Wednesday 26 October 2011

The joy of secondary school selection

Well I was goin' to sit back and listen to the Sunday sermon tonight - but its not available yet!  So I thought I'd rant on about the joy of going to a Church that doesn't easily get our son into the school of our choice.

About me, in the past 27 years I have been involved in many different Christian activities.  I have been involved with the Church of England (CofE) and worked along side many CofE members - Prison Fellowship, HTB Caring for Ex-offenders, The Boys' Brigade for the past 7 years ... the list goes on - in fact :

Prison Fellowship
Evangelical Alliance
Lawyers Christian Fellowship
Counties
Open Air Campaigners
Healing on the Streets
Caring For Ex-offenders
Alpha Course
Youth for Christ
Boys' Brigade
Christian Resources Exhibition
CARE
More Than Gold
Our Fathers House (Forteleza)
Greenwich SACRE
Voice of the martyrs
Christian Concern
Greenwich Church
Greenwich Churches Olympic Forum

These are the main groups I have either been involved with or prayer support on a regular basis.  I would stand along side these organisations.  When I was a member of a CofE church I helped run a prayer meeting at 6:30AM and their youth club - and got married in their church!

So here is the issue, our oldest boy currently goes to an oversubscribed CofE secondary school that we want our youngest boy to go to.  He appears in the Bexley SACRE multi-faith DVD where he talks about his faith and what it means to him to be a Christian - organised by the school.  On the application form, Criteria 1 is that we frequent a CofE church - which we dont - but I help run the BB which is part of the youth ministry associated with the CofE church.  Criteria 2 is that our church is part of Churches Together in England - New Frontiers does not appear on the printed list of recognised members of Churches Together in England but New Community Church is part of Churches Together in Sidcup which appears to come under the umbrella of Churches Together in England.  So that is a mystery!  Criteria 3 is a practising member of a non-Christian faith.  Criteria 4 is sibling.

There lies a dilemma - worshipping at New Community Church (Sidcup) which is a New Frontiers church may not be good enough to get our second son into the secondary school of our choice.  New Frontiers is larger then most of the churches listed in Churches Together in England on the school admission application form, and they work along side many CofE churches across the country on a variety of projects.


So our youngest boy would only get into the school on criteria 4 as a sibling - and they never reach criteria 4 in past selections!  So my church is simply not good enough - which puts them into criteria 5 - worshippers at a church not members of Churches Together in England.  it does bug me!!

I'll let you know if he doesn't get in ;(

Friday 21 October 2011

Now for somethin' completely different ...

yes I really do have bad taste in music!  And just to prove it here is a taste of what I listen to for no particular reason :

1. Yellowbird by the Mills Brothers - watch the video on YouTube
2. Dare by Gorillaz off the Demon Days album
3. White Shadow Cold Play off X&Y (XYZ if you have dyslexia!)
4. You stole the sun from my heart - Manic Street Preachers
5. Fools Gold - The Stone Roses (something to do with Lock Stock and the base!!)
6. Song Bird by Eva Cassidy - what an amazing voice
7. Games without frontiers - Peter Gabriel (dont mix your words Pete - say what you mean!)
8. No matter what - Boyzone epecially for my sick uncle - he sang this in his hospital bed after having a stroke.
9. The fun lovin' criminal - Fun Lovin' Criminals - reminds me of the good ole days in Belmarsh
10. How did it come to this - Take That - everyday you wake up and you should ask yourself this question!

FYI - I'm not perfect!!

The Queen and a machine gun ...

Sunday Sermon - So good I had to listen to it twice - well done Tim - excellent setting of the context of Samuel and David (1 Sam 16: 1-12).  Having read this myself I did notice a possible nother school of thought regarding Jesus.  I compared Samuel's mum Hannah with Mary, and Samuel as a theophany for Jesus.  Mary and Joseph may well have been chosen because of their desire to spend quality time in the Temple as Hannah.  Hannah prayed in such a way that she appeared drunk.  So I put it to you that if God had met with Mary and Joseph in such a way, and they truly believed their Son was God in the flesh, the promised Messiah, then I believe, like Hannah and Samuel, Mary and Joseph would have brought Jesus up in the Temple.  We get a brief mention of this when Jesus decided to stay in the Temple whilst His family left Him unaware that He wasn't with them (thank God there was no social services in those days!!).

