant love, clothing the couple and sending them out whilst watching over them. The man and woman are banished from the sanctuary of the perfect creation, but listen, and you need to get a hold of this, again it is crucial to how you experience the divine, the man and woman are banished, but here’s the key, God goes with them, not partly, not temporarily, but God enters into their wilderness, their barren wandering, their wilderness and outcast state, and not only does god go out with them, but by fire and smoke he takes the front, in the battle against a whole universe of cosmic evil God takes point guard, first to step into the minefields and first to be shot at. Why does he do that, because he is love and that is how forgiveness looks?

Second example takes place on a farm in the Middle East, maybe not literally, but that is irrelevant to the message that is being told in parabolic form. In this story there is one father and two children, both boys and both inheritors of their father’s wealth. Both sons gain their inheritance and the father in effect becomes a tenant, even before his death he has given his sons what they wanted.

One son heads off to Dubai to blow it all in the casinos and racetracks, but the celebrity lifestyle strips him of his wealth, and he is left poor. Now the story in tradition holds that ‘he came to his right mind’, into which we read ‘repented’, and in a direct challenge to tradition I want to suggest that he had not repented, in fact he was still filled with utter contempt and selfishness. There he is thinking of eating pig food when he comes to his senses and says, ‘hey if the servants get to eat the best, and I am a son, then so should I’. So he schemes a cunning plan to get back in the farm. Look at Luke 15:17-18…’hey what do you know, I am still his son, I will go back and work a bit of guilt on the old fella, you know, tell him I’m not worthy, state my familial rights as son, he’ll have to take me back.’

So the son heads back, and if he is anything like me he would have been rehearsing his story, that’s what we do is it not, we rehearse our stories, what do you think Adam and Eve were doing? They were hiding under a bush and working out the first excuse known to man, and I bet they worked out a combined excuse, only when the crunch came they just stitched each other up. Can you imagine it, Adam turning to God, Eve expecting the excuse and Adam dumps on her “Hey God it was her”, Eve being so full of integrity herself turns to God and says “Hey it was the snake”. The snake being the most cunning turns to God and shrugs “hey I’m a snake, what do you expect”.

So the son has got all his excuses down and ready, he knows his Father will be all cagey and maybe he will have a hard luck story ready, you know the type “Well dad it was like this, I took the inheritance and hit the road, you know dad, the road you told me to take. Anyway there I was heading to Jericho when some robbers attacked me and I found myself in the wrong parable…no seriously luck was against me, but let me work for you, all I need is bread and water” But the son knew he would get in eventually, you know sneak in the back door now and again.

All that is to say that the son of verse 17 is not a repentant son, he is a selfish boy who does not give a hoot about anything but him. So we have a problem, for in western Christian thought, human confession is the prelude to a divine response, I repent and then God forgives, we are saying in fact, man initiates and God responds.

I maintain, and put me in a whicker man and burn me if this is not true, confession has nothing to do with us getting forgiven! Confession is not a transaction, not a negotiation in order to secure forgiveness. True confession is the death cry of a body that accepts its own death and inability to raise itself from the grave and accepts the resurrection that is God breathed.

True forgiveness is pressing in all around us, it is here, there, everywhere, and confession is the alarm clock that wakes us to what we already have. Jesus died for our sins and rose for our justification, and woe to anyone who thinks they have any part in the satisfaction of God other than the part they play in the grave.

There is nothing new that we ever do, or in fact that God ever does, to achieve anything, it was done once and for all from the foundation of the world by the lamb that was slain.

Oh by the way before I forget, the fathers role in the story of the two sons, is as God in Eden, before the son opens his mouth to ask forgiveness the father is there kissing his neck.

So here is how it works in practice and how it works in the parable…in practice the sinner, who has had to make some obvious repentant sign, is told that things will move slower from now on, a few hoops to jump through and a bit of trust to be built up again, that is my experience. That is how I have been dealt with in the past, and that is I have dealt with others in the past. It’s a kind of Christian rehabilitation, a sort of, ‘we know you went a bit AWOL there, so now you need to prove to us you are back with the programme’.

Jesus tells the story of the other brother somewhere else, and he in many ways tells our stories to this point when he gives a response to Peter. The disciples are all looking for get out clauses, Jesus responds to their questions this way…

21 Then Peter came to him and asked, “Lord, how often should I forgive someone^[^a^] who sins against me? Seven times?”

22 “No, not seven times,” Jesus replied, “but seventy times seven”

23 “Therefore, the Kingdom of Heaven can be compared to a king who decided to bring his accounts up to date with servants who had borrowed money from him. 24 In the process, one of his debtors was brought in who owed him millions of pounds. 25 He couldn’t pay, so his master ordered that he be sold—along with his wife, his children, and everything he owned—to pay the debt.

