tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4892843648650316612024-02-19T02:45:37.246+00:00Nexus4ChangeJust my life, every moment is dedicated to my Savior and Lord. You are who I live for. And this is a record of my new life, in you. Jeremiah 29 v 11Nexushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01108183688714401979noreply@blogger.comBlogger106125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-489284364865031661.post-63926244603413030272010-08-03T11:38:00.004+01:002010-08-03T12:01:47.955+01:00Murmurs from the Mundane: "Culture: And the World became a Hotspot for Weirdoes"Living out in the countryside has its perks: it’s a lot cleaner than an urban environment, it’s a lot quieter than a city, and, let’s face, on the whole, it’s more beautiful to look at. Nature surrounds you whichever way you go, exploding into each and every sense of the human existence.<br /><br />On the other hand though, the big downside, or one of them anyway, is that it can get very lonely. While the joys of family life do detract from this somewhat, if you’re like me, you like to hang out with people your own age. This isn’t a problem if you have friends living in the immediate vicinity, but again, for me, the closest friend is located roughly an hour, maybe an hour and a half away.<br /><br />It’s because of this feeling that I love having friends over at my house. It gives them a chance to take a break from their ordinary day lives, and it relieves me of that loneliness that seems to play a huge part in mine.<br /><br />I recently had a couple of friends over for a single night while my parents were away on holiday. And because I live in the middle of nowhere, we couldn’t do anything the <span style="font-style: italic;">“hip”</span> young adults would do in a situation like that; we didn’t go to a dance club, we didn’t avail of alcoholic beverages, we didn’t even cause a little bit of a ruckus…ok, we caused a ruckus with my sleeping pattern, but that was as far as it went. All we really did was bake, played some video games, listened to some music, and watched some quality and some trashy TV. In the end, it was a perfect weekend of sorts.<br /><br />Its funny how, even in a few short days like that, we can experience something we know as <span style="font-style: italic;">“culture.”</span> I’m not going to bore you with a precise and detail description on what it is exactly; that’s what a dictionary is for. In fact, I don’t think a dictionary can fully sum up what <span style="font-style: italic;">“culture”</span> is. We can fill up the majority of the answer; that it is the view and belief of a group of people determined on place and thinking, or to put it in even simpler terms, the way in which someone conducts their life. But is that really all it depends on, a location and a means of contemplation? Because of this, it’s been very hard to write this chapter in some sort of way that’s as engaging as the previous. Hopefully I won’t have bored you too much by the time you reach the end.<br /><br />If you were to ask what culture meant to a group of Greek philosophers, they would say something along the lines of their belief in terms of the spiritual. Ask a group of teenagers today, and they’ll say its all about celebrities and technology. So what’s the key factor that we all seem to forget?<br /><br />Time. Culture, as we know it, is hugely impacted upon by time. As time moves forward, the culture of a place or group of people changes. We can see this in our own life time, with the integration of home computers in our daily goings-on. And this is just one example; the introduction of new technologies, changing political structures, vast and confusing ideologies. The church is not immune to this, seeing the rising of new and bold movements, the most common examples being the rise and fall of the emergent church, and the continued efforts of the <span style="font-style: italic;">“prosperity gospel.”</span><br /><br />Because of the fact that culture, in itself, is so vast and complex, I can’t really give an aspect of it that we tend to forget. Rather, it is in comparison to culture that we tend to forget parts of the very nature and character of God Himself.<br /><br />You may be wondering why I went on such a big spiel above on how culture is influenced by time. The reason is we can use this to compare culture against God. Whereas culture is directly impacted upon by time, God isn’t. The whole concept that He is the unchanging God is lost on us, not because we don’t know it, but because we rarely look at the gravity of the statement, as God Himself states in Malachi 3:6;<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">“For I the LORD do not change…”</span><br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">- Malachi 3:6a</span><br /><br />We’re often reminded of the fact that God doesn’t change. However, we only think of this in terms of our own existence. It’s uncommon for us to realise that the God of the Old Testament is the same as the God of the New Testament. While its easy to say this, we really need to think this through; the God who created the heavens and the earth is the same God who was born in a food trough; the God of men such as Moses, Abraham and David is the same God of a couple of fishermen and a tax collector; the God whom songs were sung of is the same God who was jeered and mocked on the way up to be crucified.<br /><br />And not only is the God of the Old and New Testaments the same, but He is the same today. More so, He was the same God before He created the heavens, and He will be the same in His kingdom which will come.<br /><br />Not only can we compare the nature of God and the nature of culture in terms of time. Before I even wrote that paragraph on time, I talked about the definition for what culture is. And when I finished, it all came down to two things; location and a means of contemplation.<br /><br />Just as culture varies with time, so too does it vary with the location which it is in. While there may be a near global culture in relation to technology (at least in the 1st World,) there are many aspects of culture which are unique to a specific place. Ireland is a prime example; here we have a small island nation, with a population of roughly 4 million in the Republic, which loves to have a bit of “craic.” What is craic you ask? To be honest, it’s hard to put a definition on what it means exactly. But one thing can be observed; no where else on the planet do they have “craic” the same way the Irish do.<br /><br />Obviously this change depending on region isn’t limited to entertainment. The language, economic and political system, morals and laws, ideologies, transport, architecture, food, music, night life, work, etc, all depend on area.<br /><br />It will come as no shock then to find that God is once again on the completely opposite side to this. How so? Simple;<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">“Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me…””</span><br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">- John 14:6</span><br /><br />Jesus Himself says it oh so very clearly; there is one God. That’s it. We often look at this passage and completely forget the connotation of the word “the,” being the definite article. Jesus is a way, or a truth, or a life, He is THE way, THE truth, and THE life. He Himself clearly and emphatically states that the only way to heaven is through a relationship with Him. Some people outside and inside the church are guilty of forgetting this; those outside have come up with various religious systems and ideologies, and the ones inside, and out, have placed greater emphasis on worshiping money, power, fame, sex and the like. We have all become idolaters in one way or another. Unlike culture, in which there are many different ones depending on location, there is only one God, something that we all need to be reminded of daily.<br /><br />While culture may vary over time and location, there is one aspect of culture, its nature that remains constant. I said that the nature of culture changes, and while that it is, there is always something which is common in all instances of culture.<br /><br />Let’s once again take modern youth as an example. We said that culture for a group of teens today would be about the celebrity status and making sure they had the latest gadgets. If we contrast that to, let’s say, British medieval individuals, a large part of their culture would be the strict following of religious rules and laws. What’s the one thing that both of these examples have in common? I admit, because of the fact that its very hard to think of two examples like these, and even in the fact that the examples themselves are not all that great to begin with, it may be hard.<br /><br />Both are devoted to the self. It kind of links back to the idolatry that we talked about earlier on. In the two instances here, and in the others not mentioned, a large part of culture is devoted to self. And when we are focused on self, sin crops up. To put it in slightly easier terms, much of culture, today and as a whole, is sinful. The devotion to greed, fame, power, lust, sex, acceptance, image and status, all linking back to envy and pride, is what this culture is built on.<br /><br />God, however, isn’t sinful. Rather, He’s the complete opposite, being holy, as the angels declare in Isaiah 6:3;<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">“Holy, holy, holy is the LORD of hosts; the whole earth is full of his glory!”</span><br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">- Isaiah 6:3</span><br /><br />There’s so much focus on God being loving and forgiving that we tend to overlook the fact that, unlike the world where we live, God is set apart and different from the whole of creation. God is holy, and because of this, He cannot be in the same place as sin. Where sin exists, God cannot live because of His very nature. In the same way, we also forget that good is a good and just God;<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">“The Rock: His works are perfect, and the way he works is fair and just…”</span><br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">- Deuteronomy 32:4 (MSG)</span><br /><br />Something that I’ve learned to be reminded of all the time is that God has no obligation to this sinful world with this sinful culture. He has every right to leave us and start a new creation without ever thinking back on us. The fact is though, He chose out His good and just nature to set into motion a rescue plan which would span millennia, culminating in the death of Jesus on the Cross. Through the death of His Son, we see the holy and just nature of God. Not only that, but through Jesus, we have an opportunity to escape this sinful culture, and live a life holy and pleasing to Him…Nexushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01108183688714401979noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-489284364865031661.post-40985119931654792102010-07-19T18:40:00.004+01:002010-07-19T18:53:31.140+01:00Murmurs from the Mundane: "Body: One Giant Leap for Humankind"I’m what you might call accident-prone. Not a lot of people realise this, but it’s something I have to almost remind myself, or be reminded by myself, daily. For someone whose diet is not particularly balanced, I seem to have a lot more energy than would be expected. Normally this energy proves to be useful, but whenever I have so much that a bash my head on a door frame while skipping down our very short corridor, it can prove to be a bit hazardous.<br /><br />I remember the first proper accident I had. There were times before this when I was genuinely sick, but those instances were out of my hands. I was over in my nana’s house, y’know, because that’s what you do when you’re 3 years old. I was in the kitchen, just standing about, not really do anything. My nana, Kathy, left me alone for some reason which I can’t remember. And if you don’t learn anything from this story, just remember not to leave a two year old in a kitchen alone…<br /><br />Especially if there’s a freshly brewed pot of coffee just in reach of his hands. Also make sure he has something to protect his feet so that he doesn’t get second degree burns on his tiny little walkers.<br /><br />I think, while being accident prone is something which is out of our hands, it goes against the whole concept that the Bible talks about, when it says;<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">“…do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own…”</span><br /><span style="font-style: italic;"><br />- 1 Corinthians 6:19</span><br /><br />And while my clumsiness may just slightly infringe on that whole idea, it’s something we all tend to forget from time to time. Whether it is in terms of over-working our bodies, to our diet, even to items or objects which attach to this vessel, this body we’ve been given, while in no way perfect, is a temple of a part of the Triune God. Hopefully by the end of this chapter, through some stories and what not, we might just learn a thing or two about this thing we call a body.<br /><br />I get scared very easily, probably because it’s the way God designed me. But there was one time when I was four which had me quivering in a boots, or some other sort of analogy, for a long time after. Getting up as a four year old wasn’t exactly what you’d call eventful; get up, get dressed, eat breakfast, watch some cartoons, and head off to school. There’s not a whole lot that can go wrong with that sort of routine.<br /><br />That is of course if you can actually get up…which on one day would have happened, but would’ve required everyone that came within a 5 kilometre radius of me to wear ear plugs due to the absolute pain I was in, and consequently, the screams which bellowed from my tiny voice box.<br /><br />To this day, I’m still not sure what was wrong with me. I couldn’t walk without being in physical pain, and from what I could gather, I contracted some sort of bacterial infection in my legs which acted a lot like arthritis. As you can imagine, for a four year old, it was terrifying. I mean, I had gotten sick before, but nothing on this sort of scale.<br /><br />Anyway, after a week on some form of medication, and plenty of rest in the hospital, I was finally able to walk again without acquiring a sore throat in the process. And life went on as normal for me. But as I grew older, I kept getting cramps in my legs, particularly at night. My mum, who’s a nurse, said it was an after effect of that bacterial infection I had when I was a child, and that, from what she knew, I would experience this sort of thing for the rest of my life.<br /><br />Here’s what I’m trying to get at; whatever you do to your body, there’s gonna be consequences. The whole thing of there’ll be repercussions for every action is still very true, but we seemed to have forgotten about this when it comes to our physical well-being. This ranges from good effects, to negative ones, such as my cramps. We rarely think about what will happen to us if we eat a certain way, exercise a certain amount, perform dangerous actions, or some not so dangerous. Proverbs 6:27 talks about consequences, and while it is mainly referencing to adultery, it may just be a helpful reminder for when we come to eat 20 Easter eggs all in one sitting as soon as that time rolls around…not that I’ve done that, of course…<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">“Can a man carry fire next to his chest and his clothes not be burned?”</span><br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">- Proverbs 6:27</span><br /><br />There’s another story to do with how I’ve treated my body over the past decade or so. I used to be quite an avid martial arts connoisseur. I’ll admit I wasn’t going to be able to take on Jackie Chan without seriously contracting a serious case of getting my back side handed to me, but I’d like to think I wasn’t bad bad.<br /><br />Anyway, I practice a style of martial arts called Ninpo from when I was about 12 or so up until I was 14. The day of our practice came up, and it was time to perform some flying shoulder rolls. Normally when you do this sort of thing, it’s all very safe. And that’s what I thought that day as well. I ran, jumped, and rolled, but when I landed, something didn’t feel right, as if I had landed awkwardly. My shoulder wasn’t feeling its best, and at first I decided that that was enough…<br /><br />This was before I decided to, against my common sense, have another go. And guess what? I landed awkwardly again. And you know what happened? I become the proud owner of a broken clavicle.<br /><br />I won’t bore you with the rest of the tale, because the idea I want to submit to you is right there in the above paragraph. Against my own better judgement, I decided to push my body’s physical limit, and in the process, ended up with something that still pains me to this day.<br /><br />Here’s the thing; we get so caught up in trying to keep our body in peak condition, or we try to just go that extra bit further when it comes to exercise that we normally end up hurting ourselves in some way. Put simply, sometimes we need to give our bodies a break.<br />Now I am in no way saying that we shouldn’t break past the limit of what we’re capable of. If we never did that, then we’d never know our breaking point. Nor am I saying not to go the extra mile. I’m purely talking about this in a physical aspect. We need to rest. I’ve been hurt physically enough in my life to understand that the body we’re given is pretty damn fragile. We can’t just go chucking it about for hours on end without taking a bit of respite.<br /><br />One aspect of Matthew 11:28 that I think we tend to forget is the physical point;<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">“Come to me, all who labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.”</span><br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">- Matthew 11:28</span><br /><br />When Jesus says this, we always assume that He’s talking in a solely spiritual sense, that if we’ve got troubles in our spiritual lives that He’ll give us respite from them. And while this is so very true, we often don’t look at the fact that, in conjunction with the numerous miracles of healing He performed, He’s faithful to give us physical rest as well. This is the God-Man who for most of his life probably worked a blue collar job with His earthly dad as a carpenter. So if anyone knows when its time to take a break from exercising, its Him.