“My heart is in anguish within me; the terrors of death have fallen on me. Fear and trembling have beset me; horror has overwhelmed me.” (Psalms 55:4-5).

For many, the words of David in this Psalm are far too real. Loss of a loved one, worry about someone sick, our own illness or other trials. It is “overwhelming” and so we cry out for help:

“I said, “Oh, that I had the wings of a dove! I would fly away and be at rest. I would flee far away and stay in the desert; I would hurry to my place of shelter, far from the tempest and storm. ”

No-one wants to be in a storm. However, far too often we find ourselves despairing as “tempest and storm” threaten to overwhelm us. And our only thought is to get away. “Oh, that I had the wings of a dove I would fly away and be at rest”.  But how does we do that?  Let's, for a moment, follow the dove, for maybe we can find this rest in our storm. 

The first time we find the dove in he Bible is in the story of Noah. The world has been deluged with water, the ultimate storm, and Noah sends our a dove to see if it can find dry ground. At first is doesn’t find any place to rest. The second time it returns with “a freshly plucked olive leaf” and finally it does not return. It’s found rest. (Genesis 8:6-12). 

In this story there is an important lesson. Simply praying for wings and flying somewhere will not guarantee us rest. Often we do this. We desperately grasp whatever we can get. Yet often the peace in the storm is short lived. 

Rest in a storm is only found if we go where the dove went. Where did it go? Following the dove in the Bible, thousands of years later, we find it landing on a very special person. 

“As soon as Jesus was baptized, he went up out of the water. At that moment heaven was opened, and John saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting on Jesus. And a voice from heaven said, “This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased.”” (Matthew 3:16-17)

The dove lands on Jesus. And for good reason. It is he who gives us true rest in our storm. Jesus says: “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.” (Matthew 11:28). It is he who gives us true peace in our tempest - a peace that defies human reason:  “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.” (John 14:27)

And so, if life’s storms are raging around you. If it’s impossible to know where to turn. Let’s do as David did and pray for the wings of a dove so we might find divine rest and peace in God. 

“As for me, I call to God, and the LORD saves me.” (Psalms 55:16). 

My prayer for you today is that “the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your heart and your mind  in Christ Jesus.”  (Philippians 4:7) Amen. 🙏🏻

​There is a story where Jesus is visiting his friends, Lazarus, Mary, and Martha. Martha is running around trying to organize food and get things ready for lunch while Mary, her sister, is sitting enthralled listening to the teaching of Jesus. Martha complains to Jesus that Mary must come and help her. He replies. 

“Martha, Martha,” the Lord answered, “you are worried and upset about many things, but few things are needed—or indeed only one. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her.” (Luke 10:41-42)

While doing everyday tasks is important there are times when we need to choose “what is better” and this is being close to God. We may find that today we are worried and upset by many things. These could be the mundane or the more serious - illness, loss, danger. While we might be tempted to turn to “many things” to mask our pain and dull our worries, there is only one real solution - being close to God. 

And so today as life happens, as challenges come our way, as uncertainty, worry, despair, and fatigue threaten us, let’s resolve to do as Mary did, to do as God instructed “Be still and know that I am God” (Psalm 46:10). 

Take a moment to be still. To seek God. For this is the one thing that is needful. The one place where true healing and peace is found. 

May God’s peace and wisdom fill you today in your worries and trials.

ACHOO!

And you say? Bless You!


Where does it come from that after someone sneezes we say “bless you”?

During the plague of AD 590, "Pope Gregory I ordered that anyone sneezing be blessed immediately ("God bless you"), since sneezing was often the first sign that someone was falling ill with the plague."


But we tend to use the term quite widely nowadays. We pray for God's blessings to be on us or our travels or our food, etc. We are not referring to the plague stopping ritual. What do we meani?


A Blessing for You
If I offered you a blessing would you want it?
Would you consider receiving something given in kindness a blessing?
Most people would answer “yes” to both these questions.

What are blessings?
I had an amazing holiday - is that a blessing?
I got my dream job - is that a blessing?
I won a car - is that a blessing?

I missed out on a holiday because I got sick - is that a blessing?
I lost my job - is that a blessing?
My car broke down - is that a blessing?