26 “But the man fell down before his master and begged him, ‘Please, be patient with me, and I will pay it all.’ 27 Then his master was filled with pity for him, and he released him and forgave his debt.

28 “But when the man left the king, he went to a fellow servant who owed him a few thousand pounds. He grabbed him by the throat and demanded instant payment.

29 “His fellow servant fell down before him and begged for a little more time. ‘Be patient with me, and I will pay it,’ he pleaded. 30 But his creditor wouldn’t wait. He had the man arrested and put in prison until the debt could be paid in full.

31 “When some of the other servants saw this, they were very upset, they went to the king and told him everything that had happened. 32 Then the king called in the man he had forgiven and said, ‘You evil servant! I forgave you that tremendous debt because you pleaded with me. 33 Shouldn’t you have mercy on your fellow servant, just as I had mercy on you?’ 34 Then the angry king sent the man to prison to be tortured until he had paid his entire debt.

35 “That’s what my heavenly Father will do to you if you refuse to forgive your brothers and sisters from your heart.”

There is no hoop jumping for the son who lived with pigs, and there is no hoop jumping trust building for the servant in our story.

The King forgives the man his debt before he has paid it or made restitution, there is (by the amount of money) no way he can pay it, and yet even here, just like the son in our previous story, we see the wicked scheming of a heart not touched by love. Look at verse 26, ‘have patience, I will pay it all’, no you will not, you cannot, it’s impossible, all you have done is try to buy some time so you can make up a better plan, maybe running away, maybe he is thinking, okay I’ll call all my debts in and charge vastly inflated interest.

So right here, as in the previous parable, the outrageous and shocking grace of God breaks into the act, for no reason whatsoever, the King, after wanting him and his family sold into slavery, has a change of heart that is staggering. Rather than meet the man halfway and set up a payment scheme, he just wipes the slate clean, there was no warning, no history, and just in the way God sometimes offends even the most of graceful of us, the King wipes the debt clean.

Just like the workers in the vineyard coming late and receiving the same wages the early workers got, our sensibilities are shaken to the core. This is what Jesus was trying to get across to Peter and the disciples, remember they were looking for rules to determine who is in and who is out, Jesus gives the seventy times seven rule, but the parable takes it even further, possibly I think in an attempt to say to Peter…”listen you can never ever forgive to the depth of love your father in heaven has forgiven you, but you can sure imitate it to the full”. A lesson Peter was not very far from learning when the cock crowed three times.

You know why those who do not forgive will not be forgiven? Well be sure of this, it does not mean if I forgive then god will forgive me, that is going right back to invoking a transaction. That is again saying “tell you what God, I will do this and then you must do this”. The only reason those who do not forgive will not be forgiven is that they will not recognise forgiveness when it appears at their door.

You see the servant the King forgave did not recognise the act that had happened to him, therefore he could not be like the King. You see the servant was unwilling to die to the work the King had done, and I think in many ways, we also refuse to die to our need for control and domination. That is we refuse to come to God with nothing, thinking our offerings will appease the great sky god…if I do this then god will respond this way or that way.

The servants’ fellow slaves see the wrong that has been done and complain to the King, I mean what would we do if we saw somebody cleared of a debt shaking the throat of someone who owed them.

In heaven and in hell there are only forgiven sinners, Jesus on the cross forgave even the most despicable of us, taking the offense into his death and consigning it to oblivion for ever – your sins I remember no more, it is over it is finished, the great price paid once and for all.

The difference then between heaven and hell, simple really, in heaven forgiveness is recognised and accepted and passed along in an eternal river of grace, while in hell forgiveness is rejected and blocked. In hell the need to keep count, to rack up the forgiveness score is the torture it always was on earth and many will wail and gnash their teeth as they refuse to forgive someone one more time.

There is only one unpardonable sin I feel, and that is to withhold pardon from another, regardless of whether they repent or not, that is not how God operates. You know why people repent, because the love of God compels them, whatever is loosed on earth is loosed in heaven. Let us all be people of forgiveness, let us loose the cords and not bind, let us as free people set others free, and let us once and for all be done with religion that has no power.

Alan

2007-06-10T20:41:00.001Z

Pitlochry

2007-06-08T05:44:00.000Z

Got to head south to Pitlochry today, and get back for sports day at 1pm. Sorry I have not posted any deep content for ages, I think I am more busy with the real world outside at present.

LAIRG

2007-06-06T11:27:00.000Z

20 mins about Worship at Lairg last Sunday...PLAY

Large Red Damselfly (Pyrrhosoma nymphula)

2007-06-01T08:50:00.001Z

Large Red Damselfly (Pyrrhosoma nymphula)
Originally uploaded by dwex01

Just in the garden pond, mating and laying eggs

Dog

2007-06-01T08:49:00.001Z

Dog
Originally uploaded by dwex01

He was watching over a dying sheep in a remote field

Big Bull

2007-06-01T08:48:00.001Z

Big Bull
Originally uploaded by dwex01

You can't beat a bit of bully!!. I think the tail wagging and angry look was to scare me, thank God for big lenses!!

