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hunger and Holiness

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Hunger and Holiness The word “holiness” often brings up images in my mind of people separating themselves from society. The monks secluded in their monastery, praying in isolation while the world passes them by. The jewish priest who can’t even sleep with his wife in the lead up to special events. The charismatic christian who won’t go to a colleagues party for fear of being corrupted by the world. Although it can seem contradictory, the has lots to say about both being part of your community, and being set apart for God, so how do we work out which is for us? I would like to propose that it’s both. My framework for working out what to do in a situation like this uses the following three points: Your “why” is more important than your ‘what” Your “why” should be “because of love” (love God, then love others) The practical way of turning a “why” into a “what” is by hearing God’s voice and doing as He says. So, using the example above, should you go to that party? I don’t know
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Hungry

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Every day, my kids come home from school in the afternoon in need of a distraction and energy after a hard day of learning, and their answer to this need is snacks. The activity of after-school-snack is a routine that resets and relaxes their brains into ‘home mode’, and replenishes their energy levels ready for play time. However, a snack doesn’t fill an empty stomach, it’s not meant to, that’s what meals are for. Sometimes one snack becomes two, and when Mum and Dad aren’t looking, a few more fill the space. Then Mum starts cooking something wonderful in the kitchen, and the smell starts those hunger pangs off again. By the time dinner is ready for the kids, the kids are no longer ready for dinner. The meal that my wife put so much love into preparing was snubbed for a short term fix. What happened? The blessing of the snack was abused and took away the hunger for the main event. In this parable, who do the characters represent? Who are the kids, who is the one who prepar
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Beware the "F" word

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When my son was younger he was hyposensitive to temperature. That means he didn't feel heat or cold like the rest of us. In the middle of winter he would just be wearing a thin top and in the heat of summer his warmest coat would often come out. We were told that he would seek out these extremes of temperature because it was the only time he could feel them. His threshold for feeling hot or cold was so low that it took extremes in order to feel them, and just being able to feel something was a pleasurable experience for him.  On our part as parents, we knew something that he didn't, that extremes of temperature become dangerous to one’s health.  In our Western culture, fear is marketed and ramped up for people to "feel" something they have become insensitive to. A little fear in the right environment will stop you from doing something stupid. It's the internal check that makes sure your parachute is packed right before you jump out of a plane.  But fea
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The story where the phones went flat

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The wedding was beautiful, not a dry eye in the house. All of their friends and family had come to help celebrate this special day and join as witnesses of the covenant agreement between man and wife. The newlyweds went off late in the afternoon for their photo session. They had arranged for ten girls from the church youth group to light the path to the reception using their phone torches. Before the wedding, five of the girls had decided to travel light. All they needed was their phone, it had everything they could possibly need for the day. Of course, they all had the torch app that they would use later on, but their phone also holds all their socials and a game or two to pass any quiet moments. It was these apps that held their focus while the happy couple were off taking photos, and it was these apps that were responsible for draining the batteries on their phones while they waited. Wedding photos never fit the time allotted to them on the day, they always take longer t
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Memory stones

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I have just seen one of my kids go through his first year of school.  In the first week of school he received an award for meeting the expectations of the school. We used a magnetic clip to hold that award onto the fridge, every time he went to the fridge, there was a reminder of the thrill of receiving a reward. By the end of the year, that clip was so heavy with awards received that it would fall off the fridge at random times (often when we were asleep).  Walk into an athletes home and you will find trophies, photos and momentos from past victories. These objects evoke memories of the past that inspire hope for the future.  Using something common as a reminder of the extraordinary is nothing new. Throughout the bible, both God, and his chosen nation used everything from songs to holy days to remember the wonderful things God had done for them.  After 40 years of wandering the desert, waiting to enter the land God had promised to them, God's chosen people (Israel) wer
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Point Zero

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Many sermons (or TED talks, motivational speeches, etc) use dot points. These are great at equipping ourselves to grow as people and move forward in our lives, but without a reference point, you could be moving anywhere.  This is Point Zero, the reference point for all the other points you hear. Let's go straight to scripture: ‘Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?’  Jesus replied: ‘ “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.”  This is the first and greatest commandment.  And the second is like it: “Love your neighbour as yourself.”  All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.’ Matt. 22:36‭-‬40 NIVUK Every dot point that came before Jesus (all the law and the prophets), was covered by  0. Love God Even the second, Love each other, is a natural consequence of Point Zero. So then, what is love? Every person has a different idea of what love means for them. This meaning has been shaped by our
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