<br /><br />In the summer of 2010, I was privileged to take part in a week long activity called “Urban Soul,” based in the capital, Dublin. Around 200 teens and young adults gathered to work in different community projects around the city centre and the outskirts too. The majority of my time there was spent gardening in some old folks’ homes based in the Liberties, an area of the city full of life, and in desperate need of development.<br /><br />I have to say I’m not a huge fan of manual labour. That’s probably because of all the time I’ve spent on the couch watching some absolutely horrible shows on the television instead of getting outside and exercising. But when it comes to physical, I can be pretty lazy. So for me to garden for three days straight, it was a pretty big accomplishment.<br /><br />But as I was wondering how I should end this section, a verse I had always thought about popped into my head;<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">“I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship.”</span><br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">- Romans 12:1</span><br /><br />This is something I forget all the time. Not only are our bodies a temple for the Holy Spirit, but they are meant to be a sacrifice of love. The work we perform on a day to day basis is something more than a means of getting a wage at the end of the week. The work that we’ve been given (and I think we’ve even forgotten that we’ve been given work) is meant to be something more.<br /><br />In light of this, Urban Soul was more about loving God then it was about fixing up a garden, or painting a classroom. With the bodies we’ve been graced with, we can love God, by offering them up as a sacrifice. This is, in one sense, what Jesus did on the cross, offering His broken body up as a sacrifice to His Father. We forget this so much of the time, and yet it’s right in front of us. And while God perhaps doesn’t call us to be nailed to a hunk of wood to be deemed worthy of a sacrifice, the work that we do everyday of our lives, if done in His power, is completely and fully <span style="font-style: italic;">“holy and acceptable to God,”</span> as a sacrifice…Nexushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01108183688714401979noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-489284364865031661.post-65101917710044363212010-07-12T20:36:00.001+01:002010-07-13T14:07:15.141+01:00Murmurs from the Mundane: An IntroductionI had a conversation with myself not too long ago. To anyone aside from me, that would sound quite weird. I don’t do these sort of things because I’m some sort of <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">über</span> loner, or because I have nothing better to do. I like talking to myself, partly because I’m a very private person, and so questioning certain aspects of life by oneself remains hidden behind…well…whatever people who talk to themselves hide behind.<br /><br />I also like talking to myself because I’m not really a confrontational person. As much as I love to stick up for what I believe in, I must admit I don’t like the whole perception of confrontation. You’d never think it; I mean, I can be vocal about topics and beliefs I hold true to, but rarely will I get physical in anything. Talking to myself means I can eliminate that whole aspect of my social skills.<br /><br />But out of all the reasons why I converse with my own being is because you can’t get interrupted. I know that you can lose a train of thought and you might consider that an interruption, but an interruption to me is someone outside of myself butting in on a conversation while I’m full swing…<br /><br />At least, I thought I could be uninterrupted…<br /><br />The topic for the conversation was what to do for the summer. I had a few <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">pre</span>-made activities to partake in, but for the majority of what was set to be one of the greatest summers ever, I had gotten relatively little to do. I was getting into a good bit of banter with myself about different books that could keep me occupied for those lazy days in the summer…<br /><br />And then Dad showed up.<br /><br />I should explain. While I am stuck in the back-end of nowhere for most of the time with my family, including my dad, my other Dad is everywhere I go. Creepy sounding I admit, but that’s the kind of guy…I mean, God that He is.<br /><br />Anyway, Dad decided to drop in unannounced into this conundrum I had dug myself into. Whenever Dad shares His two cents on a matter, it’s always worth listening to. He <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">didn</span>’t say a whole lot, verbally anyway. He rarely does, to me anyway. Rather, He tends to plant ideas which could only come from someone outside of myself. And that idea spawned this series. All He “said” was this;<br /><br />“What have you forgotten?”<br /><br />Another thing which is pretty obvious from the above statement is that a lot of what He says can be, on occasion, quite hard to understand. Mind you, I guess He <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">wouldn</span>’t be revered as having a great mystery about Him without something like this cropping up.<br /><br />But it’s an interesting little statement <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4">isn</span>’t? I mean, it could be taken on so many different levels. He could be reminding me had I forgotten that dinner was ready an hour ago and was probably gone cold, or I could’<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_5">ve</span> forgotten why I stopped watching the curse-ridden show that it Glee…OK, the last one will never be forgotten, but I needed something to fill the space.<br /><br />But I think what Dad was reminding me about were the things that we take for granted in this life. I’m sure all of you have heard the little tale of a group of friends and myself getting jumped during the summer of 2010. If not, it’s bound to be bouncing around the <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_6">internet</span> somewhere. And the one thing that I took away from that evening was how precious and fragile this life is. There’s so much stuff we’<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_7">ve</span> been given that we often overlook them, or in my case, completely forget about them. This very life, the life we’re living is a gracious gift given by the only one who can give it;<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">“If, because of one man's trespass, death reigned through that one man, much more will those who receive the abundance of grace and the free gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man Jesus Christ.”</span><br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">- Romans 5:17</span><br /><br />And so this book is devoted to reclaim these forgotten items. In this book, I’ll take a look through the different aspects of life which have been given to us, and yet which we need reminding of their power, presence and purpose in our lives.<br /><br />This is going to be a good one guys…Nexushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01108183688714401979noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-489284364865031661.post-63299834501625280292009-11-22T19:21:00.002+00:002009-11-22T20:17:35.927+00:00An Angry God, and Broken Michael W Smith CDs...In case you haven't realised, I can be quite an angry person...<br /><br />Its true...<br /><br />Ask my mum...<br /><br />I get angry far more often that I'd like...<br /><br />I get angry at really stupid little things. An example? Last night I got angry because the covers on my bed weren't big enough...<br /><br />Stupid little thing...<br /><br />That's not to say that I don't get angry at big things either. The cowardice of a lot of Christians...that really ticks me off. Its equivalent to someone going up and punching a complete stranger square in the jaw for no apparent reason. It makes me very angry.<br /><br />Hold on, you might say...Christians aren't meant to be angry.<br /><br />Right?<br /><br /><br /><br /><br />Wrong.<br /><br />Despite what modern culture and the media, and even some pastors say, Christians get angry. Its a fact. We're human. Its not because of our sin nature that we get angry. Its because we're made in the image of God.<br /><br />Jesus gets angry. He gets angry quite a lot.<br /><br />We've just read the passage where He's chucking over tables and throwing merchandise in the temple so many times that its lost its power.<br /><br />It'd be like Jesus walking into a Christian book shop, and deciding to burn the entire self help section, all the while crushing Michael W Smith CD's.<br /><br />Now wait a second there Phil. God isn't angry, God is love!<br /><br />Very true. I won't deny that. The Bible clearly states that God is love. If I were to deny it, I'd be denying a big part of scripture.<br /><br />But more often than not, God is attributed in scripture to being holy and righteous and just. And so He gets angry.<br /><br />At what?<br /><br />Sin...<br /><br />and sinners...<br /><br />But what about hating the sin and loving the sinner? What about that Phil?<br /><br />That's never mentioned in the Bible. What is mentioned however is that, in places such as the Psalms, that God hates all that do evil, ie. sin.<br /><br />Read that again...<br /><br />God hates ALL that do evil.<br /><br />Not just some, ALL. That includes you and me.<br /><br />I'm not supposed to tell you this. Christians are meant to be nice, that's how much of the world perceives us.<br /><br />Yes, we're meant to be kind...but we're meant to tell the truth...even if it offends people.<br /><br />Really?<br /><br />Yep...in case you haven't figured this out, we worship a guy who got murdered, who claimed that there is only one way to salvation, and it is through Him. The cross is an offence. And if we don't proclaim it as such, then we're lying to people.<br /><br />I'll stop with the whole "Rob Bell" style of writing.<br /><br />Seriously, if we don't proclaim what is written and what we believe without sugar-coating it, we're lying to the world. And ultimately we're offending God by not proclaiming His word. So if its to come down to offending God, or offending a person, the person's gonna get it every single time. Its ridiculous how Christians today are so cowardly! Why? Cause they're afraid of what the people they're talking to will say!<br /><br />That shouldn't matter. God is the only one who should matter, what He thinks is the most important thing in our lives. Not the opinions of idiots. Cause lets face it. We're all idiots. Maybe not by choice, but we are by nature. After all, we turned down a happy relationship with God for an apple...<br /><br />But there's no excuse for us not to proclaim that Jesus is the Savior of all man-kind, and if you don't believe in Him, then you my friend are going on a very long holiday...tempurature...INFINTLY HOT!<br /><br />In case you don't realise, I'm describing hell, although not a lot of people seem to get my humor.<br /><br />We're made in the image of God, and if God gets angry, then so should we! Its incongruent with who He made us to be. The verse from which this all stems from is Nehemiah 13 v 8;<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">"And I was very </span><span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;">angry</span><span style="font-style: italic;">..."</span><br /><br />The gist of the story is this. Nehemiah goes to Jerusalem, rebuilds the city, constructs a new temple, and gets people to start running it. He goes off back home, and then when he's an old guy, finds out that the city is being run by God haters, and that the people of the city are acting like douches and falling back into old habits. So he goes, kicks out the God haters, and hires new guys to make sure that its run smoothly.<br /><br />And the whole back drop on this is the following...its OK to get angry. What depends is whether its righteous or unrighteous anger. Lorcan knows what I'm talking about here, I've had this convo with him before. Righteous anger is being angry for the right reasons and responding in the right way. Unrighteous anger is being angry for the wrong reason and/or responding in the wrong way.<br /><br />If someone was to get raped for example, they're allowed to be angry. Who wouldn't be! Its a sign that we're agreeing with God!<br /><br />And I know this post has been kinda jumpy, going back and forth between one idea and the other. But I'll close with this. The reason why Nehemiah came back to fix the problem in Jerusalem was that the guys in the city weren't going to fix it.<br /><br />Its the same with Jesus. God saw the problem of sin, saw that we weren't going to fix it, and so sent Jesus. And here's the thing. Jesus died for our sins. But not only that, He propitiated the wrath and anger of God from us to Himself. Simply put, He took the beating that we should be getting from God.<br /><br />Earlier on I said that God is angry with all of us. I jumped the gun there. There are people out there that God is angry with.<br /><br />But...if you've accepted Jesus as Savior, you can sleep easy...<br /><br />He got his metaphysical ass kicked for you.<br /><br />Let Him be the <span style="font-style: italic;">Nexus</span> of your life...Nexushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01108183688714401979noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-489284364865031661.post-74097481052211232052009-11-08T17:55:00.004+00:002009-11-08T18:29:37.579+00:00My Life As Of This Minute...So I haven't blogged in quite a while. Thought it might be an idea to change that.<br /><br />"WELCOME BACK PHIL! WELCOME BACK TO THE <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">BLOGOSPHERE</span>!" I hear you calling, and it is very much appreciated, I can assure. Life has been pretty hectic for me the past little while, although the chances of you being someone I know is very great, and so you already know that little fact.<br /><br />School is...well school...I have to be honest, I'm not very much enjoying the whole pressure <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">dealio</span>. I mean, seriously, there's like way too much pressure on LC goers, its ridiculous. Thankfully, I've had friends who have been able to calm me down, as well as knock some sense into me. Plus, my teachers are like so supportive. I'm the guy in class who carries way too much in his school back, so much so I wouldn't be surprised if I had to visit a chiropractor at some stage before the end of the year. But because of this, it can take me a little while to pack up my stuff. This gives each of my teachers the chance to ask me how I'm doing. Like seriously, my English teach is like one of the most supportive persons I know. She's always asking me how I'm doing, checking on me to make sure I don't stress out too much. She's even told me not to worry at all about the Christmas Exams coming up in two weeks. The may not seem significant, but its like such a big comfort to know that the teachers know what I'm capable of, that they say to take it easy for these exams, and just get ready for the mocks.<br /><br />Apparently I'm also filming this is years Christmas Concert...which is kinda odd, seen as I have no idea what I'm going to be doing...seriously...I say seriously a lot don't I?<br /><br />While from the above paragraph it may seem that my life isn't enjoyable, I would disagree. I am loving my life right now! I mean, I'm just thinking about school, but in like 7 months time, my exams will be finished and done with! Man, that really isn't a whole lot of time... I mean, the first 2 months flew right by. Its going to be awesome to be able to have lie ins, and not worry about comparing <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">Wuthering</span> Heights and Casablanca on Literary Genre...<br /><br />But back to the loving of life, I'm really enjoying school to be honest. Its the stress I don't like, but <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">that'll</span> pass in time! I'm also loving all the down time I'm getting with my friends. You guys really are awesome, I don't know what I'd do without you guys. I mean, the Saturday before I was due to go back to school, I was invited out of the blue to go to a Tim Burton fest. I got drenched, didn't get a whole lot of sleep, but man did I just love hanging out the guys for an evening.<br /><br />And of course, lets not forget about God. <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4">Ahh</span> God...what HASN'T He done over the past little while? I've been able to rely more and more on Him when I need. That's not to say that I love Him just for what He's done over the past little while. To be honest, He's done something which have brought me to tears...but the thing about God that I'm really discovering, learning, and loving about is that He never changes.<br /><br />Never.<br /><br />Ever.<br /><br />Never.<br /><br />I may change, and my feelings toward certain people, certain <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_5">situations</span>, the world and Him may change too...<br /><br />But He Doesn't.<br /><br />Maybe I forget to pray one day.<br /><br />He doesn't change.<br /><br />Perhaps I say something I shouldn't, or do something I shouldn't do.<br /><br />He stays the same.<br /><br />And the other thing that I'm loving at the moment is God's <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_6">foreknowledge</span>. I am loving the doctrine of predestination! I know some of you may not be inclined towards that train of thought. I know, I've had conversations with you. This doctrine isn't something to be argued over, its something to be praised! The fact that God saves anyone is by itself a gracious miracle. The fact that He sent His Son to die for our sins is something else. That fact that He calls forward elect is remarkable!<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">"...even as he </span><span style="font-style: italic;">chose us in him </span><span style="font-style: italic;">before the foundation of the world, that we should be </span><span style="font-style: italic;">holy and blameless before him. In love </span><a style="font-style: italic;" name="Eph.1.5"></a><span style="font-style: italic;">he predestined us</span><span style="font-style: italic;"> for </span><span style="font-style: italic;">adoption through Jesus Christ, </span><span style="font-style: italic;">according to the purpose of his will, </span><a style="font-style: italic;" name="Eph.1.6"></a><span style="font-style: italic;">to the praise of his glorious grace, with which he has blessed us in </span><span style="font-style: italic;">the Beloved."