Highland Hotel

2007-06-01T08:47:00.001Z

Highland Hotel
Originally uploaded by dwex01

Gorse for Dinsy

2007-06-01T08:46:00.001Z

Gorse
Originally uploaded by dwex01

I wish you could smell it as well, how sweet it is.

Oystercatcher in Dingwall 6

2007-05-30T15:05:00.001Z

Oystercatcher in Dingwall 6
Originally uploaded by dwex01

Er! - The Moon

2007-05-30T15:04:00.001Z

Er! - The Moon
Originally uploaded by dwex01

Wabbit - Oryctolagus cuniculus

2007-05-30T15:03:00.001Z

Wabbit - Oryctolagus cuniculus
Originally uploaded by dwex01

Stark Relief - Carrot family?

2007-05-30T15:02:00.001Z

Stark Relief - Carrot family?
Originally uploaded by dwex01

Riverside flowers taken in bright light that created the black background

Sad Happy

2007-05-29T08:10:00.000Z

The more I look the sadder I seem to become when I see what human nature is...we do not seem to be evolving at all, societies duplicate the horrors of the previous ones, its like we have a very destructive strand of DNA. I see so many people acting out of love that is not love, people wanting to dominate and control. To have power over their fellow man...it makes me very sad and my heart becomes so very very heavy.

Yet like a tiny lighthouse in an ocean of darkness, I sometimes meet people who show all the things that make mankind amazing, the power to serve, the power to forgive, the patience to be rational and compassionate, to be kind and sincere...so today I am happy sad, and I still hope for a community where the truly evolving people will gather. Is my hope in vain?

Common Blackbird (Turdus merula) - Digiscoped image

2007-05-28T08:25:00.001Z

Common Blackbird (Turdus merula) - Digiscoped image
Originally uploaded by dwex01

This is I think, my best digiscoped image so far, the clarity is getting better. Bird was about 40 feet away. Samsung NV3 attached to Opticron GA 100 ED scope

This was the original to the B&W below

Great diving beetle (Dytiscus marginalis)

2007-05-27T22:03:00.001Z

Great diving beetle (Dytiscus marginalis)
Originally uploaded by dwex01

Our garden pond has a good few of these wee beasties, ferocious as they are, they are part of the natural ecosystem

Baby Oysters

2007-05-27T21:59:00.001Z

Baby Oysters
Originally uploaded by dwex01

A pair of these baby oystercatchers are running around in Mackays garage, hiding under cars whenever the Hooded Crows appear

Common Blackbird (Turdus merula)

2007-05-27T21:54:00.001Z

Common Blackbird (Turdus merula)
Originally uploaded by dwex01

You can see the original on flickr site

500,000

2007-05-24T19:51:00.000Z

Today I reached half a million video downloads on You Tube, they say pride is a sin, but hey I'm pretty proud of that figure.

Green Tiger Beetle (Cicindela campestris) and Chaser?

2007-05-22T22:00:00.001Z

Green Tiger Beetle (Cicindela campestris) and Chaser?
Originally uploaded by dwex01.

Green Tiger Beetle (Cicindela campestris) and Chaser? Any clear ID welcome. Taken by Dinsy near Loch Lomond

European Robin (Erithacus rubecula)

2007-05-22T21:59:00.001Z

European Robin (Erithacus rubecula)
Originally uploaded by dwex01.

Nice capture by Hugh in his back garden

Its all yellow

2007-05-22T21:50:00.001Z

Its all yellow
Originally uploaded by dwex01.

Taken across the Cromarty Firth at a distance of 1.6 miles with a Samsung NV3 attached to an Opticron ES 100 GA ED/45

Athiest Church

2007-05-21T17:25:00.000Z

This is a real eye opener from an Athiest Church, it is from Morgan Spurlocks 30 days, will post whole series later - runs for 3m17s

The chips are down...

2007-05-21T09:21:00.000Z

...or at least they have been for many years, but now the thought of chipping our children is gaining some weight.

There is a good article at the Times Online which I have reproduced in part below, click [HERE] to read the full article.

If your child could wear an implant – a microchip that could tell a computer where he or she was at any time to within a few metres – would you buy it? After the horrific snatch of three-year-old Madeleine McCann from her bed in Portugal, the answer from many parents seems to be “yes”.

Professor Kevin Warwick, who developed the technology that made it possible for the first child in Britain to volunteer to be “chipped” in 2002 – after the murders of Holly Wells and Jessica Chapman – has been bombarded with e-mails over the past few days from parents desperate to keep tabs on their children. As we talk, another e-mail drops into his inbox from a mother of two young children who says that she is deeply anxious about Madeleine’s disappearance and wants to know more about the chip technology...more

Missing Maddy + 500,000

2007-05-18T08:19:00.000Z

Today I got spammed by the Find Madeline Mcann group, and the search is making headline news - what is going on.
An estimated 500,000 children die of AIDs in Africa each year and yet this rarely makes the news - what is going on.

