CrossRhythms

I absolutely love the Christmas season #end

2011-12-21T00:27:00.001-08:00

I absolutely love the Christmas season. Now for some of you, I have already alienated you from reading further because you don't share the same sentiments about this festive holiday period. We'll I'm sorry if you've aligned yourself with 'old scrooge' and I can hear you already, muttering humbug

I enjoy the season because of a number of reasons. My faith informs me that this time of year can bring out the best in people as well as the worst in humanity which Dickens so wonderfully depicted in his novel 'A Christmas Carol'. The family will batten down the hatches for a few days and watch some wonderfully sentimental films like 'It's A Wonderful Life'. We'll eat, drink and be merry and thank God for the family we have around us.

Some will drink too much and establish long running family feuds for a while and probably then have to wait until Easter to understand the message of the cross and the freedom that forgiveness brings.

Christmas is about the gift of life that God gave us in His Son, Jesus Christ and Easter is what that gift of a Son bought for us all when he voluntarily, of His own free will, paid the cost for our lack of love and tendency towards selfishness.

This year, I want to send a massive bouquet to the folks at John Lewis. They have an advert of a young boy going through the incredible frustration and impatience of waiting for Christmas day. You get the sense from the start of the advert that 'dear of him' this is just the aged old story of a child waiting for the day when he will open masses of presents and he just can't hold his excitement. The subtlety that John Lewis advertising agency has established and who I think should win an award for this well crafted advert, is that what he can't wait for is the moment when, on Christmas morning, he wakes up and rushes into Mom and Dad's bedroom with the present that he wants to GIVE them.

Not only is this a great advert with a touch of genius, but it establishes what Christmas is all about. Giving, not getting.

There is a principle that I have found in the patient journey of faith. The gift makes way for the giver and that the character of God is one of incredible generosity. God gives beauty for our ashes and he does an amazing thing through the gift of His Son. He heals the broken hearted and he prospers the human soul.

There may be trouble ahead, but with Christ in the vessel, you can smile at the storm.

Redeeming Our Communities #end

2011-10-03T11:57:00.001-07:00

Times of difficulty have often proven to be the catalyst for bringing the best out of people. We use terms like 'the blitz spirit' or the 'wartime spirit', referring to the way that people under extreme pressure and hardship found ways to pull together for the common good. Acts of kindness, mercy, and generosity when there is little to give, seem to have an opportunity to flourish in the most difficult of circumstances. As Charles Dickens wrote, these can be 'the best of times, and the worst of times...'

The problems we are all facing as a result of the recession and economic instability can be seen in that light. Lack of finances is forcing the coalition government to look at its 'Big Society' agenda, and ways in which voluntary organisations and communities can bring benefits to their villages, towns and cities, standing in the gap for provision that it seems can no longer be afforded by central or local government.

The Faith Action Audit showed just how much is being done already by the church in Plymouth. Youth work, elderly care, debt and financial advice, food banks and soup runs, many forms of specialist counselling, community safety, supporting and strengthening families and much more... the list of provision made by church groups is a long one.

All these services are offered, usually free of charge, to any member of the community who needs help regardless of whether they have any kind of faith or none at all. The motivation is one of passion and a desire to 'love your neighbour', putting the teachings of Jesus Christ into action. When He was asked by the Jews he lived among 'who is my neighbour?' Jesus made no distinctions and excluded nobody. Instead, he told a story about a Samaritan (the 'enemy' for a Jew) who helped a Jew in trouble. His story rattled the cages of the narrow-minded but gave hope to everyone who is facing adversity. In effect, he said 'your neighbour is anyone you meet who needs your help'. Jesus' words are still challenging us today to get involved and help those in need, regardless of whether they are our friends or not.

Church groups work alongside many non-faith organisations, where the shared aim of delivering assistance to people in need can overcome any perceived barrier to working together. Forgiveness when offence could be taken, and love to motivate acts of kindness and mercy, are real keys to this kind of partnership. Any partnership, from a marriage to a citywide strategy involving many organisations, can benefit from the love and forgiveness at the heart of the Christian faith, as people 'rub each other up the wrong way' in efforts to get closer together to fufil a common goal.

Down through the centuries, the Christian faith in action has always engaged with the society that it seeks to serve. The fabric of our democratic society, many of our schools, universities, hospitals and charitable organisations were founded on Christian values by people of the Christian faith.

This kind of partnership working fits well with the aims of the Redeeming Our Communities event at Plymouth Pavilions. This event, on October 20^th at 7.30pm, has the support and involvement of the police, probation service, fire & rescue as well as many smaller local organisations, including faith groups, working for the good of the people of Plymouth and the South West. It highlights our need to work together to tackle social issues, and also provides an opportunity for people to get involved and see inspiring examples of the work that is already being done.

All of us here at Cross Rhythms would encourage you, whether you're young or old, have a faith or not, to make sure you reserve your free place on the ROC website (www.roc.uk.com). Put the date in your diary (October 20^th Plymouth Pavilions, 7.30pm) and get along for a great evening – there's live entertainment (I just heard that 'Britain's Got Talent' finalist Michael Collings will be one of the performers on stage) as well as a showcase of inspiring stories of community action and opportunities to get involved. It could be just what we need to bring more hope to Plymouth in these difficult days.

Prayer Builds Love #end

2011-06-17T04:22:00.001-07:00

Recently, June 12 was the culmination of 10 days of prayer in the city starting on June 2. Christians all over Plymouth were praying during those 10 days, leading up to June 12 which was the date of 'the Global Day of Prayer', where Christians around the world all joined in prayer for their families, their communities, their leaders and their nations.

So why do Christians pray? It takes time, it takes effort to stop what we're doing and spend time in prayer, and heaven knows our busy lives nowadays have plenty of other things that shout for our attention.

I firmly believe in the power of prayer to change things for the better. If you spend time listening to your Christian friends, or if you're a praying Christian yourself, you will be aware of how prayer has made a positive difference in lives – it does not always solve every problem, by any means. Sometimes it does. Yet strength, patience, growth, maturing and hope seem to increase through prayer, sustaining us in difficult times.

Prayer is also key to the Christian life on a personal, one to one level with God. The Bible records that Jesus himself, the Son of God, often drew aside on his own to pray to his Father in Heaven, even at times when whole towns were turning out to see him and to ask for the miraculous help they had heard he had been bringing to others. At those most demanding times, he sometimes stepped back from it all and went to spend time with his Father. Reading the bible, it seems Jesus came out of those times with a strength of faith, love and compassion that empowered him to keep meeting the needs of many, many people. He also prayed when things were dark, when all others had left him, and when the choice to follow his Father meant his certain, agonising death, and worse. He found incredible strength from his relationship with his Father in those times, which he could not have found elsewhere.

That's the beauty of personal prayer – it can be deeply intimate between you and God, where you can talk about things you cannot really talk to others about. Sometimes even those closest to you will not be able to 'hear your heart' when you try to communicate things that mean so much to you. That could be because they just cannot share your experience, or you cannot seem to get the words to say what you mean. But God understands, because he sees your heart. You don't need to explain yourself, you just need to be yourself. He knows, he understands, he's listening, and he acts.

For some reason, God acts on our prayers. It's puzzled many people over the years, 'how come God needs us to pray before he does some things?' I honestly don't know, but the evidence of many people's lives shows that he does. I do know he loves to hear our voice and to meet with us. Maybe, in part, that's why he asks us to pray, so we that we can grow a relationship with him.

Prayer can also benefit whole nations, and this is something that has been seen in our own country's history in times of trouble. During the second world war King George VI called the nation to prayer during desperate times, when to the world who looked on it seemed the defeat of Britain by the Nazi forces was imminent. History itself bears witness to the effectiveness of the prayers of a nation turning to God for help.

Prayer builds love in our hearts in a relationship with God, and often it leads to action, either us being given direction and strength to do something, or God acting in response to our prayers. The recent Faith Audit shows just how much action goes on from Christian groups on behalf of their communities. So much of this is undergirded by prayer, and all of us here at Cross Rhythms 96.3FM pray that we may see a rise in prayer from Christians all over this city of ours who care about its future and its people.

Being morally right can never be politically wrong # end

2011-05-07T02:36:00.001-07:00

As we interview members of Public and Community organisations on Cross Rhythms, we are hearing more and more of the effects of the recession. Citizen's Advice Bureau was threatened with funding cuts regarding debt counselling (thankfully they've had a last minute reprieve on that); the Police have to lose hundreds of jobs; and community organisations such as the Soup Run and the Food Bank, which help people in crisis, are seeing an increase in the need for their services. As I wrote last month, this is really the time for the Church to rise up and shine, for the good of our communities and Plymouth as a whole. She certainly has in the past.

Throughout history, Christian men and women, and Christian values, have been the motivating force in some of society's best social reforms; William Wilberforce and the struggle against slavery (not to Mention Dr Martin Luther King Jr who fought racism and oppression in the USA); Florence Nightingale who laid the foundations of modern nursing; and Wilberforce's successor in social reformation, Antony Ashley Cooper, (Lord Shaftesbury), who is quoted as saying, "Creed and colour, latitude and longitude, make no difference in the essential nature of man," and "What is morally right can never be politically wrong, and what is morally wrong can never be politically right."

Those two statements from Lord Shaftesbury typify what is so good about the Christian foundations of our democracy and legal system in the UK: equality in law of all people regardless of creed or colour, (and may I add, any other differences) and justice and fairness for all as well. Yet the faith which inspired these values seems nowadays to be turned against by those who have benefited most from them. In Shaftesbury's thinking, what we now call 'political correctness' should be deeply aligned to 'moral correctness'. Those Christian moral values are the bedrock of the movements that have brought democratic freedom to our land for all to enjoy. Yet, if one looks at some areas of legislation, Christianity and the expression of the Christian faith looks like it is slowly being marginalised.

I realise these sentiments may be open to misunderstanding in some quarters. This is not a politically correct article in the way the term is used nowadays. It is not 'correct' in our post-modern era to adhere to any absolute moral values. Yet I have to say that it is my belief that without traditional Christian values, we lose a very important part of our social fabric, from which people of all faiths, or no faith, equally benefit.

Lord Shaftesbury believed that God had called him "to devote whatever advantages he might have bestowed … in the cause of the weak, the helpless, both man and beast, and those who had none to help them." He had a deep Christian faith, and that motivated his life in the cause of helping others. It is so often the case, even nowadays. The Faith Action Audit which was presented to the City Council and Faith Leaders last year proves just how much good work is being done in our own city by faith groups, on behalf of the weak, the marginalised and the needy.

I appreciate it is not just Christian men and women who help others. We are all made in the image of God and as such we all have the ability to shine. But as a Christian, I believe the only sustaining force for continued compassionate action in the face of difficulty and even opposition, is the love of God through a relationship with His Son Jesus Christ. That love just keeps on coming, and has been variously described as a fountain, or a river – a very apt description and one which encourages me and many others.

The Christian faith, when put into loving action, is a major force for good in our land. It has been so for many centuries. Christians in Plymouth are being invited to a day of prayer in June to pray for the welfare of our city, and to see those prayers turned into acts of compassion for the good of us all. It is good to appreciate the reality all the positive action that goes on as a result of Christian faith, and to balance the often negative media-stereotypes of Christianity with that. There's a line in the '90's movie 'The Abyss' which says 'you need to see with better eyes' – I pray that we all can in the days ahead.

Time to Pray

2011-04-07T13:08:00.001-07:00

I believe the influence of Christianity on the British Isles (including Ireland) has been historically proven as incredibly significant to the culture and survival of our people. Since the earliest years of Celtic Christianity, including the founding of monasteries in Iona and Lindisfarne in the 6^th and 7^th Centuries, there has been a strong Christian spirituality which has indwelled our people.

