Willy Wonka Christian

I have a golden ticket....which gets me into the chocolate factory. There is more to the experience than just a ticket getting you into the venue. That how some Christians live, with the attitude and lifestyle of..."i have my ticket to heaven", and they are satisfied with that.

They live a fraction of a promise, only focusing on the destination and not the journey. If there journey was insignificant and purposeless, then once someone made a decision, we should shoot them immediately...save time, and get them their quicker.

It was only Charlie Buckett who in the end realised that the Golden Ticket gave him an opportunity to experience and go onto to develop the greatest opportunity life offered him. He would ultimately carry on distributing chocolate all over the world, putting a smile on people's faces and even keep the umpa lumpa's in work.

Don't waste opportunity. If you fail to sow and share what God has given you, there is no chance of a harvest. The seed will die with you. Life is more than a ticket, it is a journey, with purpose and people's lives depend on you.

Messed up!!

So you’ve screwed up done the very thing you promised yourself and God you would never do again, or maybe you haven’t paid God any attention for as long as you can remember. For whatever reason you feel far away from where you once were and are gutted at the way you’ve treated him.

You can remember a time when you’re life was all about reaching toward Him and his plan and purpose for your life, that path now seems out of reach and you doubt God could ever use you again. Your passion feels dead and buried.

Take Heart God wants you to know ‘that same plan, purpose and destiny that you were entitled to live the day you got saved is still waiting for you to walk in today’. You may think you’ve done stuff that excludes you, maybe you’ve even turned your back on God completely and led others that way.

Jesus had a disciple called Peter, the guy was led in praise and worship every morning by the Son of God, he was taught how to pray and heal the sick by the king of kings and Lord of Lords, he sat across the table to the most important man ever to walk the planet and chatted and laughed. He was told by Jesus that he was the rock on which the Church would be built. WOW what a thing to be told.

Then when Jesus was led away and beaten, tortured and nailed to a tree and desperately wanted to catch his friends eye to see he grasped what was going on where was Peter? Peter was denying he even knew Christ, swearing and denying his friend in word and action.

But then when the women came to look after Jesus body in the garden after 3 days they found only angels who gave them a message. ‘ Go tell the disciples AND PETER to meet Jesus in Jerusalem’. AND PETER – Jesus was telling his friend – That same plan and purpose I have for you is still there regardless of how you’ve screwed up, make the choice.

Peter made the choice and he became the Rock upon which the Church was built.

Jesus wants you to realise – YOU are the rock upon which he wants to reach Newport – You’re calling is to be a part of something bigger than where you’re at.

FOR I KNOW THE THOUGHTS AND PLANS I HAVE FOR YOU SAYS THE LORD TO GIVE YOU A HOPE AND A FUTURE.

Only you can decide to pursue this, don’t look back in 30 years and think what could have been, be like Peter make that choice.

by DH

Luke Warm

Luke warm drinks are so second rate. They are just so dissatisfying, especially knowing that thatdrink could be so cold and thirst queching or so warm and comforting. Sometimes out of desperation or just acceptance we decide to drink the luke warm drink.

It's just like that in our lives, we live for the luke warm. We become the luke warm and never experience the very temperature we were supposed to live at. Recently i was invited to a debate addressing the issue of "Sexual Diversity within Christianity". A hot topic, according to many, but in my mind a very simple issue.

I sat there in the presence of some very educated people, with degrees, collors, and so called wealth of knowledge and experience. Amongst these people where high ranking church officials, inclduing a bishop and a homosexual minister. each of us had chnace to spend some time with our audience group, putting over or own point of view around the subject matter, which was the followed by a debate in front of a live audience.

The panel consisited on the bishop, the homosexual minister and a lady who was a buddist monk, o yes and me. It was all very ammicable and a bit nicey nicey, until the very credibility and relevanc eof the Bible was called into question and the role of homosexuality with Christianity was questioned.

if you want to know my view points on these things, come and ask me, but i am sure you can gather my stand point. But for me the saddest thing of the entire day, was the very prominant taste of luke warm faith. It saddend me to listen to the very compromising, so called politically correct, tollerant answers which were given.

Men of the cloth, publically declaring that the Bible is irrelevant and should not be taken literally thats luke warm.
Lets be clear, The Bible is God's word, Jesus is His son, rleationship is the key to knowing him, not theology. The temperature is rising all around us, lines are being drawn in the sand, the question is which sid eof the line are you going to be.