Peace, Confused of planet earth

Global Warming

2007-05-15T21:52:00.000Z

Thanks to Nuno for the heads up on this one, as well as Lyn's bit as well, why oh why is caring for the world seen as liberal, Im sorry to say that the reason people like the Rev Falwell cannot see the issues is because he has his head so far... ... ...fill in the blanks yourself. (in the clouds?)

Evangelicals split on global warming

"The jury is still out on global warming," says the Rev Falwell, in a sermon broadcast on the internet in February this year.

"Despite all the hype by liberal politicians, the media, Hollywood and so forth, it is not yet proven by any means that greenhouse gas emissions are the cause of global warming."...full article at news.bbc.co.uk/

By their reading you shall know them

2007-05-12T21:59:00.000Z

My wife was approached by a church person today on Dingwall High Street, they offered her a tract, she declined saying 'I am a Christian, maybe it would be better giving it someone else'...they responded indignantly saying 'how often do you read your bible'?

Is this it then, that Christians are known by the amount of reading they do...he had no right to ask that and is so typical of the religious rubbish that pervades our land, the church he represents knows nothing of Jesus Christ and his Kingdom if this is how they interact with their fellow man.

Very sad indeed :(

Jesus down under

2007-05-10T07:15:00.000Z

Brians blog carried this...

Jesus could not go straight to heaven from the cross. He had all the sins of the world and there is no sin allowed in heaven. So he dumped them in hades and preached there before the Resurrection.!

I do not really see how this fits within NT teaching, the thought of Jesus hauling this big bag of sins around for three days is alien, also his statement 'it is finished' becomes confusing. This teaching is reminiscent of Copeland/Meyer's teaching that the cross was not sufficient for redemption, any other thoughts welcome.

Glen Urquhart - 6th May 2007

2007-05-08T12:44:00.000Z

This is what I preached last Sunday for those who have asked, this was within a Highland Presbyterian setting and uses language familiar to that culture and audience.

20 mins in length - PLAY

Noticed this...

2007-05-08T10:02:00.000Z

...and found it interesting in light of what we were discussing last night

"Blessed are the peacemakers for they shall be called the children of God." (Matthew 5:9)

Christian Zionism is a modern theological and political movement that embraces the most extreme ideological positions of Zionism, thereby becoming detrimental to a just peace within Palestine and Israel. The Christian Zionist programme provides a worldview where the Gospel is identified with the ideology of empire, colonialism and militarism. In its extreme form, it places an emphasis on apocalyptic events leading to the end of history rather than living Christ’s love and justice today.

We categorically reject Christian Zionist doctrines as false teaching that corrupts the biblical message of love, justice and reconciliation.

We further reject the contemporary alliance of Christian Zionist leaders and organizations with elements in the governments of Israel and the United States that are presently imposing their unilateral pre-emptive borders and domination over Palestine. This inevitably leads to unending cycles of violence that undermine the security of all peoples of the Middle East and the rest of the world.

We reject the teachings of Christian Zionism that facilitate and support these policies as they advance racial exclusivity and perpetual war rather than the gospel of universal love, redemption and reconciliation taught by Jesus Christ. Rather than condemn the world to the doom of Armageddon we call upon everyone to liberate themselves from the ideologies of militarism and occupation. Instead, let them pursue the healing of the nations!

We call upon Christians in Churches on every continent to pray for the Palestinian and Israeli people, both of whom are suffering as victims of occupation and militarism. These discriminative actions are turning Palestine into impoverished ghettos surrounded by exclusive Israeli settlements. The establishment of the illegal settlements and the construction of the Separation Wall on confiscated Palestinian land undermines the viability of a Palestinian state as well as peace and security in the entire region.

We call upon all Churches that remain silent, to break their silence and speak for reconciliation with justice in the Holy Land.

Therefore, we commit ourselves to the following principles as an alternative way:

We affirm that all people are created in the image of God. In turn they are called to honor the dignity of every human being and to respect their inalienable rights.

We affirm that Israelis and Palestinians are capable of living together within peace, justice and security.

We affirm that Palestinians are one people, both Muslim and Christian. We reject all attempts to subvert and fragment their unity.

We call upon all people to reject the narrow world view of Christian Zionism and other ideologies that privilege one people at the expense of others.

We are committed to non-violent resistance as the most effective means to end the illegal occupation in order to attain a just and lasting peace.

With urgency we warn that Christian Zionism and its alliances are justifying colonization, apartheid and empire-building.

God demands that justice be done. No enduring peace, security or reconciliation is possible without the foundation of justice. The demands of justice will not disappear. The struggle for justice must be pursued diligently and persistently but non-violently.

