Still Learning

Conversations at Work

Last week I read an article on the BBC website where the Chartered Management Institute head said that chat about football or cricket in the workplace should be curtailed. It was felt that conversations at work on these subjects led to women feeling left out.

Naturally this got a lot of reaction, including a number of female sports fans who thought it was a terrible idea. One female manager feared that if sports chatter was banned then it could also lead to talking about Love Island, EastEnders and Game of Thrones being banned too!

Personally speaking, over the years I have found sport to be a subject that can build bridges between people at work and develop friendships. It can be an interest that people from very differing backgrounds have in common. At one level you may feel you cannot relate to the people with whom you work. However, if you both like football, it provides an area where you can interact with each other.

It’s easy to write this article off as another example of political correctness going overboard. Although, for the Christian in the workplace, this does raise the important issue of how we must consider carefully our words at work. We should think about our speech and guard what we say to others. With that in mind, I am conscious that we need to ask God’s help in the following areas:

Not gossiping
There are plenty of verses in the Bible that warn against gossiping;

“A perverse person stirs up conflict, and a gossip separates close friends.” (Proverbs 16:28)

“A gossip betrays a confidence, but a trustworthy person keeps a secret.” (Proverbs 11:13)

Gossiping is not an attractive trait. As Christians we should not be known as one of the office gossips. As gossiping frequently involves the criticism of others it should have no place in the life of a Christian.

Think before we speak
The trouble with opening your mouth and saying something is that you cannot unsay your words. The number of times I wish I could unsay something is sadly very large! The words come out and the damage is done. I expect most of us are familiar with the verse below:

“My dear brothers and sisters, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry,” (James 1:19).

How much different our lives might be if we actually put that verse into practice?

Speaking wholesome words
It can be difficult for the Christian in the workplace to set up an example of wholesome talk if our work environment is one where crudity abounds. However, as Christians we are called to be an example in this area:

“Let your speech always be gracious, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how you ought to answer each person.” (Colossians 4:6)

“Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen.” (Ephesians 4:29)

Wouldn’t be good if every time we spoke people benefited from our words?

Closing Prayer
It’s easy to feel a failure when we consider those times when we have dishonoured God at work with our speech. However such is God’s amazing grace that He gives us new opportunities to serve Him each day. The following prayer is one that would be good to pray for ourselves each day before we set out for work:

“Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in your sight, O Lord, my rock and my redeemer.” (Psalm 19:14)

The 100 Minute Bible

The 100 Minute Bible, which retails at little more than the cost of a sandwich is, I think, a real gem! In summary, it gives an overview of the main events and characters in the Bible. The author, Michael Hinton, has divided the book into 50 brief chapters, 17 from the Old Testament and the remainder taken from the New Testament.

Most chapters include direct quotes from the Bible with well known passages, such as the Lord’s Prayer and Psalm 23, being reprinted in full. Before reading The 100 Minute Bible I had my doubts about this mini version and whether it would work, but I have to say I am impressed. Obviously constraints of time and space mean much is left out but what the publisher has chosen to include provides an excellent overview of the Bible and, quite rightly concentrates on Jesus’ life and his impact on ordinary people then, now and for all time to come.

I would certainly recommend this book to Christians and non-Christians alike. Indeed if any of your non-Christian family or friends have ever expressed an interest in reading the Bible but have not got the time, I suggest they read this instead. In no way could it ever take the place of the Bible, the inspired word of God, and all that represents but it is an excellent place for them to start and hopefully they will be encouraged to go on and study a good version of the Bible for themselves.

The Road to Transylvania

Thank you to my wife for the following book review on The Road to Transylvania, which was written by Phil Slade.

I had the privilege of hearing Phil speak at my church recently. Afterwards I was able to purchase a copy of this book which I finished reading later that same afternoon. You may deduce it is an easy book to read, but it is nonetheless very challenging.

The book tells of the family’s adventures as they respond to God’s call to go and “be family” in Romania. As you might imagine, this caused some concern amongst their family and friends, particularly as their children were at that time at quite a critical point in their education.

