From the Zebra Bag   Musings from a follower of Jesus, husband , father and pastor

At the outset of the series we finished recently, Why Believe, we talked about principles that had followed us right the way through the series. First we saw that we all believe in some things that we cannot prove. That the sun will rise tomorrow and that we are loved are just two examples! Most if not all of the subjects we considered had aspects to believing them which could not be proved in the literal sense of the word. There is no (unarguable) proof for the existence of God or for that matter that He does not exist. Whereas there is clear historical support for the existence of a man called Jesus, no such evidence exists for the suggestion that he was the Son of God. However in those places where categorical proof does not exist we are not condemned to step out in blind faith checking our brains at the door. There is evidence and the evidence points us in certain directions and our task is to examine that evidence and follow its directions. Lee Strobel in his book The Case for Christ says “ Faith is a reasonable step along the path that the evidence points”

Returning to the realization that- we all believed something- we also noted that, if we are wise, we are willing, on occasions, to review those beliefs in the light of the information we receive. I discovered just this truth as I prepared to speak about heaven. It was not that I did not believe in heaven but I discovered I believed very little about it simply because I had not given it much thought. As I explained in my previous blog God turned my thinking upside down to see that the hope of a bodily resurrection and participation in the New Heaven and New Earth (Rev 21:1-5… Go on read it again and get excited about it!!) makes sense of everything. This is the foundation of the hope we can share with the world. It was a shock to identify how lame my belief was, but so exciting to recognize the need to make adjustments reflecting the teaching of scripture (with some help from the writing of N T Wright “Surprised by Hope”!)

So tell me, what beliefs have you reviewed lately and did you make and changes or adjustments?

PS If you missed any of the Why Believe series or just would like to do some more thinking about what you believe, The Starting Point groups are a wonderful way to examine or re-examine fundamental beliefs with a small group of others. Sign up here and we will be sure to tell you about the start of the next group.

When I was planning to complete the Why Believe series with yesterday’s sermon on heaven, I thought it was similar to the whipped cream and cherry on an ice cream sundae. It finishes it off and the dessert would not be complete without it, but the substance is in the ice cream. However, as I prepared, God showed me that I could not have been more wrong! In fact the message on heaven makes sense of it all! It is the fulfillment of God’s plan and the final glorious chapter in God’s story.

In my devotional time I have just begun to read N T Wright’s book “Surprised by Hope” and even though I have only read the introduction and first chapter (along with the section on Paradise as research for the sermon) he is able to express the things I have been thinking in a clear and coherent way which makes me want to say Yes! Yes! Yes! all the time I am reading !

He underlines the amazing ambivalence and confusion in most parts of our society about life after death. Street preachers are scorned for proclaiming hell fire and damnation and for selling what appears to be an “insurance policy” to avoid the flames. On the other hand, many of those who profess atheism, when it comes to the funeral of a loved one, reach for the thought that the one who has passed away is somehow watching over them in some alternate state of existence. Some Christians are secretly afraid that heaven will actually be boring as they become residents of the 112^th cloud on the left and proficient harpists… for eternity?

So what can we know about heaven? Clearly I cannot do justice to this huge subject in this short missive, but there are a few things which seem to be clear from what scripture tells us. All the words used, both for heaven and hell, suggest that they are real locations. Whether they are up there, over there, or indeed down below is not clear, but they are spoken of as locations. Jesus made it clear that He was longing to return there, (if in doubt read John 17!) and that glory and the presence of the Father would be predominant factors. He also stated that he was going there to prepare a place for us! (John 14:2-3). Remember that in Genesis 1and 2 God prepared this magnificent garden (Gen 2:8) for man to live in and His presence was a daily reality for them. Adam and Eve had things to do (Gen 2:15) and a real relationship with God as they “ walked with Him in the cool of the day.”  (Gen 3:8). If that was God’s original intention, it is likely that these elements will be present when the relationship is finally restored and we inhabit the “new heaven and new earth” (Rev 21). As a consequence, a residence among the clouds does not seem likely!