"What does the Lord require of you, to act justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God." (Micah 6:8)

This is where we take our stand. We stand for justice. We can do no other. Justice alone guarantees a peace that will lead to reconciliation with a life of security and prosperity for all the peoples of our Land. By standing on the side of justice, we open ourselves to the work of peace - and working for peace makes us children of God.

"God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting men’s sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation." (2 Cor 5:19)

His Beattitude Patriarch Michel Sabbah

Latin Patriarchate, Jerusalem

Archbishop Swerios Malki Mourad,
Syrian Orthodox Patriarchate, Jerusalem

Bishop Riah Abu El-Assal,
Episcopal Church of Jerusalem and the Middle East

Bishop Munib Younan,
Evangelical Lutheran Church in Jordan and the Holy Land

Follow the Leader

2007-05-06T08:07:00.001Z

IMG_2434
Originally uploaded by dwex01.

Buzzard, Crow - Jackdaw

Today...

2007-05-06T07:59:00.000Z

...I'm doing the preachy church service thing at Glen Urquhart and Fort Augustus FC and talking about finding happiness today and not waiting for tomorrow.

Colour your world

2007-05-05T12:49:00.000Z

The most dominant colour as you look towards the Black Isle

Here are ten things every child with autism wishes you knew

2007-05-02T21:33:00.000Z

Read a good post over at Greg's blog, i know it may be of interest...

1. I am first and foremost a child. I have autism. I am not primarily “autistic.” My autism is only one aspect of my total character. It does not define me as a person...[more]

Wooden Rulers

2007-05-02T07:11:00.000Z

I am starting a club for people who collect wooden rulers.

Where are you...

2007-05-01T12:49:00.000Z

...on the road, still looking for happiness, searching for meaning, believeing that 'one day when I get/do/acheive this that or the other I will be happy.

A friend said to me yesterday...

'Happiness is found along the way not at the end of the road'

I am preaching in Glen Urquhart this Sunday and will use this as my point, it made me think that yesterday and tomorrow are distant relations, only today is relevant, so live, love and laugh as if this was your last day.

Wheatear

2007-04-26T07:23:00.001Z

Wheatear
Originally uploaded by dwex01.

This is on the moorland above our house, it is a newly arrived Wheatear from Africa

More images at Dwex Flickr site

Potential and Imminent Accident

2007-04-25T13:15:00.000Z

I was speaking to somenone the other day about a really dangerous sport they did...I asked if they thought their life was at risk doing it, to which they replied "No, you see I could get knocked down by a bus tomorrow".

This was a truth I had failed to take into account, and then it made me think, just how potentially dangerous is a bus accident? After some study it now appears that the chance of death from collison with a bus is very real.

One person was asked "are you not worried smoking could kill you", they replied "could get knocked down by a bus tomorrow" another was asked "are you not having a malaria jab" they answered "could get knocked down by a bus tomorrow" and yet another "are you not worried about all the junk you eat" why "I could get knocked down by a bus tomorrow"

So although the actual death rate from collison with public transport is low, it is potentially more life threatening than cancer, heart disease, dangerous sport and tropical disease.

Buses - The Silent (and late running) Killer

Kingdom of Aliens

2007-04-23T11:51:00.001Z

I was snapping images over towards Strathpeffer when I picked up this in the dark sky, I have blown it up a bit. It made me think that if aliens came to earth then these are the terms which could maybe set us apart as a race.
Was this really an alien craft? It is a genuine image I took, but thats not the point. You see I was thinking about the alien nature of the Kingdom of God (not church), and it struck me that these are all words/characteristics/signs and attitudes that you will never find in the Kingdom of Heaven...Never!!

You know Jesus loves this

2007-04-23T08:08:00.000Z

Dead Wood

2007-04-22T14:58:00.000Z

This tree was chopped down some weeks ago, yet it still tries to bud! How strange it is that things which have been dead for some time still think they have a chance of life...strange indeed.

More from Tolstoy

2007-04-20T14:27:00.000Z

I hope this is not controversial...but hey i never said it, Tolstoy did...

If one set oneself the task of trying to confuse a man so that he could not think clearly nor free himself from the perplexity of two opposing theories of life which had been instilled into him from childhood, one could not invent any means more effectual than the treatment of every young man educated in our so-called Christian society.

It is terrible to think what the churches do to men. But if one imagines oneself in the position of the men who constitute the Church, we see they could not act differently. The churches are placed in a dilemma: the Sermon on the Mount or the Nicene Creed--the one excludes the other. If a man sincerely believes in the Sermon on the Mount, the Nicene Creed must inevitably lose all meaning and significance for him, and the Church and its representatives together with it. If a man believes in the Nicene Creed, that is, in the Church, that is, in those who call themselves its representatives, the Sermon on the Mount becomes superfluous for him. And therefore the churches cannot but make every possible effort to obscure the meaning of the Sermon on the Mount, and to attract men to themselves. It is only due to the intense zeal of the churches in this direction that the influence of the churches has lasted hitherto.