Typically when we use the word “blessing” it's to do with the former category. And that's understandable because often the Bible seems to refer to the good things that happen to us as being blessings.

For example there are the blessings (and cursings) that were pronounced on Israel on the two hills - Ebal and Gerazim in Deut 28.
​
​Deut 28:4-5
God's blessing on your children,
the crops of your land,
the young of your livestock,
the calves of your herds,
the lambs of your flocks.
God's blessing on your basket and bread bowl;

Deut 28::8
God will order a blessing on your barns and workplaces; he'll bless you in the land that God, your God, is giving you.

Deut 28:11-13
God will lavish you with good things: children from your womb, offspring from your animals, and crops from your land, the land that God promised your ancestors that he would give you. God will throw open the doors of his sky vaults and pour rain on your land on schedule and bless the work you take in hand. You will lend to many nations but you yourself won't have to take out a loan. God will make you the head, not the tail; you'll always be the top dog

But are blessings necessarily the “good” things we think they should be?

A Chines Tale by Paulo Coelho
Many years ago, in a poor Chinese village, there lived a farmer and his son. His only material possession, apart from the land and a small hut, was a horse he had inherited from his father.

One day, the horse ran away, leaving the man with no animal with which to work the land. His neighbours, who respected him for his honesty and diligence, went to his house to say how much they regretted his loss. He thanked them for their visit, but asked:

‘How do you know that what happened was a misfortune in my life?’

A week later, the horse returned to its stable, but it was not alone; it brought with it a beautiful mare for company. The inhabitants of the village were thrilled when they heard the news, for only then did they understand the reply the man had given them, and they went back to the farmer’s house to congratulate him on his good fortune.

However the farmer replied, ‘But how do you know that what happened was a blessing in my life?’

The neighbours were rather put out and decided that the man must be going mad, and, as they left, they said: ‘Doesn’t the man realise that the horse is a gift from God?’

A month later, the farmer’s son decided to break the mare in. However, the animal bucked wildly and threw the boy off; the boy fell awkwardly and broke his leg.

The neighbours returned to the farmer’s house, bringing presents for the injured boy and saying how sad they all were about what had occurred.

The man thanked them for their visit and for their kindness, but he asked:

‘How do you know that what happened was a misfortune in my life?’

These words left everyone dumbstruck, and saying to each other: ‘Now he really has gone mad; his only son could be left permanently crippled, and he’s not sure whether the accident was a misfortune or not!’

A few months went by, and Japan declared war on China. The emperor’s emissaries scoured the country for healthy young men to be sent to the front. When they reached the village, they recruited all the young men, except the farmer’s son, whose leg had not yet mended.

None of the young men came back alive. The son recovered, and the two horses produced foals that were all sold for a good price. The farmer went to visit his neighbours to console and to help them, since they had always shown him such care. Whenever any of them complained, the farmer would say: ‘How do you know that what happened was a misfortune?’ If someone was overjoyed about something, he would ask: ‘How do you know that what happened was a blessing?’ And the people of the village came to understand that life has other meanings that go beyond mere appearance.

First Blessing
The first occurrence of a word in the Bible often gives us the best insight into what the word means. The first occurrence of word “bless” is in the very first chapter of the Bible.

Gen 1:22 - God created all the fish and said “And God blessed them, saying, Be fruitful, and multiply, and fill the waters in the seas, and let fowl multiply in the earth.” then in Gen 1:28 he creates man and says “And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth.”

From this we can see that blessings have two key parts - fruitful and multiply - to grow and become abundant.

God's blessing are about growth and multiplication.
Growth is something that impacts us - multiplication is something that impacts others.

So, when we seek blessings - we are seeking things that will both let us grow and things that multiply that growth to others.

This brings us to the real point of all of this - experiencing blessing in the real meaning of the word.

B-less-ing
Blessing is more about what we give than what we receive. It's actually about b-less-ing (be less).

Think about John the Baptist. Blessed with leadership and teaching skills. Yet that growth in his life was so he could multiply it into the lives of others - and in his case it was into Jesus. He became the b-less-ing for Jesus. And so John said:

“He must become greater; I must become less.” (John 3:30)

Speak the Blessing
So how can we bless others?
There are two ways we can bless others.
We can speak the blessing or we can be the blessing.

The first person to give a blessing was Melchizedek. He blessed Abram (Abraham before his name was changed).