Stop messing about with Jesus. He wants you to have everything he inttended you to have. Wake up, this is not a game, people's lives depend on it......and your's to. Head knowledge is great, but it needs to become heart knowledge.

Have a great day.

Leadership - Is it worth it?

Someone once said that leaders are like eagles, they dont flock but you find them one at a time. Someone else said that we are all leaders, and that everyone has the capacity to lead?

I am not sure either view is entirely correct or entirely incorrect, but what i am sure of, is that true leaders (shepherds) give 100%. In inorder to be the person at the top you must be prepared to sacrifice the most, be prepared to run the furtherest, be prepared to go where others are yet to go and often this is done alone. Leaders need to realise that people who serve in their teams very rarely sarifice or give the same amount as they will. That is the way it is and will continue to be.

For all you leaders out there, never give up. You have decided to live chosen. Many are called to this position, but few are prepared to make the sacrifice that comes with the calling. You are unique, set apart, equipped to do what Jesus has called you to be.

Be wise, strategic and act with integrity. Plan carefully and make sure you never neglect your first love - HIM.

Time to make a comeback

Have you ever felt that being a Christian is too difficult. That whatever you do the devil has got you on the ropes and is throwing punches at you leaving you tired, depressed and wondering what the point is. Your prayer life struggles, reading the bible is boring and you start to wonder who your friends are.

If so then you’ve probably slipped up, backslid or done things that you promised yourself a long time ago you would never do again. Then comes shame, a feeling of being beaten and of being no use to God. You probably think there is no way back and you’ve screwed up too bad this time. Youre waiting for the knock out punch knowing its coming.

This is not such a bad thing. Its amazing what we can actually take. Ive been through all the above and in my darkest moment when the devil had me so tired I thought it was time to quit God used one of my favourite sports to show me something.

On the 30^th of October 1974 George Foreman was the World and Olympic Heavyweight Champion. He was HUGE, POWERFUL and in the shape of his life, knocking the worlds best out without breaking a sweat. Mohammed Ali was his challenger, an ex-champion coming out of retirement, fat Slow and not even a shade of his former self. The promoters actually had a plane waiting to take Ali to the worlds top neurological hospital. For 8 eight rounds Ali slumped on the ropes taking blow after blow until in what seemed like a suicide move he started to taunt Foreman asking him ‘Is that all you got?’ Then with a combination that came from nowhere he knocked Foreman to the floor and being so tired from punching he was out for the count. The fight is viewed as the greatest of all time. When asked Ali said as Foreman hit him he just kept telling himself victory was his to take.

We can take more than we realise. ‘Greater is he that is in me than he that is in the world’. God showed me no matter what the devil threw I had the victory. Our victory is in Christ. All we have to do is remember this, and live a life that shows we realise this. We have victory sometimes we just need to stop looking at the issue and remember it .

If you are in this circumstance, punch drunk and living in a way you don’t want to then now is the time for you to remember who your father is and throw that knock out combination. For me every time the devil takes a swipe now, when he tries to wear me down then I taunt back ‘Do you know who yore messing with? I am a Child of God. Greater is he…..’ It’s not us but he who lives in us.

Take heart we all screw up, Peter spent 3 years learning off the master then actually denied him. Often we don’t realise the importance of this –PETER DENIED KNOWING CHRIST IN WORDS AND ACTIONS. Then he made the greatest comeback of all time and became the rock on which the church was formed. Being a part of some of the greatest moves of God ever witnessed. SO CAN YOU.

Like Peter its time to make a comeback, ignore the thoughts, ignore the feelings even ignore the comments about being a hypocrite that will come your way. Throw the knockout combination, recognise who your Father is and retake control of your life.

Created for purpose ?

Has anyone ever called you a ‘tool’? Recently a young person in my workplace called me this in a light hearted manner, the young persons intention was to wind me up but instead all they was start me off thinking.

Have you ever tried to do a DIY job on the house and the tool you require has gone walkabout from its slot in its toolbox?. On many occasions I have gone to put a picture up, opened my toolbox to find my hammer missing and in my frustration bent a fair few nails whilst using a brick to apply them to the wall, not a good plan as my wife will testify.

My thought process moved on. We are all created for a purpose, God made us with qualities that are individual to us. That is because God has a plan and purpose for you that is very different to what he has got for me, just like a screwdriver can’t do a very good job as a hammer. (Believe me I know).