<br /><br />-Ephesians 1 v 4-6</span><br /><br />God has been revealing wonders to me, and I am just so excited about the plan He has for my life. I've already got a meeting with my two pastors to talk about different Bible College, and will at some stage be looking for a group of guys to be going up to the Mandate in Belfast next year.<br /><br />If I was to <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_7">summarise</span> this post into 3 words, they would be the following;<br /><br />Jesus is AWESOME!!!<br /><br />Let Him be the <span style="font-style: italic;">Nexus</span> of your life.Nexushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01108183688714401979noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-489284364865031661.post-84250106080853959022009-10-22T20:19:00.008+01:002009-10-23T21:52:00.216+01:00Ohh Music, Wherefore Art Thou Music...?Surprise surprise, I love music.<br /><br />Let me stress that again;<br /><br />I LOVE MUSIC.<br /><br />If you read my 100th blog, you'll have seen that I have a huge love and admiration for a number of artists. And through the course of 2009, there was a significant growth in my admiration. And upon seeing some of my friends writing posts based on new albums and what not, I thought it would only be right if I gave my two cents.<br /><br />And so begins my mammoth task of sifting through the proverbial mountain of new music that has come across in the past 12 months or so. However, I do wish to point something out. I love Jesus. *Gasp!* Really? I hadn't noticed from the reference to Jeremiah at the top of your blog, writing consistently for about 6 months on the work of the cross...you're kidding me!?<br /><br />Shocking as it may seem, it is in fact true. But without spinning off into a tangent, I must add the following addendum. Just because I love Jesus, doesn't mean that I have to love Christian music. There are a lot of wing nut Christians out there who have crazy theologies who write music. And while I'm not saying that I don't love them, I do, what I am saying is that people need to be discerning when it comes to music. It just so happens that I do love Christian music, because the band I listen to are quite sane in their doctrinal beliefs...And because I've sounded like a pastor guy talking about doctrinal beliefs, chances are you've lost interest. Ohh well...<br /><br />So over the past 12 months, the music that I'll write about has been split into two categories. 1st being artists that I already know and love releasing new albums. The other section is where artists that I never knew about suddenly came into my field of vision. Hopefully I'll get both done so that you'll still be alive by the time you come to comment.<br /><br />So new albums first off. Well there have been quite a lot of new albums. Muse's "The Resistance," U2's "New Line On The Horizon," Skillet's "Awake," and so on...but here I hope to write about the albums which to me stuck out this year. That's not to say the above albums aren't good, they just aren't as good as the others. Truth be told, I wanted to write this quite a bit back so that I could consider "Brand New Eyes," and while it is a cracking album, it doesn't have the spark that the other albums do.<br /><br />So let's kick things off with a band who you may have vague recollection of, Mute Math and their new release "Armistice." The reason why you might recognise them is the f<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.musicsnitch.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/06/mute-math-armistice.png"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 294px; height: 290px;" src="http://www.musicsnitch.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/06/mute-math-armistice.png" alt="" border="0" /></a>act that their single from their album, "Spotlight" featured in the "blockbuster film" twilight. Yes, I despise the series so much it doesn't deserve inverted commas of capitalisation. But I digress.<br /><br />I'll openly admit that Mute Math is not everyone's cup of tea. Quite the opposite in fact. Consider it a ix of techno rock, with dashes of Paramore driving beats, and lyrics to match any John Mayer song (more on him later). Its an odd blend. What I think drew me to the album so much is the maturity of it. Listen to their first album, a masterpiece in its own right, and listen to "Armistice" and you'll see where I'm getting at. For a band that's as original as Mute Math, there is a lot of depth and passion behind the lyrics. Honestly I could recommend the whole album, but I'll give you verse to one of the songs, entitled "Lost Year;"<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Hold on to the way we started,<br />How it all should've gone,<br />Somewhere love was disregarded</span><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">And it all came undone, undone.<br /><br />'Cause nothing's a breeze,<br />We suffer, we bleed,<br />For two hearts to beat as one.<br />We learn as we go,<br />At least now we know,<br />Something we can't become, become.</span><br /><br />Second band that has delivered some new piece of work to the fray is...no its not The Fray, but rather Thousand Foot Krutch, or TFK for short. I'm not gonna lie, I do <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3649/3576898997_29d60332eb_o.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 247px; height: 247px;" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3649/3576898997_29d60332eb_o.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a>occasionally love to head bang...by myself admittedly, but still...and what I've loved about TFK is the fact that they can be deep, while still making you want to start a mosh pit.<br /><br />"Welcome To The Masquerade" is no different, and in my opinion is their finest work yet. From the driving beats of "Bring Me To Life," to the raw intensity of "E For Extinction," there's something for everyone. If you're not big into the whole wanting to make your ears bleed, then they satisfy your needs too with the deep and meaningful "Forward Motion." What stuck with me about this album is the cleanness of it. It feels so much more refined than a lot of what I've heard this year. Musically it doesn't put a foot wrong, all the elements are there to keep it solid throughout. As a sample, here's the opening lyrics to "Forward Motion;"<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Let's keep it moving in a forward motion, </span><br /><span style="font-style: italic;"> If we can hold on, we can cross this ocean</span><br /><span style="font-style: italic;"> There's no sense in lettin' our emotions</span><br /><span style="font-style: italic;"> Get in the way, until the door keeps closin' </span><br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;"> If we sort this out, would we know how, </span><br /><span style="font-style: italic;"> To live like we were different, </span><br /><span style="font-style: italic;"> I know we've both had some doubts, </span><br /><span style="font-style: italic;"> whether things would come around, </span><br /><span style="font-style: italic;"> And look at us now </span><br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;"> I'm not trying to tell you how to live your life...</span><br /><br />And so we come to the final album in this section. And it wouldn't be right if<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_KXcyDEz5dhQ/SOEcbf7i-SI/AAAAAAAAAlc/wVML1B3MxDQ/Decyfer+Down+Crash+EP.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 268px; height: 268px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_KXcyDEz5dhQ/SOEcbf7i-SI/AAAAAAAAAlc/wVML1B3MxDQ/Decyfer+Down+Crash+EP.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a> I didn't put this on here. Decyfer Down aren't a well known band. I'd be very surprised if you've heard of them outside of me mentioning them to you. And yet they have some of the finest talent for producing top notch music, while still remaining true to their faith, and packing every last drop of their new album "Crash" with passion.<br /><br />Again, this is on the rocker side of things. However, I would implore you to not let that put you off. "Crash" can be heavy in places, but not to the point of, say, Metalica heavy. What I mean by this is that the music they've composed, while being in a rock format, is packed with depth and emotion. Out of all the albums and artists that are on this post, these guys deserve an award for crafting some of the finest pieces of music I've heard in a long time, while still remaining true to the God they love. From the complexity of the title track "Crash," to the all out good time tune of "Ride With Me," to what is possibly my favorite CCM song of the year, the absolute emotion and power of "Fading." Listen to that one song, I beg of you. You will not regret it;<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">It starts with one time to fit in </span><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Addiction slowly setting in </span><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">I drifted off into dismay </span><br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Eyes looking back at me </span><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">I can't even see your face </span><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">The pressure is closing in </span><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">It's taken me again </span><br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Wait, it's all that I can take </span><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">And every single day </span><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">A part of my soul is fading </span><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">But now by letting go somehow </span><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Unshackled and unbound </span><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">I'm calling out your name </span><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">I'm fading </span><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">So save me </span><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">From what I've become...</span><br /><br />Truly each of the above artists deserve a look at. However, these were not the only artists musically to catch my eye. Over the course of the past 12 months, I've discovered artists which I have never heard off before. Both of the artists that are going to be mentioned aren't new. They've been around for about 4-5 years roughly. So they aren't new to the scene. Its just taken me some time to get around to them.<br /><br />These will be more brief than the above artists, but the first one that I d<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://bamboosong.files.wordpress.com/2007/06/albertine.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 271px; height: 271px;" src="http://bamboosong.files.wordpress.com/2007/06/albertine.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a>iscovered which has spoken volumes to me in the small amount of time that I have listened to her music is a gal called Brooke Fraser. If you're into Hillsong, you'll know that Brooke is the women who wrote "Hosanna," a favorite worhip song among our peers. If you didn't know, well...surprise!<br /><br />What I love about Brooke is her depth and complexity. That's a phrase that seems to be cropping up a lot in this post, but it really is why I love her music. This is not forgetting the fact that she is a freaking awesome guitar singer. And let's not forget her voice! Aww! To me, when I listen to my favorite song of hers "CS Lewis Song," her passion is so vibrant I almost...you know what, I don't think I can come up with an analogy that would do justice to her;<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">If I find in myself desires nothing in this world can satisfy,<br />I can only conclude that I, I was not made for here.<br />If the flesh that I fight is at best only light and momentary,<br />The of course I'll feel nude when to where I'm destined I'm compared.<br /><br />Speak to me in the light of the dawn,<br />Mercy comes with the morning.<br />I will sigh and with all creation groan,</span><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">As I wait for hope to come for me.<br /><br /></span>The final artist that I'll mention really should need no mention at all. I'd be surp<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://keetsa.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2009/05/john-mayer.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 302px; height: 226px;" src="http://keetsa.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2009/05/john-mayer.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a>rised if you haven't heard of John Mayer. Mind you, I hadn't heard of him before this year, so I'm surprised at myself in that case.<br /><br />Out of all the guitarists I've heard, Mayer far exceeds all of them. And not only does he have the most incredible male vocals I've heard in a long time, his songs, despite him saying are no way spiritual, have many spiritual layers, and contain such a depth and understanding, that I've often questioned if he really meant that statement. My favorite song at the moment has to be "Covered In Rain," with absolutly fantastic guitar work, and deep lyrics and vocals to back it up;<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">In these days with the world gettin colder</span> <span style="font-style: italic;"><br />She spends more time sleeping over</span> <span style="font-style: italic;"><br />Than I’d planned</span> <span style="font-style: italic;"><br />Tonight we're gonna order in</span><br /><span style="font-style: italic;"> Drinkin wine and watchin CNN</span><br /><span style="font-style: italic;"> It’s dark, I know<br /></span><span style="font-style: italic;">But then again, it's the brightest thing I've got</span> <span style="font-style: italic;"><br /><br />When I'm covered in rain, rain<br /></span> <span style="font-style: italic;"> When I'm covered in rain, rain, rain, rain<br /><br /></span>And so there you have it. From old time favorites of mine releasing cracking new albums, to brand new artists in my eyes displaying huge amounts of talent. If I was to recommend anyone of the new albums, I'd recommend "Armitice," simply because its very different to everything else that is floating around out there. And as for the artist...well, seen as most of you have probably had some form of contact with John Mayer, give Brooke Fraser a go. Trust me, you won't regret it.<br /><br />Let Him be the <span style="font-style: italic;">Nexus</span> of your life...<br /><span style="font-style: italic;"></span><span style="font-style: italic;"></span>Nexushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01108183688714401979noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-489284364865031661.post-86348454592952083552009-09-27T13:32:00.008+01:002009-12-01T19:17:17.456+00:00100th...So...this is my 100th blog post...hmm...if I'm honest, I've been putting this off for quite some time, mainly because of the fact that I've gotten it into my head that the blog needs to be epic in nature...something special, something extravagant...<br /><br />So instead, I've decided to just let my thoughts run rampant on the screen, like an elephant stampeding through downtown New York...see, if I was to have taken a few minutes to think of a better analogy, it wouldn't have been as awesome as that...<br /><br />What is there to talk about...argh...stupid Leaving Cert...the thought of having to do another English essay has brought my mind to the annoyance that is the Summer Quiz...I honestly don't see what the big problem is...its more of an annoyance than anything of great importance...yes there's the whole college thing that seems to going about the place, but honestly...I ain't really that fussed...I'm not going to go study my ass off for the entire year and come out the end of it looking like something out of a Blair Witch Project film...there's no point...people seem to forget that people doing the Leaving still have a life. I mean, I've already taken a day out going to Higher Options and seeing "District 9" as a bigger highlight that going around talking to guys in pretty shirts who could pass for college students...I wouldn't have been surprised if the colleges had just wrangled them in off the street 30 mins before the thing started...<br /><br />I have a day of paint balling planned for me and 7 other manly men...And another weekend for simply hanging out with some really close friends...I mean, we all need these sort of breaks, otherwise our brains turn to mush...I sound like I'm being really not arsed about the Leaving, but actually I am...just not to the point where's gonna control my decisions...I mean, its only one year...<br /><br />Saying these sorts of things isn't advised when you're face to face with your guidance counsellor...not that I have done, but my brain is telling me to go for it when I have my appointment with her...fact is that the system which we are living in is flawed. The majority of what we learn all comes down to a single day in the year, and if that day happens to be the day you get mauled by a bear, then that's you pretty screwed...hey it could happen...<br /><br />Personally I think that a continuous assessment would be in order...but that would then require you to work CONSTANTLY throughout the year, not letting up for a second...something I could not do...I get very stressed VERY easily...I've already had two nervous breakdowns since I started school...I'm almost guaranteeing you that I'll be in a mental institution before the LC is out...<br /><br />Ahh, talking about the LC is depressing...having said that, I cannot wait to get to college. There's just something so appealing about having the responsibility to go to class, and having it be mandatory...I also love the prospect of community...I live out in the middle of frickin' nowhere, so it would be nice for some proper company once in a while other than my mumsie and daddy...<br /><br />Speaking of which, man I love my mum and dad. Nothing special to look at, but man, they are pretty classy. Not only do I feel loved like a son, but I'm growing closer to them as individuals, as friends...I'm finding it way easier to talk to them...especially my dad...I've always gotten along with him, and by getting along I mean having mock wrestling/boxing/fight club matches whenever I see him...but I'm just generally getting to know him more...