Samuel was no wimp!  Digging deeper we see that he was in submission to Saul and was probably scared of him.  But when Samuel turns up in Bethlehem "the town elders turn up trembling" - possibly a bit like Gadaffi turning up in another country (Apparently he was involved in 17 coup d'etats).  So the elders had good reason to tremble - will we live to see another day!!  And Samuel has come to meet a top guissa in Bethlehem - Jesse of Bethlehem, a bit like Tim of Sidcup or Mervyn of Plumstead or Dave of Mottingham - all with fame!!!!!!!!   Jesse of Bethlehem was known - his business, his protection etc  Fame.

Samuel was looking for Gods man.  Samuel had a hotline to heaven - he could ask God a question and get a real answer there and then.  Samuel was a holy man that spent quality time in the Temple and in the presents of God - talking to Him and listening to Him.  And this is not limited to the Old Testament characters or the New Testament characters, but is also available today - to all - without prejudice.  You spend quality time with God and He will talk to you.  I dare you to try!!

Samuel had each of Jesse's sons walk in front of him and each time Samuel asks God "is this the one?", and instantly God answers "No".  Amazing - really this is amazing!  The power that Samuel could tap into simply by having a hot line to heaven.  And Samuel humbly said "we will not sit down til he arrives" and made all the people remain standing til David the Shepherd arrived.  That could have been 10 minutes or it could have been 6 hours.  They stood in anticipation that they where about to be in the presents of someone very important.  Standing and waiting is important here - just try and picture in your mind that situation.  They stood and waited - and waited - and waited.  Maybe in silence and continuing in quiet conversation - probably not feasting.  "We will stand and wait" - the authority of Samuel to make men remain standing!  Hopefully no one had a weak bladder or they may have had their head chopped off!

In walks David.  What do they see?  Another theophany.  David probably spent quality time with God whilst he spent time with his sheep.  David was someone that worked with his hands and lived outside under the stars.  David was no lightweight.  David was Brad Pitt!!  He wasn't Derek Trotter!!  He was Robert De Niro not Ian Beale!!  He wasn't a wimp - he was well 'ard! But not just "handsome" but in touch with God - not so clean on the outside, but clean on the inside.  But chosen because God answered Samuels question "is this the one?" by saying "yes".  Nothing to do with Davids handsomeness - simply hearing "yes" got David chosen.

So the challenge of the day to todays Christians is to clean your ears!  Spend quality time "in the temple" and quality time listening for the answers.  Has God changed?  Does He talk to us today in the same way?  is this hot line to heaven been disconnected or on answer phone?!  Talk to Him and you will hear Him.  Quality time, quality time and more quality time in the temple.

Sunday 16 October 2011

A building without footings

Well I would have liked to have passed comment on the NCC sermon-of-the-week but I jumped ships for the day due to the annual enrolment/re-enrolment service for the officers & boys of the 2nd West Kent Boys Brigade company at St. John's Blackheath.  What a blessed day we had - blazing hot sunshine especially layed on for our church parade!   And a great turn out of boys and a special guest mace bearer, and a few old-boys looking on with envy;)

Not a service format anyone could ever be familiar with but it did work.  I got collared to read Proverb 1:1-7 which was difficult because just when you think there is going to be a full stop, the sentence keeps going so difficult to know what words to emphasise!!

Its been a good week for our BB - the Company boys came 7th (out of 8) in the 10 pin bowling.  But a great turnout of lads from across the 2 boroughs.  I think there was an internal competition going on with the 2wk that I didn't know about to see who could get the most gutter balls!  Ha-ho.  But the Juniors did much better on Saturday with their handball competition - walking away with the trophy - well done!!  We won 4 out of 4 games and there weren't to many injuries.