“And Melchizedek king of Salem brought forth bread and wine: and he was the priest of the most high God. And he blessed Abram, and said, Blessed be Abram of the most high God, possessor of heaven and earth:” (Gen 14:18)

He speaks a blessing upon Abram...and the result, God listens and makes it happen, replying some time later with these famous words:

“That in blessing I will bless thee, and in multiplying I will multiply thy seed as the stars of the heaven, and as the sand which is upon the sea shore; and thy seed shall possess the gate of his enemies.” (Gen 22:17)

Speaking blessings, in faith can be very powerful, because we are calling God to act in people's lives.

Be the Blessing
However, it's the next part that is even more exciting and the essence of our Christian life - being the blessing. In the words of James:

“Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this, To visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, to keep yourself unspotted from the world.” (James 1:27)

Remember that blessings is about growth and multiplication. It’s when we are the blessing that we are truly living this.

If you consider your life you will see that there have been things that God has given you. Areas where you have experienced growth.

Your income.
Your possessions.
You knowledge of something.
Your patience.
Your understanding.
Your faith.

We have certainly, if we examine our lives, and allowed God to work with us, been blessed. We have all had something valuable grow. However, now to complete the blessing we must take this growth and multiply it to others.

Whether it be your money, possessions, connections.
Whether it be your skills to build, teach, sew.
Whether it be your patience to guide, nurture, train.
Whether it be your energy to visit, feed, lead.
Whether it be your faith to console, encourage, develop

Blessings begin as growth in our lives but are completed as multiplication in the lives of others.

How will you allow your blessings to multiply?

Conclusion
Jesus is the ultimate example - he spoke the blessing and became the blessing - he grew and he multiplied. He proclaimed the ultimate blessing - “I have come that you may have life (fruitfulness) and have it abundantly (multiply).” (John 10:10)


Jesus was the life and he multiplied it to every single person on this planet by being the ultimate b-less-ing- by pouring out his entire life that we may have life eternal.


We now take his life and to complete his blessing must seek to multiple it to as many as we can.


May you be the blessing - in the truest sense of the word. Ask yourself:

How will I speak blessings in the year ahead?
How will I be the blessing in the year ahead?
How will I multiply what God has grown in my life?


Bless you!
#blessed #b-less

Times sure have changed. A couple of years ago no one even knew what the word “selfie” was, now everyone takes selfies. Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat are selfie havens. We have selfie sticks. Selfie remote clickers. It's amazing how selfie obsessed we've become. But the selfie idea was born thousands of years ago. Here's a story of the world's first selfie stud!

I'm the most handsome guy ever!
His name is Absalom. He is one of King David's sons, and he is the hottest prince in town. Every teen has a photo of him etched on their stone tablets and follow his Instarock and Facescroll accounts. He has long flowing, golden hair that he only cuts once a year, and then the girls really swoon (2Samuel 14:26). However he's in trouble, big trouble. In fact he is facing a murder charge. You see, there was an incident, I wont go into the details you can read the posts here (2Samuel 13)

However, at the end of this sordid affair, Absalom has murdered his brother in a revenge attack. Like any guilty criminal he runs for his life before the king arrests. He deserves to die! However after spending three years in exile he wants to come home and so he concocts a scheme to get his dad to forgive him. After a few twists and turns, David, who obviously misses his son, forgives him for this terrible crime, and invites him home. He has repented. He is forgiven. He is home.

“Absalom came and bowed deeply in reverence before David. And the king kissed Absalom.” (2Sam 14:33)

Absalom is super amped to be home, and of course he soon settles into the good life and is tweeting about it. He's enjoying King's Burger takeaways, hanging with his mates, or just brushing his hair. Before long all is as it once was. In fact he is loving his life and himself so much he decides to take fifty selfies one day. The plan is simple. As Absalom is still waiting for the invention of the first iRock, he decides to employ 50 runners. As he travels through the streets of Jerusalem, these 50 guys run in front of his modified chariot, with mag wheels and racing stripes, and shout out, “Check out Abs the Absalom!” (2Sam 15:1). It's the ultimate selfie, and has the ultimate effect. The chicks line the roads to watch Absalom as he races through the streets. Soon the trending hashtags are #Abs-alom #50selfies

I can be so much more
Before long Absalom has so many followers on Instarock and Facescroll he is more popular than the harpist band No Direction, and the crooning sensation Dust'n Believer. The people are flocking to Absalom. They love him. He gets more Likes on his selfies than he gives himself. Life is perfect. It's a dream. And then he begins to wonder. It's one thing being a prince, but that's nothing compared to being king. And so he gets to thinking.