<br /><br />I Love Lamp...<br /><br />RAW Summer was pretty epic...man there was a good community there, I just loved that place...It just seemed so fantastic...like I could go up to anyone and talk to them, and knowing they weren't going to spray metaphysical mace in my eyes and hit me with their metaphysical hand bags and run away...as you can see, my mind is a strange place...<br /><br />But I loved it...I won't say it was the best camp I've ever been to, because that would entail that it was better than any other camp I've been to...I'll admit that I am prone to ranting on about the last camp I've been to as the greatest thing since Eoin Commins...but a) nothing could be better than Eoin, and b) each camp I've been to has been the best camp for where I was at the time...RAW Summer was fantastic because it gave me that boost before going back to school...not to mention the fact that some crazy stuff got sorted out, stuff that will be mentioned later...<br /><br />But now I'm thinking back to when I said that RAW Easter 09 would be my last ever camp...that ain't gonna be the case...I thought it might have been the last camp for me as a camper, but I knew, and I still know that I'm gonna go back with the intention of leading at camps...<br /><br />Its odd cause I was watching a debate this morning on whether religious relics were special in anyway...I thought to myself "Yeah, they probably do have something special, but if relics are the only way of getting closer to God, then it ain't very efficient." Maybe efficient isn't the right word there, but you get the idea...<br /><br />It was the same thinking I had when I was talking of RAW being my last camp as a camper. For me Ovoca camps have always been great, but I've come to realise that I kinda depend on them too much for that spiritual boost. I wanna be able to find God out in the ordinary world, not just at some place high in the Vale of Avoca...<br /><br />Looking back on that now, its utter bull-honkey...I need people...I thrive on being around my friends...maybe that's why I'm so clingy...but I can't help it...Ovoca has embedded itself in my heart as a place where I can go and just be myself around people and not feel afraid...<br /><br />And besides, I've been finding God pretty much everyday since school started back up...<br /><br />Ahh, there's school again...for something that only plays a small portion in our lives, it certainly gets mentioned a lot...I guess you could say by righting this I'm kinda half procrastinating...I have maths study to be done and an English essay to be done...<br /><br />Ahh screw it, bearing my soul for the whole blogosphere to see is far more fun!<br /><br />I like girls...Just thought I'd throw that out there...Yes, shocking that Philip King is a heterosexual, and yet its true...granted, there was that week in Budapest with Bernard...but that's in the past...<br /><br />I guess I wanted to say that because I'm pretty lonely...I've often wondered what its like to have someone in your life you can completely trust, and that they in turn completely trust you...Its fair to say I've had girl problems in the past...which is kinda odd seen as I've never actually had a girlfriend...<br /><br />Looking at the last two paragraphs, it kinda sounds like I'm saying "I wanna girlfriend, just so I can say I have one." Please...if I ever come across like that, slap me in the face...that's the last thing I wanna have people think of me... I wanna have a girlfriend because I love that person, and that I would want nothing more than for them to be happy...I realised that if my own desires and wants become the centre of my focus....then...BAM! Everything goes poop side up...<br /><br />At the same time, I'm quite happy to wait...people who know me are gonna be like "who are you and what have you done with Phil?" But honestly folks...its me...if I'm not meant to have a girlfriend yet, then I'm cool with that...hell, I'm more than cool with that, I'm ecstatic! I realise that God ain't finished with who I'm to become, and if He thinks I ain't ready, then He's gotta have something up His metaphysical sleeve...And besides, Jesus was single...and in 1 Corinthians, it basically says that those who have never been in a relationship a) can focus more on God, and b) are in a special fraternity that few are part of...boo-yah...<br /><br />Yes folks, the new word I've learned this year is "metaphysical..."<br /><br />Probably learned it from watching so much House...man I love that show...man I love TV...there's so much good stuff and there...and at the same time, 99.9999999999% of the time its utter crap...everything in today's world is based on self, the fact that we are the bomb, we are cool, we are better than Eoin Commins...<br /><br />Its ridiculous! There is so much pride in today's world! I'm noticing it more and more everyday, just in the conversations that go on in school...Its horrible, its the frickin' sin that got Satan kicked outta hell...<br /><br />I hate pride, often because I'm guilty of it a lot of the time. I think because of my experiences with being prideful, I can understand where Jesus was coming from when He said He came not to be served, but to serve...<br /><br />How awesome would it be if there was no pride in our world? Pretty freaking awesome, that's how awesome...there would be no stigmatism to not help that homeless man on the street, no need to worry about how people would react if you gave all the money you won in the lottery to charity...I could live in a world like that fo'sho'...<br /><br />Better yet...what if everyone in the world lived lives worthy of Jesus? Obviously, only Jesus is Jesus, but what if we lived the lives he truly called us to live? Man, I would not be able to contain myself!<br /><br />I was walking towards Grafton Street one day, and I saw a homeless guy sitting in a doorway...I thought "Why not get him something to eat?" Before I go on, I was kinda half pushed to do so by Damien Parle, who offered us a challenge to feed a homeless person...I think we need that kinda push, the push that will inevitably drive us to desire Christ forever...<br /><br />So anyway, as I handed him the sandwich I had just gotten, I came over all...happy! It was fantastic! I'm not trying to boast here, but it felt really good just to help another human being like that! I would've run back to the shop and bought another sandwich to give to someone else...unfortunately, economic recession dictated otherwise...<br /><br />Ahh now there's something that we can't escape...Honestly, I don't see what the problem with this is...yes, the banks aren't lending any money...but so what? The only reason why people would need loans is because they wanted something they didn't actually need...in other words...they were just plain greedy...<br /><br />Personally, I'm looking on the brighter side...Because of all this bad financial crisis, people are being smarter with their money...they aren't buying on impulse any more, rather they're shopping around. I just bought a copy of Killzone 2, one of the games of the year, for a €10! A €10! Its unheard of!<br /><br />Mind you, part of all this is down to the crappy government we have at the moment...actually, its probably just down to ole Biffo, but I ain't one to judge. I honestly can't see what any other party would do if they were elected in. All they would be focusing on is trying to stay in power, and would therefore, render any promises they have made moot...<br /><br />SPES MARIENS! WE HAVE FAILED THE EMPRA!<br /><br />Ohh how I love video games...I've practically grown up with some of the biggest technological releases ever...Hell, my first proper games console was the the original PS...man how I loved that machine...There's just so much fun and creativity to be had...Its really the only place where you could create a story about handicap penguins with missiles for arms...as long as the gameplay is decent, then nobody really cares!<br /><br />That being said, I do love me a game with a good story...MGS springs to mind...I really don't care what you say about it, cause honestly, if you don't like MGS, you ain't a true gamer...its true...you can't fully grasp the complexity that goes into one of these games, particularly the story! First game to ever make me cry was in fact...Final Fantasy 10...but the second game to make me cry was MGS3...<br /><br />They really are like films...speaking of which, man do I love a good film...I've turned away from the Hollywood blockbuster in favor of something with a bit more finesse...a bit more style...something that isn't your conventional movie...kinda like District 9...<br /><br />A thought that a friend gave me a few days ago just popped into my head...its to do with how people right...I had shown him the blog of friend, hoping he might like it...He inevitably said it was just a collection of neatly crafted thoughts arranged in a pretty mosaic...I wonder what he would think of this post? Personally, this is how I write...it ain't reserved for blog writing...and if you need proof of how good it is, my 100% in my English essay on Wuthering Heights last year should be proof enough...<br /><br />Wow this is turning out to be long...I thought I was only gonna start writing for about an hour or so...its my third hour as of now...Me thinks I'll go and play some cricket with my Dad...<br /><br />Ahh cricket..truly a game of kings...mainly because me and Dad play it...Have you got it yet?...People think that cricket is boring...sometimes they're right, but when you're actually playing it, its as dangerous as any other game out there...don't believe me? Ask the bruise I got about 2 inches away from my family jewels...<br /><br />Yeah...this is pretty long...congrats if you've stuck through all this...I must admit, it can be pretty boring in my head...that is when I'm not thinking about God...when I am, its a party!<br /><br />I'm looking outside my window...man I miss our forest...we didn't own a forest, although I almost got into a fist fight on Paddy's Day about it...that was crazy...and no, I wasn't drunk...<br /><br />There was a forest the opposite side of the road from us...I used to spend hours in there coming up with stories about how I was a super hero and that all my friends were calling "SAVE US PHIL!" And I was like all dark and mysterious and I said "No Problem..." Now I'm confined to do that in my garden...<br /><br />Speaking of which (again), I love my house. Its pretty awesome. It ain't the biggest house you've ever seen, but it suits us perfect...And its got a half acre of land to boot...which apparently people love...I just nature...all the weird little intricacies of our world...its mind boggling...<br /><br />So yeah...I'm back...after taking a two week break from writing anything on this...I must really enjoy nature...<br /><br />Music is also another passion of mine...Ohh good lord how I love music! I don't what it is exactly...I can just get lost in a song whenever the mood takes me...I love deep songs...songs that require some effort of thinking, but I also love passionate songs...Songs that you can't help but cry when you listen to them, songs that bring you to tears when you sing them with all you have...Probably the reason why I love worship songs so much...<br /><br />But music is spectacular...I find huge comfort in listening to anyone of the artists on my mp3...which is quite long...Jeremy Camp, Bebo Norman, Hillsong, Planetshakers, Muse, Switchfoot, Skillet, Demon Hunter, Third Day, John Mayer, Red, Brooke Fraser, Decyfer Down, Thousand Foot Krutch, Mute Math, Manafest, Bethany Dillon, Big Daddy Weave, Jars Of Clay, U2, Paramore, JesusCulture, Joshua Radin, Natalie Grant, Nickelback, Newboys, Pillar, Project 86, Underoath...shall I go on...?<br /><br />As some of you know, I recently turned 18...Hooray and what not! Honestly, its not all that different to being 17...I mean in feeling anyway...obviously I can drink legally, vote, have sex without consent (which I don't plan on doing), enlist in the army...and so on and so forth...<br /><br />But all it is to me is another year closer to the day when I'll come face to face with God, be judged, and start to live my new life with Him...<br /><br />I could go on...but instead I think I'll close with two final paragraphs...<br /><br />A huge thank you must go to you, my friends. No words can describe the feeling that is knowing you...You have brought such joy into my heart over the time we've known each other...Lorcan, Damian, Mike, Bernard, Edel, Jane, Cat, Chris, Eilis, Ali, Leanne, Grainne, Kirsten, Courtney, Dave, Philli, Joshua, Nathan, Emma, Nicole, Christina, Gina, Leah, Stephen, Billy, Lisa, Andrew, Louise, Alice, Alison, Orlagh, Carla, Simon, Eric, Simon, Eve, Ste, Paul, Stan, Ciaran, Rachel, Debs, Jonny, Jonathan, Tommy, Matt, Katie, Keith, Graeme, Wolf, Eoin, Nicola, Sabrina, Brian, Susie, Sean, Jonjo, Brendie, Ethan, Adam, Scott, Alastair, Sally, Skate, Wes, Jenny, Des, Rob, Natasha, Jessy, Megan, Brendan, Ruben, Hannah, Jude, Pete, Luke, Gareth, Barry, James...May these years be only the beginning of our friendships, that we may continue to grow in one another, that God will forever be with you, and that you may always know the He loves you…And that I love you too...Thank You...<br /><br />Finally to Author and Finisher of our faith, Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Alpha and Omega. Beginning and End. The Lion and the Lamb. No words can describe the thankfulness that I have for your provision of strength, kindness, mercy, faith, hope, friendship, grace and love to me. It is you who I live for, now and for all my days, for there is none like you, my Jesus. Let your name be exalted on high, and may your glory touch the lives of others like it has touched mine. And may your voice, word and light be my guide for all my days. Thank you for what you did 2000 years ago, and continue to do everyday of our lives. May Christ be the centre of my life, and let all of us take up His challenge…Thank You…Nexushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01108183688714401979noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-489284364865031661.post-72133161765097706572009-08-30T14:43:00.000+01:002009-08-30T14:44:38.430+01:00Revelation...<object width="340" height="285"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/FEn74zP1glQ&hl=en&fs=1&rel=0&border=1"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/FEn74zP1glQ&hl=en&fs=1&rel=0&border=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="340" height="285"></embed></object>Nexushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01108183688714401979noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-489284364865031661.post-70932799793007071912009-08-30T14:05:00.008+01:002009-08-30T18:41:47.605+01:00A Remarkable Revelation…<span style="font-style: italic;">"No one has ever seen God, but God the One and Only, who is at the Father's side, has made him known.</span>.."<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">-John 1 v 18</span><br /><br />We as human beings desire to know…We desire to know everything there is to know about anything. We’re inquisitive beings. And when we discover something new, we celebrate, because we’re that much closer to knowing everything there is to…<br /><br />People who aspire to know everything there is to know will be disappointed, because no matter how hard they try, the amount of knowledge that a single human can obtain in his/her life time is not even a fraction of the amount of knowledge there is in the universe…<br /><br />And so, many people have instead turned to look for information on the one who created the universe, God. I’m not talking about Christians at this immediate moment, although as follows of Christ we too wish to seek to know God. Instead, I’m talking about those who are confused in life. We as humans, find it easier to understand why something happened if we know how it happened, but more to the point, the reason why it happened…<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">"And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him,</span><span style="font-style: italic;"> who</span><sup style="font-style: italic;" class="footnote" value="" href="%22#fen-NIV-28130b%22" title=""See">b]"></sup><span style="font-style: italic;"> have been called according to his purpose.</span>.."<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">-Romans 8 v 28</span><br /><br />People desire to know God. Problem is that we as humans can never fully understand God by our own intellect. Suppose, for example a man enters a room wearing nothing but his boxers. Now we’ll never be able to fully understand why he has chosen to do this unless he reveals to us. In the same sense, in order to understand God, He himself must reveal Himself to us.<br /><br />This is known as <span style="font-style: italic;">revelation</span>, in which God chooses to show Himself to us through His word, what He has done, or through prayer and petition.<br /><br />I know people who have desired to know God, and yet refuse to talk about the cross. But in a remarkable way, it is through the cross that we learn so much about God. One of our primary sources of revelation is that of Jesus, and while I’m not trying to downplay His ministry, far from it, it is through His death on the cross that we learn so much about who God is.<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">"He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation..."</span><br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">-Colossians 1 v 15</span><br /><br />Here is a list of 8 truths that Jesus has revealed to us through His death on the cross. Note, some of what will be mentioned has been covered in greater depth in previous posts.<br /><br />1. Jesus shows us that God is just.<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">"...and are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus. </span><span style="font-style: italic;">God presented him as a sacrifice of atonement,</span><span style="font-style: italic;"> through faith in his blood. He did this to demonstrate his justice, because in his forbearance he had left the sins committed beforehand unpunished—</span><span style="font-style: italic;">he did it to demonstrate his justice at the present time, so as to be just and the one who justifies those who have faith in Jesus..."