I was struck by the fact that in so many ways they would appear to be a very ordinary family. It is heart-warming to read how they prayed together and decided as a family that they would go to Romania only if they all felt called to do so.

Despite some initial setbacks the family remained determined to obey God’s call to serve in Romania. It is humbling to read how the family were obedient to God’s call and were prepared, at not insignificant cost to themselves, to go and simply be ‘family’ in Romania. Indeed for many of the young people they meet in Romania, this will have been the only time in their lives that they had a chance to experience what it really means to be part of a family, to be accepted for who you are as a person created in the image of God, valuable and precious in his sight.

This is an honest and moving account of the family’s time in Romania and the struggles they face, particularly on their return to the UK. We also get to hear from Phil’s wife, Elaine, and their daughters, as well as some close family friends, which gives balance to the narrative.

I urge you to seek this book out and to be encouraged by the effect that responding to God’s call will have on your life and on those you come into contact with. It is entirely possible that you are exactly where God wants you to be and doing precisely what He requires of you right now, but always remember “I know the plans I have for you says the Lord, plans to prosper!”. Listen to what God may be asking you to do and make sure you don’t miss out on his perfect plan for your life. Thank you to the Slade family for their example of what it means to be open to God’s will and to step out in faith.

The Honesty of Psalm 13

Psalm 13 is a short passage of scripture consisting of just six verses. However, within these few verses David is not afraid to be very honest with God.

He starts the psalm by saying:

“O Lord, how long will you forget me? For ever? How long will you look the other way? How long must I struggle with anguish in my soul, with sorrow in my heart every day? How long will my enemy have the upper hand?” (v1-2)

David is in a desperate situation in this psalm. This leads him to question for how long God will forget him. When will this feeling go? Is there a possibility that it will never go and he will be forgotten for ever?

The man who has enjoyed deep fellowship with God feels that the Lord is now looking the other way. There is an anguish within his soul and his heart is sorrowful. This is not just an occasional feeling but one he is experiencing every day. Imagine having to face this day after day. David wants to know when this will stop.

His enemy has the upper hand over him and he wants to know when this will change. How much longer must he endure the oppression he is currently suffering?

In the middle two verses of the psalm he prays:

“Turn and answer me, O Lord my God! Restore the sparkle to my eyes or I will die. Don’t let my enemies gloat, saying, ‘We have defeated him!’ Don’t let them rejoice at my downfall.” (v3-4)

In his anguish though David does not give up on God. He continues to call out to God. Even though he has previously questioned for how long he will be forgotten, David still cries out to God . He knows that God is his only hope in his current situation. If God does not restore him then he will die. He is literally in a life or death situation. It’s as simple as that! Only God can rescue him.

David does not want his enemies to gloat over his defeat and rejoice over his downfall. He is fully aware that the stakes are high.

He concludes the psalm with the words:

“But I trust in your unfailing love. I will rejoice because you have rescued me. I will sing to the Lord because he is good to me.” (v5-6)

The mood of the last two verses is in complete contrast to the rest of the psalm. We are not told why there is a sudden change in David’s outlook. Did God dramatically intervene between verses 4 and 5 in a miraculous way to rescue him? Perhaps David took a step back and looked at his situation again but this time through the eyes of God? Or maybe he remembered his past deliverance and trusted God afresh?

Whatever the answer to that question is David is able to declare that he trusts in God’s unfailing love. He has complete confidence in this love. The love that is trustworthy. The love that is reliable. The love that will not let him go. The love that is sufficient for him in this situation.

Furthermore, he is able to rejoice that God has rescued him. His victory is entirely down to God. This leads to him singing to God. David sings because he knows that God is good to him.

Midlife Crisis

I am currently working my way through the third series of The Crown on Netflix, and last week watched the episode from 1969 which featured the historic moon landings. Without wishing to spoil it for anyone there was an interesting theme that was explored in this episode, namely a midlife crisis that Prince Philip experienced.