Using his extensive network he spreads the message all over the social media channels (2Samuel 15:10-12). From love sick girls to guys wanting to bask in his glory, they all flock to Absalom, and the Jerusalem Spring uprising surges almost overnight. Old Dave has always found Instarock, and Facescroll a bit confusing. “This new tech stuff is crazy,” he once said to his wife Bathsheba as he listened to his old favourite “Kill the giant” by the Rolling Slingstones. “The kids, especially Absalom are wasting their lives on it. Absalom will never ger a decent job if he doesn't focus on something real, like I did; Sheep tending, or giant killing.” And so David does not see the Jerusalem Spring uprising coming until its almost too late.

Late at night an SMS (scroll message service) arrives tied to the leg of a trusty pigeon saying that Jerusalem is in rebellion and he had better get out while he still can (2Sam 15:13-15). And so David and his close family do a runner before Absalom and his new friends kill him. In no time David is deposed, and Absalom is king. If Absalom was popular before, now his followers are off the charts. He even snags an “official person” account with Twutter. He has finally arrived. He is king of everything. No limits. No controls.

Of course there's always the chance that David, the wily old codger, could stage a comeback. “It's doubtful,”Absalom laughs over a barley beer as he celebrates, “he can't even sign into Facescroll...but better safe than sorry.” And so with some dubious advice from advisors he decides to hunt David down and kill him to remove any future threat. However, David, a man after God's own heart, puts his faith in God to help him. And so although the odds seem stacked against David when the battle lines are drawn, the battle is not to the swift and strong and long haired, ripped ab dudes; the battle is God's.

A Selfie end...
Absalom's army is beaten (2Sam 18:7) and Absalom is on the run. Gone are all the selfies. Gone are all his new friends. Gone are all the adoring followers. He is running for his life. As he escapes, perched atop his turbo-charged mule, he passes under a tree, and his beautiful, long, golden wavy hair - remember #50selfies? - flies up and catches in the branches. His mule gallops off into the sunset and Absalom is left dangling. Hanging by his pride - by his beauty - by his self! Sadly, in contravention of the king's command to show Absalom mercy, despite all he has done, he is executed by a disobedient army officer.

And so ends the brief life of Absalom. It seems like fiction. How could someone be so self-obsessed, so calouse, so sinful that he could conspire to kill a person who never hurt him. A person who only ever wanted his good. A person who forgave him. A person who restored him to a beautiful life. No, not a person - his king - his family! It seems impossible.

Mirror
So, there we have it. The first guy to do selfies. And there we see where it all ended up. But you see, it's too easy to sit here reading this on your selfie device and think, “Wow! What a horrible person he was. What an evil, self obsessed person.” And then we click over to check our Instagram account to see how many followers we now have, or we quickly move on to see how many Likes we got on that post we made on Facebook. It's too easy to gasp at the pride of others and not see ourselves. It's too easy to abhor the selfishness of others and never glance at ourselves in the mirror.

“For everything that was written in the past was written to teach us" (Rom 15:4).

And so, how about lifting, not our phones to snap a selfie, but God's Word to see how he sees us. Let's put ourselves into this story. Forget Absalom the Ab...this story is about you and I. Let's take two on that story.

Me in the Bible
So, life was bad...really bad. You see everything had gone wrong. Sure it was my fault. I had totally screwed up. I had messed up in such a big way. I'd...well I can't say, but take it from me I had done some unforgivable things. I really couldn't see any way back. I was alone, dying...maybe not literally, but certainly emotionally. Yet in this state the king came to me. Jesus came to me. He asked me to come home. “I forgive you,” he said as I looked up at him. “Come home. You are welcome in my home. You are part of our family, and it's with the family that you belong.”