Let the Church stop its work of hypnotizing the masses, and deceiving children even for the briefest interval of time, and men would begin to understand Christ's teaching. But this understanding will be the end of the churches and all their influence. And therefore the churches will not for an instant relax their zeal in the business of hypnotizing grown-up people and deceiving children. This, then, is the work of the churches: to instill a false interpretation of Christ's teaching into men, and to prevent a true interpretation of it for the majority of so- called believers.

Tolstoy said...

2007-04-20T11:24:00.000Z

The significance of the Gospel is hidden from believers by the Church, from unbelievers by Science.

Tolstoy

Happy

2007-04-19T13:26:00.000Z

This image of my nephew and my son makes me smile and laugh...why? taken in a tree house in Abriachan

God Hates Fags - and I hate hate

2007-04-19T12:49:00.000Z

this is my response to all the 'god hates fags' stuff...its 3 mins long

New Church Reformation

2007-04-17T14:54:00.000Z

I have been noticing the immense growth of articles on the web about the New Church - a lot of this is from the Friends of Emergent blogoverse and the house church movement (Wolfgang Simpson)...and I thought what would happen if somebody came up with a different way ahead - after all, isn't everybodys opinion valid?

The way forward for church to be what God intended it to be is this...

We need more buildings, and those buildings need to be recognised and revered as the house of God. God will live and dwell in them making it a sanctified place and holy, we should have a stage that we can call the altar and that should be at the front of the sanctuary, and it is here that God will live...forever, or until we default on the mortgage at least.

We need more clergy, we need one man to lead the churches and we should not use every member. We need to pay HIM lots of money and give all the people he then employs cool sounding titles like 'worship pastor' or 'poster pastor' or 'car park cardinal'. He needs to be part of a hierarchy, a chain of command, in fact we need more denominations.

We need to have more programs, that is the way people learn, by studying books and lessons. We need to emphasise the importance of meetings over a 'way of life', the more meetings the better, you can never have enough, meetings and rotas are the life blood of the church building where God dwells. We need courses and conferences and teaching weekends and we need more meetings.

The church needs to be bigger, numbers do matter. We need to have one pastor to look after 500 people whom he rarely has time to visit. We need more food, actually we need more posters that advertise food, fun and fellowship. The pastor needs to play more golf and mix with other pastors in Starbucks, all pastors need a senior pastor, a pastors pastors, and that pastors pastor needs a pastor, a pastors pastor pastor, and we need more food, and we need more pasta, actually we need a bowl of pasta for the top man, a kind of pastors pastor pastors pasta (bet you saw that coming:)

We need to emphasise the importance of music in worship, hell no...worship is music, a tight band and a cool choir are required to get people in the mood for worship. We need to emphasise the need to start the worship with lively songs to get everyone going, and then slow it down for spirituality to kick in. We need to teach that worship music prepares peoples hearts for the preaching. We need more music to impress God with.

We need to deliver more tracts to doors, each member should be allocated a set number of doors each quarter. We need to do more outreach, have tent meetings, and open air preaching, we should shout at people on the street in old English, we should tell our neighbours 'ye are sinners that needeth to repenteth forthwith'. No longer should we love our enemies, we should just kick the crap out of them (oops, turning into a rant now)

We should have peer reviews and performance targets, this way we can measure just how well we are doing. All pastors should have objectives, and targets and catchy slogans. The people need objectives and mission statements to work towards.

We should have better music that incorporates the best technology for presentation. We need to project our songs onto big walls and discard hymn books, God is impressed with our techno prowess.

This New Reformation will be known as Emergent Tradition or New Wave Institutionalism, it will operate with the worst mistakes of the past reformed and birthed through a labyrinth of latte as we vlog (video log) our march forward.

So then, may we all look forward to the day when the old and new converge and we all sit on our holographic pews watching podcasts of Charles Spurgeon reanimated from the DNA left on one of his pipes.

With love from the Kings of the Wild Frontier

Where else...

2007-04-17T09:09:00.000Z

...would anyone want to live, this is the town of Dingwall taken from a big ladder

picture linked from garywilliamson.co.uk

Crazy numbers

2007-04-16T10:50:00.000Z

Last week the You Tube account was making steady progress towards 200k downloads, with the God Hates Fags videos it has just passed a quarter of a million (250,000)...now that's a big number.

The Deconstruction of Dave

2007-04-16T08:26:00.000Z

That's me by the way, and over the last three years I have been having my religious thinking deconstructed, so today I wanted to declare that I do not believe in a literal burning hell anymore.