A recent BBC 2 programme on the 400^th anniversary of the King James Bible, presented by Lord Melvin Bragg, stated that it was the principles contained within the world's best seller which established the democracy and freedoms we enjoy in the Western Democracies.

These hard won freedoms and institutions are often built upon by people who then ignore why they were established in the first place, and we lose the foundational truths to our cost and detriment. In our nation there is the beginning of a marginalisation of Christians and the values which in genuine good conscience many will not abandon. However, when the Christian Church is pressurised, she shines the best.

As I travel the UK and talk to many Christian leaders, there is a recognition that churches are beginning to work together for the collective good of the faith. Whole cities are beginning to focus on city wide prayer movements for the sake of God intervening for the welfare of their communities.

When we established a Cross Rhythms radio station in Plymouth, we already had experience of a city wide prayer meeting in Stoke on Trent which started at the same time we got our radio licence there. Great favour was shown to an organisation called Saltbox run by Lloyd Cooke and Robert Mountford, which 'connects the dots' of all the volunteer work done in that city by faith groups.

We invited Lloyd down to Plymouth when we launched Cross Rhythms here, and he shared the vision of the 'Faith Audit' which Saltbox had carried out. They documented the massive infrastructure of social welfare provision made by faith groups, especially the Christian church.

Following Lloyd's presentation, we established an organisation called Plymouth Saltbox, in collaboration with Chris Clewer of Churches Together in Plymouth. In 2009/10, we carried out a Faith Action Audit (FAA) in Plymouth.

The University of Plymouth Social and Public Policy Research Group was commissioned to carry out the Audit. The results were encouraging, showing over 450,000 volunteer hours worth at least £2.7 million being poured into the city every year by faith based groups.

The report said this is 'a massive underestimate of the level of work being done by faith based groups, as only 35% responded and we used the Minimum Wage as our benchmark'. It showed that the majority of those hours are made up by the Christian faith, plus contributions from Muslim, Buddhist, Sikh and others.

Plymouth Saltbox is now working hard to build on the FAA, so that those volunteer services can be best used for the good of the people of Plymouth.

As a Christian faith-based organisation, they value the prayers of fellow believers. There is a day of prayer in June for those who want to see the love of God practically impact Plymouth and its people. Christians in the city are urged to look out for the publicity for this event, come along on the day, and ask their ministers to support it.

Christians believe that prayer is the place where we receive empowerment from God to live lives, individually and collectively, that bring God's quality of abundant life to those around us in our communities. A recent news item said that Plymouth was likely to be the worst affected city in England in terms of per capita job losses in the Public Sector. Now is the time for Christians to rise up in their faith, and a city-wide prayer movement, married to practical demonstrations of the love of God, would surely be a great way to see Heaven's values overturn the world's problems.

Big Society #end

2011-03-03T05:43:00.001-08:00

The Faith Action Audit that took place in Plymouth last year showed hundreds of thousands of volunteer hours are pouring into the city from faith groups, Christian and others. It came just as the PM was really starting to promote the Big Society agenda.

Generally speaking, it seems that most people are at least open to the Big Society idea. One thing that we can all see, is that it's going to take a certain amount of sacrificed time and effort from many of us to make it work in the tough days ahead.

The generation before mine knows about adverse circumstances changing their lives dramatically, leading to extreme hardship and difficulty. That generation that lived through WW2. They didn't ask for it, they didn't want it, but they had to deal with it.

We can learn a lot from them. Galvanised by an inner resolve, they rose above those circumstances, sacrificing so much so that we, the generations that follow them, can enjoy so much freedom.

We could say of all of them, "Never in the field of human conflict was so much owed by so many to so few." Winston Churchill was talking about the airmen who fought the Battle of Britain, but as one generation to another we can be thankful to them all.

If we say the 'blitz spirit', we mean that part of us, as individuals or communities or even a nation, that can lay down our own agendas, and seek to do our best for the good of our fellow men and women, under hardship. From a Christian perspective, that is the essence of love. "Greater love has no man than this, that he lay down his life for his friend," said Jesus.

This attitude, a belief in something being more important than our own welfare, is essential, especially if we have to make sense of the values of the Big Society idea. Let's hope and pray that we can all develop that kind of loving, gutsy character in the days ahead.

The latest discussions in the media about Big Society, come at a time when it is also reported that up to 20% of 16-24 year olds are unemployed. That's the highest figure since 1992, and it is a sad fact, which we have to deal with compassionately.

My heart goes out to those young people who are stuck without a job in these hard times. But also, I have a concern about the culture that we have allowed to develop since the last World War. We are increasingly concerned about our rights, and less about our responsibilities. It is typified in the compensation culture. It erodes good character, courage and selflessness, and it promotes individualism and selfishness.

I am concerned for the younger generation – how will they cope with the hardships ahead, when they will increasingly have to give up some of those things they have been brought up to believe in as their rights?

The problem is in no way restricted to young people – it's an ancient problem, possibly the most ancient problem of all. 'I want things my way and that's my right' is the kind of thinking that got us all into trouble in the first place, as demonstrated by many individuals in the Bible who had to make right choices for life.

Times of difficulty are also times of opportunity. We have an opportunity to dig a little deeper and find gold in ourselves and each other that we didn't know was there. We can find hidden reserves of good character, of love, of compassion and courage in times of hardship.

To refer back to those saddening youth unemployment figures, how on earth are we to encourage these young people that their lives matter, they have purpose and a hope for a future?

As a Christian, I believe the answer can be found in a relationship with God, through his Son Jesus Christ, who created every one of us deliberately and for good reason, and who is the One who can give us a sense of identity, self-worth and destiny far above anything the world has to offer.

The essence of the Christian faith says that when we stop striving to make our own lives work in our own way, and ask God how He would want us to live, we will, wonderfully, find that life is working a whole lot better.

…little foxes …like offence … spoil the vineyard …(Song of Solomon; 2vs15)

2011-02-01T00:57:00.001-08:00

Forgiveness is a subject that is common in our churches, and it can help any of us who have taken offence at another person's actions, particularly someone in a position of authority, such as a manager or teacher, or maybe even a parent.

I appreciate that even using the word 'authority' presses some buttons in people's thinking. Through misuse and the wrong application of its meaning, it has become misunderstood.

A position of authority in another person's life is a caring responsibility that carries with it the duty of sometimes having to give advice and enforcing boundaries for the good of the individual and their community. Parents desire happiness for their children, but they won't let the child decide what's best if they see them doing harmful things.

In our churches, there may be people who have taken offence at the leadership. Usually it's because they believe that the leadership has hurt them, misunderstood them or in some way grieved them. Often the reaction when folks take offence, is that they break the relationship. They may also start to spread gossip about the person who they believe has hurt them, or lash out with their anger at that person, often out of all proportion to the offence.

Conversely, those in authority have an obligation to treat people tenderly. If you have given grounds for offence, you need to be honest about it, out of respect for those in your care. It is important to speak with honesty borne out of good character and integrity, because as someone once said 'a good argument is often spoiled by a bad quarrel.'

Biblically, (I'm talking here of church), it's just as big a problem to take offence as it is to cause it. Don't mishear me here. Being the victim of a truly abusive authority is not what we're talking about. That requires a lot of healing and reconciliation.

What I'm talking about are those times when we have taken umbrage because we don't like the way we've been spoken to, or because we disagree with the direction taken by those responsible for the welfare of our community.

The Good Book itself has some pretty direct things to say about all this. Jesus tells the story of the man forgiven a huge debt by his master, (Matthew 18). This same man then demands repayment from one of his own small debtors, and refuses to show him the same mercy he received himself. When his master hears about this unmerciful man, he turns him over to the jailers til he repays all of his own debt. The message is clear – we've all been forgiven hugely, if we have received that forgiveness from Jesus. We should likewise forgive the minor offences done to us.

Nelson Mandela was imprisoned for 27 years. Upon his release he was a major force in the movement to rebuild his nation through reconciliation and negotiation. South Africa became a democratic country, with Mandela its first democratically elected president, without the blood-bath that so many predicted. This is a testament to the power of forgiveness over the futility of revenge. (I'd recommend the movie 'Invictus' if you'd like to find out more.)

Offended people can cause disruption to the wellbeing of any community, including the church. How we deal with our hurts and grievances is important if we're to live together successfully.

May I encourage you, if you're offended with anybody in authority in your life, to consider that you almost certainly don't have the full picture of what they're responsible for. Please don't take yourself out of whatever community you're committed to, just because you are offended. There are countless relationships that have been shipwrecked over relatively small issues. There's a better way, the way of forgiveness and humility, as the basis for discussing things and finding a way to work things out for the good of all concerned.

One of the main themes of the Art of Living programme on Cross Rhythms 96.3FM is to talk to church leaders and discuss these very issues. Please check out the advert in the Plymouth Shopper for the dates and times of those broadcasts.

Who is Jesus # end

2011-01-14T07:21:00.001-08:00

This month I want to repeat an article that appeared in the Shopper in January last year, which received good feedback and which I believe is well worth repeating as it focuses us, at the start of the year, on the Person who has been described as the 'Centrepiece of the human race...'

The focus of some of us at Christmas, even in our post-modern age, was Jesus Christ. But for the majority of people in Plymouth, there is probably still a very real and understandable question that is not often asked – just who really is Jesus?

For countless millions all over the world, he is much more than a good man or a great moral teacher. The debate about who he is has gone on for nearly twenty centuries, and probably began amongst his own close friends and family. So, rather than add fresh fuel to the fires of theological argument, I'll let others do the talking:

"Here is a man who was born in an obscure village, the Child of a peasant woman. He worked in a carpenter shop until He was thirty, and then for three years He was an itinerant preacher. He never wrote a book. He never held an office. He never owned a home. He never had a family. He never went to college. He never put His foot inside a big city. He never travelled two hundred miles from the place where He was born. He never did one of the things that usually accompany greatness. He had no credentials but Himself. He had nothing to do with this world except the naked power of His Divine manhood. While still a young man, the tide of popular opinion turned against Him. He was turned over to His enemies. He went through the mockery of a trial. He was nailed to a Cross between two thieves. His executioners gambled for the only piece of property He had on earth while He was dying—and that was His coat. When He was dead He was taken down and laid in a borrowed grave through the pity of a friend. Such was His human life—He rises from the dead. Nineteen wide centuries have come and gone and today He is the Centrepiece of the human race and the Leader of the column of progress. I am within the mark when I say that all the armies that ever marched, and all the navies that ever were built, and all the parliaments that ever sat, and all the kings that ever reigned, put together, have not affected the life of man upon this earth as powerfully as has that One Solitary Life". James C. Hefley, Christian author, editor, publisher, and journalist.

Many people are prepared to accept Jesus as one of the greatest men that ever lived, and to align themselves with his teachings (sometimes this is easier where those teachings promote their own agenda). However, the struggle for belief involves wrestling with the claims for divinity, which ancient writers made about him: "He shall be called Wonderful Counsellor, Mighty God, The Everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace" according to the prophet Isaiah writing a few hundred years before Jesus' birth.

The Bible is really clear on the matter and leaves no room for having Jesus as a merely historical figure pointing the way to God. He claimed divinity for himself, while assuming the full nature of humanity and serving those very human creatures he had created in loving community with his Father and the Holy Spirit.

Jesus said, "I am the Way, the Truth and the Life, no man comes to the Father except through me," which is a fairly blunt declaration, coming as it did from a carpenter whom most thought was born illegitimate to a young Jewish girl.

According to renowned author and philosopher CS Lewis, "A man who was merely a man and said the sort of things Jesus said would not be a great moral teacher. He would either be a lunatic – on a level with the man who says he is a poached egg – or else he would be the Devil of Hell. You must make your choice. Either this man was, and is, the Son of God; or else a madman or something worse. You can shut Him up for a fool, you can spit at Him and kill him as a demon; or you can fall at His feet and call Him Lord and God. But let us not come with any patronizing nonsense about His being a great human teacher. He has not left that open to us. He did not intend to."