It’s not unusual for people at a certain age to question the point of life. They may have fulfilled all their dreams in life and still have an emptiness that cannot be shaken off. Alternatively, they get to an age where they realise they are not going to fulfill their childhood dreams and find that difficult to cope with. Some at this stage might simply shrug their shoulders and just carry on with life. Others though try to seek solutions to this dilemma. They endeavour to find their satisfaction in things e.g. change of job, a new younger partner, new hobbies, trendy haircut, new clothes, buying a motorbike, getting an earring etc. The list is exhaustive and incidentally none of them work!

In The Crown, Prince Philip thought he would find his answer by meeting with the astronauts from Apollo 11. Interestingly before meeting them he had attended a meeting, organised by the Queen’s dean, for clergy who were experiencing a mid-life crisis. However, he was very dismissive of the people at the meeting saying that instead of sitting around talking they should be men of action like the astronauts. Strangely though when he meet the astronauts he was very underwhelmed. They were just normal people.

The episode finishes with him returning to meet with the clergy and opening up about his feelings. He talked about how he needed to rediscover his faith and then expressed how helpful it had been meeting with them.

I thought that this was interesting. As Christians we know that true satisfaction is found in God alone. However, I expect if we were being honest we would have to admit that is not always the first place we go when we need answers to the ups and downs of life. Why do we do this? What makes us not turn to God straightaway?

The Psalmist tells us:

“You open your hand and satisfy the desires of every living thing.” (Psalm 145:16 NIV)

We need to learn to believe this promise and seek to find our satisfaction in God alone. Whatever stage of life we are at whether: young, midlife or old.

New Habits for a New Year

At the end of a year it’s not unusual for people to reflect and take stock of their life and think about changes that they would like to see in the new year. That might include: getting a new job, starting a new hobby or joining the gym. The thought is often a new year equals a new start. Many of us therefore make new year resolutions to that end. Sadly we normally struggle to keep our resolutions beyond the first week of the new year!

Although we do not need to wait until 1 January each year to look to make changes in our lives, often people feel a renewed desire to do this when the new year starts. Whilst new years resolutions are not wrong, I believe that it is more important that instead we seek to develop new habits for a new year. Habits need to be developed. They do not just happen overnight. It takes time. Developing new habits will invariably mean old habits will need to go.

For example, if you decide that you are going to get up 20 minutes earlier each day to read your bible in the morning then part of this habit will no doubt involve going to bed 20 minutes earlier each night. This means that self discipline needs to be exercised in not staying up and watching late night television or looking at social media!

It’s good to remind ourselves that as we seek to develop new habits it’s not just a case of following rules, but rather the development of godly self discipline. Paul reminds us in Galatians 5:22-23:

“But the fruit of the Spirit is………… self-control”

One of the new habits I want to introduce in my life in 2020 is the better use of my time. In particular I will be endeavouring to spend less time watching television and being online. I want to use the time previously spent doing those activities with undertaking more reading. I am very conscious how easy it is for me to waste countless hours looking at a screen and am reminded of Psalm 90:12:

“Teach us to number our days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom.”

As I close this post permit me to ask you a question: What new habits for this new year are you hoping to develop?

Immanuel – God With Us

Happy Christmas!

Today is the day when we celebrate the birth of Jesus.

The following devotion from Charles Spurgeon reminds us of the amazing truth Immanuel – God with us:

“Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.” (Isaiah 7:14)

Let us today go down to Bethlehem, and in company with wondering shepherds and adoring Magi, let us see Him who was born King of the Jews, for we by faith can claim an interest in Him, and can sing, “Unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given.” Jesus is Jehovah incarnate, our Lord and our God, and yet our brother and friend; let us adore and admire. Let us notice at the very first glance His miraculous conception. It was a thing unheard of before, and unparalleled since, that a virgin should conceive and bear a Son. The first promise ran thus, “The seed of the woman,” not the offspring of the man. Since venturous woman led the way in the sin which brought forth Paradise lost, she, and she alone, ushers in the Regainer of Paradise. Our Saviour, although truly man, was as to His human nature the Holy One of God. Let us reverently bow before the holy Child whose innocence restores to manhood its ancient glory; and let us pray that He may be formed in us, the hope of glory. Fail not to note His humble parentage. His mother has been described simply as “a virgin,” not a princess, or prophetess, nor a matron of large estate. True the blood of kings ran in her veins; nor was her mind a weak and untaught one, for she could sing most sweetly a song of praise; but yet how humble her position, how poor the man to whom she stood affianced, and how miserable the accommodation afforded to the new-born King!