Glad to say the BB has got strong foundations and we are going to grow again.  I was amazed at how well the parade went - its certainly going against the grain of thinking in the 21st century - uniform, marching, bugle band, discipline etc etc.

St' Johns has got strong foundations which will keep it in good stead until that Great Day.  2wk+st.Johns=a great combination!!

Wednesday 12 October 2011

Ventilation - really exciting stuff!

Yes the eco show was exciting - not as good as ExCeL but still informative.  One new product I liked was the retrofit Ventive by Green Structures.  A very clever design which relies totally on natural mechanics to suck out stagnant air and blow back fresh air that is heated!  No paid energy is used to do this - its just the wind outside the house blowing through a vent.  This is the missing piece in my energy survey results - ventilation.  We spend our life plugging every draft in the house to try and keep it warm and keep our energy bills down, but we dont consider the stale air we breath.  And when we do we open the window or door to let in fresh air and let all the heat out!!  Ventive is the answer!  It ticks all the boxes and fitting looks quite easy.

It's bugged me for some time that gas from a gas boiler goes through a flue and out the building because it is dangerous.  But how dangerous is the fumes from the oven after cooking Sunday roast?  There must be a substantial amount of carbon monoxide produced and where does it all go?  Carbon monoxide is a light gas so it will rise through the house and fill up the hose from the top down.  So you will probably get a good nights sleep after a roast - for all the wrong reasons!  Is your kitchen ventilated to take the fumes outside?  Do you have a cacbon monoxide alarm that works and has been tested?

My next research is to find out if there is a connection between carbon monoxide and asthma - watch this space!

Other really useful stuff from the eco show - Water Matters (EU) Ltd. do a shower head that uses less water.  If you are on a water meter then this may be of interest.  And Osram are going to bring out a bayonet LED light bulb ie not mercury!  Kingspan seem to think you could get your money back with  Solar PV panels within 5 years if you lived on the Isle of Wight!  ebmpapst UK Ltd do a low energy fan that generates less heat but does the same job - I'll find a use for this somewhere!!

If you are intersted in what is going on in the eco world then why not checkout what is happening in Scotlan nd the Isles.  Some really great hydro electric stuff going on!  lots of ind turbines and dispondent fisherman running their boats on cooking oil from the local hospital!  GSHP and community heating schemes are the future!

Sunday 9 October 2011

Do not worry ... chillout!

Well done James Silley for the forth and final installment of consumerism.  A sermon that incorporated the best of  wikipedia!  I'm glad I've grown out of taking notes coz I think I'd have no hand left.  A strong argument that puts consumerism back into its place and exposed it for what it really is.  I cant help but feel that this talk being the conclusion should have been the preambles - but then again maybe this is just the beginning and not the end!!

The verse-of-the-day was from Luke 12:22-34 where Jesus drives home the meaninglessness of worrying ie DONT DO IT!!!!  I'd like to start at verse 21 where it advises on "being rich towards God".  So wealth has nothing to do with money or mammon.  As Christians we can be rich towards God without having a penny in our pocket - so the message of the Gospel does not discriminate across wealth.  Every man is in the same boat - the richest person to the poorest person is equal in the eyes of God when they decide to follow Him.  What they have in the form of money or mammon does not give them an advantage or a disadvantage - which is a relief!

So "being rich towards God" is right up there as a paramount characteristic of being a Christian.  Luke 10:27 "Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind, and, Love your neighbour as yourself" are a key to this.  You cannot be "rich towards God" and not love your neighbour.  "rich towards God" is another example of the strange way that God thinks!  It's not a mentality "the world" understands.  It's the opposite to what you expect.  If we live a life where we put others first, then we will be rich - DER!!


So onto Luke 12:22-34 we get more reverse logic from God.  Everything the world says we should worry about - God says dont worry about it!  "do not worry about your life" "do not worry about what you will eat" "do not worry about what you will wear" "do not be afraid".  This isn't usually something you fully grasp when you become a Christian - although, in terms of eternity there really is nothing worth worrying about because pritty soon we wont be here!!