So much for the Christian writers and the Bible, but please allow me just one more quotation, from a military and state leader in Europe who established a vast empire through the use of force and political machinery, in a very short time.

"I know men and I tell you that Jesus Christ is no mere man. Between Him and every other person in the world there is no possible term of comparison. Alexander, Caesar, Charlemagne, and I have founded empires. But on what did we rest the creation of our genius? Upon force. Jesus Christ founded His empire upon love; and at this hour millions of men would die for Him." Napoleon Bonaparte

At the start of this year, I'd like to be very clear on our position here at Cross Rhythms – Jesus is exactly who he says he is; he is alive, and is expecting a response from us to his claims; he will not force us to make one; but we will give an account for how we think about and answer the question. He is utterly trustworthy, completely loving, and absolutely right in every decision and judgment he makes. He is as tender as a lamb in his merciful dealings with doubters, wrong-doers, children and the downtrodden; and as fierce as a lion in the pursuit of truth and justice and in dealing with arrogant pride, especially of the religious variety. He is also Almighty God.

That, in essence, is simple Biblical truth and it has formed the bedrock of the freedoms we have enjoyed in Britain for many hundreds of years. As Christians at Cross Rhythms, we cannot water down the presentation of what the Bible has said for thousands of years – to do so would be to erode the very foundations of freedom and allow the rising tide of sometimes well-meant humanism to drown the voices of many of the weakest people in our society, with a flood of legislation that has proven again and again to be powerless to correct the evils of our times. We need the Way and the Truth, and we certainly need Life. Jesus Christ offers it all, like no other ever has or could.

Christmas, family and forgiveness # end

2010-12-02T00:39:00.001-08:00

What is Christmas about? That question comes up every year, as many a jaded person complains once more about the commercialisation of Christmas, or struggles with the pressure of expectations that drive them to spend more than they can afford and commit to one party too many during the festive season.

Personally, I love Christmas. I take time out, batten down the hatches and have some real quality time together with family and loved ones.

But it's about even more than that, especially for those with a faith. One of the main messages we can find in the whole Christmas experience, is the one of forgiveness – God's forgiveness for all of us. That's the hope that Jesus Christ came to offer to us as the ultimate Christmas present – that through his life, death and resurrection God the Father has forgiven all of the things we ever have or ever will do to break our relationship with Him.

You could say that Jesus himself is the ultimate gift, from his Father in Heaven to us all. It amounts to the same thing – God loved us so much, that he wanted to give the very best he could with no strings attached, just because he loves us. That's the true spirit of Christmas, and I know it's a real joy for so many people to be able to give to those they love.

Yet, in times of deepening recession, many folks are going to find it hard to give materially this year. Certainly, many just won't be able to meet every expectation for iPhone's and X-Boxes. Maybe that's a great opportunity for us to communicate, especially to our children, what the real heart of Christmas is all about.

Whether you consider yourself a Christian or not, it is an almost universal joy to give, in some way, to another human being. And following God's example in Jesus Christ, we can all give something that can cost a lot, but for which we need no money. Forgiveness.

Forgiveness can truly cost us dearly, as we have to lay down our desire for justice and revenge, in the face of the facts that yes, we have been hurt / injured / offended / mistreated and it was not our fault. The other party, in natural terms, deserves to get what's coming to them.

But forgiveness works against all that, and offers the possibility of reconciliation in broken relationships. It hurts to forgive, but, like giving presents, once we go through with it we can experience joy and peace. Peace, because we are no longer ourselves trapped in the cycle of punishment and revenge, which can eat away at our souls as we continue to think negatively about those who have hurt us.

I want to stress it again – this can really cost us. It was not easy for the old black lady in South Africa to forgive the policeman who oversaw the torture and death of her husband and son. (You can hear that story on Cross Rhythms, we love to repeat it). But she did it, and it brought a whole courtroom together in singing Amazing Grace and so overwhelmed the perpetrator that he fainted in shock.

And I am sure it was not easy for God to forgive me (or you?) for those things I have done which have hurt him and separated me from his presence forever. Yet he paid the dearest price, that of his only Son, to cover the cost of my faults and to bring a lasting reconciliation of relationship with him, which I, and millions all over the world, will celebrate this Christmas.

I'll be enjoying this Christmas with my family, and looking forward to some wonderful reunions. You cannot have those times when you carry unforgiveness towards another person in your heart, I think we've all experienced those 'awkward' and slightly stilted family gatherings where unforgiven offences lie just below the polite surface. Often, Christmas is the time when they explode into the open and cause havoc – just witness the huge rise in work for divorce lawyers each January.

So why not follow God's example, admit you've been hurt and accept it wasn't your fault, maybe even cry little over that and get real with it. But then try to forgive, to let the other person go from your heart and wish them well and not ill. If you find that too hard, try asking God for some help – he knows all about the pain and the struggle and how to overcome it with compassion. It's just about the best present you can give, and believe me, giving it is the best present you'll ever give yourself, too.

And for those of us with a faith, maybe we can pray for our neighbours to have a joyful and peaceful time with their families.

Have a truly blessed Christmas.

faith and hope in hard times # end

2010-11-01T07:23:00.001-07:00

In the week that I'm writing this article, Plymouth has heard news about the future of Devonport Dockyard, which is better than many people expected.

The securing of a future for the Dockyard and its workforce, which many thought would be threatened with potential closure in the weeks leading up to the government's spending review, is in no small part due to the collaboration between MP's of differing political persuasions, and the local media.

Alison Seabeck, Gary Streeter, Vivienne Pengelly to name just three, put aside party political differences to fight for the Dockyard, and the press campaign run by the Herald gave the oxygen of publicity to the fight.

It is human nature to side with one or other political party, but to do so at the expense of the 'bigger picture' would lack wisdom. When we all face a common crisis, we have to find a workable solution.

So, the collaboration between MP's of differing politics and also the local media was heartening, and the result for the Dockyard was heartening too.

The outcome was better than many people thought it would be. That is often the way – we can tend to be quite negative about the possible future, and even explain our negativity by calling it 'realism'. It's not really based on reality (who knows the future?), and critics of this way of thinking may call it, instead, pessimism.

Thankfully, those involved in speaking up for the Dockyard did not come from that point of view – if they did, they would have given up the fight long ago in the face of the difficulties that had to be overcome.

I don't think those who worked for the Dockyard's future were led by optimism either. Optimism can be as misleading as pessimism in that it exaggerates the current facts and likely outcomes, but instead of negativity as its basis it uses what some have called 'rose tinted spectacles'. It can be just as unrealistic.

Both pessimism and optimism often fail to deliver what they predict. However, there is a quality that enables us to look at the future without being overly discouraged. That quality is hope.

Hope is a virtue which is perhaps misunderstood in today's society. From a Christian perspective, we're told that three virtues are of the highest value – faith, hope and love, (and that the greatest of these three is love.) And hope is much stronger than optimism.

The ancient definition of the word hope means 'trust' or 'reliance', and even its modern day meaning is very substantial: "desire accompanied by expectation of or belief in fulfilment". (Miriam Webster's online dictionary)

Optimism, on the other hand, is defined as "an inclination to put the most favorable construction upon actions and events or to anticipate the best possible outcome", which seems to me to be a much weaker thing all together.

So where does hope get its strength from? For those with a Christian faith, it is founded on the nature of the God that we believe in. He is good, he cares for us and he is faithful and will stand with us through every kind of difficulty and trial. Ultimately, he wants our best – even more than we do.

At times it's hard to see where the 'good news' has gone, when life gets tough. That's where that ancient description of hope, being 'trust and reliance', makes real sense. When the sun's shining and all is well with us and our loved ones, we just enjoy it. It's in the dark times that we need hope.

I hope, and pray, that in the trials of life we can all find real hope, and can come to increasingly trust and rely on the goodness of God, even (or especially) in the tough times.

The Pope and Christian Values # end

2010-10-05T09:07:00.001-07:00

The recent State visit of the Pope to these shores in September was marked by the comment he made when he urged Britain to maintain its respect for traditional values and cultural expressions that more aggressive forms of secularism no longer valued or even tolerated. This certainly struck a chord within the press and broadcast media and the politicians.

David Cameron linked the Pope's statements to his own vision for a 'Big Society'. Cameron said that religion was at the heart of 'the new culture of social responsibility we want to build in Britain'.

Personally, I think the Pope's visit was timely and sorely needed. We had the earthly leader of over a billion of the planet's inhabitants making a strong statement about the values which are foundational to the Roman Catholic Church. For those of us in the catholic (universal) church, the Pope's reference to protestant believers like Wilberforce and Florence Nightingale signifies a shift within ecumenical thinking.

You see the Head of the Christian Church is Jesus Christ Himself. Regardless of your church affiliation, whether Roman Catholic, Protestant or Orthodox your personal accountability, if you call yourself a Christian, is towards Jesus Himself which then enables you to work within imperfect denominations and imperfect leadership.

It is always the right time for those who have a faith in Jesus Christ to rise up and engage with the brokenness of our society. Whether in the church communities or without, we need to stop cursing the darkness, but instead light a candle of hope; to engage with those who differ from you with respect and 'walk the talk'.

GK Chesterton, the Roman Catholic journalist and author said, "Perhaps the principle objection to a quarrel is that it interrupts an argument," and Voltaire said this….. "I do not agree with what you have to say, but I'll die for your right to say it…"

This is vital for a free and democratic society. Political Correctness gags personal and public opinion and is inherently unfair. Christians are being arrested today in the UK for 'silently protesting' on issues and values that they hold dear. When Churchill galvanised the nation by exhorting our forefathers to fight for the survival of Christian Civilisation, he was inspired to encourage a nation to fight for its core values against an evil ideology threatening our very survival.

A Big Society will require big people who are living for something (or Someone) who is bigger than themselves.

According to the last census in 2001, 37.3 million people in England and Wales consider themselves Christian, roughly 70% of the population. It was Christian values that formed the basis of much of what we regard as good in our society today – William Wilberforce was passionate and effective in the movement that brought about the abolition of slavery, moved by the value of the sanctity of all human life which his Christian faith inspired. Florence Nightingale had a 'call from God' and in following that call with compassion and courage, pioneered the nursing movement that we often take for granted.

And the Christian faith today is inspiring millions of hours of volunteer work in the UK, helping the vulnerable and needy in our towns and cities. In our own fair city of Plymouth, the results of a Faith Audit are expected to show the large contribution made by men and women of the Christian faith, and other faiths, to the welfare of those who are in need.

At the heart of the Christian faith is Jesus Christ, who told us to 'Love God and love our neighbour as ourselves' – this is such a profound teaching of tolerance and goodwill to all people that it is hard to see where some of the more extreme expressions of 'aggressive secularism' get their ideas that the Christian faith is not a force for good in our land.

Whether the Pope is our denominational leader or not, we should be encouraged that he has spoken out so clearly and bravely for the core values of the Christian faith - love in action, tolerance, the sanctity of life and so much more. These values are the bedrock of justice, fairness, mercy and a compassionate society where everyone is regarded with dignity and everyone has the right to his or her beliefs, and the responsibility to outwork those beliefs for the good of their neighbour.

Heart Not Head # end

2010-09-07T23:30:00.001-07:00

This year's crop of record breaking A level results produces a mixed reaction from people. Some say it shows that our school system is working well and enabling more and more young people to achieve better and better grades. Others doubt the quality of the criteria used to make the grades, and are easily started on a 'back in my day things were tougher…' monologue that achieves very little.

So let me say from the outset – "Well done!" to every young man and young woman who has achieved or exceeded their expectations this year. If you worked hard, then you've earned it and you should enjoy the fruits of your labours. And commiserations to those who did not do so well – for those people, the following may be of some real help.