But why should we be excited when the information we have on heaven seems difficult to understand and sometimes rather scary (the Book of Revelation). Firstly if Jesus was so excited to return to His Father and to have us join Him it has to be immeasurably better than our present experience.   It seems this world, with all its struggles and pain is merely a blip on the radar of eternity. As a result, our purpose need not be big retirement accounts, wonderful homes, and substantial bank accounts to pass on to our children. We can therefore lay aside so much of the striving and worry that come with that territory. We can enjoy our blessings so much more as a mere taste of what is to come rather than regret their brevity. In short we can stop pouring all our energy in something that will come to an end and instead invest in something that will last forever, life the way He intended. And of course, if we believe in and fix our eyes on the place Jesus has gone to prepare for us we have a real hope to share with our trouble stricken world. They too can know that sense of “eternity” planted in all our hearts (Ecc 3:11) was put there by the Creator and is a gift for them to accept

And what of those who cannot or do not choose to accept God’s offer; they will also get what they wanted all along, a world without God. I fear they will discover how different it is from a world where the hand of God is in control even if some of His actions (and inactions!) are painful and inexplicable.  Suddenly it will become apparent how many times His unseen hand prevented and protected us from the full consequences of our human nature. So they will get what they campaigned for, an existence where they can never again be offended by references to God. And those who have trusted the unseen and sometimes frustrating Creator of the universe will get to enjoy eternity with Him in the New Heaven and New Earth.

So you see every one wins… sort of!

When I spoke last week in the sermon about our actions not backing up our words I got to thinking about places in my life where I am most vulnerable to this and my mind went to my prayer life. How often do I tell someone I will pray for them and allow the commitment to fade in the business of life? I never mean to let that happen, but in all honesty it does.

I have read a number of books on prayer in recent years so I thought I would share one or two of the ideas to help keep our intentions alive.

1 Write it down as soon as you have the chance. That is why we put a blank prayer list in our bulletins at New Life.

2 Stop and pray there and then. This can be done with the people themselves or you can find a quiet place. This is especially helpful on the telephone. If you have never prayed with someone on the phone try it!!

3 Remember that praying for someone does not mean we need to tell God their life story and instruct Him on what to do. Just remembering them before God is sufficient.  He knows the situation much better than we do.

4 I have tried something new this year; I’ve saved all this year’s Christmas cards with photographs and I am using them as bookmarks. That means whenever I pick up that book, I remember that person or family before God. So if you sent us a card with your photo, chances are good that I will be praying for you very regularly sometime this year and if you happen to be in a big book that I take a long time to read…

This may not work for you but finding a creative reminder is always helpful. Attach your prayer list to the mirror in your bathroom, put a small sticky dot on your watch and cell phone as a reminder. Do you have some other ideas? I would love to hear about them.

Today like any other day comes round each year and every year; it’s my birthday!! I was encouraged to write some reminisces of what has been a remarkable year in so many ways. Last January I was writing as I began a year’s treatment for Melanoma, In fact my birthday was in the middle of the first month of very intense treatment.

During the year I have experienced all sorts of interesting side effects; a significant loss of balance, which included taking a fall at the bottom of an escalator in Atlanta airport. a variety of digestive disorders and, what appeared at least, to be a never-ending attack of flu. However God has been so faithful. I asked Him to let me continue to preach and He gave me the strength to achieve that goal in all but one week! (Actually (one and a half as I had to leave 2/3 of the way through one sermon!!)  My year of treatment was to have finished on Dec 28^th, but two weeks early the doctors decided my body had had enough and I stopped injecting interferon in the middle of December. Now I am waiting for the scans and tests to know what is next.

Over the past year I have seen a number of things that revealed the faithfulness of God I mentioned above. First I have the most incredible gift of a wife! Maggie has been to every doctor’s appointment with me. She has been a constant encouraging and supportive presence each day, helping me to remember my medications and insisting we go to the emergency room when I did not want to go. It sounds trite but I am not sure how I would have survived without her. Secondly I have an incredible family both sides of the ocean. My sons and stepdaughters and their partners have been remarkable, always willing to do anything to help. And of course my wonderful grandson Atticus, who has brought so much joy to my life.