I couldn't believe the words he was saying to me. Could I really be forgiven for what I'd done. Yet I looked into his eyes and all I saw was forgiveness. No judgement. No hatred of me. And so I reached up my hand from where I was lying in the gutter and he grabbed me with his firm grip. Instantly I was standing. Instantly I was in his most beautiful home. A place of peace. A place of joy. A place of love. Love, joy and peace like the strains of a symphony wrapped around me. I had never known such a place. Home, with my king.

Before I knew it I was awash in the blessings of the king. If before I had been living a nightmare, now it seemed as if I was living a dream. Yet one day when the king asked me to give to someone who certainly did not deserve it, nor appreciate it, I resisted. “I've tried to give to him,” I replied. “He just throws it in my face. He doesn't deserve it.” Jesus looked at me, with that same look he had given me when I was in need and said, “Give to him anyway.” I did.

I posted on Facebook about how much I'd helped this person. I had helped so many people. I was good at it, even if I didn't always like it. Soon I had quite a following looking to me for advice on caring, on giving, on loving. I suppose it's something I've always been quite good at. I'm naturally empathetic. I'm naturally good at looking out for people. I told them how to become like me. How to be kind and caring. They listened.

He came to me. “Don't share what you're doing on Facebook,” he said. “Just keep it between you and I. Let's just keep it in the family.” I looked at him shocked. I thought he knew about technology and modern advances. Maybe I was wrong. I thought he could see how good sharing this has been. I've attracted even more money. “I don't think you understand,” I began, “this is a new world we live in, and if we don't tell everyone on social media we wont get anywhere.” He looked at me, with that same look he'd given me years ago. He did not reply, but I knew what he was thinking. I unfriended him. “Now he wont know what I do,” I thought. “Sure he helped me, but now it's time for me to take over. It's time for me to rule this show.” I blocked him on Instagram.

I was right. It made no difference. Before I knew it I'd left him behind. I'm free of him. It feels like I am riding on a gallant steed of success, while above me endless opportunities seem to hang down tantalizingly close, as though they are giant trees, leaning over me. I look upward as my pride, my success, my blessings flap behind me like a silken trail of hair. “Aah,” I think, “I have chosen well!”

To be Continued (in your life, in your decisions)

Take a Selfie
God has reached out to all of us, while we were down and out. As Paul says - “God demonstrates his own love for us in this:While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” (Romans 5:8).We deserved to die for our sins, but he chose to reach out and save us anyway. Yet all too often, when we enter in the life he offers (John 10:10) we soon forget him. We think that we can achieve our salvation through our own efforts, our own knowledge, our own energy - “Lord, I know that people’s lives are not their own; it is not for them to direct their steps.” (Jer 10:23), and so we become full of pride, puffed up - “Some of you have become arrogant” (1Cor 4:18). And in this state we turn our back on the true source of our power, the true source of our life, the true source of our knowledge, the true source of everything, Jesus. And in doing this we seek to kill him...again, just like Absalom did to his king, so many years ago. “We've re–crucified Jesus! We've repudiated him in public!” (Heb 6:6)

Take a selfie. What do I see? What is my long hair?

Is it my looks? Or maybe my money?
Is it my brains? Or maybe my wit?
Is it my achievements? Or maybe my follower count?
What is my long hair?

It's not fiction. How could someone be so self-obsessed, so calouse, so sinful that he could conspire to kill a person who never hurt him. A person who only ever wanted his good. A person who forgave him. A person who restored him to a beautiful life. No, not a person - his king - his family! It seems impossible.

The challenges of life come against us like waves, some just small swells while others are huge and foreboding threatening to crush the life from us. And each time we face a wave of life we have a choice - go over or go under! If we can find any solid footing in the shifting sands of life we may attempt to launch ourselves over the wave. Yet even if we manage to do so we find its frothing, churning mass sucks us further back, leaving us spluttering with another wave bearing down on us. Wave after wave roll towards us, and each time for see life's troubles we try our hardest to go over them - to keep our head above the swirling waters of life. Yet slowly but surely we lose our energy, we lose the battle, we begin to despair.

It just seems untenable that we should go under the waves, for then we would lose control, lose sight of what is happening, and possibly even lose our lives. Yet is this not what faith in God calls us to do. The Psalmist makes an interesting observation as he floats in the sea of life facing the endless onslaught of waves...