There is a saying, that 'if you educate a devil, you'll get an educated devil'. By which I take it to mean that education in and of itself will not bring abut the reformation of our character for good.

Simply learning facts and passing exams is not what real education is about. To quote the historian G.M. Trevelyan: "Education... has produced a vast population able to read but unable to distinguish what is worth reading".

That sums it up. We have knowledge, but we can lack wisdom to know what to do with it. Knowledge is stored in the head, but wisdom comes from the heart. Not the physical organ that keeps the blood flowing, but that part of us where we have our values, our ethics, our sense of identity and purpose, and for those with a faith that part of us where we commune with God.

But many people today often seem to have no heart, no vision, no self-worth and no value of the worth of others. The increase in A and A* grades does not seem to have made any difference to this malaise. Knowledge alone cannot restore a human life to its full potential – there has to be something more.

Our young people seem to have everything they could want in terms of entertainment and knowledge at their fingertips through the internet. Yet so many people live desperately unhappy, unfulfilled lives. It looks like many of the ills of our society are a symptom of a directionless generation (not just young people) that is trying to consume life with no sense of purpose or value.

It's a problem with our whole culture. We place a high importance on getting knowledge, but less value on the matters of the heart that help us to use that knowledge wisely.

'Knowledge built on wisdom' is a phrase I heard once, and I think it puts things in the right order. We live life best when we live from the heart, not the head. We love our wives and children, our friends and neighbours, and we are loved ourselves, from the heart (it's certainly not a rational choice sometimes!)

Courage, hope, the over-riding desire to lay your life down to protect or help someone else – all these things spring up from our hearts. If we made those choices rationally we'd either spend so long deliberating that we'd be too late to act, or we'd logically conclude that it was not the 'rational' thing to do.

Education is a much-needed part of the process of learning to live well, and in places where the opportunity for education is restricted, there are many detrimental effects. But let's put the accumulation of knowledge in its proper place – it should be secondary, and serve a life lived from the heart.

The Good Book has some advice on this, telling us to 'guard our heart, for it is the wellspring of life'. And Jesus said "I have come to give you life [notice he says life, not knowledge] in all its fullness". Now that's wisdom.

Big Society, big opportunity... #end

2010-08-02T09:24:00.001-07:00

The Chinese definition of the word 'crisis' is 'dangerous opportunity'. That definition offers a more positive and hopeful view of the difficult times we face, giving scope for something good to come out of something hard.

In the last few weeks the coalition government has begun to lay a foundation for our communities to turn this crisis into an opportunity.

The crisis is that finances are tight, and so public services are under threat. The opportunity is for voluntary groups to step in and fill the gap. The government's stated aim is to devolve power to local communities to run local services. There is even talk of funding this from the billions of pounds lying in 'dormant' bank accounts.

As well as encouraging greater volunteering and philanthropy, the Prime Minister said he wants to enable "some of the most dynamic" charities, voluntary groups and social enterprises to take over the running of public services.

The buzz word for all of this is 'big society'. Views on this vary depending on the colour of your politics, but this column isn't a place for a party political broadcast for any party.

From the perspective of the Christian faith, David Cameron's 'big society' ideas echo the words of Jesus, to 'love your neighbour as yourself'. Love is more than a feeling, it is worked out in action, and there are hundreds of volunteer organisations that do that on a daily basis.

A Faith Action Audit, being carried out right now in the city, is recording just how many hundreds of thousands of hours of volunteer time are put into supporting the life of the city of Plymouth by faith groups. The Prime Minister's 'big society' is actually already taking place.

The pressure of the economic crisis may the catalyst that empowers all of us to 'own' how we meet the needs of the vulnerable people in our city in a more sustainable way.

Along with the opportunity comes a challenge – 'people power' is another buzz word in the government's presentation of big society, and with power comes responsibility. The more power we have to impact our society, the more responsibility we have to make sure that impact is for the good.

As a Christian, I believe that we are all made in the image of God, and we all have the capacity for great acts of courage, kindness and compassion. But we also have free will and what the Christian faith calls a fallen nature (in other words, we made wrong choices and we've broken that perfect image of love). So what lies before us is a great opportunity where we can truly 'pull together', for the good of our communities. We'll need to lay aside our own desires sometimes to achieve that, and that is where the real challenges will lie.

I think a quotation from Charles Dickens, writing over 130 years ago, really sums up our own times of 'dangerous opportunity':

"It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of Light, it was the season of Darkness, it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair, we had everything before us, we had nothing before us, we were all going direct to heaven, we were all going direct the other way." (Charles Dickens, A Tale of Two Cities)

The hope we have in this time of 'dangerous opportunity' is that, together, we can truly forge the best of times out of difficult circumstances, drawing on the inheritance of Christian faith and good character that has built the best aspects of our nation over hundreds of years.

Hopeful Sacrifice #end

2010-07-13T15:36:00.001-07:00

Whether we like it or not, we're all going to have to make a few sacrifices somewhere along the line, in order to get our nation out of the hole it is in financially. The 'austerity budget' that George Osborne laid out on June 22^nd in the Commons has already imposed some of that sacrifice upon us all.

There will be the usual howls of protest from some, and roars of approval from others, as these measures pass through Parliament. That's party politics for you. But underneath it all, I think every politician, and everyone in the country, agrees - we have to do something and it has to be quite drastic, in the face of crisis on the scale we are now seeing in our economy.

So, we'll do the British thing, and put on whatever the 21^st century equivalent to the 'wartime spirit' is. Hopefully. Unfortunately, many commentators doubt whether the current generation has what it takes to 'man up' (they're talking about all of us who have grown up 'soft' in the unprecedented peace and wealth of the last 60 years).

I'd agree that we seem to have lost something of backbone and the sense of living for something bigger than ourselves. An evening watching our TV is enough to convince me of that.

But I cannot help hoping, and believing, that this generation can make a difference in our luke-warm, largely uninspiring society. It's not just the older generation who (thankfully) laid down their lives for us in WW2. Plymouth is a military city, and almost daily we hear of young men (and women) who are risking and losing their lives in warfare in Afghanistan.

Whatever we think of it politically, when the rubber hits the road they are fighting for a cause greater than themselves, whether it's a war on terror or simply risking life and limb for their comrades in arms. In the theatre of war they are discovering that with rights comes responsibility, and they are learning it in a very tough way.

The economic situation back home also has our leaders almost on a war-footing, encouraging us all to pull together and take personal responsibility financially for the sake of our friends and families and our nation.

That responsibility, or ability to respond, is a weight carried by every mature man and woman. Our leaders can make superb governmental decisions, but if we as individuals don't take up our own responsibility those leadership actions will probably have no lasting effect. We're in this together, and it will take courage to work our way out of it, together.

We have to work hard against the commonly accepted, but ultimately worthless, values of self-gratification and the general sense that 'human rights are the most important thing'. Without responsibility to guard them and guide them, our ideas of 'human rights' are little more than a disguise for selfishness and 'me first' – really, it's childish, as any parent will know.

'Fight Club' was a '90's movie and book, and it had a memorable quote that summed up one aspect of that kind of thinking: We're the middle children of history.... no purpose or place. We have no Great War, no Great Depression. Our great war is a spiritual war. Our great depression is our lives.

We are now living post September 11^th, and post credit crunch. The world has changed beyond all recognition from the 'do as you please and make a living' days of the '80's, '90's and early '00's. The disenchantment, cynicism and purposeless typified by the movie 'Fight Club' should surely now give way to something better; character and determination, community spirit in the face of a commonly shared hardship.

We have a war (on terror, like it or not); we have the looming threat of a Great Depression akin to the twenties and thirties (or worse). Hopefully the hardships we face will create a sense of purpose and destiny, a sense that we do have a place and a role to play in the bigger fight that we are all now facing – the fight to preserve a hopeful future for the next generation.

2,000 years ago one Man took manhood to its ultimate extreme, fought (and defeated) torture, death, and Hell, all in the cause of something other than Himself – to give eternal Life to you, and me, and our children. Jesus is my hero, and I pray that His example of unconditional love will shape all our decisions as we face the months ahead.

A Bigger Picture #end

2010-05-28T02:04:00.001-07:00

I have been thinking lately about the need we often have to put our personal feelings and opinions aside, for the sake of others. Whether this is for our families, our communities or society as a whole, it is a choice that we all have to make, and our political leaders are no exceptions.

The political landscape in the UK has recently seen a huge shift, with the formation of the first coalition government for 70 years. This coalition will require some genuine laying down of agendas in order for it to work, as did similar governments during the Great Depression and World War 2, when all parties agreed that party politics should take second place to more serious issues.

Whilst the circumstances surrounding the present coalition are different to those 70 years ago, they are not all that different. We are facing global economic difficulties which are affecting many countries adversely, and look as though they may affect us here in the UK even more in the coming months. We're all going to need to submit our preferences for the sake of the 'bigger picture'. The old-fashioned term for this was 'pulling together'.

It will take courage and character on the part of politicians to face up to unpleasant realities with a resolve to put the wellbeing of our communities and society above party politics.

On an individual level, this kind of character is evident in the lives of many people today who give of themselves for the benefit of others. The laying down of personal ambition for the sake of others is the very nature of real love, and is summed up in the Bible in the letter Paul wrote to the early Christian church in Rome nearly 2,000 years ago: "Be devoted to one another in brotherly love. Honour one another above yourselves" (Romans 12v10).

As a Christian, I believe that the strongest motivation in the world is God's love, demonstrated in the life, death and resurrection of his Son Jesus Christ. This love, which Paul wrote about, will override selfishness and personal ambition in any of us.

Love, not just romantic love but the compassionate, determined love of a Mother losing nights of sleep nursing her sick child; and the courageous love of a soldier risking his life for his friends; or the simple, enduring love that makes the commitment of a marriage last for decades, is what is needed by and from us all. This love is not the exclusive property of those of us who call ourselves Christians, but I do believe that real love, however it is expressed, comes ultimately only from God.

We should hope that the coalition leadership that we now have in this country will be effective in the days ahead. The Bible encourages us to pray for our leaders. I believe that for those of us who profess a Christian faith this means our political leaders as well as spiritual leaders. They will require courage to be able to put their long fought-for and firmly held party political beliefs to one side, as they seek to steer the nation through stormy waters.

And it's not just our leaders who have to shoulder this burden – we can all play a part in this. Some events impact on us all, and the global economic crisis is one of those. We might need to lay aside our own political preferences and feelings and allow our leaders to lead well, supporting them wherever, in good conscience, we can.

Just like the political parties, the various church denominations can also have strongly held and differing opinions on matters which seem a little unimportant to someone looking in. However, they too are able to work together for the greater good of their communities, and often do, pouring thousands of hours of voluntary service into their local communities in Plymouth.

Thankfully, by God's grace, we all have the opportunity to 'mine' the character of love for ourselves and let it shape our decisions and actions for the good of our families, our communities and even our nation.

‘weeping may last for a night, but joy comes in the morning.’ #end

2010-04-28T06:20:00.001-07:00

As I started writing this article, my wife Kerry and I were amongst the tens of thousands of Brits stranded overseas as a result of the ash cloud from the Iceland volcano. This was inconvenient for one or two days, but for the length of time it threatened to carry on, it could have been a lot more than that. Just about every aspect of our national life could heave been affected in one way or another by the closure of UK airspace, and one of the most unsettling things about these events is that they are completely out of our control.

When things are running relatively smoothly, we can have a sense that we are in control and we can look forward to a settled existence where we work, rest and play to our heart's content, providing for and enjoying our families, hoping for what the next new day will bring.

But when things happen that are beyond our ability to control, our sense that we are in charge of life falters and shows itself to be a bit of an illusion.

Personal events like serious illness or financial hardship, or more wide reaching events like war, natural disasters or even the ash-cloud, can quickly rob us of our security, unless our security is in something other than ourselves and the world around us.