Put it this way...if I saw my child trapped in a building that was on fire, then I would risk my own life to save them. How much more should I then (if I believe in the burning place) try to save others from the flames...I don't, therefore I cannot believe it because my actions do not prove my belief.

Does not really matter I guess, but that's that, there are a few more things I do not believe anymore, but that's for later, there are many better things I do believe now, maybe I will include them.

If you do believe in it...how do you sit and watch TV at night knowing the horror that awaits your neighbours...is that love?

Power

2007-04-15T21:50:00.000Z

The rocks he throws get bigger as he grows, the day grows closer when he will out throw his dad, but not yet!

Scottish Christian Party...WHY?

2007-04-14T08:22:00.000Z

Read this in the observer today...

it continues a way of living that Brown knew as one of three sons of a Church of Scotland minister in the 1950s and 60s.

Five out of eight of his book's heroes were serious Christians. A coincidence, Brown said, but I asked if he were also one. The answer was yes - all his children were baptised, even Jennifer - but in an age when "Christian statesman" = "mad, dangerous person" in many minds he was quick to say that he "didn't go around talking about it" and that "it's what you do that matters rather than what you say"...{more}

Brown seems more in line with Jesus teaching than the SCP, so why even vote SCP when the most likely next PM is a confessing Christian?

God Hates Fags

2007-04-13T08:33:00.000Z

The God Hates Fags series of videos I put on YouTube are going down well with loads of comments and about 25000 downloads so far, including some great offline dialogues with people from all walks of life all over the world, probably fielding about 25 emails a day, plus sending various DVD's all over the world...its become a white fields and low numbers on workers type deal.

Great Spotted Woodpecker

2007-04-12T13:36:00.000Z

Managed to finally get an image of this bird, it was drumming all morning whilst I was working in the garden, and after much searching I managed to get a fleeting glimpse of this Woodpecker as it was sat at the very top of a 40ft Sycamore tree...easy to hear, not so easy to see, and only seconds to get an image.

Robin

2007-04-12T11:54:00.000Z

There has been a lot of Rhododendron clearance happening in the woods next door to us, and I took this image of a Robin today and have obviously tampered with it to add a highlight, it is so wonderful to hear the increased bird song since the woods have been cleared.

Scottish Christian Party

2007-04-11T13:28:00.000Z

I imagine some churches are encouraging there members to vote for the SCP, at least people like PWAAM in Perth are supporting them.

Apparently their leader (George Hargreaves) has a well-thought and planned strategy to allow the SCP to gain a foothold in the Scottish Parliament, making use of the current voting system by which non-mainstream parties can obtain seats at Holyrood to reflect their support base. With a manifesto based squarely on the Word of God...full article here

I just wanted recommend that you do not vote for this group of people. They claim Christ's Lordship and adorn their campaign posters with gospel verses...well this has little to do with Jesus Christ and the Kingdom of Heaven.

You can of course read their manifesto (if you can find it), but being a Christian does not mean you have to vote for the SCP. Do not let politics be mixed with the church, they must remain separate, and they will.

That's is all I have to say on that matter for now.

Man Utd 7 AS Roma 1

2007-04-11T08:43:00.000Z

...and that was an enjoyable 90 minutes viewing...

Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson has hailed the 7-1 victory over Roma as the club's greatest European night at Old Trafford.

The win gave United an 8-3 aggregate win and sent them into the Champions League semi-finals.

200K

2007-04-10T08:23:00.000Z

That was quick, steamed past 200,000 downloads last night, so here a couple I really enjoyed making, sadly no local churches took up the challenge, religion is just so very serious :(

Part 1 - 1 minute

Part 2 - 1 minute

Milestone

2007-04-09T11:56:00.000Z

Was checking YouTube today and noticed I am nearly at 200,000 downloads, not bad for a tiny insignificant little group of people with one video camera. It is equivalent to getting the messages we have chosen across to 4000 people a week...and it costs nothing.

So I though I would post some of my favourites over the next few days, starting with an Easter theme...

Long-tailed Tit

2007-04-09T00:14:00.001Z

Long-tailed Tit
Originally uploaded by Micah78.

Taken at back of Tulloch with Canon EOS400D attached to Opticron MM scope, handheld on very dull and windy afternoon

New Life

2007-04-08T14:20:00.000Z

Saw this lil fella while out today, lots of new life up here right now

Will the True Church please stand up

2007-04-06T09:55:00.000Z

I was alerted to a post over at Brians Blog about people who had departed the established church, it is by Bill Kinnon, in it he says...

We are the eikons (image bearers) who once sat in the uncomfortable pews or plush theatre seating of your preaching venues. We sat passively while you proof-texted your way through 3, 4, 5 or no point sermons - attempting to tell us how you and your reading of The Bible had a plan for our lives. Perhaps God does have a plan for us - it just doesn't seem to jive with yours...{more}

This got me thinking about the current situation where some claim house church is true church, or messianic, or emergent or baptist or e-church etc etc the list is endless, but here is a test for you...who is the true church where you live?

