James’s Blog: Rubbish.

James’s Blog: Rubbish.

Ruth and I have very different ideas on ‘stuff’. She thinks that if it’s not being used, and is just lying around making the place look untidy, then chuck it out. I think that if it’s not being used, and is just lying around making the place look untidy, then leave it alone. It’s not hurting anyone.

My parents were happy when I moved out. They turned up on my doorstep with cardboard boxes full of stuff I’d left in their attic. Boxes of things like cinema ticket stubs, old posters and last year’s exam papers. Basically, boxes full of fire hazards.

When we got married, Ruth said, “You don’t need that stuff. Get rid of it.” I stood my ground, because I knew that a day would come when she desperately needed to know the name of a film I had seen at the cinema ten years previously, and then I’d be laughing.

But that day never came, and now it’s all gone. It’s not the first time my wife has been right about something, and it won’t be the last.

You throw out stuff that you don’t need, but you don’t throw out the useful, shiny stuff. I’m sure we’ve all got stories of people we know, on their hands and knees, going through the bin because they think that they threw away the receipt or the money from a birthday card or some other good thing that they didn’t mean to lose. No-one deliberately throws away good things. Well, as Fred Craddock once suggested, no-one except Paul of course.

Whatever was to my profit, he told the Philippians, I now consider loss for the sake of Christ.

He was talking about all the useful, shiny stuff he had. His academic achievements, his hard work, his A+ credentials. You don’t need that stuff. Get rid of it.

That’s the thing about following Jesus. No-one bats an eyelid if you say, “I used to lie, cheat and steal. I used to say really hurtful things to people. I used to throw bricks through people’s windows if I didn’t like them. But now I am a Christian and I consider all of that rubbish compared to the greatness of knowing Christ.” No-one is going to object to that. That’s what religion is for.

But if you say, “I used to work hard at my job. I made good money. I was a valuable and productive member of my community. But now I am a Christian and I consider all of that rubbish compared to the greatness of knowing Christ.”? Well, that’s the kind of thing that raises eyebrows. That’s the kind of thing that gets bricks thrown through your window.

Once again, we must consider what it really means to follow Jesus. It’s not just the boxes of old exam papers that are fire hazards now. You have to be prepared to consider it all, everything, rubbish compared to the greatness of knowing Christ. It doesn’t matter how shiny and impressive it is. It doesn’t matter that it took you years to collect. You don’t need that stuff. Get rid of it.

But who among us has the courage to do that?

James’s Blog: Fair Weather Friend.

James’s Blog: Fair Weather Friend.

We’ve had some really nice weather over the past few days but, as they say, every silver lining has a cloud. In this case the warm weather has played havoc with our Wi-Fi signal as it climbs the stairs to my office. It’s not an uncommon issue for me – in the past few houses we’ve lived in, the room where I do my work has often seemed to form the nexus of a cyberspace Bermuda Triangle. I have noticed that it’s particularly bad when the weather is good, with the signal dropping out frequently. Simple tasks like sending e-mails or logging on to WordPress become lengthy trials, turning my internet usage into some kind of hostage negotiation.

Of course, this plays out like a metaphor for my relationship with God. I’ve also noticed that when I’m enjoying my own warm weather that I can be a slow to invite God into my days. I know full well how much I need to be attentive to God in every moment of my life but when the sun is shining and life is good along comes the temptation is to drop out and cruise. Sometimes it takes the sun vanishing behind a cloud to remind me that I haven’t been connecting with the one who made the sun and the rain. I hate the idea that God serves no purpose in my life other than to be a comfort blanket, and I know that – on balance – that’s definitely not the kind of relationship we have…but every now and then I am reminded how easily I fall into the trap of calling out to God when it rains, and ignoring Him when the sun shines.

Alright, it’s not a great analogy. In fact, it’s rather weak – but then so is my Wi-Fi signal. Speaking of which, it seems to be working at the moment, so I’d better save this while I can…

James’s Blog: The Face of the Pilot.