A wise man once said that the only constant thing is change, and another added that there are actually two certainties in life: death and taxes. Maybe a little pessimistic, but both hint at the same uncomfortable truth – we are not masters of our own destinies, and it does not take much to shake our lives up and challenge where our security lies. We should not really be surprised when our world shakes and falls apart a bit – it seems to happen to every generation and to everyone.

There is a modern myth that we in the West are immune from the trials that we see in the rest of the world. We are often so entertained by our gadgets and mass media, we can be in danger of avoiding the truth that, at times, life is tough but that's not necessarily a bad thing.

The Christian faith has some good news for us in all this: there is something permanent that we can trust in, the fact that God loves us unconditionally and cares for us deeply. If we let him, he will walk with us through the difficult times of life. He will not necessarily take the hardships away, nor does he want us to live in denial of the negative emotions and pain that accompany our struggles, but he will share his compassion and mercy with us, encourage us and strengthen us, and lead us in the best way to walk through our trials.

The Good Book has much to say on the subject of suffering and hardship, and I'd like to share some things from there that many people have found helpful: Firstly, God says he will comfort us in our troubles so we can comfort others with the same comfort we've received. In other words, through meeting God in our own trials we can help others in theirs.

The Bible also says that God allows tough times to build patience, perseverance and the character of his son Jesus in us. And this is not just stoicism, but a hope based on God's active work in the hearts and lives of those who rely on him. In fact God is so positive about this that the Bible says we are to rejoice when we encounter all kinds of trials, because of the hope of the good that will come.

Finally, there is a verse that says 'weeping may last for a night, but joy comes in the morning.' Troubles will come but they will not last forever. God is merciful, if we put our trust in him he will not let us down, he'll take us through our trials and bring us out into a better place with a stronger character and a deeper compassion for others who go through their own troubles.

Fathers and Sons #end

2010-03-30T03:34:00.001-07:00

There's an emphasis in the local media on changing the perceptions of us older folks towards the younger generation. I'm all for that, because the central message of the Christian faith is the love of Father God, towards His wayward, unruly, disobedient children (that's you and me).

At Easter, we remember that the loving obedience of Jesus Christ to His Father led Him all the way to the cross, where he died for wrongs he did not commit, (the Bible says He took the punishment for your and my sins, for every way in which we don't measure up to God's standard of real love).

And this Easter, 2,000 years later, Christians all over the world will be celebrating the resurrection of Jesus which followed His crucifixion, paying the price for all of us to come into that wonderful relationship with Him and His Heavenly Father, and to live lives of love through the power of the Holy Spirit.

This new life is for everyone, not for people who are 'good enough'. The fact is, we're all imperfect, we all get it wrong and we all need forgiveness. It is sometimes said that a 'minority of young people spoil it for the majority'. Jesus also came for that minority, and His love is as much for them as anyone. In fact, I believe it is only the love of God that can truly change a human heart and cause us to become more loving ourselves. Jesus said 'I have not come for the righteous, but for sinners'. In other words, we need a dose of humility to realise we're all in need of the change that His love can bring.

The church is not exempt from needing to see young people in the same way as God does. In the Sixties, thousands of young people found a faith in Jesus during their hippy days; they were the delinquents and drop-outs of their day and they found a life-changing relationship with God. But, as Aussie reverend John Smith said, 'the Church judged them for the length of their hair and the fact they had no shoes on their feet'; and so in some ways we put up barriers to a generation, and we missed out on the enthusiasm for life that they would bring.

That is a mistake we should not make again, and Cross Rhythms, with its roots in that youth culture and the excellent contemporary Christian music that it generates, has a passion to reach our young people without alienating them by judging or dismissing their culture.

For our broken society to really experience healing, the Bible teaches that we need a turning of hearts from fathers to children, and from children to fathers. Relationships are two-way (at least). Father God, as I said last month, deeply affirmed His Son Jesus during his life and ministry on earth, saying more than once that He was 'well pleased' with Him.

And Jesus, the best example of a Son that has ever lived, said that his actions were those he had seen His Father doing, and His words were those His Father had told Him to say. (I am paraphrasing, from the Gospels). In Jesus' relationship with His Father, that obedience borne out of love brought the power of heaven to earth to transform lives and deal with our selfishness like nothing else ever could.

Let's celebrate the fact that there is a move to view young people positively and to counter the negative stereotypes that we sometimes accept without thinking; but let's also follow Jesus' example, and honour our Fathers and Mothers too. Then we can truly hope and pray that God will come and heal our nation, which heaven knows has enough troubles that need healing.

help

2010-03-30T00:26:00.001-07:00

Hi Neil
A couple of people have pointed out that what looks like the play button by the logo on the Cross Rhythms blog doesn't play the radio. I realize it's a minor point but is there anyway you could set it up so if someone does click on it it would go to the radio live?

Many Thanks
Paula

The Father Heart of God #end

2010-03-01T04:35:00.001-08:00

Fathering is an issue that can be very difficult to discuss in our culture, as so many people nowadays have a negative perception of fathers, either through not having a father around, or having an abusive father. Fatherlessness seems to be an epidemic all over the 'developed' world, and the statistics on the negative outcomes for families with broken fathering can be very sobering reading. There is a deep cry in the human heart for the love of a good father.

It is in the light of this that I want to encourage our readers that there is an incredibly good Father for all of us to find – God himself. I appreciate that just calling God 'Father' can be a problem for many people, because of their own experiences. Unfortunately, many people today simply have no idea what affirmation and validation from a good Dad is like. However it's clear that Jesus Christ had a tremendous loving relationship with God as his Father, and his Father thought the world of him. 'You are my Son, whom I love; with you I am well pleased' is just one affirmation recorded in the Good Book from Father God to Jesus his Son. The Bible also tells how to meet with this loving, heavenly Father; Jesus said 'I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me'.

Rev Mark Stibbe is a man who has a deep understanding of the Father heart of God, and he shares honestly and vulnerably from his own experiences as he ministers to people, helping them meet God's fathering in a personal and very real way. He is coming to Plymouth at the end of March and I'd encourage you to get along to his meetings (see the end of this article for date and venues).

I recently had the privilege of interviewing Mark for my Art of Living Show on Cross Rhythms Plymouth (this will be broadcast on Monday 15^th March at 11am, Wednesday 17^th at 6pm and Friday 19^th at 1pm, all on 96.3FM). He said something that struck a chord with me: "Whenever I minister I tell my own story of brokenness because people are looking for reality. We are all wounded healers, we're all works in progress and we all have a story." Mark was orphaned, along with his twin sister, when he was a baby. Because he shares honestly and authentically from his ongoing experience of healing from the brokenness caused by this abandonment and fatherlessness, people are able to connect more easily with the message of the love of Father God. He also shares about the mothering nature of God, bringing healing to emotional wounds in that area too, but it is in the area of Fathering that he mostly ministers.

Mark places a lot of emphasis on fatherlessness being a cause of some of our social ills. "We are reaping the whirlwind of decades of fatherlessness," he says. "In our society today we have boys with guns and girls with babies, and both on drugs, and the number one reason for this is absent fathers or abandoning or abusive fathers." This may be a 'politically incorrect' viewpoint in the eyes of some, and I know there are many wonderful single mum's who love their children passionately and courageously, but I have to agree with him from my own experience of pastoring many folk during the last 30 years, and seeing healing and transformation come to deeply wounded people when they encounter and become established in the love of Father God, and go on to become better fathers and mothers themselves than they ever dreamed would be possible.

Sadly, the wounds of fatherlessness are as common within the church as they are in society as a whole. Mark's message of the Father heart of God is just as much for people with no church experience as it is for those who go to church, and all are welcome at the meetings he will be speaking at on March 28^th. I would encourage you to go along with an open mind, and be prepared to let Father God love you and heal you if you have any kind of wounded heart in the area of fathering.

Mark Stibbe will be speaking at Plymouth Christian Centre, Cattedown Roundabout, Embankment Road, on Sunday March 28^th at 10.30am; and at Mutley Baptist Church, Mutley Plain at 6.30pm that same evening. All are welcome.

Prayer

2010-02-03T10:51:00.001-08:00

Prayer. Everyone has heard of it; many people practice it. Christians, Muslims, Jews - even professing atheists, in a time of crisis, have been known to pray!

For many of my generation, The Lord's Prayer was something you just knew, even though you did not remember how you knew it. It was said in school, maybe at home now and then at bedtime, it was also heard on the radio, occasionally on TV and of course, at church on those times when we were dragged in, usually for Christmas or Easter. We just knew it, like we knew that Sunday meant Sunday roast, and all the shops were shut that day.

But in 2010, where does prayer fit in to our secularised, 7 day a week lifestyle? Well, let me quote a couple of praying people: firstly, Corrie ten Boom, who learned some things about prayer in a Nazi concentration camp in WW2, where she was sent for hiding refugees from harm: "Is prayer your steering wheel or your spare tyre?". Think about it – is prayer there for emergencies when all else fails, and life goes flat? Or is it there for everyday use because we need direction, and to keep us on the road?

The second quote comes from John Bunyan, famous as the author of Pilgrim's Progress which he wrote whilst in prison in the late 17^th Century. He said this: "In prayer it is better to have a heart without words than words without a heart."

It's not how much we say, but where our hearts are at. God wants the honesty of our hearts, he wants us to talk to him with no 'show', no fear, no pretence or attempt to be anything other than ourselves.

If you'll let me get a bit mystical here, I believe the Christian faith is a love affair with God, and prayer is the language of that love affair, from the heart. You don't talk to your wife, or boyfriend or girlfriend or husband with 'proper' language and at a distance, not expecting them to talk back – you engage with their hearts at a deep level, and find some real joy in doing so.

Nowadays, millions of praying Christians all over the world practice prayer often, not just in set times and ways (which is fine) but also in the car, at work, in the shower, in fact anywhere that they find themselves.

There are loads of ways to pray – if you're into the internet you can go to www.crossrhythms.co.uk and find the prayer rooms, which many of my friends in the 'facebook-generation' find really helps them talk with God, as it's how they communicate with their friends anyway.

Jesus himself showed us not just how to pray, but what attitude we should have in our approach to God. Let me quote a bit of the Good Book here, from a modern translation called 'The Message': "People brought babies to Jesus, hoping he might touch them. When the disciples saw it, they shooed them off. Jesus called them back. "Let these children alone. Don't get between them and me. These children are the kingdom's pride and joy. Mark this: Unless you accept God's kingdom in the simplicity of a child, you'll never get in."

God doesn't want us to have 'proper' prayers or a fully formed theology or loads of church experience in order that we can come to him in prayer. He just wants us, just as we are and not as we should be.

If you've learned the old fashioned version of the Lord's prayer, that's great – think about it, ponder on it, and look a little bit deeper into it with a heart open to God. I'll finish with a modern version of the Lord's prayer, again taken from 'The Message'

Our Father in heaven,
Reveal who you are.
Set the world right;
Do what's best— as above, so below.
Keep us alive with three square meals.
Keep us forgiven with you and forgiving others.
Keep us safe from ourselves and the Devil.
You're in charge!
You can do anything you want!
You're ablaze in beauty!
Yes. Yes. Yes.

Who Is Jesus? #end

2010-01-05T08:42:00.001-08:00

At the start of this year, following on from the year when many commemorated the achievements of Darwin in his scientific research and his theory of evolution, I'd like to be very clear on our position here at Cross Rhythms – Jesus is exactly who he says he is; he is alive, and is expecting a response from us to his claims; he will not force us to make one; but we will give an account for how we think about and answer the question. He is utterly trustworthy, completely loving, and absolutely right in every decision and judgment he makes. He is as tender as a lamb in his merciful dealings with doubters, wrong-doers, children and the downtrodden; and as fierce as a lion in the pursuit of truth and justice and in dealing with arrogant pride, especially of the religious variety. He is also Almighty God.