</span><br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">-Romans 3 v 24-26</span><br /><br />Because God is a just and holy God, He cannot be in the same place as sin, nor can He let it go unpunished. One of my biggest fears for my friends who have yet to come and accept Jesus is that because of the justice of God, they will one day face judgement, and be thrown into hell. Hell in today’s world is taboo, no one wants to talk about it because it’s not nice…But it’s the truth, for anyone who doesn’t accept Christ, they will live for eternity, but not in bliss and peace, but in constant pain and torture. Fortunately, through Jesus’ death on the cross, God has dealt with us justly, with Jesus becoming the propitiation for our sins…<br /><br />2. Jesus shows us the love of God.<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">"For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son,</span><span style="font-style: italic;"> that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life..."</span><br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">-John 3 v 16</span><br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">"This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son</span><span style="font-style: italic;"> into the world that we might live through him. </span><span style="font-style: italic;">This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for</span><span style="font-style: italic;"> our sins..."</span><br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">-1 John 4 v 9-10</span><br /><br />When people think of love, it never usually goes beyond that of emotional lovey-dovey kind of love. Here, at the crux of human history, Jesus’ death on the cross, however, God shows His love, not that it is simply sentimental, but that it is efficacious. And God does not merely feel loving towards us, rather He puts His love into action, the greatest display of this being sending His Son to the cross to die for us, not out of obligation or duty, but out of love.<br /><br />3. Jesus shows us the relational nature of God.<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">"Once you were alienated from God and were enemies in your minds because of</span><span style="font-style: italic;"> your evil behavior. </span><span style="font-style: italic;">But now he has reconciled you by Christ's physical body through death to present you holy in his sight, without blemish and free from accusation..."</span><br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">-Col 1 v 21-22</span><br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">"For Christ died for sins once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to God. He was put to death in the body but made alive by the Spirit..."</span><br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">-1 Peter 3 v 18</span><br /><br />This is the biggest difference between Christianity and any other world religion. All world religions depict God as a far of being, not bothered by what happens to us. Jesus and God the Father are living and loving, they seek to enter into a relationship with each one of us. They aren’t some distant off worldly beings, but rather beings desiring to be at the centre of our lives. And God shows this nature, shows this want for a relationship with us, by reconciling us to Him through Jesus’ death on the cross.<br /><br />4. Jesus shows us the pleasures of God.<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">"Yet it was the LORD's will to crush him and cause him to suffer, </span><span style="font-style: italic;"> and though the LORD makes </span><span style="font-style: italic;">his life a guilt offering, </span><span style="font-style: italic;"> he will see his offspring and prolong his days, </span><span style="font-style: italic;"> and the will of the LORD will prosper in his hand... "</span><br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">-Isa 53 v 10</span><br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">"...he</span><span style="font-style: italic;"> predestined us to be adopted as his sons through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will—</span><span style="font-style: italic;">to the praise of his glorious grace, which he has freely given us in the One he loves. </span><span style="font-style: italic;">In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God's grace </span><span style="font-style: italic;">that he lavished on us with all wisdom and understanding. </span><span style="font-style: italic;">And he</span> <span style="font-style: italic;">made known to us the mystery of his will according to his good pleasure, which he purposed in Christ</span>..."<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">-Eph 1 v 5-9</span><br /><br />The reason why God would do what He did on the cross still remains a mystery. I often think of us as broken watches, with which God had no obligation to keep. Rather He decided to take each of us and fix us, not because He had to, but simply because it gave Him joy to act out of His goodness.<br /><br />5. Jesus shows us the wisdom and power of God.<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">"And he is the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning and the firstborn from among the dead, so that in everything he might have the supremacy. </span><span style="font-style: italic;">For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him, </span><span style="font-style: italic;">and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through his blood, shed on the cross. Once you were alienated from God and were enemies in your minds because of</span><span style="font-style: italic;"> your evil behavior. </span><span style="font-style: italic;">But now he has reconciled you by Christ's physical body through death to present you holy in his sight, without blemish and free from accusation— </span><span style="font-style: italic;">if you continue in your faith, established and firm, not moved from the hope held out in the gospel. This is the gospel that you heard and that has been proclaimed to every creature under heaven, and of which I, Paul, have become a servant. </span><span style="font-style: italic;">Now I rejoice in what was suffered for you, and I fill up in my flesh what is still lacking in regard to Christ's afflictions, for the sake of his body, which is the church. </span><span style="font-style: italic;">I have become its servant by the commission God gave me to present to you the word of God in its fullness..."</span><br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">-1 Cor 1 v 18-25</span><br /><br />People today think they’re incredibly wise in what they think, and yet they seem to neglect what the real problem in today’s world is, sin. People who think like this often enter into politics and psychology. People who, however, recognise that sin is indeed the problem, while wise, normally have very little power in which to raise the issue and combat it. God however is both of these, being wise enough to recognise sin as the problem, and having enough power to deal with it through Jesus’ death on the cross.<br /><br />6. Jesus shows us the mercy of God.<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">"But when the kindness and love of God our Savior appeared, </span><span style="font-style: italic;">he saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit..."</span><br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">-Titus 3 v 4-5</span><br /><br />God came down into this miserable world to deal justly with our sin as a Father of compassion. Because of this, He is free to extend to us His mercy, part of which is helping us live the life that He has called us to live, the kind of life Jesus lived. Had He been merciful without dealing with our sin, God would have been endorsing sin and evil. Thankfully this is not the case, as He has graciously dealt with sin, and mercifully extended Himself to us.<br /><br />7. Jesus shows us that God is a living God.<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">"And if the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you, he who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit, who lives in you..."</span><br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">-Romans 8 v 11</span><br /><br />Because God is a living being, and death is the result of sin, only death can have a hold on those who are sinners. But because Jesus dealt with sin at the cross, we see the result of sin, in His death. However, in His resurrection, we see the power of the living God raising Him from death to life. And this too is extended to us, that if we trust in Jesus and let Him be the centre of our lives, then we will be raised from death to live in eternity with Him.<br /><br />8. Jesus shows us the healing power of God.<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">"But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and by his wounds we are healed..."</span><br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">-Isa 53 v 5</span><br /><br />One of the primary effects of sin on us is that it destroys our lives, not just physically and emotionally, but spiritually too. We have become unclean and broken in the sight of God. However, thanks to the expiating work of Jesus on the cross, He no longer sees us as broken people; rather, He laid His life down so that we could be healed from the effects of sin. This can only come through the cross.<br /><br />Jesus accomplished so much because of what He has done on the cross.<br /><br />Through His death, Jesus has conquered Satan, beaten him and destroyed any grasp that he held on us.<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">"When you were dead in your sins and in the uncircumcision of your sinful nature,</span><span style="font-style: italic;"> God made you</span><span style="font-style: italic;"> alive with Christ. He forgave us all our sins, </span><span style="font-style: italic;">having canceled the written code, with its regulations, that was against us and that stood opposed to us; he took it away, nailing it to the cross. </span><span style="font-style: italic;">And having disarmed the powers and authorities, he made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them by the cross..."</span><br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">-Col 2 v 13-15</span><br /><br />Through His death, Jesus has redeemed us, that we are no longer slaves to sins, and that we can free to live in His love.<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">"...while we wait for the blessed hope—the glorious appearing of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ, who gave himself for us to redeem us from all wickedness and to purify for himself a people that are his very own, eager to do what is good..."</span><br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">-Titus 2 v 13-14</span><br /><br />Through His death, Jesus became our new covenant sacrifice, covering our sin in His blood.<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">"For you know that it was not with perishable things such as silver or gold that you were redeemed from the empty way of life handed down to you from your forefathers, </span><span style="font-style: italic;">but with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or defect..."</span><br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">-1 Peter 1 v 18-19</span><br /><br />Through His death, Jesus offered us righteousness, which is given freely from Him, and can only be truly found in the cross.<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">"God made him who had no sin to be sin</span><span style="font-style: italic;"> for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God..."</span><br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">-2 Cor 5 v 21</span><br /><br />Through His death, Jesus becomes our justification, where God deals with us according to His just ways, and gives us new life through His Son.<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">"...for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, </span><span style="font-style: italic;">and are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus. </span><span style="font-style: italic;">God presented him as a sacrifice of atonement,</span><span style="font-style: italic;"> through faith in his blood. He did this to demonstrate his justice, because in his forbearance he had left the sins committed beforehand unpunished..."</span><br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">-Rom 3 v 23-25</span><br /><br />Through His death, Jesus becomes the propitiation for our sins, taking the wrath of God away from us, and instead taking it ill-deservingly upon Himself.<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">"This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins..."</span><br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">-1 John 4 v 10</span><br /><br />Through His death, Jesus becomes the expiation for our sins, cleansing us from everything we’ve ever done wrong, past, present and future.<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">"But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin..."</span><br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">-1 John 1 v 7</span><br /><br />Through His death, Jesus becomes our unlimited limited atonement, that through His death, we can be at one with Him.<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">"He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours but also for the sins of the whole world..."</span><br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">-1 John 2 v 2</span><br /><br />Through His death, Jesus paid our ransom, so that the chains of sins were broken because of the spilling us His blood.<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">"For there is one God and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, who gave himself as a ransom for all men—the testimony given in its proper time..."</span><br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">-1 Tim 2 v 5-6</span><br /><br />Through His death, Jesus showed us how to live, by laying down His life for others, and following His Father’s will.<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">"To this you were called, because Christ suffered for you, leaving you an example, that you should follow in his steps..."</span><br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">-1 Peter 2 v 21</span><br /><br />Through His death, Jesus reconciles us to God, allowing us to enter into a relationship with our Heavenly Father.<br /><br /><em><span style="font-family:georgia;">"All bitterness, anger and wrath, insult and slander must be removed from you, along with all wickedness. And be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving one another, just as God also forgave you in Christ. Therefore, be imitators of God, as dearly loved children. And walk in love, as the Messiah also loved us and gave Himself for us, a sacrificial and fragrant offering to God..."</span></em><br /><em></em><br /><em><span style="font-family:georgia;">-Ephesians 4 v 31 - 5 v 2</span></em><br /><br />Through His death, Jesus reveals the character and the majesty of God, so that we may believe in Him.<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">"No one has ever seen God, but God the One and Only, who is at the Father's side, has made him known.</span>.."<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">-John 1 v 18</span><br /><br />We cannot but help letting Him be the <span style="font-style: italic;">Nexus</span> of our lives…<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">"But it was our sins that did that to him, that ripped and tore and crushed him—our sins! He took the punishment, and that made us whole. Through his bruises we get healed..."</span><br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">-Isaiah 53 v 5</span>Nexushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01108183688714401979noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-489284364865031661.post-33010645827677001772009-08-29T16:17:00.001+01:002009-08-29T16:17:45.872+01:00Belief...<object width="340" height="285"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/MZjZI6eGtcM&hl=en&fs=1&rel=0&border=1"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/MZjZI6eGtcM&hl=en&fs=1&rel=0&border=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="340" height="285"></embed></object>Nexushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01108183688714401979noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-489284364865031661.post-50189492179600375682009-08-29T15:32:00.002+01:002009-08-29T16:16:04.057+01:00A Real Reconciliation...<em><span style="font-family:georgia;">"All bitterness, anger and wrath, insult and slander must be removed from you, along with all wickedness. And be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving one another, just as God also forgave you in Christ. Therefore, be imitators of God, as dearly loved children. And walk in love, as the Messiah also loved us and gave Himself for us, a sacrificial and fragrant offering to God..."</span></em><br /><em><span style="font-family:georgia;"></span></em><br /><em><span style="font-family:georgia;">-Ephesians 4 v 31 - 5 v 2</span></em><br /><em><span style="font-family:georgia;"></span></em><br /><span style="font-family:georgia;">A lot of the time in our walks in our faith, we sometimes forget the great distance we've come. And while we may have matured in our faith and grown to be strong warriors of Christ, I'm talking about the gap that was bridged right at the very beginning of our journey.</span><br /><span style="font-family:georgia;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:georgia;">Growing up in today's world has often made me ask the question of where I've come from. People who know me, know that I'm not the most sociable of people...in fact, quite the opposite. Part of this is because it is who God created me to be, but part of who I am today is because of where I have come from.</span><br /><span style="font-family:georgia;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:georgia;">Right the way through primary school, I was quite severely bullied. I know if you're a follower of mine that you've probably heard me say this before, but I want to take a slightly different look at it.</span><br /><span style="font-family:georgia;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:georgia;">There was one guy in particular who drove me up the wall. He was a mean piece of work. And I firmly believe that the way that he treated me during my primary education means that I'm the guy at parties who's wondering which one of the other guests is going to shaft him...that last sentence seems oddly familiar, so maybe I'm not taking such a different look at this.