We began the year with Emily and Jonathan living with us and now they are happily established in their home near Sacramento. Currently we have Katie, Courtney and Atticus with us as they transfer from San Diego as Katie has a wonderful job in the city. What a joy it has been to get to know and love them better.

Back in February I was almost given a heart attack, to go with everything else, when my precious sister Judith and niece Bethany (all the way from England) walked in the door and stayed for a week. What an amazing way to cheer me up (again Maggie had a significant part in arranging and keeping it secret!) I was also able to go the UK with Mags to celebrate my parents’ 60^th anniversary and had one of the best vacations of our lives. (Thanks to the staff of Bowditch Middle School who have been so supportive and made it possible for her to come with me.)

Then there’s my incredible church family. I cannot begin to describe the encouragement and care I have had from every one of them; the meals, the prayers, putting up with my lack of energy and worrying whether I was going to fall over when preaching… I could go on, but just know that I love you all and it is such a privilege to be part of New Life.

On December 17^th I stopped treatment and another amazing gift from God was in store. I felt better within days and after a couple of weeks with the exception of tiredness, I felt back to my old self. I could not really believe it! I am now enjoying food and preparation for Sundays has become a joy again.

If you are one of those who have prayed for me all over the world, I will never know how to thank you. It has been a constant amazement to hear of people who have been praying, many of whom I barely know. Thank you from the bottom of my heart!

There is so much more and in time I am sure I will share it but for now just know that the last year have been living proof of this verse

Cast your burden on the Lord and He will sustain you. He will never permit the righteous to be moved Psalm 55:22

It’s been a while since I blogged and often I conclude that I don’t have anything of interest to say. However, I’ve had a number of comments asking how I am and so I thought I would give you an update with apologies to those who’ve heard the information many ties before.

The battle for normal blood sugar has been won but it leaves me injecting insulin each day for the present. The three injections of interferon each week carry on relentlessly and the side effects vary from very little to more significant. Indeed over the past couple of weeks I’ve experienced nausea in a way I’d not experience it before. The fatigue continues unabated. And I can’t get through most days without a nap, (I know some of you are saying, so what’s new, but somehow this is different) However, I have much to be thankful for. Recently we were introduced t to a website dealing specifically with melanoma patients. When I read the experiences of folk who had the exact same treatment as me, I realize that despite what I am experiencing, God has protected me in remarkable ways. I know it is trite, but we take one day at a time and I am eternally grateful both for the protection of God and the gift of my amazing wife who manages to always be there. Some have enquired how much longer the treatment lasts well we have done 5 of 12 months and are scheduled to finish in December 2010!

The church continues to be unceasingly supportive and encouraging and by God’s grace, I’ve not had to miss a Sunday’s preaching yet.

I have been preaching a series based on Max Lucado’s book Fearless. It has been so appropriate for me as this cancer has been my greatest fear and now God has given me peace in reminding me that I don’t have to fear because He’s in control. Thank you so much, every single one of you for your prayers, we are conscious of them daily. Please don’t stop!

Yes today is Good Friday, which now appears to be one of the most over looked calendar land marks. When I grew up in the UK, Good Friday was a national holiday ( I am not sure if it still is!). This made sure that anyone who wanted to could attend a service to remember the tragic and bloody events of the first Good Friday. When I came to the US I was staggered that even the major Christian organistion for which I worked did not consider Good Friday anything other than a normal workday. It was the easiest thing in the world for Good Friday to go by unnoticed.

It seems that we have surrendered to the culture that does everything possible to sanitize the truth. The sooner we get to Easter Sunday the sooner we can celebrate. BUT YOU CANNOT GET TO EASTER SUNDAY WITHOUT GOING THROUGH GOOD FRIDAY. There is no resurrection without the cross and the absolute death of the Son of God.

Lets be sure we take time to think about the agony that He chose to suffer for us and then just maybe we can really celebrate on Sunday!