Forgiveness is the reason for the season #end

2009-12-05T23:52:00.001-08:00

Cross Rhythms recently won a significant media award for the 'Truth & Reconciliation' piece, which regular listeners will have heard broadcast over the past few months.

The piece tells the true story of a Christian black lady from South Africa who forgave the policeman who brutally tortured and killed first her husband, and then her son. Her forgiveness of this man extended as far as embracing him in court and asking him to become her 'son' so that she could pour out the love she had left, on him.

Forgiveness was also at the fore recently in our news media, which reported on the tragic death of Rosimeiri Boxall, the 19 year old girl who died jumping from a 3^rd floor window to escape a sustained and violent episode of bullying.

The response of Rosimeiri's parents must have challenged every parent in Britain. In their own statement, they said: "We continue to pray for those who are responsible for Rosi's death. We want them to know that we forgive them. That does not mean that what they did doesn't matter".

The couple hoped that "forgiveness will allow the girls to be released from the burden of what they have done, so that they can even now grow into the sort of people that God intended them to be".

It is the faith of Rosimeiri's parents, and the lady from South Africa, who are Christians, which gives us hope in these troubled times that there is a way to resolve what otherwise could be endless conflicts, on a personal and national level. There is a power greater than us Who empowers us with the divine attribute of forgiveness. He came to earth 2,000 years ago and we celebrate his birth in a few weeks time.

Also in the news recently is the dreadful revelation of how British children were deported to Australia as late as the mid-twentieth century, at times without their parents' consent, in a drive to 'improve their chances in life'. This misguided state objective caused untold misery for thousand of children who grew up in loveless homes, often suffering abuse and with no hope of returning to the families and friends they were torn away from.

Now adults, many of these deportees are understandably hurt, angry and seeking financial recompense for what happened to them. No-one, on Earth, can fully appreciate what they have been through. We hope and pray that these people will find some measure of grace to forgive, because remaining bitter and unforgiving is like taking poison while you wait for the other person to die. As the Boxalls said, forgiveness does not mean the wrongdoing does not matter, but it provides the only way out of hopelessly broken situations that cannot be undone.

Forgiveness is one of the chief building blocks of the Christian faith, which has undergirded the structure of civilized societies throughout the world. To lose this value is to lose hope for reconciliation personally and in world affairs, and to devalue our humanity.

2,000 years ago, Jesus Christ was separated from his Father, and came to a land that was not his home, offering love, healing, hope and reconciliation to God. He was misunderstood, brutally tortured, mocked, derided, unjustly accused and killed. He did it all for love, of his Father and you and me.

The Good News is that death couldn't hold him and the grave couldn't keep him, and the Christmas story meets the Easter story in the most profound example of the power of forgiveness. Today, 2,000 years later, that power is still flowing from the birth, life, death and resurrection of Jesus.

This Christmas, as we gather with our families and seek to share hope and joy with one another, it would be a good thing for us to take time out, think of where we've been offended or hurt by those we love, and forgive them from our hearts. It's a 'gift' that will last a lifetime and beyond. It's a gift we need to receive as well as give.

Freedom of Expression #end

2009-10-21T00:26:00.001-07:00

Recently, we heard of a Christian nurse from Exeter, who is facing disciplinary action for simply wearing a necklace on which hung her confirmation cross. Under duress, she accepted an offer of redeployment to an administrative post, and has instructed lawyers to file an action at the Employment Tribunal for discrimination.

Shirley Chaplin, 54, having served as a nurse for nearly 30 years, was threatened with disciplinary action after refusing to remove a necklace bearing a cross - a symbol of her deeply felt Christian faith. Despite wearing the cross ever since studying to be a nurse, bosses at The Royal Devon & Exeter Trust Hospital ordered her to remove the personal item, deeming it a breach of uniform policy and a health risk to her and to patients.

Mrs. Chaplin claims the demand to remove her cross has nothing to do with health and safety, but is an infringement of her human rights, and that of being able to express her faith, which has been her foundation and strength for nearly 30 years of serving members of the public through nursing. Mrs. Chaplin informed managers that necklaces were worn by other members of staff and the Trust had promoted the hospital in photographs where staff were wearing jewellery, and many staff wore visible medialert chains.

Mrs Chaplin said: "This blatant piece of political correctness amounts to the marginalising of employees' personal human rights, a blanket 'secularising and neutralising' of the NHS intended to stop Christians from expressing their faith in the public services of the NHS." On September 21, the nurse was told she either accepted redeployment to a non-nursing role or face the sack.

I expect this debate will raise its head again and again, as we now seem to live in a society where the foundational Christian values of freedom of expression are being seriously undermined, ironically in the name of 'religious tolerance' by the 21^st century religion of secularism. Let's pray that common sense will prevail, and even more stringent and discriminatory legislation will not be passed in the name of 'freedom' which actually acts against the freedom of people to express the very beliefs that motivate actions of service and compassion.

Just for the record, the cross has not always been the main symbol of the Christian faith. For the first three hundred years after the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, it was images of the resurrection that dominated Christian art. The hope of new life, the power of the forgiven life made available by the death of Jesus, depends on the fact of his resurrection, which put an end to the rule of death and legalistic religiosity and replaced it with grace.

No wonder this hope, the resurrection, formed the bedrock of Christian imagery during the centuries when the Gospel was at its most influential in bringing life to so many people. Maybe we should start to wear jewellery and paint pictures that depict this hope – after all, destroying evil and giving abundant life to us was the purpose that led and sustained Jesus through the awful journey of the cross.

Unless and until we have some new art, however, the cross is an important symbol of faith to people like Nurse Chaplin – can it really be, in our liberal and enlightened times, that someone wants to stop the good news that it points to, being freely expressed?

Being a Parent #end

2009-09-21T09:19:00.001-07:00

There have been a number of programmes on TV over the last few years, aimed at helping parents bring up their children. We are shown the extremities of teenage rebellion on shows like Bad Lads Army, and the various 'Teen Camps' programmes; and we're all familiar with the terrible toddlers who come under the spotlight in Super Nanny or The House of Tiny Tearaways.

The number of programmes dealing with these issues shows us at least one thing – bringing up children is a hard job, and many of us, as parents, struggle to know how to do it effectively. These programmes often tap into age-old wisdom about parenting – loving discipline, consistency, firmness and fairness. Often it is obvious during the shows, that just having someone to show them how to do it, and provide encouragement, is enough to radically transform the lives of some parents and their families. So why do we get to the place of needing this advice, apart from the fact that we are all, always, learning in life?

Like a lot of people, I had parents who cared for me, but who could not make their marriage work and so divorced. I have friends who have never known one, or in some cases both, of their natural parents. And so when it came to our turn to bring up our kids, we found that a lot of the life-lessons to equip us for the task had just not been learned.

With the utmost sensitivity to the pain of broken families for all concerned, it has to be said that when families break down, the consequences can carry on into the next generation. We learn most of our parenting skills by imbibing the way we ourselves experienced our own upbringing. The good bits are great, the less good bits we need to change. Often there is a vacuum, a silence when we search for the answer to the question 'what on earth do I do for my child in this situation?' It can be incredibly difficult and painful 'learning on the job' as a parent.

The reason for the popularity of the kind of TV shows we've been talking about, could just be that we all know we need help to improve our parenting, but we don't know where to turn. So we search for those life-skills through the medium of television. It's certainly better than nothing.

The Bible has a lot to say about family. As a collection of books it has survived the test of time for thousands of years and its wisdom has been proven in many lives. 'Honour your father and mother' is a commandment that we sometimes only learn the real value of when we ourselves become father or mother. Honouring our parents means to respect them for doing the best they could with what they had, without being blind to any areas where we could improve on the foundation they have laid.

Ultimately, the essence of being a father or a mother is found in the loving character of God – not an angry old man with a stick, ready to whack us for stepping out of line. Nor an indulgent father Christmas who gives us all we ask for and ignores our faults. But a consistent, dependable, trustworthy, just, fair, strong, merciful, kind and loving Father who desires our best and seeks to release us into our full potential if we will work things out with Him, His way. And before we get into a debate on sexism, we need to remember that the Bible talks of the mother heart of God, too.

So if you find that those helpful TV programmes are not answering all the questions you have about being a father or mother, try talking to God about it – He is the originator of both roles, and over the years he's had to deal with countless numbers of wayward children, myself included. His own Son, Jesus, was in such a close relationship with Him that he could say 'if you have seen me, you have seen the Father'. Jesus showed us what Father God is like, and offered Himself as our way back to our Heavenly Father. Wherever you are on that journey, He is waiting to hear from you about your needs as a parent.

The media's responsibilty to complex issues of war #end

2009-08-22T02:40:00.001-07:00

This month I want to write about a difficult issue – that of our military in places like Afghanistan, and the media coverage it receives. There is something in the media just about every day, often analysing our involvement in military operations in those countries. And there is also, sadly, the frequent news of deaths and injuries of some of those who have served in these conflicts, as well as news of the suffering that war causes to civilians who get caught in the crossfire.

Plymouth is a military town, with a long military tradition. As such, we hear this kind of news maybe more than others, and our local media, on the whole, is supportive of the troops and pays respect to them in their coverage, which is understandable.

In the church fellowship which I pastor with my wife Kerry, one of our young men recently returned home after a three month tour in Afghanistan. He came home safe and sound, and also matured by the experience and with a different perspective to the one he had before he embarked. This is our only real connection with the war, and as we love this young man and want the best for him, it could be easy to allow emotional reasoning to unduly influence our own opinions of what our political and military leaders are doing in regard to the conflict.

However, the issues behind the war are complex, and most of us do not have nearly enough information to make a sound judgment on the rightness or otherwise of our involvement. In most of life's issues it is those who are involved and have the full picture who are best equipped to make informed decisions. We elected our government democratically, to lead and carry the weight of the responsibilities that face them in these difficult times, and as I have said before in this column, one of the Bible's commands to Christians is to pray for those in leadership.

In order that we can all do our part, great or small, and also have a better understanding, it is important that our media comments as objectively as possible on these issues, since journalists have an obligation to bring out the truth behind any story. The media has tremendous influence in our society, and is a wonderful platform for debate.

The democratic right to protest, to influence change for good and to voice opinion is built into the foundations of our society, indeed those rights are there because of the Christian heritage of our nation. But we should always remember that our responsibilities should balance our rights in helping us have the wisdom to know what is helpful and constructive, and what is simply hot air, or worse, destructive to good government.

Recently, a friend of mine met a young veteran of the war who had some serious injuries. He was coping remarkably well, and when asked what he thought of the leadership he was upbeat and positive in spite of his own condition. This young man certainly had the right to complain, but he didn't. Instead he honoured those he served with and was making the best of what life had given him. That was an example to us all.

General Sir Richard Dannatt, the Chief of General Staff, has done much over the last three years to improve the welfare and pay of armed forces personnel. He is now retiring from the post, but he is respected by his men because he leads from the front, and currently he is in the midst of some political controversy over his requests for more equipment for his troops. As a young Afghanistan war veteran said to a friend of mine "He'll take the stick or take the glory, that all goes with his job." General Dannatt's Christian faith is well documented by the media, let's pray that he and his successor receive God's grace, wisdom and strength to make good decisions, along with all those in leadership in this terrible conflict.

What is love? #end

2009-07-21T23:39:00.001-07:00

For those of us old enough to remember, 80's rock band Foreigner had a huge hit with the song 'I Want to Know What Love Is'. The song tapped into mankind's universal cry for love, with lyrics including the line 'In my life there's been heartache and pain, I don't know if I can face it again, can't stop now I've traveled so far, to change this lonely life'. Many folks can identify with that, and also with the signature lyric from the song: 'I want to know what love is, I want you to show me, I want to feel what love is, I know you can show me'.

