Stones

"...a time to scatter stones and a time to gather them..."

Ecclesiastes 3:5a (New International Version - UK)

W is for The Wanderer

The Wanderer is yet another scripturally-based song for U2, however it was not sung by Bono (although he did write the lyrics). It was the final track from their 1993 album 'Zooropa'. Instead, it featuring country singer Johnny Cash.

Bono explained: "I wrote the lyric based on the book of Ecclesiastes in the Old Testament, which in some translation is called The Preacher. It's a story of intellectual wanderlust. The preacher wants to find out the meaning of life and so he tries a bit of everything. He tries knowledge, educates himself, reads every book, but that doesn't do it. He tries travel, sees every sight, but that doesn't do it. He tries wine, women and song, that doesn't do it. All, he says, is vanity, vanity of vanities, striving after wind. As you read this book you think, 'I can't wait to hear what does do it!' And the most extraordinary line is: 'There is nothing better for a man, than that he should eat and drink, and that he should make his soul enjoy good in his labour.' Love your work. That's what it is. It is good to love what you do. I think there's a lot to that."

T is for Turn, Turn, Turn

Turn! Turn! Turn! (To Everything There Is a Season) was written by Pete Seeger, with lyrics taken from the book of Ecclesiastes (3:1-8). The words were rearranged and paired with Seeger's music to make the song. Seeger included a live version on his 1962 album 'The Bitter And The Sweet' with just voice and guitar.

The Byrds topped the charts with it in 1965 with their version, released as the follow-up to 'Mr Tambourine Man'. The plea for peace and tolerance struck a chord with the American public as the Vietnam War escalated at the time.

Dealing with Negativity

I didn't much care for the constant stream of negativity that was coming down the phone at me. Was that all my fault? I very much doubt it. Was it therefore a chance for the person to offload the frustration of the day at an anonymous voice on the phone? Yeah, more than likely.

But it still made me feel bad...

I did my best to help them, then went off to lick my wounds, recentre myself on my Lord. It took me a while.

Why are people so nasty to other people nowadays? Whatever happened to common decency? To giving people the benefit of the doubt?

(sigh)

I guess this is something I need to get used to. I'm particularly sensitive to this.

Ecclesiastes 7:21-22
Do not take to heart all the things that people say, lest you hear your servant cursing you. Your heart knows that many times you yourself have cursed others.

Lord, you know how thin skinned I can be. I can get terribly hurt by the careless remarks of others. Yet, I know that I can - and have - hurt others with my own careless remarks. Forgive me.  Help me to learn from this, to somehow use this to help others. Help me to serve you, and in doing so, to bless others. Amen.

A Time For Everything

Ecclesiastes 3:1-8 (NIV)
There is a time for everything,
and a season for every activity under the heavens:
a time to be born and a time to die,
a time to plant and a time to uproot,
a time to kill and a time to heal,
a time to tear down and a time to build,
a time to weep and a time to laugh,
a time to mourn and a time to dance,
a time to scatter stones and a time to gather them,
a time to embrace and a time to refrain from embracing,
a time to search and a time to give up,
a time to keep and a time to throw away,
a time to tear and a time to mend,
a time to be silent and a time to speak,
a time to love and a time to hate,
a time for war and a time for peace.

I mentioned yesterday that it can be a real challenge to work out what I can change. There is a whole list of things that I would desperately love to improve upon, however it always seems to be something to plan to do  tomorrow; never anything I can do today. And tomorrow never seems to come!

Life could be so much better! And yet, some things seem to be impossible to change.

I have a good feeling about this year. I believe that 2015 could be the year when it all starts coming together... when, finally, it all begins to work...

I know that I cannot control the different things that happen. The ebb and flow of life.

However, I do have a degree of control over how I respond to each event as it occurs.

And I'll strive to discover what God wants me to learn, while trying to live a life that reflects His light to a dark world.

Pray Until Something Happens

Occasionally I will wear a wristband with the letters P U S H printed on it. The initials stand for 'Pray Until Something Happens'. However, this isn't meant to be a showy adornment to my wardrobe. I use it when I need a reminder that some problems in life take persistent prayer to overcome them; this then prompts me to further prayer.