He refers to them as "YOUR waves". He sees his life as directed by God and the troubles that come are God's waves. Yet, it is not this that is remarkable, but how he faces the waves - "all your waves...have gone over me". He does not seek to go over these waves but rather lets them roar over him. It is this that takes great faith. For in that moment when we draw a deep breath and go below the waves, we lose all sight of light and life, we stop breathing - in a sense we die.

Jonah literally experienced this in his life. Caught in a storm that was battering him and his fellow shipmates, they trried desperately to ride over the waves. They struggled hour after hour, yet to no avail. They were slowly being worn down, slowly being driven back. Until final he submitted to the waves, and was literally thrown into the water, sinking to the depths of the ocean. His act of submission to the waves would become a great sign, as Jesus pointed out many years later - a sign of death and resurrection (Matt 12:39-40). Yet in this act he died...and rose to live again!

And so too we face the waves. This is no easy thing, yet when we struggle in our own strength to overcome them, we are slowly driven back, slowly weakened, slowly overcome. Yet when, in faith, we do what to the human mind seems illogical - we submit our lives fully to God - we die to self, no longer breathing - we will rise again, not in our own strength, but in the power of the Spirit of God, a power that gives life to the lifeless and hope to the hopeless. This is only possible if we die to self so that we might live in Christ.

Yet while this is useful for us to make sense of the old, it limits our ability to fully utilize the new. Because although the links to the past are helpful they don't allow us to see the affordances of the new. For example new devices, unlike paper, are not limited to a page size. So the notion of reading a page and then flicking it to the left is a limit of the page size. However when we browse a webpage we scroll up, and the page can be any length, it does not matter. So by creating flipping pages in stead of scrolling pages we inhibit the opportunities of technology.

But God was using skeuomorphism many years before technology companies got into it. God gave us, in the old covenant, many skeuomorphic symbols for us to hang onto. The entire tabernacle and its contents were modeled on something the people understood - a home. It consisted of a table, candles, a seat etc. This helped the Israelites comprehend the incomprehensible - the dwelling and presence of God.

Yet this led the people to think they had contained and comprehended God. 

Just like with technology where the skeuomorphic gives understanding but limits functionality - so too with the spiritual. These symbols give understanding but limit our access to the true wonder and power of God.

It is therefore not surprising that in the new covenant Jesus does away with most of these symbols. For while they provide a crutch to move from the natural to the divine, it is only when we let go of them that we can begin to truly experience God.

For God is not defined by our limiting paradigms -

This is a place of faith, a place where we step into the unknown - away from our comforting symbols into the wonder of God's presence. Where we step away from the comprehensible to the incomprehensible. From the natural to the divine. From the limited to the eternal.

How does it work? What does it look like? These answers are not found in the limiting representation of words but in the limitless experience of the Spirit.

Introduction

Work or Holiday?

Pain or Pleasure?

It's pretty easy to choose between clear opposites. But how about...

Love or Peace?

Health or Family?

This is not so easy. It's great when our options are easy to choose between, yet it's when we struggle between options that we enter the realm of the divine. 

A Crazy Command

For thousands of years the Jewish nation lived in a simple world of clear cut laws defined by a long list of "thou shalt" and "thou shalt not". There was not much need to struggle with these laws as most grey areas were removed by more laws. 

Yet along came Jesus saying "I have come not to destroy the law but fulfill the law" (Matt 5:17) leaving us not in the clear cut realm of the law, but somewhere beyond and between. 

In fact when Jesus was challenged to summarize all the Bible teachings he said the following: 

“‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it:‘ Love your neighbor as yourself.’ All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.” (Matthew 22:37-40)

The ultimate divine commandment sits between us loving God (unseen) and loving our neighbor (seen), between loving ourselves (natural) and loving our neighbor (unnatural). 

How is it possible to do both, to exist in the zone of love, that does not simply love God but exclude our neighbor, or love our neighbor but exclude ourselves? In this BETWEEN lies the greatest calling for all Christians. 

A Surprising Between

Yet we are not happy with the seemingly vague and fuzzy "between". Knowing this answer a lawyer challenged Jesus hoping to get him to make this easier to do. 

"But he wanted to justify himself, so he asked Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?” (Luke 10:29)

So the lawyer wants to focus in on the details of "who is this neighbor I must love? Give me a clear definition so I can do it."