</span><br /><span style="font-family:georgia;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:georgia;">But the one thing I know that I haven't mentioned before is bitterness. Bitterness is a terrible thing. Whereas guilt is the feeling we have when we do something wrong to someone, bitterness is the feeling we have when someone wrongs us. I was so bitter towards that person that it hurt, so much so that I'm still actually thinking about what would've happened if he had left me alone...</span><br /><span style="font-family:georgia;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:georgia;">I should point out that the feeling of wanting justice is not bad in any sense. If something has been done wrong to you, and you believe its not right, you are sharing in the exact same feeling as God. It does become bitterness, however, when it consumes you. I'm in no way trying to belittle anything that anyone has ever done to you, but don't let it consume your life.</span><br /><span style="font-family:georgia;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:georgia;">If bitterness does consume your life, that's a sin. As much as it may sound deserving of the person, its a sin. Because if you become bitter towards a person, you fail to love them, and you begin to love the good that can come to you out of their punishment that you long for. And I'm as big a sinner in his regard than anyone else.</span><br /><span style="font-family:georgia;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:georgia;">All sin drives a wedge between us and God. Because God is holy, He cannot stand where there is sin, nor can He let it go unpunished.</span><br /><em></em><br />One of the primary effects of sin is to cause a distance between us and our Heavenly Father. And because of this gap, which was created at the fall of man, we could never be one with God, nor could we ever hope to bask in His presence for eternity...<br /><br />But that is where Jesus comes in. By dying on the cross for us, He has created a bridge between us and the Father, which is the only way we can get to Him;<br /><br /><em>"Jesus told him, "I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me..."</em><br /><em></em><br /><em>-John 14 v 6</em><br /><em></em><br />The bridging of the gap between us and God is called to the doctrine of reconciliation. By doing so, Jesus has become our mediator between ourselves and our Heavenly Father, allowing us not only the ability to interact with Him, but to join Him in His presence.<br /><br />Part of reconciliation is forgiveness, one of the key aspects of the work of the cross. And one of the things that I have struggled with over the years is the fact that because God has forgiven me, so too am I called to forgive those who have wronged me.<br /><br />There is no way to break out of the cycle that comes through bitterness with our own strength. We can't, not of our own accord, because as long as we haven't experienced forgiveness, how then are we to know how to forgive? The only way the cycle can be broken is through accepting Jesus as our centre. With the forgiveness of Jesus though, we have all that it takes to forgive;<br /><br /><em>"Therefore, I say this and testify in the Lord: You should no longer walk as the Gentiles walk, in the futility of their thoughts. They are darkened in their understanding, excluded from the life of God, because of the ignorance that is in them and because of the hardness of their hearts. They became callous and gave themselves over to promiscuity for the practice of every kind of impurity with a desire for more and more. But that is not how you learned about the Messiah, assuming you heard Him and were taught by Him, because the truth is in Jesus: you took off your former way of life, the old man that is corrupted by deceitful desires; you are being renewed in the spirit of your minds; you put on the new man, the one created according to God's [likeness] in righteousness and purity of the truth..."</em><br /><em></em><br /><em>-Ephesians 4 v 17-24</em><br /><em></em><br />Furthermore, through reconciling us to God, we have been born again. We have obtained new life through Jesus. When we are born again, we think, feel, act and live differently to the way we lived before obtaining the new life in Christ. And part of this life is called to forgive those who have wronged us. It is only through Jesus' death on the cross that we can truly love our neighbour;<br /><br /><em>"Since you put away lying, speak the truth, each one to his neighbor, because we are members of one another. Be angry and do not sin. Don't let the sun go down on your anger, and don't give the Devil an opportunity. The thief must no longer steal. Instead, he must do honest work with his own hands, so that he has something to share with anyone in need. No rotten talk should come from your mouth, but only what is good for the building up of someone in need, in order to give grace to those who hear. And don't grieve God's Holy Spirit, who sealed you for the day of redemption. All bitterness, anger and wrath, insult and slander must be removed from you, along with all wickedness. And be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving one another, just as God also forgave you in Christ..."</em><br /><em></em><br /><em>-Ephesians 4 v 25-32</em><br /><br />In the end, after I accepted Jesus into my life, I didn't feel any bitterness towards that person. I haven't forgotten what he did, but instead, I thank God for putting me through that ordeal, because, even though I may not be exactly who I want to be, through Jesus' death on the cross, I'm who God wants me to be, His child...and that's a whole lot better than being the life of a party...<br /><br />Let Him be the <em>Nexus</em> of your life...Nexushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01108183688714401979noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-489284364865031661.post-41464969934932270772009-08-01T20:23:00.003+01:002009-08-01T20:25:16.195+01:00Shine Jesus Shine...In light of the latest post, I couldn't help posting a golden oldie!<br /><br /><object width="340" height="285"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/J3iB30gCqAc&hl=en&fs=1&rel=0&border=1"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/J3iB30gCqAc&hl=en&fs=1&rel=0&border=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="340" height="285"></embed></object>Nexushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01108183688714401979noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-489284364865031661.post-2716517688595713452009-08-01T20:23:00.001+01:002009-08-01T20:23:20.514+01:00Glow...<object width="340" height="285"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/QJy23LOiiDw&hl=en&fs=1&rel=0&border=1"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/QJy23LOiiDw&hl=en&fs=1&rel=0&border=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="340" height="285"></embed></object>Nexushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01108183688714401979noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-489284364865031661.post-87390772492786116142009-08-01T17:12:00.007+01:002009-08-01T20:56:38.852+01:00An Engaging Example...<em>"To this you were called, because Christ suffered for you, leaving you an example, that you should follow in his steps..."<br /><br />-1 Peter 2 v 21</em><br /><br />A lot of the time in my day to day life, it's easy to think back to times when events occurred that I had never dreamt would have occurred. In my life, most of these events seem to be of the negative nature. Last Monday for example was the one year anniversary of my Uncle Mike's death to cancer. And never once before it happened did I think that it would. But looking at the world today, I can't help but be shocked at the amount of suffering in the world.<br /><br />Suffering is a terrible thing...Or at least that's what a lot of people say. I see so much suffering, not just globally, but in the lives of my closet friends and family. And it breaks my heart to see each of them go through whatever has befallen them. But its as times like this where I look with awe at the universe, and know that there must be something greater than all this...<br /><br />You're probably expecting me to go into a talk about why God allows suffering, and, while I do love discussing the topic, that is for a different time. What I do want to talk about is something that has really been on my heart for quite sometime.<br /><br />At some stage of my life, a question was posed to a group of people, of which I was included. And what shocked me was the answer to come after it;<br /><br /><em>"Why did Jesus come to Earth simply to die?"</em><br /><br />See the logic behind this question is that in fact, Jesus came for another reason. If He had come simply to die, then why did He simply not die when He was simply an infant? People are going to give the answer that He had so much more to teach...the very answer that I was shocked by.<br /><br />Christ came, not only to die for our sins, but as an example as to how we can live the lives God intended us to live. And I think a lot of the time we forget that fact, that Jesus came to teach, to serve, and to show us how we should live.<br /><br />But oddly enough, through reading of Scripture, Jesus' purpose can actually be structured as the following; His purpose was to glorify God.<br /><br />Whenever I think about glory, my head always starts to hurt. I mean, it’s so hard to pin down a rock solid definition of what glory is. Its origin is in the word "glow" as in to radiate or to shine. Jesus is repeatedly connected to this;<br /><br /><em>"The Son is the radiance of God's glory and the exact representation of his being, sustaining all things by his powerful word..."<br /><br />-Hebrews 1 v 3<br /><br />"For God, who said, "Let light shine out of darkness, “made his light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ..."<br /><br />-2 Corinthians 4 v 6</em><br /><br />As such, Jesus' complete purpose was to show the glory of God in all things. This not only included His ministry and the way He connected with people, but also in His pain and His suffering. When we think of the Cross, we don't normally think of it as a place where God's glory was shown, but in fact, it is one of the clearest places that it is seen.<br /><br />Many people I know today, including myself, often focus on the Cross as a place where sin was defeated and where the connection between man and God was restored. This is not something that is wrong, but we also miss that through dying on the Cross, Jesus showed us how to live a life full of God's glory, the life that God wants us to live.<br /><br />Jesus dying on the Cross was as much an example of the life we should live as was His ministry. For there at the Cross, we see part of God's glory shining through the darkness. Through His suffering, we see that the joy that he tasted was pure. And this is because there was a purpose to His suffering, namely to show the glory of God.<br /><br /><em>"After Jesus said this, he looked toward heaven and prayed: "Father, the time has come. Glorify your Son, that your Son may glorify you...""<br /><br />-John 17 v 1</em><br /><br />At the Cross, we see the humility of Jesus. Jesus, the God-Man...I know a lot of the time I have forgotten this fact that, while Jesus was fully God, He became flesh, and entered into the world, removing Himself of His divine privileges, being able to identify with us and become our example, and suffered for the world, showing humility that we too are called to live by. Hypostasis is the term used to describe the divinity of Christ, in that He had two persons, the divine, and the human.<br /><br />I know also that Jesus went through all that we have to go through and more. Granted, Jesus wasn't tempted by internet porn and hard drugs, but He went through His life sharing in our pain and sorrow, the only difference being that He was sinless. The times may have changed, but the sins and the sinners remain.<br /><br />The life that we are called to live by can only be achieved through being filled with the Holy Spirit. It is through Jesus that we can see the example left for us; the life Jesus lived was the perfect representation of a spirit-filled and spirit-led life.<br /><br />It must be said however that His death on the Cross mustn’t be overlooked. If Jesus died only as an example of humility and of the life God has called us to live, it would've been pointless. Yes, we'd be able to see the kind of life to live, but we never would have received anything to accomplish this. Therefore, Jesus' death on the Cross must be seen as the gateway into which we can live the spirit-filled and spirit-led life, the life devoted to shining the glory of God for the world to see. It is from the life that Jesus lived, the good and the bad, His joy and His suffering, and His work on the Cross, that we can look at His life and death as an engaging example.<br /><br />Let Him be the <em>Nexus</em> of your Life...<br /><br /><em>"Christians are like nails...The harder you hit them, the deeper they go..."<br /><br />"But how is it to your credit if you receive a beating for doing wrong and endure it? But if you suffer for doing good and you endure it, this is commendable before God. To this you were called, because Christ suffered for you, leaving you an example, that you should follow in his steps. "He committed no sin, and no deceit was found in his mouth. “They hurled their insults at him, he did not retaliate; when he suffered, he made no threats. Instead, he entrusted himself to him who judges justly. He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness; by his wounds you have been healed..."<br /><br />-1 Peter 2 v 20-24</em>Nexushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01108183688714401979noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-489284364865031661.post-80750551707875652842009-07-26T22:11:00.000+01:002009-07-26T22:12:07.201+01:00Son Of God...<object width="340" height="285"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/nmmvmlnqKjU&hl=en&fs=1&rel=0&border=1"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/nmmvmlnqKjU&hl=en&fs=1&rel=0&border=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="340" height="285"></embed></object>Nexushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01108183688714401979noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-489284364865031661.post-26472931711061311762009-07-26T18:30:00.002+01:002009-07-26T22:10:15.315+01:00A Radical Ransom...<em>"For there is one God and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, who gave himself as a ransom for all men..."</em><br /><em></em><br /><em>-1 Timothy 2 v 5-6</em><br /><em></em><br />I suppose anyone who has known Christ for any length of time knows that He was a ransom for us. So much do I know this that this is the second blog with the word "ransom" in the title. And yet something is stirring within me that I can't quite put me finger on...<br /><br />I mean what is a ransom? I know Hollywood has dressed it up to be a set of demands needed by a group of bad guys in order to release hostages or to stop some sort of catastrophe from happening to a city/country... But just as Hollywood has deformed the true meaning of many things in life, the definition of ransom is one of these things it has deformed.<br /><br />In a sense, they've stayed true to its meaning. A <em>"ransom"</em> by definition is a means of deliverance or rescue from punishment... And while Hollywood has dressed it up to a point where it comes no where near to what is expected of a real life ransom, the basis is still there...<br /><br />So that begs the question; why do I still feel as if something is still bothering me? And I think its not what a ransom is, but rather the actual ransom paid for freedom...<br /><br />I read a story in a book the other day that made me well up with anger. A man in his sixties, who was in financial difficulties, as well as physical sickness, shared with his pastor what had happened in his life. He had started having sex in his early teens to the point where he lost count of the number of women he slept with. Much of his time was filled by drinking excessively, so much that he struggles to remember large gaps of his life. He remembers being married several times to a number of young women who he abused physically, emotionally and sexually. He raised daughters, and at a young age, began to engage with them in a sexual way, and would constantly beat his sons to "toughen them up..."<br /><br />Anyone who isn't appalled by the way this man acted, even from my brief description, has something wrong in their heads. As I read this story, I felt in my heart a rage to the point where I was nearly ready to throw the book out of my window. If I had been in the place of his pastor, there is no way I could sit there and not saying anything against him...<br /><br />And then I realised something...despite everything that I wanted to believe...Christ paid the price for that man...and He paid the ransom not just for him, but for everyone...<br /><br />Think about that...I mean really think...every single little sin that you've ever committed, Christ died for, to pay the ransom for you...It was because of our sins that He suffered...<br /><br /><em>"But he was pierced for our transgressions,</em><br /><em>he was crushed for our iniquities;</em><br /><em>the punishment that brought us peace was upon him,</em><br /><em>and by his wounds we are healed..."</em><br /><em></em><br /><em>-Isaiah 53 v 5</em><br /><em></em><br />Some of you reading this are going to be saying "I know all of this." And you probably do, but have you ever really stopped and thought about it? I don't mean a quick glance at it, I mean to really look down inside yourself and think hard about the suffering Christ endured to pay the price for your sin.<br /><br />At Easter, I got to see for the first time a <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">human's</span> reconstruction of that suffering. Up until that evening at <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">Ovoca</span>, I had never seen "The Passion Of The Christ." What I saw brought me to pieces. It may only be a <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">human's</span> representation of the last days of our Lord, but if that's what a human representation looks like, to think of what the actual event looked like brakes my heart.<br /><br />From the moment Christ began to suffer, all within me cried for it to stop. I couldn't bear the thought that He was doing this for me, for the whole world. Tears quickly came to my eyes as I realised that this actually happened. To think that I was the one who caused His pain and death, and not just me, but every single one who has ever lived...its unbearable...