Do you ever get exasperated because some prayers seem to take so long to get answered? Issues that perhaps you have been praying about for quite a while... months? Years?

Why God doesn't answer prayer straightaway? Does the Lord have issues with some of the things that you and I are praying for? Psalm 37:4 tells us ...

'Take delight in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart..'

That does not mean He will give you the best car, the nicest house in the street; lots of material things. That's not the way He works. He isn't concerned with such things. Instead, He wants you to 'delight' in Him, to spend time with Him in prayer and Bible study.

Prayer isn't an opportunity for you or I to give God a prayer 'shopping list' of needs and wants. Prayer isn’t a highly sophisticated magic trick, a supernatural means of achieving a fast track to success in life. It's somewhere where we are brought to humbly realise we cannot control the universe or bend it to our will. We cannot control the Almighty. There are no magic words, gestures, mental attitudes or verbal gymnastics that we can use to get the Lord to do what we want.

And yet, the Bible contains the marvellous news that God has promised to give you the desires of your heart... Psalm 37 continues ...

'Commit your way to the Lord; trust in him and he will do this: He will make your righteous reward shine like the dawn, your vindication like the noonday sun. Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for him; do not fret when people succeed in their ways, when they carry out their wicked schemes.'(vs 5-7)

"Wait patiently for Him." I accept that God works things out according to His own perfect timing. I therefore need to trust God, have patience and not to worry. He loves to give us good things. However, sometimes God has to put the right people in the right place before He can deal with the request. Ecclesiastes 3:1 says...

'There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens.' 

So God's answer to your prayer may include a period of time before He reveals his response. In our House Fellowship we have been studying the book of Esther; the account reveals that it took quite a long time for God to get Esther into a position of influence for 'such a time' that He could use her to save her people.

I am encouraged to trust in God and allow Him time to work things out in my life. I need to make myself available to Him; allow Him to use me.

Try this: write down your prayers and keep it somewhere safe. Then, come back to it in six months time or a year's time; reflect on God's amazing provision for you, how far He has brought you in that period. God is faithful, trust Him. Trust His perfect timing.

Teamwork

Ephesians 2:10 (NIV)
“For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.”

I have been taking time out this week to take stock of the past year, and to make some plans for 2014. I've been reminded (pretty much by everybody) that one person can only do so much. No matter how hard any of us try, we cannot do everything.

The reading from Ephesians reminds us that we have been lovingly made by God to do good works. However, it also reminds us that He never planned for us to do that work alone. 

This is a tough lesson to learn. I know to my cost what it can feel like when you get so tired that you feel exhausted and burned out. That's not how it's supposed to me. God never meant for it to be that way.

Ecclesiastes 4:9-10 (NIV)
Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their labour:
If either of them falls down, one can help the other up. But pity anyone who falls and has no one to help them up.

You may think that one person can't make much of a difference. However, a group of like-minded individuals can change the world. We can make a big difference if we work together, each if each of us is only doing our small part.

(thanks to Rick Warren for inspiration for this post)

Not About The Money

It's not about the money, money, money
We don't need your money, money, money
We just wanna make the world dance,
Forget about the price tag
Ain't about the Cha-Ching Cha-Ching
Ain't about the Ba-Bling Ba-Bling
Wanna make the world dance,
Forget about the price tag.
(chorus to 'Price Tag' by Jessie J; written by Jessie J, Dr. Luke, Claude Kelly and B.o.B)

1 Timothy 6:10 (NIV)
For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs.

Everyone has a different opinion about money and how to handle it - particularly with the current state of the world economy. There are stacks of places where you can get advice on the subject - including, of course, biblical teaching. I am informed that money is mentioned 140 times in the Bible, with gold specifically mentioned 417 times and silver 320 times (King James Version).

And it's interesting to note how often Jesus talked about money - there's ten separate references recorded in the gospel of Luke alone. Consider the challenging words of Jesus recorded in Matthew 6:24 (NIV), where He says, "No one can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money."

I've been thinking and praying about this a good deal lately, following a few discussions in the Corps and some diligent reviewing of my family's finances.