Jesus then tells the well known story of what we now call the "Parable of the Good Samaritan". In the story a traveller gets mugged and is left dying on the roadside. A priest and a Levite both see him but walk past ignoring him. Finally a Samaritan - considered an outcast to the Jews - helps him and cares for him. 

And so we might finish the story thinking the lesson is that our neighbor is whoever we meet in need. And this is true, but this is not the main lesson Jesus seeks to teach. 

Jesus is addressing something far more important. This is not about the object (the injured man) or the subject (the Samaritan) but about the action (the verb) that happens between them (love).   

The lawyer wanted a clear definition of the object he should love. Yet in the story Jesus not only confounds his notion of who the subject is - not him but a despised Samaritan - but he concludes with an unexpected question. 

“Which of these three do you think was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of robbers?” (Luke 10:36)

The lawyer had asked "Who is my neighbor?" and Jesus answers with, "Who was neighborly?"

There is no subject and object, there are two neighbors. The very concept of a neighbor only exists in relation to another neighbor. This is about becoming a lover not finding the object to love. All too often we can be fixated on the needy we love rather than on the love we should be developing.

Love is enacted, experienced, created in the relationship between neighbors. Love is not about the subject or the object it is the verb that connects them. It is here, between neighbors, between God and us, that we are called experience and live the greatest command. 

There I will Meet You

So where will we find God? Where can we meet God? He tells us plainly where he would meet his people thousands of years ago. 

"I will meet with you there and talk to you from above the atonement cover BETWEEN the gold cherubim that hover over the Ark of the Covenant." (Exodus 25:22)

He would meet them BETWEEN the cherubim on the Ark. God's meeting place has always been between. 

It's like a rainbow, that beautiful symbol of God's covenant with us, a covenant between heaven and earth. 

"And the bow shall be in the cloud; and I will look upon it, that I may remember the everlasting covenant BETWEEN God and every living creature of all flesh that is upon the earth." (Genesis 9:16)

We can't see where it starts or where it ends, yet we can see its beauty and know what it means. 

Conclusion

Jesus tells us we must be born of water and Spirit if we are to enter his Kingdom (John 3:5).

Yet just like Nicodemus we are confused by this? What is this Spirit? How does it work? How is it defined? And so Jesus answers;

"The wind blows wherever it pleases. You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit." (John 3:8)

This is where our meeting with God takes place. This is where we will experience him. We may not know where the wind starts or where it ends - but we can certainly feel it between. 

There is something else really important about the state of between, and that is it is not a state of stasis but of motion. Whether your are between jobs or between points in a hike, this is not a place where we stand still but rather a place where we are on the move. It is no coincidence that the first century church, a church on the move, powered by the Spirit, was called the Way. 

And so even though we love our certainties, we must in faith follow our Lord to the place where he is found, between our certainties. For here our greatest clarities will be experienced. Whether it be our struggle between Faith and Works or Law and Grace or Mercy and Truth or the Seen and Unseen or God and our Neighbor. For here he meets us. For here is our journey. For here is love. For here is His between, here is our Way.

Amazing Escapes From Death

There's a TV show called "I shouldn't be alive" that tells amazing stories of people who somehow survive. Whether it is the guy left near the top of Everest for dead or two ladies stuck in the snow on the side of a cliff for over a week. All are amazing stories, and often their rescue is a miracle.

Yet when you think about it there are some amazing stories just like this in the Bible. 

The one is about this teenager who gets caught and taken as a slave. As a slave his life is worthless but then he is accused of attempted rape and thrown into prison where he awaits his death. Yet amazingly he is freed by the king and promoted to second in command of the country. Now that's not only an amazing escape, it's an incredible end. Of course this is the story of Joseph found in Genesis. 

Then there is this old guy who has some pretty powerful enemies. With some clever manipulation they organise to get him tossed into a pit - but not just any pit, one full of lions that haven't eaten for days. Then to make sure, he is left there overnight - because that's when lions like to eat. Yet amazingly the next day the lions have not touched him. Of course this is the story of Daniel. 

Then there's the story if this guy who is on a boat and there is a huge storm. In the storm he ends up overboard and sinks all the way to the bottom of the sea where the seaweed wraps around his head. He then gets swallowed by a huge fish and somehow survives inside there for three days. Amazingly the fish, obviously suffering indigestion, vomits the guy out and he washes ashore. This is the amazing story of Jonah. 