But how difficult is it to stop worrying?  How easy is it to be happy-go-lucky without appearing lackadaisical or lacking emotion?  I am bothered if there is not enough money in the bank to pay the bills - but is bothered the same as worrying about it?  I trust God for my future, and in terms of eternity 'bill paying' is meaningless!!   But on earth I should take responsibility for my welfare - or should I?   I cant say "I dont care" because I do care - but I do trust that God will do what His word says.  And I dont think it is saying He will always give us what we want - he is saying "seek His kingdom, and these things will be given to you" in the sense that we will receive "treasure" in heaven as we put more and more trust in Him.

The problem we have is the lack of reliance we can put in God when UK society provides us with all that we need to survive without attributing it to Him.  So "in all circumstances give thank" - that way you can be sure that you will be greatful for all that He provides!  And from our wealth always remember to give to the poor.  Dont forget "I desire mercy not sacrifice" - its not just about giving money, its about showing mercy.  In God's wierd reverse logic, I cant but help feel that as we start to persue showing mercy, our desire to invest in ones own interests will diminish and we will naturally become less of a consumer.

In conclusion, do not worry, trust God more everyday, be more thankful towards God, have mercy on those in need, and invest in God's bank!

Sunday 2 October 2011

Consumerism is meaningless ...

Nice one Dave Holden for your sermon this morning!  Another bout of consumerism from yet another angle.  I sat eagerly with my bible in hand waiting for a quote - and waited and waited and waited and then was steam rolled with over 10 quotes!  Very cheeky!!  The whole essence of the message I assumed was common knowledge and basic for any Christian - I got that one wrong.  The "enlightening" we receive when you become a Christian is that there is an eternity.   And the fact that we will be on this earth for a reasonably short period compared with eternity, should make everything we do or are be a response to this gift of eternal life.  We entered this life with nothing and we are taking nothing with us!


I liked Dave's thoughts on the human body being temporary but the spirit inside us being eternal.  The body is destined to die but the spirit is desitined to exist eternally (unless you are not a Christian in which case you will face a second death - death of your spirit).

 
So how should we live if we are leaving with nothing?  The book of Ecclesiastes makes a whole load of sense once you grasp this mentality!  "Meaningless! Meaningless! says the Teacher, "Utterly meaningless! Everything is meaningless".  And then consider what the Apostle Paul had to say in Philipians 1:21-26 where he argues with himself weather it is better to stay on this earth or go onto the next life!  What really matters in life?  leaving a legacy?  servitude?  humility?

 
I see two things - giving of time to serve others, living a simplistic life style.  We should evaluate this balance - do we actually serve others enough?  can we live a simpler life?  Do we spend more time watching junk on TV which leads to nothing, compared with being "out-there" helping to improve the quality of life of others.  Have we over complicated our life to the point of having no time to even read this blog!!!  Can we look outwards more then looking inwards?  Are we investing in "me" rather then investing in something that is eternal?


Dave's talk did get the grey matter thinking about something random but nothing he said directly.  I did consider the act of consumerism and why I take a mug to church to have a coffee!  Its because I dont want to contribute to a hand-fill by using a plastic cup.  Plastic disposable cups are a product of a consumer society!  Disposable society - use once and throw it away is not what God wants us to do.  God's commission to Adam was to take care of the earth - and I believe we have inherited this command - food-for-thought!  How we dispose of our rubbish effects the planet.  Are we wise or stupid?!  This is not a great issue if you live a simplistic life.   What are those useless toys "made in Chine" you get with a McDonalds "happy meal" - LFTs - Land Fill Toys! What are we sending to the landfill? can it be recyled or reused? Should we take any interest in "eco" as Christians?


By not being such a consumer this problem should get reduced. But to over focus on this issue will make it a "god" in our life and we can quite easily be overwhelmed by recycling! This to is meaningless!!!


So to sum up I would say - consume less - Dispose of thoughtfully - Serve others more - watch less TV - and invest everything in what is eternal.