My personal view on the subject? Money is an essential in my life - but only insofar as it enables me to help others. It's there to facilitate what I can do for my family, for my church, for others. It's what I need to keep the car running, to keep the children fed; to allow me to go to the places that I need to be.

I fight against frustration on those occasions when the money simply isn't there. I do what I can with the budget that I have. I often think about how much more effective I could be if I had more resources - but that's not the way it is. God teaches me to be content with what I have; how to budget; how to prioritise.

While planning this post, I spent an hour or two looking round the shops this week - window shopping, I simply didn't have the cash to buy anything that day. I saw the shoppers weighed down by the bargains in their bags, trying to live well beyond their means, seeking contentment in the latest gadget or fashion accessory. It made me a little sad

Because, you see, it's not about the money... not about the money at all.

Ecclesiastes 5:10 (NIV)
Whoever loves money never has money enough; whoever loves wealth is never satisfied with his income.

Searching for Meaning

Ecclesiastes 1:1-2 (New International Version, ©2011)

The words of the Teacher, son of David, king in Jerusalem:

“Meaningless! Meaningless!” says the Teacher. “Utterly meaningless! Everything is meaningless.”

I must admit that I was very confused when someone mentioned this passage of scripture to me at the weekend. However, I certainly got so much from it when I did some reading up on this during this week. I'm much more enlightened now!

The word 'meaningless' here is a translation of the Hebrew word הבל (hebel), which literally means vapour or breath. The writer concludes that everything is shallow, empty, meaningless - with as much substance as vapour - which pretty much sums up much of our disposable, throw-away society. The chapter then goes on to state that there’s "nothing new under the sun". People don't seem to learn and keep making the same mistakes over and over again. How true.

Older translations render this Hebrew word as 'vanity'. This word originally meant futility: it now specifically refers to a narcissistic pride in your appearance. The modern use of this word does rather take us away somewhat from the original meaning. However, it does lead us neatly to John Bunyan's 1678 classic 'Pilgrims Progress', that alludes to this very phrase when his pilgrims reach a town that has a fair. 'Vanity Fair' is much like our modern-day world; people are there buying and selling all sorts of tat, the latest fads and fashions, anything for a profit and for gain.

Are you looking for meaning in a world that is so often meaningless? I doubt you will find the answer in 'Vanity Fair', however often you look. In fact, some never find it. Some may start out to find the answer but lack stamina and give up before they get there. However, if you keep searching, keep reading, keep an open mind, keep questioning, keep researching - yes, you will find it.

I wonder where you will be on Good Friday? Will you be taking the advantage of the Bank Holiday to do some extra shopping, to see what's new in the marketplace, to check out 'Vanity Fair'... Or will you be at church, giving some quality time to honour the King of Kings?

I hope you find what you are looking for.

Jeremiah 29:13 (New International Version, ©2011)
You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.

Chronos and Kairos

I've talked quite a bit about time since I have started blogging. With a blog title such as this one, it stands to reason, I suppose. However, my recent thoughts about time were quite firmly challenged recently by a Facebook post on time management. It made me look at the whole concept in a new light.

The ancient Greeks had two words for time, you see. Chronos (Χρόνος), which was said in Greek mythology to be the personification of time. In modern Greek the word also means 'year'.  However, there is also Kairos (καιρός), which is a Greek word meaning the right or opportune moment (the supreme moment). It's like the references to the word 'serendipity' from my earlier blogs...

While chronos refers to chronological or sequential time, kairos signifies a different sort of time, a moment of undetermined period of time in which something special happens. While chronos is quantitative, kairos is qualitative.

Although I strive to be most efficient in time management so far as chronos time is concerned (I am rarely if ever late, taking pains to ensure I don't miss an appointment, always looking to where I need to be next, and so on), I find that I am really bad in dealing with kairos time (the unexpected, the unplanned). It's something I really struggle with.

It's true of course that God's timing is not necessarily man's timing. That's probably because God works more to kairos time...

Ecclesiastes 3:11 (Contemporary English Version)
God makes everything happen at the right time.