<br /><br />Christ died for that man I talked about earlier on, as remarkable as that sounds. And I often look to God and ask Him why he did it. The answer I get is extraordinary...<br /><br /><em>""Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing...""</em><br /><em></em><br /><em>-Luke 23 v 34</em><br /><em></em><br /><em>"Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus..."</em><br /><em></em><br /><em>-Romans 8 v 1</em><br /><em></em><br /><em>"For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life..."</em><br /><em></em><br /><em>-John 3 v 16</em><br /><em></em><br />Jesus died, and paid the price for our sin because He loves us. That's another thing that I marvel at all the time, the surpassing love God has for us, so much, that He humbled Himself, and became human, experiencing all that we go through and so much more, and in the end, redeems us through the Cross. Furthermore, Jesus through the Cross, has wiped the slate clean of anything that we have done to those who follow Him.<br /><br />To think about all of this makes me awe in wonder of our king. Though we were held ransom to sin and death, Jesus died to pay the price, so that we can walk in freedom.<br /><br />The question is, which way will you choose to walk? Will you stray from the glorious path God has set out for you, the one that He died for, and wander back to sin? Or, will you run the hard race, climb the rugged path, be willing and become broken, bruised and pierced, and claim the true freedom that only comes through Jesus? Will you...<br /><br />Let Him be the <em>Nexus</em> of your life?...<br /><br /><em>"...For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many..."</em><br /><p><em>Mark 10 v 45</em></p><p><br /> </p><br /><br />P.S. Those of you viewing this on <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">Facebook</span>, welcome, I didn't really get a chance to say anything last time. I'll be putting my blogs up on <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4">Facebook</span> as well as Blogger, just so people get a better chance to view and see them.Nexushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01108183688714401979noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-489284364865031661.post-66786579561819839702009-07-23T20:12:00.000+01:002009-07-23T20:13:27.704+01:00You Deserve...<object width="340" height="285"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/PeW1grM7EKI&hl=en&fs=1&rel=0&border=1"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/PeW1grM7EKI&hl=en&fs=1&rel=0&border=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="340" height="285"></embed></object>Nexushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01108183688714401979noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-489284364865031661.post-57528898649157889332009-07-12T17:06:00.007+01:002009-08-01T21:51:39.761+01:00An Awesome Atonement...<em>"He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours but also for the sins of the whole world..."<br /><br />-1 John 2 v 2<br /><br /></em>Sometimes we take things for granted. As always, the first sentence in one of my blogs is that of an ambiguous nature. But to me this statement has found a new depth within the past few weeks. I am certain that I have taken the love my parents have for me for granted. I know that I take the education that so many people around the world wish to have for granted. I know that I have taken for granted the basic food that I eat every day. And now the new revelation that I take for granted my nearest and dearest friends has been added to that list.<br /><br />I am writing this in a broken state. Things have happened in the past few weeks that have turned my world upside down. To some people, they may see these issues as very minor. To me, they are of great importance.<br /><br />The other thing that I have taken for granted is the work of Jesus. You may not think it, but I have. By growing up in a Christian home, there's a part of me who feels as if the work of Jesus is just an everyday occurrence. OK, that may have been a poor choice of words, but you get the idea. I've taken for granted just how much Jesus can actually do in my life. Saying that brings to me a lot of shame, to think that I've neglected His awesome power in such a way that it has broken me.<br /><br />Out of all things that I have been struggling with is trust. Trust is a big thing. I think we can take it for granted too. Especially when it comes to Jesus. If I've learnt anything the past few weeks is that faith in Jesus can yield amazing things. I'm not taking about the limp-<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">wristed</span> kind of faith that you see so much of these days. I'm talking about pure, true, full and complete faith. Handing everything over to Jesus is probably one of the most, if not the most beneficial things we can do today. Its also one of the scariest things that we can do.<br /><br />I don't think people realise just what complete faith in Jesus is, and I also don't think that people realise how scary it is. To let Jesus be in control of every aspect of your life...just think about that...granted, you aren't exactly going to consult with Him when you need to use the bathroom...God did give us brains to tell us those sort of things.<br /><br />I'm talking about the issues outside of our own control. Finance, college, career paths, family life, church responsibility, relationships, friendships... to put all of these, and probably a lot more than that which is listed into His hands. We as humans want to be in control of everything, and so to surrender up all of our control in our lives is something that I don't think anyone fully understands.<br /><br />I sound as if I have put my full faith in Christ, and while I'm a lot further on in putting my faith in Him, I haven't put my whole faith in Him. The prospect of someone in control of my life, of the plans for my future still boggles my mind to the point where I'm afraid to take that final step. Granted on occasion I have put my full faith in Him, but only until something has worked itself out, or until something goes in a completely different way to how I imagined it.<br /><br />The odd thing is that, despite that fear, I think every one in the world wants to put their full faith in Christ. I know I desperately want to not worry about anything anymore because I know Jesus will look after it. I don't think that comes out of the fact that it is what God has asked of us, I think, for me personally, it comes out of love for Him, and a desire to leave everything in His hands.<br /><br />And like I said earlier on, faith in Christ can bring great things. Through our love, faith and devotion to Him, God blesses us each in an unique way. I was going to focus more on the next few paragraphs, but rather I think I'll take the time to say something that has really been on my heart.<br /><br />The question that was posed in the chapter of the book "Death by Love" that I am reading at the moment is the following; Who did Jesus die for? On a quick glance, my answer was that of probably a common answer, that He died for everyone. But upon reading through the chapter, I found that actually what I believed turned out to be something different. This chapter was extremely complex in its thinking, so I'll try and explain it as best I can.<br /><br />There are 5 main views on who Jesus died for. The first two are ones that I <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">shan</span>’t deal with, but to let you know what they are, their names are "Universalism" and "<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">Pelagianism</span>" which are both considered heretic for what they believe. Then there are the next two views. The first is called "Unlimited Atonement," which believes that Jesus died for all sinners, that His work is applied to those who believe in Him, and that those who choose Him will go to heaven, while those who don’t follow sin into hell. The second of these views is "Limited Atonement," which states that Jesus died for the elect, that the atonement was for the elect only, and that God <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">doesn</span>’t need to save anyone from hell, but chooses to save some.<br /><br />And any of the last two views are fine. But the view that I think makes the most sense to me is that of "Unlimited Limited Atonement." Sounds like a contradiction, but in fact, all throughout my life, I think it is what I have believed in. This view states that Jesus died to provide payment for all but only in a saving way for the elect, that while God desires the salvation of all, he applies the payment to the elect, and that God <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4">doesn</span>’t need to save anyone from hell, but chooses to save the elect.<br /><br />There are bound to be those of you who believe in either "Unlimited" or "Limited" Atonement. That is completely fine. Both are back up consistently through Scripture, but here I’m giving just a slightly different view. Here’s how Mark <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_5">Driscoll</span> has summed it up; Objectively, Jesus’ death was sufficient to save anyone, and subjectively, His death was only efficient enough to save those who believe in Him and repent of their sin. While it does sound like I am saying that through that statement, there’s no point for <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_6">evangelisation</span>. On the contrary, we have no idea who God has chosen as His elect, so this gives a great opportunity to reach out to our peers and friends, and see if they too are the elect.<br /><br />And that’s what I had planned to talk about. But instead, I want to talk about you guys…and by that, I mean my friends. The next few paragraphs are probably going to be the most cheesy pieces of writing my brain has ever conceived, and yet, these words need to be said.<br />My life so far has been full of sorrow. For my entire primary school teaching, I was severely bullied. Every single day for 8 years, all that I had to look forward to in school was a barrage of torture. I’m not trying to say that my life has been the hardest, but for the next few paragraphs, I need you to understand why I’m not so sociable. People are probably reading this and thinking "Phil, not sociable?" But its true. I can be very awkward most of the time. And if you say other wise, then I know you’re lying, because I have noticed this ever since I was a wee lad.<br /><br />I’m not a sociable person. I don’t go out to parties, or stay up late with friends every evening. I’m lucky to get up to see my friends once a month. And even at that stage, I always have this feeling that I’m kinda like a third wheel…its because of how I’<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_7">ve</span> grown up, and its more than likely just my nature. When I moved to <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_8">Drogheda</span> Grammar, I was so excited to hear in out CU about <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_9">Ovoca</span>. But even there, at my very first camp ever, I was so afraid that I went home a day early. I was so desperate for people. The odd thing is that, despite not being a sociable person, I thrive on interaction with people. I’m desperate to be around my friends as much as possible.<br /><br />It was the summer of 2006, and it was then that I finally started to pray the prayer that I wanted to pray for so long; I prayed that God would give me a friend, not just an acquaintance, but a true friend, someone who I could share anything with, someone I could trust completely. I talked earlier on about how putting our faith in Jesus can yield tremendous blessings, and this too would be the case that year.<br /><br />I walked into my very first GAP camp with very few friends. I walked out with another 10. It seemed as if God had answered my prayer, and yet that was only the tip of the iceberg.<br /><br />The friends I had made in GAP 06, while they were amazing, and some of which have become really good friends, the majority of them were the acquaintances that were not what I was looking for. It was the next year, GAP 07, where the friends that I had always longed for, finally came. I was pondering whether or not I should include names, but I think I shall. Don’t fret if your name is not on the list, I love you guys just as much, and I would be delighted to one day have a list with you on it.<br /><br />This is to you, <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_10">Lorcan</span>, <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_11">Damo</span>, Mike, Bernard, <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_12">Phili</span>, Leanne, Ali, <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_13">Edel</span>, Nicole, Jane and Cat. You are the friends that I have always dreamed off, and I thank God everyday for Him giving me your friendship. Words cannot describe the joy I feel whenever I think of you, and the immense honour it is that you would even consider me your friend. Like I said, I thank Jesus everyday for you, and the new way that I have come to praise Him is to be the best friend that I can to each one of you, even if it means choosing you over my own life. I write this broken, and yet joyous for the friendship I have in each of you. I pray with all my heart that these years will be only the beginning, and that we may share the rest of our lives together, friends till the end…Nexushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01108183688714401979noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-489284364865031661.post-55953215743787569022009-07-06T10:25:00.001+01:002009-07-06T10:25:41.022+01:00This Is Our God<object width="340" height="285"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/QbrL64Ujb1c&hl=en&fs=1&rel=0&border=1"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/QbrL64Ujb1c&hl=en&fs=1&rel=0&border=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="340" height="285"></embed></object>Nexushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01108183688714401979noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-489284364865031661.post-34773253098066357812009-07-05T16:24:00.008+01:002009-07-06T17:44:46.809+01:00Thicker Than Blood...Faith is something we can all relate to. Everyone has faith, you may not realise it, you may not put it into action, but we all have it. I know in my own life that I have realised that I do have faith, and that on occasion I have put it into action. But its odd that no one ever seems to talk about faith...<br /><br />OK sure, big preacher guys get up and talk about it all the time. But no one ever seems to talk talk about faith. I mean, I've been a Christian for about 5 years now, and not once have I ever sat down and talked about faith to anyone...<br /><br />I've just gotten back from Summer Madness...no, not the one in Belfast, the one in Wexford. Actually, its been called several things; Cat's, SM, The Madness, and my personal favorite, mainly because I came up with it, The Big One. However, unlike an Ovoca camp or any other big event like TeenStreet, this wasn't organised by a bunch of people I didn't know. The Big One was organised by a group, including myself and 4 other friends.<br /><br />I'm struggling to find a word to describe the time we had down in Wexford... Awesome, fantastic, brilliant, super...you get the picture.<br /><br />As with any of my other event posts, I'm going to give a run down of what happened during the week. But the run down of what happened isn't going to be the main focus of this post. I'll explain later.<br /><br />So I arrived at Connolly in time for my train on Monday, and travelled down to Wexford with Mike and Lorcan. Man that train journey was...interesting...We arrived, got picked up by Cat, and made our way to her house. I'll say this now, Cat's house is huge. Granted it may not be as big as Ovoca Manor, but we were never stuck for space. We arrived, and were greeted by Jane and Fanny, Cat's French exchange student. We got the room in which we would hold the talks, and sleep in as well ready while the girls went to the shops. They returned shortly, and we settled down to a lovely roast prepared by Cat's mum. Afterwards, the rest of the evening was filled with watching the hilarious "<em>Black Books,</em>" mini pool and general arsing about, as it was dubbed. It was then time to head off to bed.<br /><br />Morning came, and everyone had a shower before having breakfast. We once again chilled out (we did this quite a lot, so I shan't mention any other occasions of this) while we waited for the rest of the "campers" to arrive. Once that happened, we ate dinner and then headed into our first talk, led by Mike, in which he layed out what we were going to try and accomplish; learn about faith, not just as individual, but also to share our faith with those around us. Evening activity was watching "<em>Van Helsing</em>" a very good movie, before heading off to bed once again.<br /><br />Morning came, as did breakfast, and we once again headed into a meeting, this time lead by Lorcan on the disciples and their imperfect faith. Lunch came, and afterwards we continued to watch "<em>Black Books</em>" and take part in "sock puppet theatre," before having dinner and heading into our evening session, composed of a brilliant discussion led by Lorcan on different verses about faith, and we could take away from them, as well as a short talk. The main activity for the evening was a blind maze in which people were blind folded and were then directed to reach a goal by the other people. This turned out to be a great laugh. After that it was time for bed.<br /><br /><p>Thursday came, and it was the usual morning routine. The morning saw my first talk, on what Jesus Himself said about faith. After lunch, the MAP Team arrived (Missionary Apprenticeship Programme) and we then headed out into the town to begin a magazine dropped to help out the local church. We returned home and were treated to a fantastic meal prepared by the team. After dinner, it was time for my second talk, with a larger crowd than I had anticipated...just slightly...truth be told, I was quite frightened by the prospect...then a member of the team came up to give their testimony to us, and after that, we took part in some amazing worship. After that, we played some games out in the garage before heading off to bed...but not before making a cake for Fanny's birthday the following day!