Now I do not really know who the guys in the band were asking the question in their search for love. They were probably looking for human love from a relationship. Or maybe they had a more inspired and Divine quest - they had a great Gospel choir on backing vocals, giving their all with passion. Who knows?

I truly hope the band found what they were looking for, or that they at least have not hardened their hearts with cynicism to protect them from the many 'heartaches and pains' that inevitably face us on the journey of life.

We all, deep down, want to know what love is. We want to give it and we want to receive it, it's as fundamental to our existence as the air we breathe and the water we drink. Love can take many forms, in families, with friends, with lovers. And it can take many abuses from ourselves and others, that twist our perception of love with pain until we, like Foreigner, get to the place where we lose sight of its meaning and cry out for the truth about love.

So where do we go for the answers? What do we even mean when we say 'love'? Romantic love is great, but after six months it will fade and then the real business of relationship and commitment will begin.

Long term married folks will talk of a deepening love, yet it's hard won and comes with scars. It seems that real love is more than feeling good, and that it costs. Even the best of human loves isn't perfect. Just think of those closest to you, whom you value the most – even they have let you down and hurt you. And we're all painfully aware of just how much our own ability to love could improve.

People who have endured suffering in their lives often excel in showing love. They show us that the difficulties of life and relationships, paradoxically, are the fertile ground where love grows and matures.

Love is a big subject, and needs some big answers. If you're looking, try tuning in to the lyrics of the songs on Cross Rhythms 96.3FM as part of your search. But the best and last word comes from the Good Book itself:

Love is long-suffering (patient), it's kind, it doesn't envy and it isn't proud, it doesn't force itself on others, isn't always 'me first', doesn't get angry easily, doesn't keep a record of other people's wrongs, it hates evil and it celebrates with the truth. Love always protects, always trusts, always looks for the best and love never gives up… and so faith, hope and love remain, but the greatest of these is love. (The Bible, 1 Corinthians Chapter 13).

Politicians need our prayers, not just our votes #end

2009-06-24T14:16:00.001-07:00

Last month I wrote about church leaders, and the pressures they are often under. The Good Book encourages us to pray for our leaders, and that would certainly be appreciated by those I have interviewed for the 'Art of Living' show on Cross Rhythms 96.3FM.

We should also pray for our political leaders. Just like you and me, they make mistakes, and they are flawed. But they also have to make wise decisions that steer our nation through difficult circumstances, and they need our prayers to help them.

Recent events prompted national Church leaders to speak out on political issues. The Archbishop of Canterbury, Rowan Williams, together with the Archbishop of York, John Sentamu, issued a joint statement on behalf of the Church of England House of Bishops. They said that it was understandable people were angry and disillusioned with some MPs following recent revelations about their expenses, but urged people not to use the European elections to make a protest vote which would have long-lasting effects.

They challenged the far right BNP's references to Jesus Christ in its election advertising, saying, 'Christians have been deeply disturbed by the conscious adoption by the BNP of the language of our faith when the effect of those policies is not to promote those values but to foster fear and division within communities, especially between people of different faiths or racial background.' Wise words indeed.

The European elections are just one current event that should prompt those with a faith to pray for their political leaders. Global recession, international terrorism, the state of our own nation with all its successes and failures, and local issues in Plymouth, all fall within the responsibility of someone to care about and try to effect positive changes. Usually, that is our political leaders, as well as those who lead in other walks of life.

In our information-overloaded society, we have so many pieces of news through the media, so many sound bites and opinions that are transmitted through the airwaves and in print, that we often fall into the trap of making 'armchair judgements' on matters about which we have very little genuine understanding. Then we announce our opinions, and criticize the people in leadership. It changes very little.

This happens in all walks of life, (just listen to the advice given to referees from the stands at Home Park!), and such a precious freedom of speech is the result of our democratic process whereby everyone can have an opinion and express it. That process, founded on Christian values, is one of the good things about our political system, especially when it is balanced with a healthy respect for the responsibilities of those who have to govern.

Cynicism and ill-informed criticism achieves very little. But the Bible shows us how we can achieve a lot, by another kind of communication - we should pray for our leaders to have the grace, courage and wisdom from God to make righteous decisions for the good of us all. As a Christian, I believe that prayer works, God hears and He answers.

Give it a go – instead of just sounding off about our politicians, pray for them. They have a tough job, they are only human and they need all the help they can get.

The ART OF LIVING #end

2009-05-21T00:36:00.001-07:00

It is fair to say that when you talk about 'church' to people you can get very mixed reactions.

Many see it as a place to hatch match and dispatch or births, marriages and deaths for those who have never heard the expression. Others see it as a place or building for those who are religiously inclined or for some a more negative place full of hypocrites. As with most things in life, all these impressions aren't always accurate.

Part of the ongoing service of Cross Rhythms Plymouth as a community radio station is to promote the faith and work of the Christian Church in Plymouth. This is a real privilege for us as a team at Cross Rhythms because we know that the Christian Church fulfills may vital roles within society.

First of all the Christian faith has provided the values which were the bedrock of our society, influencing our Nation since Celtic times almost 2,000 years ago. of course like everything in life which is common to us all, the church has progressed and regressed as the challenges of history have played its part.

The older Plymouth community members will remember as young adults or children the role that the church and faith played in the second world war as people flocked to church for prayer and deliverance from the Nazi's.

It worked too - prayer that is, as the miracles of Dunkirk, El Alamein and the Battle of Britain proved. But what about modern day Plymouth? Well things have changed as a wise man once said 'the only thing that is constant is change.'

Our new programme The Art of Living is a programme I presented up in

Stoke-on-Trent where our first community station was established.

At the time this programme was created to enable me to speak to church leaders about the strengths and weaknesses of the Christian faith within their local, regional and global communities. It isn't a programme to promote, necessarily, the social action and 'good works' of the church, but really to empower and hear the 'voices of those leaders who have vocationally responded to God and believe that their calling is to help the people of faith and those with no faith to combat some of the real struggles of life: illness; death; broken relationships; depression; questions about the meaning of life; is there an after life?

Christian leaders are people too. They also have their struggles. Many people talk to pastors or vicars about their personal problems, but few consider that church leadership is often under massive pressures themselves as motivated by love they enter into the emotional crisis of the people who seek them out. Often, they offer advice which is sound, but then people refuse the advice get into difficulty and still blame the church leadership for not answering the problems. People reject the message and then shoot the messenger. These church leaders and their families are real 'spiritual warriors' who are need our prayers and encouragement.

As your driving around in your car, listening at home or work on the radio or computer please listen in to The Art of Living and pray that something of the

values and wisdom which has governed us through generations will once again be appreciated through the these programmes.

The following church leaders can be heard on The Art of Living on 96.3FM during June: Nick McKinnel (St Andrews) June 1st; Stu Clarke (Hooe Baptist and Street Pasto co-ordinator June 8; Vjay Panandikar (Shekinah Mission) June 15; Geoff Lee (Plymouth Christian Centre) June 22; Paul Smith (Methodist Central Hall)June 29^th.

The programme is first broadcast on the Monday of the week shown and then repeated on Wednesday evening between 6pm and 7pm and Friday between 1pm and 2pm.

American? #end

2009-04-28T03:33:00.001-07:00

Back in February, I commented in this column on President Barack Obama's inauguration ceremony, noting the almost religious zeal with which he had been welcomed by millions of Americans, and comparing his imperfect humanity with the only perfect Man who ever lived, Jesus Christ.

Whilst that piece was in no way detrimental to or critical of Americans or the American way of life, I have recently been pondering on the amount of anti-American feeling that seems to be in our culture, and especially in Europe. This anti-American feeling occasionally borders on racism in my opinion, and in some extreme cases actual hatred is expressed towards America, which would be strongly opposed by our media were it aimed at just about any other nation.

One of the most severe examples I have seen was a call for the killing of any Americans, anywhere. The source of that call does not really matter, but it provoked a response from Peter Ferrara, associate professor of law at the George Mason University School of Law

in Northern Virginia. It was published by National Review on September 25th, 2001.

For me, his article recognizes that in fact, we are all children of God who created us, and to harm one of us is to harm all of us. Here is that article:

"An American is English, or French, or Italian, Irish, German, Spanish, Polish, Russian or Greek. An American may also be Canadian, Mexican, African, Indian, Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Australian, Iranian, Asian, or Arab, or Pakistani or Afghan.

An American may also be a Comanche, Cherokee, Osage, Blackfoot, Navaho,

Apache, Seminole or one of the many other tribes known as native Americans.

An American is Christian, or he could be Jewish, or Buddhist, or Muslim. In fact, there are more Muslims in America than in Afghanistan. The only difference is that in America they are free to worship as each of them chooses.

An American is also free to believe in no religion. For that he will answer only to God, not to the government, or to armed thugs claiming to speak for the government and for God.

An American lives in the most prosperous land in the history of the world.

The root of that prosperity can be found in the Declaration of Independence, which recognizes the God given right of each person to the pursuit of happiness...

An American is generous... Americans have helped out just about every other nation in the world in their time of need, never asking a thing in return.

When Afghanistan was overrun by the Soviet army 20 years ago, Americans came with arms and supplies to enable the people to win back their country!

As of the morning of September 11, Americans had given more than any other nation to the poor in Afghanistan.

The national symbol of America, The Statue of Liberty, welcomes your tired and your poor, the wretched refuse of your teeming shores, the homeless, tempest tossed. These in fact are the people who built America.

Some of them were working in the Twin Towers the morning of September 11, 2001 earning a better life for their families. It's been told that the World Trade Center victims were from at least 30 different countries, cultures, and first languages, including those that aided and abetted the terrorists.

So you can try to kill an American if you must. Hitler did. So did General Tojo, and Mao Tse-Tung, and other blood-thirsty tyrants in the world. But, in doing so you would just be killing yourself. Because Americans are not a particular people from a particular place. They are the embodiment of the human spirit of freedom. Everyone who holds to that spirit, everywhere, is an American".

Whilst we may not agree with everything Peter Ferrara wrote, I think we can all agree that in essence his words echo the words of Jesus Christ "Love you neighbour as yourself" – before we criticize any nation, Western, Middle-Eastern or otherwise, we need to go deeper than the shallow understanding we sometimes glean from our own culture, and think of them as people, like us, and try to imagine walking in their shoes. Then we may be able to love them first, and then we may have the right and ability to offer a positive criticism and not a shallow cynicism that derides a whole 'people group' in one broad sweep of poorly informed opinion.

American #end

2009-04-28T03:31:00.001-07:00

Is the Christian Faith being marginalised?#

2009-04-03T06:25:00.001-07:00

There has been a lot in the national press about faith issues in the last few months, and it has stirred up some debate - the case of nurse Caroline Petrie, who was suspended earlier this year for offering to pray for a patient (she has since been re-instated), is just one example.

Caroline Petrie has been a nurse since 1985, and in keeping with her profession, in my opinion showed a caring attitude towards an elderly patient, who she offered prayer to. The patient did not accept the offer, but neither did she complain, and Mrs Petrie did not force prayer on her. The complaint seems to have come from one of Mrs Petrie's colleagues. And it was summed up in the words of her bosses who said 'As a nurse you are required to uphold the reputation of your profession. Your NMC (Nursing Midwifery Council) code states that "you must demonstrate a personal and professional commitment to equality and diversity…" and "you must not use your professional status to promote causes that are not related to health."

The case prompted one Bishop, the Rt Rev Michael Nazir-Ali, (the Bishop of Rochester), to say that he was "concerned that the Christian faith was becoming increasingly marginal in places such as hospitals, that owe their origins to Christianity".

The founding values of our British society, and of most Western democracies, are Christian. Christian values have been the bedrock of a caring society, and they have shaped and protected a determined tolerance that welcomes diversity. Yet now, the Christian faith is being marginalised itself because it does not seem to fit the boxes of political correctness.