He Shouldn't Be Alive

The Bible is full of these amazing escape stories. Incredible, beyond belief stories. But there is one in particular I want to share with you. It takes place in Acts 12. 

In this story Peter ends in serious trouble. The king had been doing a purge of Christians and has already managed to catch and kill James, one of the big three apostles. And so he is looking to catch more top leaders. 

Just before the festival of unleavened bread King Herod manages to catch Peter. What a scoop. He's caught another of the big three apostles - Peter, James and John. It's Passover so he will keep him secure to have his trail and execution after Passover. That way Peter and all the other Christians can suffer longer knowing the inevitable is coming. And what a fitting mockery of their sect as a top

Jesus follower is killed at the same time as the leader was executed. 

But Herod does not want any mess ups like happened with the leader and his body vanishing. Peter is not going to vanish. To make sure of this he puts him in prison and assigns 16 soldiers to guard just him! Yeah but maybe he'll somehow beat all 16 guards. So Herod decides he must also have both hands shackled with chains. That should do it. Unless he picks the locks, surprises the 16 guards and breaks out the prison gates. Hmm...Ok, Herod assigns two guards to sit next to him 24x7. The other 14 guards are then split into two additional guard groups, an inner and outer guard.

He is on death row with no hope of escape. Chained. Two guards watching him. Locked in a cell. 7 other guards outside the cell. Another 7 guards outside those. And of course the city also has a gate that is guarded and locked at night. He's as good as dead!

Imagine how the other Christian believers felt. Fear. Sadness. Loss. Despair...BUT...

That's a big BUT. Sure they are afraid and despairing, but that is when we pray. Pray for the impossible. Yet nothing happens. Day after day during the week long festival of unleavened bread they pray. Yet God is silent. In fact it's the final night. Tomorrow he will be executed. Over a week they've prayed and it seems that if God was going to do something he would of done it already. Peter's fate is sealed! Verse 6 makes this clear...he's dead, or certainly will be!

It's quiet...dark, the chilling silence before the inevitable. Yet did you notice something incredible? Peter is asleep. How he has become like his Master.

Peter has found the peace that can only be given by God, the spirit gift of peace even in the midst of life's worst storms.

And so on the eve of his death he sleeps knowing God rules his life. 

The Miracle

And then at the last second when death seems inevitable the impossible happens. 

Wow! The chains drop off. The personal guards next to him don't see it. The prison doors open. The next two layers of guards don't see him. The city gate opens by itself. No wonder he thought it was a vision and not reality. If anyone could say it, it was Peter - "I shouldn't be alive!"

In fact it's such a shocking story even his friends can't believe it. 

You can't blame them for being shocked. This was a hopeless situation. Rhoda can't believe it. The disciples can't believe it. Peter himself can't believe it. Isn't it amazing that we pray to God for a miracle but in our minds limit what he can do. This reminds me of the verse -

The bottom line is that Peter should not be alive.

It's NOT Peter

The amazing thing about this story is it's not about Peter as much as it is about us. This is our story of escape from death. 

You see we are in the deepest and darkest prison, bound and tied to sin and facing a certain death. It's hopeless. 

We are shackled to sin and the outcome is certain - death! And so we are in a hopeless situation. Yet when all seems lost, the greatest messenger of God is sent to free us...

Jesus is sent into our dark, hopeless prison to unshackle us from sin, to lead us out of death into eternal life. Yet like Rhoda and the others we will not believe it. We will not believe that we now live in God's life of eternity, that we now are a living miracle - set free from death. So John writes;

"I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God so that you may know that you have eternal life." (1 John 5:13)

And so we shouldn't be alive. Yet by a miracle we are living a life of eternity through Jesus. Yet sadly many of us still, like Peter, stumble along in this life, following Jesus still believing it's all a dream and the reality is our bondage to sin and not the freedom in Christ. 

Yet our prayer should be like Peter when we come to ourselves and say;

I shouldn't be alive - WOW, what an awesome miracle!

If you'd like to see the fascinating story of the Million Dollar Bowl of Stew brought to life - then check out the YouTube link -  http://youtu.be/QxyFVDOjMjg