I live in Dingwall, a town of some 6000 people, and I wondered where the true church was in our town? I came up with some questions to ascertain the hallmarks of who the true church is...

The true church is the oldest...this would be the Church of Scotland on Castle Street and Tulloch Street. The Church of Scotland traces its roots back to the beginnings of Christianity in Scotland, but its identity is principally shaped by the Scottish Reformation of 1560. At that point, the church in Scotland broke with Rome, in a process of Protestant reform led, among others, by John Knox. Though if it is age based then possibly the little Roman Catholic church on Castle Street precedes the Church of Scotland in age, having never broke with Rome.
But as Christianity came to Scotland via people like St.Patrick, the oldest is an argument that is hard to prove, so being the oldest does not make a church the true church.

The true church is the youngest...this would be Tapestry then which has a partial expression through this blog. At under two years it certainly qualifies as youngest, but if another church were to begin today, Tapestry would lose that position, so being youngest does not make a church the true church.

The True church has the biggest building...this would undoubtedly be the Free Church opposite the Highland Theological College, and what a building it is, with its grand pulpit, tower and history it is unmatched in the town. I suppose though if a single place of worship was proof of being the true church, then Ross County Football Club wins hands down (2000 attendees per week), so being biggest does not make a church the true church.

The True church is the most obedient to the commandments...then I suppose this would easily be the Free Presbyterians, who else adheres to the strict observance of law like they do. Their zeal for the law is unrivalled, and their attention to every detail is unsurpassed. Yet the problem will arise that other churches will question the FP's interpretation of the law. For instance, an FP person, will adhere to strict Sunday as Sabbath observance, whereas someone from Tapestry may be happy trundling down the bread aisle in Tesco on a Sunday, yet both will maintain that they are observing the Sabbath. Therefore due to the ambiguity of this condition, and differences in interpretation, it has to be said that being the most obedient to the commandments does not make a church the true church.

The True church is the one most zealous in door to door tract delivery...this is easy, the Jehovah's Witnesses are the true church!! Okay I will stick to what most readers consider Orthodox churches (damn that's Tapestry out of the window then :) This honour must go to the Brethren, though small (and predominantly old) in number, their passion for 'soul winning' around the doors is a showstopper. Not content with just posting anonymous leaflets through every door, the old fella knocks, speaks with politeness and humility and never pushes, a true gent and a welcome visitor. Alas, as tract delivery was not a common occurrence in the book of Acts it would be unfair to use this as a conclusive measure. So being the most zealous in door to door tract delivery does not make a church the true church.

Okay, I could go on but I think I will leave it there and just tell you which church in Dingwall is the true church, and thereby the true church anywhere...

THIS IS THE TRUE CHURCH

The true church is the one who is sincere in its love of not just one another, but of all people, regardless of financial status and sexual orientation, this church sees people as bearers of divine DNA and not just projects or potential converts. This true church hates, despises and stands against evil, regardless of cost to itself it stands for justice, clinging and retaining and cherishing those things in the created order which are good.

This true church is devoted to one another as brothers and sisters, as if flesh and blood, it does not backbite and fight each other, and in fact it places each other higher than oneself. The true church does not put the burden of spirituality on the few causing burnout, but encourages one another in deep and abiding worship that serves. The true church has a vision that produces hope and not despair, and in dark times, in times when it gets tough, it shows real and true patience, faithfully praying and not devouring one another. The true church shares with all their brothers and sisters who are in need, being hospitable and welcoming and inclusive.

The true church speaks well of those who speak bad of them, they also react in a positive way to those who trouble them, always seeking reconciliation, it never speaks evil of others. When someone is happy and excited they join in that same spirit, yet in the same breath it is willing and ready to shed a tear with those who are in grief and despair as they live in harmony and unity with one another. This true church is not consumed with self, with self importance or an an egotistical disregard of others, it is more than happy to associate with others, even the lepers of our modern world.

This true church never repays evil for evil, but is always careful that it does what is right in the eyes of others, it recognises it is a story, it is the world's visual story of God, it is a parable, and each person within the true church recognises they are a living letter in that story. If it has the opportunity to be at peace, to be reconciled with others, you can bet it would bust down the gates of hell itself to take that opportunity.

The true church is not vengeful, it happily allows a better judge to do the job, and if anything it is a model of mitigation, pleading mercy for everyone. The true church overcomes that which is evil with good, it takes unrest, depression and loneliness and buries it under a heap of communal mercy, it takes oppression, slavery and persecution and buries it under an avalanche of justice, and finally it takes hate, brutality and murder and drowns them in a bottomless sea of grace.

When you see these things in action, then you are seeing the true church.

(Editors note - you may see these things occurring in 'non-religious' communities, nevertheless they are still hallmarks of the true church)