It seems crazy to marginalise a faith whose essential teachings include 'do to others what you would have them do to you', to 'love God, and love your neighbour as yourself', and whose Founder illustrated the point of loving our neighbour with a story about helping and embracing our cultural 'enemies' when they are in distress (the parable of the Good Samaritan). What's to marginalise?

Jesus not only prayed for the sick, He healed them. He was loved by the broken, the lost, the sick, the vulnerable and the marginalised. Even some influential folks loved him too!

But he was hated by many of the religious authorities of his time, who saw in him a genuine love and power and freedom that they themselves did not possess. They were threatened by his popularity and worried about their own positions. And so they tried to silence him on a number of occasions. Their efforts always back-fired, and the good news of the love of God continued to be told in word and deed, as it has been for the last two thousand years.

Let's hope and pray for common sense to prevail in these difficult days. Faith, and other virtues like Hope and Courage are needed by us all. Prayer is the the most significant, and the simplest way we have of relating to God and asking for His help. It is what many people do almost instinctively when times are tough, or even when things are going so well that we want to thank someone. Those who have benefited from Christian prayer have a desire to share that benefit, or at least offer it, to their neighbours. Should that desire be quenched?

Is man the best hope for mankind? #end

2009-01-27T06:02:00.001-08:00

Today, in the midst of global economic crisis (or 'dangerous opportunity' as the Chinese say), America seems ready to offer its strength and abilities to the world in finding solutions to desperate situations.

But can any country or political leader really provide the solution to the problems faced by humanity? To put all our hope in the abilities of mankind, even the very best of mankind, whilst ignoring the Creator who made us and gave us those abilities, would be a fatal error.

About 1.5 million men and women gathered on the Mall in Washington, to personally attend the Inauguration ceremony of President Barack Obama. That is more than any President has ever attracted. That is 70 times the number that would fill Home Park (Now that would be a crowd to see!)

Undoubtedly, the vast majority of those people were supporters. What were they hoping to see? Why did they come? Can you imagine us Brits ever doing the same for a new PM?

American culture is a lot more positive and less cynical than our own, and does not 'knock' success, but rather encourages it and applauds it. But it was more than a healthy respect for their new President that brought out the millions on a cold January day. They seem to have placed a lot of personal hope in this man's ability to bring out the best of American values to face the current crises.

President Obama referred to the motives of the founding fathers of America - "Those ideals still light the world, and we will not give them up for expediency's sake." Those ideals were rooted in the values of the Christian faith, and President Obama stated that America would go forwards 'under the grace of God'. Encouraging words from such an influential man.

Barack Obama has inspired the people of America, and that can be a good thing in tough times. But has it all gone too far? T-shirts on sale included one that showed the new President under the almost biblical declaration: "And he shall be called Barack Obama."

Biblically speaking, the ultimate hope for mankind is found in Jesus Christ, the Son of God who humbled himself to share in our brokenness and demonstrate the power of love through his life, death and resurrection, making a way for us to have a loving relationship with His Father God and to live that out with our fellow human beings.

Jesus Christ has inspired more civil rights leaders and social reform movements than any other person in history, (people like Dr Martin Luther King Jr, and William Wilberforce who both fought racial oppression); the values of the Christian faith are embedded in the foundations of our Western democracies and our legal and social welfare systems.

The Bible declares that Jesus is more than just a man, He is the Son of God, and this lifts him far above human goodness and gives us a secure basis for putting all our hope in Him when all our human efforts are shown up as inadequate in the face of some of life's toughest trials.

According to the Bible, Jesus is the Saviour of the world, not Barack Obama.

The Good Book tells us to pray for our leaders, and in today's global village we in Plymouth need to pray for President Obama. He is, after all, just a man, and like the rest of us he needs all the help, wisdom, compassion and courage that God can give him.

A TIME TO CONSIDER OUR SOCIETYS VALUES

2008-12-19T07:37:00.001-08:00

Christmas is here again, the shops are busy, queues are huge, kids are excited and every one is gearing themselves up for the two days when it'll all stop; we'll eat, drink, be merry and then start rushing around again in the sales. This year there is an expectation for the sales to be really good with the retailers desperate to shift stock because the economic future still looks shaky.

The situation with Woolworths has brought the reality of the credit crunch to the high street and perhaps this shock will change the way we assess our lives. Perhaps the days of financial carelessness are over?

We have formed a society accustomed to a throwaway lifestyle and many have lost the real value of life replacing it with wealth, possessions and lust. The financial uncertainty may cause some people to be angry because of the fear of losing the lifestyle we have become accustomed to. For some when all the success of this world is stripped away they may find themselves scared and uncertain about how much they have trusted in what they have gained.

Maybe the financial uncertainty will cause us to remember what is really important in life. At Cross Rhythms we believe that the real value of life isn't in what we own, or how much money we have, but it is in how God values us, (He sent His Son to die for us), and how much of God's love we allow to come through us to this broken world we live in. We sincerely hope and pray that during these times people will search and seek for the meaning of life. In the adversity of these days wouldn't it be inspiring to see the British spirit once again rise up out of the apathy and complacency we have drifted in to? Many of the younger generation and older ones too, haven't felt that there has been anything to fight for, but maybe we've missed the real battles of love and compassion.

Recently Billy Graham prayed on a radio station in America which caused the biggest response of any in the station's history. It's a timely prayer of repentance that echoes across the Atlantic and finds a place in our own country:

'Heavenly Father, we come before you today to ask your forgiveness and to seek your direction and guidance. We know Your Word says, 'Woe to those who call evil good,' but that is exactly what we have done. We have lost our spiritual equilibrium and reversed our values. We have exploited the poor and called it the lottery. We have rewarded laziness and called it welfare. We have killed our unborn and called it choice. We have shot abortionists and called it justifiable. We have neglected to discipline our children and called it building self esteem.

We have abused power and called it politics. We have coveted our neighbour's possessions and called it ambition. We have polluted the air with profanity and pornography and called it freedom of expression. We have ridiculed the time-honored values of our forefathers and called it enlightenment. Search us, Oh God, and know our hearts today; cleanse us from every sin and set us free. In the name of Jesus Christ we pray. Amen"

At Cross Rhythms 96.3FM we seek to put hope into the heart of Plymouth….and to point people in the direction of Eternal Life. We can all rest in the storms when our perspective is bigger than the few fleeting years we experience in this life.

Baby P............ Responsibility and Reason

2008-11-27T23:28:00.001-08:00

The story concerning Baby P is harrowing for any person who has as a sense of decency and concern for a fellow human being.

According to the media, a little baby born in March 2006 endured the most horrendous emotional and physical abuse including eight broken ribs and a broken back. He was defenceless and vulnerable and should have been safe in his mother's care, but this little soul suffered greatly before he succumbed and died.

Many would say where was God within the plight of this little life? It's a reasonable question, but not reasonably answered, because life isn't reasonable or fair. For many people of faith, life is a battle between good and evil and the 'freedom of choice' to make right and wrong decisions within our 'free will'.

Some say a society is judged by the way it treats its children and this particular story seems to just be one amongst a host of similar stories currently being played out within the media.

The media will demand answers because that is what the media does. The media, through good journalism, asks the questions we're all thinking and acts as our conscience on occasions. The current question is "who was to blame?" The mother and her live in boyfriend? The social workers? Who?

The unsung heroes are those within our society who help produce the services and care which fortifies the stability of our communities and civilised society. Social workers are amongst these caring members of our community.

As society seems to disintegrate with the breakdown of accountability within our family structures, it is easy to look for simple answers and blame those who have the responsibility to respond. "One bad apple can ruin the whole barrel" is a common saying, but we shouldn't fall into the trap of thinking that if we identify a bad apple that all the other apples are bad. It is the responsibility for all of us to ensure that we govern our spheres of influence, whether we're in the police, medical or political sphere of public service, with a corporate voice of care and reason.

Most civilised human beings will understand the importance of morality, character, love and free will. From a Christian worldview, one day each of us will have to give an account to God Almighty when we die for the life he has given us. In a relationship with Jesus Christ, many here on the Cross Rhythms Plymouth team have experienced incredible forgiveness (and continue to do so) for their own wrong doings and sin. God gives us a great sense of peace and security within this amazing spiritual transaction of Grace.

Another vulnerable child was born 2,000 years ago. He was born to die thirty three years later and through his death released a power which laid a foundation for the civilisation we enjoy in the first world. When we depart from his faith as a Nation, there are consequences for that Nation.

As we face increased insecurity, let's remember the real meaning of Christmas and find the true meaning of life.

Radio silence

2008-11-14T01:39:00.000-08:00

Here at Cross Rhythms 96.3FM we recently had our 2 minutes of radio silence in remembrance of the war dead from 1914-18 and all the subsequent conflicts. It made us think of just how many wars there have been in the last hundred years, and the awful scale of human suffering that they represent. Someone once called war a ‘necessary evil’, and to be honest it does sometimes seem that it has been the only way to stop a greater evil. But the cost is fearful, and like any right minded person, we would rather see an end to all wars. According to the Good Book, that day is coming!

Edmund Burke, one of the foremost political speakers of 18th century England, said: “All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing.” We hear this quoted so often that it may be that we are deaf to the actual meaning of the words. (Often quoted as simply “evil prospers when good men do nothing”).

So what does it mean? It seems to say that evil grows not only because people carry out all kinds of awful acts, but simply because good men sit back and do nothing about it. In other words, apathy breeds evil. The natural tendency of society, if left to itself with no force for good acting upon it, is a downward slide into depravity.

If that sounds a bit of an extreme view then just take a few minutes to ponder the rise and fall of just about every civilisation that has been recorded in the history books. Chaos, disorder, lawlessness and the breakdown of family and society seem to be the hallmark of every failed system that has gone before us.

Recent history thankfully has at least one glowing example of good triumphing over evil, when the disastrous threat of Nazism was thwarted by a nation pulling together, making tremendous personal and community sacrifices in the cause of freedom and the continuance of Christian civilisation (as Churchill himself said). Many commentators have said that it was precisely 'good men doing nothing' in the twenties and thirties that allowed the Nazi threat to become so real. It was a costly apathy, and we need to honour our grandparents and great grandparents for their years of sacrifice, which is almost unimaginable in our comfortable times.

In our great city of Plymouth we are blessed with TV, Radio, Newspapers and Magazines which, for the most part, enjoy freedom of speech and can campaign for the good of our communities. We can encourage social regeneration, highlight problems and ways to overcome them, and reward community heroes with good publicity.

Yet that same media can also feed the selfishness and apathy of our human nature, lulling us into a state of entertained numbness where we do not feel the pain of others, and so have no compulsion to do anything about it. We can so easily become like the ostrich with its head in the sand, only we usually have our heads in the TV. Meanwhile, in many parts of the world, people are literally in a living hell for the want of just a little compassionate help. Closer to home, it can even be that we do not know how our next door neighbour is faring, good or bad.

Well, as Bob Dylan said in the sixties, 'times they are a changin'. The credit crunch looks set to bring some adversity to all parts of our society. But rather than viewing the future with fear, we have an opportunity to approach the days ahead with faith, and a simple trust in God. It may be a cliché, but it does seem true that the British are at their best when they face troubles together. In the rare event of an inch or two of snow in Plymouth, which for some reason brings everything to a complete standstill, we do tend to see people more readily giving and receiving help from their neighbours. A community spirit, a shared zest for life in the face of hardship, seems to spring up from our hearts.

Let's hope, and pray, that the financial storms we are currently in will produce a similar result in all of us. We all know that necessity is the mother of invention, but we're about to discover, if we respond rightly, that adversity can be the father of character, hope, and an authentic faith that works out in acts of love and kindness. At least, that's what the Bible tells us.

You can check out Cross Rhythms Plymouth online at www.crossrhythms.co.uk/plymouth