1Cor 12 v 12. The body is a unit, though it is made up of many parts; and though all its parts are many, they form one body. We are all part of the body with different roles to play.

The challenge though is, if God was to put his hand in the tool box for you today would you be there? The sad truth is I often see so many young people blessed with such amazing gifts using them for the all wrong reasons in the wrong places or worse not using them at all.

I am not suggesting that we have to be perfect to be used by God - if that was the case we would all fall short. What I am saying is that we can’t expect God to use us to change our amazing City and the people that live in it if the only time we are exercising our gift is in the pubs and clubs, or sat at home frustrated that Gods timing isn’t ours.

If we truly want to be a part of the plan God is carrying out through our Church in our City then we are gong to have to get back in the tool box. We are blessed to have an amazing church with so many departments. We just need to be in the right place when God puts his hand in the toolbox and pulls us out to be used in the destiny he had planned for us before we were even born.

Be still and know that I am God.

Are you going through a hard time in life, do you want to jack it all in sometimes? Maybe you’re struggling to overcome something you have been battling with for what seems like forever. Take heart you’re in good company. We all struggle in life and at times want to throw the towel in. But God has a definite plan and purpose for your life, one that you will enjoy more than you ever thought possible. Maybe just maybe this scripture will help you on your way.

Psalm 46 v 10 Be Still and Know that I am God.
Easy to read isn’t it? But what exactly is God saying there and how can it help us?

Be Still – Comes from the Hebrew verb ‘rapa’ which translated means ‘to cause yourself to let go’ Or in English to ‘chill out or take time away from something’.

To Know – In order to ‘know’ we first have to ‘be still’ otherwise our minds can’t grasp this bit. To’ know’ means to give up trusting ourselves and the ways we want to do things and to start trusting God. The focus should be on him not us.

I am God – We use the word everyday but we often forget the meaning. It is so hard to grasp but put simply it means ‘all providing one’. God knows what we need to change every circumstance we face. We just have to let him help us.

Imagine having an injury that you know needs medical help, say a fractured ankle. However you are enjoying your life so much you continue to run on it. In time it gets worse. Eventually you realise you have to change something and go to the doctor for help. As he examines you it hurts as he pokes and prods and you may start to wonder if this was such a good idea. You need an operation. The anticipation of this can cause anxiety and the procedure itself can hurt. Once the doctor has finished there is a healing time during which you have to be extra careful not to expose the repair to what injured it in the first place.

The point of the story is this - We all have areas that need to be operated on in our lives, things that slow us down or even cause us to miss our destiny. If you need to identify them consider this – What are you defensive about in conversation with leaders or mentors? What subjects does your heart race about when the bibles views are taught?

Step one is to realise admit our issues and take them to God. At this point we need to be still. The next step is allowing God to operate (the ‘To Know’ bit). This involves trusting God knows what he is up to just like you would trust a doctor during an operation. You certainly wouldn’t interrupt him and tell him how to do his job. It can sometimes be hard to see ourselves changing at this time as things don’t make sense. That’s why the scripture tells us to be still and know.

Operations hurt and when God is carrying out one on us often we feel like getting up and running away but it is vital we let him finish the job. Otherwise we soon slip into old habits and lifestyles, and when we have open wounds we often hurt others and drag them into the lifestyle issues we are struggling with.

Once God has helped us over something it is so important we don’t go back down that road. It may be a certain way of thinking or a lifestyle choice. We must protect ourselves as we would an injury.

God has an incredible destiny for YOU, right now it may not seem that way but trust him, let him operate in any way he needs to and you will be stronger and fitter to complete the race set before you and have an amazing time along the way.

By DH

Today this could be....

.....the start of something great. You see today's decisions affect tomorrow outcomes. If you want to have a great future, that starts with the decisions you make today!!

Everyone starts the race, begins something new, decided to live a different life, but not everyone gets past the first 100m of that race. The start is always exciting, filled with anticipation, fueled with hope..... but once gun goes and we get into our stride, we then begin to discover who has the endurance.

Some people will start so many NEW things in their lives, run a few steps and then decide to start something else. Eventually for those people, the start line becomes their home, the place they stay and never venture from, never experiencing any other part of the race and possibly the satisfaction of finishing that race.

So what are you starting today?

by HB