Immanuel, God with us in our nature, in our sorrow, in our lifework, in our punishment, in our grave, and now with us, or rather we with Him, in resurrection, ascension, triumph, and Second Advent splendour.

Pray for those in authority

Last Thursday the Conservative Party won the General Election with a majority of eighty seats. Boris Johnson is still the UK prime minister. Whilst some people were delighted with this result, others were disappointed and upset. Whatever our political views the public have spoken.

Many will probably now switch off from politics until the next opportunity to vote comes along. However, what should we do as Christians?

The most obvious answer to that question is to pray. In his first letter to Timothy the apostle Paul wrote:

“I urge, then, first of all, that requests, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for everyone – for kings and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness. This is good, and pleases God our Saviour” (1 Tim 2:1-3)

It’s very interesting when you consider the context in which Paul wrote the above words. He was not living in a modern 21st century democracy with free and open elections. Instead he was living under Roman rule. However, despite of that he still believed people should pray for those in authority.

It’s very easy to criticise our leaders. The challenge for us Christians though is to be people who pray for those in authority. Therefore I would suggest, regardless of how we may have voted, that we pray for the following:

The Prime Minister
Boris Johnson is the prime minister of the UK and as such needs our prayers. Whatever our personal views of him, we should pray for him. It’s not an easy job being prime minister. The position carries huge responsibility. We can pray that he will lead wisely and make just decisions that will be for the benefit of everyone.

The Government
In addition to praying for the prime minister we also need to pray for the various cabinet members. There are some very challenging issues that the government need to tackle in their various departments, for example: Brexit, NHS, child poverty, homelessness to name but some. These are areas that need a great deal of wisdom in tackling and the various ministers responsible for them require our prayers.

Our local MP
We also need to pray for our local member of parliament. Whether you voted for them or not they are your representative in parliament and need your prayers. Although your MP may be on the back benches, they could be on various committees that look at prospective legislation. They have the potential to influence the direction our nation takes and therefore it’s important to remember them too in prayer.

MP’s who are Christians
One of the interesting things about politics is that Christians have differing view on this subject. Therefore, they do not all belong to the same political party. I think it’s important that we remember to pray for those MP’s who have a Christian faith. It’s not easy being a believer in Westminster. There may be occasions where supporting your parties position on a matter means compromising your faith and we need to pray that they would have the courage to make the right decisions. In this environment we pray they might shine for Christ.

Trust and Promises

During this general election campaign one issue that I have heard raised is that of trust. The voters want to know if they can trust the promises that are being made by politicians of various parties. I think we have every right to ask this question as this election is very important. The result has far reaching consequences which stretch well beyond our country. Therefore, it’s important that as we weigh up our decisions we feel that we can trust what the politicians are promising us.

However, it’s not just politicians that need to show that they can be trusted. All of us need to be people who others trust. When our families, friends, neighbours and work colleagues are asked about us what would they say? Are we those that they trust or would we be those who they do not trust?

We, like our politicians, have no doubt made promises that we have never kept. How many times have we said to someone, “Yes of course I will do that for you” and then failed to deliver. I expect there have been times when we have completely accidentally forgotten to fulfill our promise. There may have been occasions when we wanted to keep the promise but realised that it was going to be costly to do this and didn’t keep it. Sadly, if we are being totally honest though I imagine there may have been times when we had no intention of keeping our promises.

What about promises that we make to God? I expect we have made many promises to God in our lives. It’s not unusual for us to make promises to God in our worship songs. Do we keep them though?