James’s Blog: The Face of the Pilot.
Shortly after Ruth and I were married we received a letter. It was a letter that promised us huge amounts of money provided that we respond immediately. There was, however, a catch. There’s always a catch. In order to qualify for the cash, we had to take out an insurance policy with the organisation who had sent out the letter. The bulk of the letter outlined the benefits of taking out the policy that we were being offered, but as I read the letter I felt a little…well, threatened. For example, I read: Imagine what would happen to a relative or friend, who suffered an injury and could never lead a normal life again. Everyone is at risk, no matter how careful. Accidents do happen! Although still very much alive, they may not be able to see, or may lose the use of a limb…and that can lead to serious money worries. The letter also included testimonies from people who had, it seemed, suffered terrible life-changing injuries within hours of taking out the insurance policy: “I’m so lucky…In October I took out insurance. In December I had an accident which has left me paralysed and facing a bleak future…” You and I have very different ideas of what constitutes being ‘lucky’, friend. Anyway, I was undecided. If I didn’t take out the insurance then perhaps they’d send someone round to follow up on the promise that ‘Accidents do happen!‘, but if I did take out the policy then I was pretty much guaranteed to suffer some horrible injury in the next few months anyway. What was I to do? I did nothing. I’m a risk-taker by nature. I doubt there was anything genuine about the offer that we received in that letter, but it was clear that they had a very deliberate marketing tactic. Fear. Fear. There’s a lot of it going around at the moment, and it can be hard to keep it at bay, even when you’re not receiving letters designed to terrify you into parting with your money. And why shouldn’t we be afraid, not just of the things that are happening, but also of the things that might happen? After all, accidents do happen and many of us know all too well that a bleak future is always a possibility. Paul writes that we are ‘…hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed’.  J.B. Phillips translates the last part of this verse as ‘[we are]…knocked down, but never knocked out’. If we are knocked down, but never knocked out, what should we fear? What can fear do to one who is not destroyed, never abandoned? And what might I see if I gathered up my fears and took them directly to God? Robert Louis Stevenson tells the story of a ship experiencing a storm at sea. The passengers were terrified as the ship rocked to the right and the left, and as the waves crashed against the deck. Eventually one of the passengers, against orders, left the hold and crept up the deck to see what was going on. Amidst the torrential rain and wind the passenger saw the pilot, lashed to the wheel, steering calmly as though it were a pleasure cruise. The pilot turned and saw the passenger, and simply gave him a reassuring smile.  The passenger went back below and comforted the others, saying, “I have seen the face of the pilot, and all is well.” Fear. There is a lot of it going around at the moment, but I have seen the face of the pilot, and all is well.

James’s Blog: The Noisy God.

James’s Blog: The Noisy God.

For many people, God is a silent God. As far as they’re concerned, He says nothing. But when I read the Bible I can’t help but be left with the strong impression that actually this is a God who just won’t shut up. Take Abram for example. He’s sitting in the desert, counting his livestock and minding his own business, and then God comes along – “Psssst…Abram.” Read more

James’s Blog: Ugly Truth.

James’s Blog: Ugly Truth.

I had an idea for a blog post, but just as I was about to start writing I got distracted by browsing through some old stuff that I’d written. I found this thing from 2007 which, while needing a bit of work, is probably better than what I was going to write… Read more

James’s Blog: Lockdown and My Mental Health.

James’s Blog: Lockdown and My Mental Health.

Ho hum, I think it’s fair to say that lockdown has not been particularly good for my mental health. At first I was quite optimistic – I have been practising social distancing since I was a teenager, and I do quite enjoy the school holidays when wife and children are home with me. Read more

James’s Blog: The New Circumcision.

James’s Blog: The New Circumcision.

Recently, I’ve been slowly making my way through Galatians. It’s been a helpful way of following Paul’s train of thought and seeing the context and bigger argument in a book which is full of ubiquitous Christian soundbites.

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James’s Blog: The Functions of Public Prayer.

James’s Blog: The Functions of Public Prayer.

If you’ve been following this blog from the very beginning (nearly five years now!) then you might have read one of my first posts about the potential virtues of cynicism. I’m a lot less cynical than I used to be in my twenties, but every now and then I do like to indulge myself.

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James’s Blog: Love is Idiot-Proof.

James’s Blog: Love is Idiot-Proof.

I once went to a church for the first time. It was a big church, well-attended, with a minister who was a fantastic, internationally-renowned preacher and author. This church had what I call ‘welcome cards’; a printed leaflet that was given to visitors for them to write down their name and address and so on. It’s a common practice in churches that I’ve attended. I filled in a welcome card.

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James’s Blog: The Miner.

James’s Blog: The Miner.

High in the mountains was a gem mine, owned collectively by several villages in the region. The mine was worked by a single man who, twice a year, would travel from village to village, distributing the precious stones that he had worked from the earth.

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