</p><p>Friday came and the usual morning routine ensued. Mike closed the camp just as he had started it. After a quick bite to eat, it was time to say good bye to the MAP team and some of our own friends. Dinner came, and after which, those who remained watched "<em>Howl's Moving Castle,</em>" and took part in some heated discussions, and with that, we headed off to bed.</p><p>It was our final day, and after having breakfast and painting the Pulpit, we went our separate ways, with each of us taking away something special from the time together.</p><p>Normally I may have ended the blog there and then, but to me there was so much more to this camp. I myself really saw God moving, not just through my life, but through the lives of all who were there.</p><p>The time together was about faith, and after struggling with something that had been plaguing my mind for so long, I finally grasped what I needed to do; put my faith in God to take care of it. Thinking back on it now, the mornings that I got up early and prayed in the shower or else where were so special. I could really feel God's hand resting upon me as the week went by.</p><p>I also learned I'm a jealous and selfish guy. I know all people are like that at some stage, but it had never occurred to me that I was one of those people. It was such a relief to give this up to God and ask Him for healing in this area of my life...</p><p>I won't talk about the talks, because if I do, then I'll just end up writing them out again. I'll e-mail my notes to anyone who wishes to take a look. But here, I'll just talk about three things from the talks that astounded me.</p><p>The first thing is found in John 14 v 12;</p><p><em>"I tell you the truth, anyone who has faith in me will do what I have been doing. He will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father..."</em></p><p>Those of you who were there at the camp know that I referred to this verse a lot when I was speaking. To me, when I first read this verse, it was like a atomic bomb went off in my head. If we have faith in Jesus, we'll be able to do great things than He did! That's incredible! It shows just how powerful faith can be if we put it in the person who gave it all. And the only way we can do that is by giving up our lives, our whole being to Him, and letting Him have His way.</p><p>The second thing that I found amazing was during the discussion that Lorcan led. When we came to Mathew 12 v 48-50, I could not help but be so encouraged by the thoughts of my friends;</p><p><em>"He replied to him, "Who is my mother, and who are my brothers?" Pointing to his disciples, he said, "Here are my mother and my brothers. For whoever does the will of my Father in heaven is my brother and sister and mother."</em></p><p>Its a verse that I've normally looked over, but in the context of faith, it is truly awe-inspiring. Here in this passage, Jesus says that when it comes to a relationship with Him, that blood does not matter. Rather, it is faith that proves to be the strongest bond. This is where <em>"Thicker Than Blood" </em>comes from.</p><p>Finally, one cannot talk about Jesus without at least referring to the Cross. In the context of faith, Jesus dying on the Cross gives us the greatest example of faith, that he had so much faith in His Father's Will that he gave His life to show us the perfect kind of faith. He gave it all up, as we should also;</p><p><em>"Jesus called out with a loud voice, "Father, into your hands I commit my spirit."</em></p><p><em>Luke 23 v 46</em></p><p>It goes without saying that there must be a huge thank you to all involved. Firstly, thank you to all who came, 'cause if you didn't, then this wouldn't have happened.</p><p>Major thanks must go to the Hooper family, for even giving us the opportunity to use their home for this camp. Your hospitality has been such a blessing.</p><p>Thanks must go to the chef for the camp Jane. Thanks to her cooking, none of us caught salmonella :D Thank you so much for all the time and effort you put into preparing the meals.</p><p>Muchos gracias goes to Lorcan and Mike for preparing stellar talks. It is so clear that I couldn't have done this on my own, and even more clear that God used both of you mightily.</p><p>A big thank you goes to the MAP team for all the encouragement and enthusiasm when it came to the magazine drop, the games, and the general chilling out. I pray that God would continue to use you for His glory.</p><p>Finally to Author and Finisher of our faith, Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Alpha and Omega. Beginning and End. The Lion and the Lamb. No words can describe the thankfulness that I have for your provision of strength, kindness, mercy, faith, hope, friendship, grace and love to me. It is you who I live for, now and for all my days, for there is none like you, my Jesus. Let your name be exalted on high, and may your glory touch the lives of others like it has touched mine. And may your voice, word and light be my guide for all my days. Thank you for what you did 2000 years ago, and continue to do everyday of our lives. May Christ be the centre of my life, and let all of us take up His challenge…Thank You…</p>Nexushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01108183688714401979noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-489284364865031661.post-76490289595219623132009-06-20T16:22:00.002+01:002009-06-20T16:25:35.563+01:002 Week Break...Hey guys,<br /><br />You shant be hearing from me for the next two weeks I think. Next week I shall be preparing for Summer Madness in Cat's, getting my two talks ready...and well the week after that, I'll be in Cat's house, so I won't be able to prepare anything. I hope to prove myself wrong, cause we're getting close to the end of the series. Speaking of which, I'll soon need some ideas for topics I can talk on once I finish the current series.<br /><br />Anyway, hopefully I'll see you guys before two weeks, but if not, have a great two weeks without me!<br /><br />Ciao!Nexushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01108183688714401979noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-489284364865031661.post-52611457017493059792009-06-20T16:18:00.001+01:002009-06-20T16:20:03.729+01:00Fire Fall Down...<object width="340" height="285"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/XZpPIKmiMuo&hl=en&fs=1&rel=0&border=1"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/XZpPIKmiMuo&hl=en&fs=1&rel=0&border=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="340" height="285"></embed></object>Nexushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01108183688714401979noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-489284364865031661.post-32922999961731371402009-06-20T15:15:00.008+01:002009-06-20T16:20:38.469+01:00An Epic Expiation...<em>"But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin..."</em><br /><em></em><br /><em>-1 John 1 v 7</em><br /><em></em><br />I'm going to go out on a limb here. In my opinion, English is the most beautiful language in the world. Without delving into a massive linguistical debate, I completely understand that it has to be used in the correct way. That said, when used properly, it can create realms beyond our thoughts.<br /><br />I was thinking about this chapter, and how to introduce two key words that this chapter revolves around. I also happened to be up in Dublin quite a bit this week. And something occurred to me as I was thinking about the English language... there are so many words that are so intriguing, and yet not used in daily life. I'm sure if you were to ask me when I have an open dictionary in front of me, I'd be able to list off such words.<br /><br />But there's one that I can tell you; <em>defilement.</em> You don't here "defilement" a lot in today's world. I also started to think why that might be, and while its not exactly pleasing to the ear, its certainly an interesting word.<br /><br /><em>Defile, </em>the stem from which <em>defilement</em> comes from, is defined as <em>"to make foul, dirty, or unclean; pollute; taint; debase..."</em> That's a pretty good definition. Its used to reference something unclean, something that has been made dirty. Like I said, not the most pleasing of words to hear, but I think there's another reason why its an uncommon word... 'cause the world doesn't want us to hear it.<br /><br />Think about it, in today's world, the media is focusing on trying to make you something you're not. That may include not using the correct words to describe us. I believe, and once again I think I'm going out on a limb, that <em>defiled</em> is a perfect adjective to describe us.<br /><br />You may be thinking that's pretty harsh, but actually, it describes us perfectly. See, if I've learned one thing from reading the book this set of blogs is based on, is that a lot of what Jesus did on the cross revolves around one thing...<br /><br />Sin...<br /><br />It may sound kinda odd. After all, I knew all along that "sin" was one of the main reasons why Jesus died on the cross...I just hadn't realised how many different aspects of sin He dealt with. This is the seventh in a 12 part series. I haven't looked ahead, but I won't be surprised if at least another 3 chapters deal with another aspect of sin.<br /><br />The aspect here we're focusing on is how sin <em>defiles</em> us. We all know, or at least should know, that sin makes us dirty. It makes filthy in the sight of God. Its a scary thing, which is something I'm sure I'm going to repeat over the coming weeks.<br /><br />According to Scripture, there are three types of defilement;<br /><em></em><br /><ol><li>Places can be defiled by sin; <em>"Even the land was defiled; so I punished it for its sin..." -Leviticus 18 v 25.</em></li><li>Objects can be defiled by sin, the example given in the book being the marriage bed; <em>"Marriage should be honored by all, and the marriage bed kept pure, for God will judge the adulterer and all the sexually immoral..." -Hebrews 13 v 4.</em></li><li>People can be defiled by sin.</li></ol>I want to take a paragraph to explain to you the two main types of sins. Just as we talked last week about how God's wrath can be active or passive, in a sense, so can sin. Sin in which we choose to do something against God's will is called a sin of commission. However, there is another type. Sin in which we choose to <em>not</em> do something that we ought to do, or that is according to our duty is a sin of omission.<br /><br />Just thought I'd clear that up because its something that I've learned over my reading of this book. I never thought of sin like that, and neither had I thought of it for a long time as something that makes me unclean. I knew it did, but I hadn't thought of it like that for quite a while.<br /><br />What's more is that this defilement of our souls and our bodies causes something to stir up inside us; shame. I originally thought shame was a majorly bad thing, but actually, looking at it, shame can actually be a really good thing. Shame exists when we sin, and so when we feel ashamed because we sin, its healthy. Someone who doesn't feel shame when the sin has a broken connection with God.<br /><br />Again, this blog is beginning to sound depressing so I shall get to the point.<br /><br />See, while we all know sin defiles us, Jesus died on the cross for our sin. In doing so, He clearly showed the doctrine of <em>expiation</em>. There's another word that isn't commonly seen in today's culture...<em>cleanse.</em> We see "clean" quite a bit, but not <em>cleanse</em>.<em> </em>Jesus, through his death on the cross, makes us clean, wipes away the filth and the stain left by sin, so that we can be seen to be pure in the eyes of our Father;<br /><br /><em>"Though your sins are like scarlet, </em><br /><em>they shall be as white as snow; </em><br /><em>though they are red as crimson,</em><br /><em>they shall be like wool..."</em><br /><em></em><br /><em>-Isaiah 1 v 18</em><br /><em></em><br />Jesus' demonstration of His expiating work is shown through the second lamb on the Day of Atonement. After the first lamb is sacrifice as a sin offering, revealing God's propitiation work, the second lamb is led outside. Here, the High priest would confess the sins of the nation while placing his hands on the lamb. The lamb is then sent out to wander the desert, showing God's expiating work, through a scapegoat. In our case, Jesus is our scapegoat;<br /><br /><em>"...because on this day atonement will be made for you, to cleanse you. Then, before the LORD, you will be clean from all your sins..."</em><br /><em></em><br /><em>-Leviticus 16 v 30</em><br /><em></em><br /><em>"On that day a fountain will be opened to the house of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem, to cleanse them from sin and impurity..."</em><br /><em></em><br /><em>-Zechariah 13 v 1</em><br /><em></em><br />In order for Jesus' expiating work to be made known in our lives, we need to confess our sin. More than that, we need to confess <em>all</em> of it, no matter how depressing, horrific or gross it may be, because Jesus forgives <em>all</em> sin. If we do this, we can avail of two accomplishments Jesus has secured;<br /><ol><li>Our sins will be forgiven, not through our confession, but because of Jesus' work on the cross; <em>"My dear children, I write this to you so that you will not sin. But if anybody does sin, we have one who speaks to the Father in our defense—Jesus Christ, the Righteous One. He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours but also for the sins of the whole world..." -1 John 2 v 1-2.</em></li><li>He will cleanse us from all unrighteousness.</li></ol><p>How can Jesus' expiating power work in our lives?</p><p>Simple</p><p>Let Him be the <em>Nexus </em>in our lives...</p>Nexushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01108183688714401979noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-489284364865031661.post-47767592036916727812009-06-16T09:12:00.004+01:002009-06-16T09:16:55.977+01:00Spoiler Tags...Yes, as you may have noticed in my last post, I had spoiler tags. Up until now, there was no way to use spoiler tags in Blogger. Now thanks to a quick bit of copying and pasting, its as simple as pie.<br /><br />Instead of actually telling you what to do, I'll give the link to where I actually got the bits of code from. When looking for the first two pieces, they should be within the last quarter of the layout html.<br /><br /><a href="http://anggriawan.web.id/2008/11/spoiler-tag-for-blogspot.html">http://anggriawan.web.id/2008/11/spoiler-tag-for-blogspot.html</a>Nexushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01108183688714401979noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-489284364865031661.post-29775547782696726592009-06-16T08:36:00.006+01:002009-06-16T09:11:58.052+01:00House MD...<em>"Everybody lies..."</em><br /><br /><em>-Gregory House</em><br /><br />I've wanted to do this blog for quite some time. If I'm honest, my dog woke me up at 7 o'clock in the morning, so I was kinda left with the quandry of what to do, seen as once I awake, its extremly hard for me to go back to sleep. My laptop beckoned me, and as soon as you can say...well...just about anything, I was watching an episode of House.<br /><br />House is pure genious. There is no show out there like it, and its is by far the best fictional medical show on modern TV. For me it surpasses Scrubs, because, whereas in Scrubs, a lot of the drama comes from either the medicine in the hospital, or the relationship and struggles outside, House seemlessly blends the two together. Its very hard to seperate between the two in House.<br /><br />An example of this is the previous episode I've just watched. For those of you who don't enjoy spoilers, look away now.<br /><br /><div class="spoilertop" onclick="openClose('N4C1')">» Click to show Spoiler - click again to hide... « </div><br /><div class="spoilermain" id="N4C1" style="DISPLAY: none">In the episode "Simple Explanation," the team is treated to a surprising turn of events with the suicide of one of their own collegues. </div>What is most surprising about the fact is that I cried...quite a lot. And that's odd, because I had had a gander at Wikipedia to look at what was coming up in the later episodes. But it didn't matter, it still made me cry. It captures the RAW and real emotions of the charcaters so well, the I couldn't help but cry.<br /><br />It truely is pure genious. And that's only one reason. The way they film each episode is brilliant. It seems which each episode, the director wants to give that episode its own flare. A really great episode which demonstrates this is "Locked In" in which we a based inside the head of an apparent brain dead man, who actually has locked-in syndrome. For the majority of the episode, due to the syndrome, the director lets us see the diagnosis from the man's view point, unable to speak or move, yet we can hear his thoughts. I would say that is one of the most clever devices I've seen.<br /><br />Acting is top notch. The only actor I had even remotly heard of before watching the show was Hugh Laurie. Its fair to say though that each of the cast in the show gives a stellar performance each time around, whether it be the ever detailed and compassionate Robert Sean Leonard, to the clever thinking and antics of Kal Penn. All of these things contribute to the sucess of the show, and we haven't even gotten to the best part.<br /><br />House himself.<br /><br />I could write for hours on his cynisism, his wit, his humour, his pain, his intelligence, his ability to somehow come up with an impossible diagnosis each time and still get it right. The man is miserable, and I think that's why we connect to him, because at some stage in all of our lives, we all feel like House. And I think its the fact that instead of wanting to wallow in his own pity, he actually fights through it...OK, there is the small matter of his addiction to Vicodain, but you get the picture.<br /><br />Like I said, I could rant on for hours, but I think the only way you'll appreciate the show is to actually spend time with it. Go and watch it. If you've never watched an episode, give it a go, not only will you appreciate the acting and film work, you'll be challenged by the morals displayed by the characters. Just look online, you're bound to stumble across somewhere to watch it. And remember...<br /><br /><em>"It's easy if you don't give a damn..."</em><br /><em></em><br /><em>-Gregory House</em>Nexushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01108183688714401979noreply@blogger.com2