I will finish with the following passage from Ecclesiastes 5:1-7 which is very challenging:

Guard your steps when you go to the house of God. Go near to listen rather than to offer the sacrifice of fools, who do not know that they do wrong.

Do not be quick with your mouth, do not be hasty in your heart to utter anything before God. God is in heaven and you are on earth, so let your words be few. A dream comes when there are many cares, and many words mark the speech of a fool.

When you make a vow to God, do not delay to fulfil it. He has no pleasure in fools; fulfil your vow. It is better not to make a vow than to make one and not fulfil it. Do not let your mouth lead you into sin. And do not protest to the temple messenger, ‘My vow was a mistake.’ Why should God be angry at what you say and destroy the work of your hands? Much dreaming and many words are meaningless. Therefore fear God.

General Election

Next week, on 12th December, the general election will be taking place and we will be voting to decide who forms the next government of our country. With that in mind I thought it might be interesting to look at the election from a Christian perspective.

One thing I observe is that Christians vote for a variety of political parties. I know Christians who vote for: Conservative, Labour, Liberal Democrats, Greens and the Brexit Party. Therefore, I think it’s fair to state at the outset, Christians have a wide diverse range of political views!

Who should I vote for?
There is no political party that is completely right on all issues. I’m sure that if you delve into each party’s manifesto you will discover various policies that you either support or oppose. The following pointers might help you in deciding who will get your vote:

1. Do not just think about which party will benefit you, but think of the country as a whole. If a party promises tax cuts ask yourself who will end up paying for this. Will it be funded by a cut in public services that will disproportionately effect the poorer members of society? Conversely, if a party is promising huge public expenditure but is not providing much detail about how this will be financed, it’s right to question from where this money is coming?

2. Do not just simply believe all the promises that are made during the campaign but question them. One party says that they will increase the number of nurses or police but how are they are going to fund this? Did they have a similar promise at a previous election and not act upon it?

3. Check out the manifestos that are published. It may not be possible to read them all but at least try and get a rough idea of their content. Find the issues that are important to you and then see what each party is saying on them.

4. If you get an opportunity to attend a public meeting, where the prospective candidates are answering questions, go along and observe. You may even, if you are feeling brave, ask a question yourself.

5. This might sound very obvious but pray before you vote. Just because you have always voted Conservative / Labour / Liberal Democrat etc does not mean that you should necessarily vote for them this time.

6. Remember that our political leaders are humans like you and me. Perhaps you think that one of the party leaders has a charismatic personality. However we should remember that they are fallible. All of them make mistakes and get things wrong. Yes even the one that you are planning to support! Only God is fully trustworthy and reliable.

Should I vote?
There are many places in the world where it’s not possible to have a fair and open election. Whilst I can understand those who are reluctant to vote for various reasons, I do think it’s important we take the opportunity presented to cast our vote. People have sacrificed their lives and fought for the right to vote so we should remember that if we are feeling apathetic about voting.

It does concern me that many people do not vote in our country. If you look at the last two general elections the turnout was:

• 2015 – 66.1%
• 2017 – 68.7%

That’s over 1 in 3 people not voting in 2015 and only slightly more voting two years later.

I wonder what the result would have been if the turnout was 100%? Would we have got a different government? Would Brexit have been dealt with in a timely fashion? No one knows this obviously but it does make you think.

Even if you live in a constituency that has a five figure majority for the party you do not support you should still vote. If you don’t like the result of the election but you did not vote, how can you comment on the result?

Final Thoughts
Politics can be a very divisive subject and there are certainly times when I avoid discussing it with family and friends. I think certainly since the Brexit vote in 2016 things have got worse in our country. It’s important as Christians that we aim to be salt and light in this area. We need to think and pray before we open our mouths. Just because someone has a different political viewpoint to us does not necessarily mean we are right and they are wrong. There might even be the possibility that we are wrong!

In closing pray about the general election and after the result is announced pray that the newly elected government might have wisdom to govern wisely and fairly.

I urge, then, first of all, that petitions, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for all people— for kings and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness. This is good, and pleases God our Saviour, (1 Timothy 2:1-3)