Let’s not throw the baby out with the bathwater?

Facebook YES or NO? Not a new question I know but one that keeps coming up. There are those who have strong opinions when it comes to social networking and whether they are in the yes or the no camp those opinions seem to lead to a categorising of people with a different opinion as well, less than astute shall we say. From my part I find this very much the case within Christians circles. There are avid supporters and there are as avid critics BUT it is words from the latter group that I find a little difficult to understand.                   I know there are inherent dangers and I find it incomprehensible how people can use social media to berate others, often to extremes and how too people can live out their ever waking moment by tweet? However they are but the minority, I believe, and for most, like myself, who see Facebook or twitter or LinkedIn as real opportunities for good and for maintaining relationships that in the past when we lived without this technology would have died or faded because of distance in time and geography! Just by way of example, in the last twelve months even living as I am now back in Tenerife I have been able to reconnect with two colleagues that I hadn’t seen or spoken to in over 30 years. One of those men sadly died a few months ago BUT thanks to Facebook we had the opportunity to share our testimonies and encourage one another in our ministries and just talk about the goodness of the Lord. As another example, my wife and I have gone through and continue to go through a difficult period which we shared on our Facebook page and when you are going through such times, far away as we are from family and best friends, it was such a blessing to our hearts to have so many respond with promises of prayer for us..Those folks kept us going as they reached out to God and to us. Most importantly however has been the ability to keep people up-to-date with our ministry in Tenerife and from here with the use of Facebook reach out across the Island and the world with the message of the Gospel.  

                                                                                                                                                          These are but a few examples and I have umpteen more so I really find it hard to accept when a brother or a sister considers me or any other Christian to be ‘less than spiritual’ because I or they use social networking????? Oh yes I fully accept that there are those, some of which I have already mentioned and others such as those who post items that hardly glorify God or edify anyone at all and certainly do give good cause for the critics who then say ‘I told you so!’ BUT in the words of a good old idiomatic expression, “don’t throw the baby out with the bathwater” AND for ALL of us using the web as our means of ministry and of fellowship perhaps we can apply the words of Paul not only to our thoughts but to our posts and give no one reason to criticise or question your spirituality, “whatever is true, whatever is honourable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think (WRITE) about these things.” Philippians 4:8.

Please click ‘like’ if you like this blog, if not well you’re probably not on Facebook then, so you don’t need to do anything!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Muirfield Musings????

If you are a Golf fan you’ll recognise the significance of the title..if you are not, however, you won’t have a clue??? This weekend the world’s top professional golfers were battling the Scottish Links Course at Muirfield in the hope to come away with the most prized trophy in World Golf, The Open Championship. Links golf courses are notoriously difficult to play that even those who have grown up around them find no advantage to those who are strangers to these courses. This year has made that point clear again when an American Phil Mickelson took the trophy once again across the pound! (America has NO links courses!)

I tampered with golf a little bit a few years ago. The ‘handicap’ principle in golf makes it a game that anyone can play, with anyone else no matter the difference in their playing ability and each have an equal opportunity to win, unfortunately my handicap in golf was ME! 
                                                                                                                                                            BUT I learned great lessons from golf and over the weekend was reminded of another couple.
No matter what experience or experiences you have, life is tough and can prove very difficult at times. Phil Mickelson was the only player after four days of competition who had an ‘under par’ score. The entire field of professional golfers, with their vast experience, skill and excellent equipment found Muirfield so difficult this year that ALL but one were beaten by the course itself!!

That is the reality of life isn’t it?                                                                                                            
I had a tough week, last week and quite honestly I found myself going into the weekend more than a bit discouraged. The events of the week almost beat me!!! That was until Sunday. Thank God for Sunday!! Now there’s another analogy….if we had just a Good Friday and NO Easter Sunday?? Thank God for Sunday!! I stepped into Church, I was among the people of God, I heard the Mighty Word of God (and I preached it!), we sang together, we prayed together and we talked with one another AND the Lord lifted my soul, Hallelujah.
                                                                                                                                                                  I came home yesterday with a renewed heart and thoroughly encouraged. Thank you Lord…………

Going back to the golf!!! One bad round never puts you off going back unto the course. One bad competition won’t stop those guys going off to play in another one next week.. One disappointment will not prevent them seeing another victory.. You see they have been around golf long enough to know that every one of them has bad days and won’t play well, the ball will not always go their way BUT then there are those days when they will and they will be the one holding a trophy in the air..

This is a new week, it holds great potential, don’t let the discouragement of last week rob you of the encouragement in this week..Keep going, learn from the mistakes if there were any, “and let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up.” Galatians 6:9. One more thing too, to remember, “No eye has seen, no ear has heard, and no mind has imagined what God has prepared for those who love him.” 1 Corinthians 2:9. Hey! Never mind a trophy, even if it is the prized ‘Claret Jug’!!!!

AND make sure YOU encourage someone else this week too. You will make their week better, I can tell you!!!
 

Always there!

We had looked forward so much to the arrival of Julie, Giz, Hannah and Connor joining us in Tenerife for two weeks holiday. BUT those two weeks passed quickly by and on Thursday past we were back at the airport for the tearful farewell...........................

When we return to Ireland we know the family are as excited about that as we are when they are coming this way. This is especially so of the grandchildren and most especially our eldest and only granddaughter Hannah who is particularly enthusiastic about the arrival of Nanny!!
YET!
When we land at her house she is straight out the door to friends or off playing somewhere else??? We could never quite understand, that is, until now!! In the past when family have visited us here they have stayed with us or in another apartment but still on our complex, so we literally spent all of the time with them. On this occasion they were staying some distance away and the commitments of work meant we were not able to be with them all of the time…BUT we knew they were there! We knew that we could simply jump in the car and go over to them!! We were content with the knowledge they were here close to us and if and when we wanted to we could see them, talk to them be with them.. Now they have returned home, I realised how Hannah felt. We were there; she knew that she could go off and play knowing that at any point should she come back home or just come downstairs we would be there. It was enough for Hannah that we were there. I miss them being around, even now I’m fighting back the tears, I wish they could always be around, ALL OF THEM but they cannot!!

Who of you reading this is not feeling this very same way? You wish you had the ones you loved around, here? Worse for many, perhaps, is that the one you loved the most has not just gone back home but had gone forever! If only they were still around? BUT they cannot!
Yet there is ONE who can know, who makes all the difference in my life, and although I miss the closeness of family around me here, still He makes up for that and He fills the empty space and replaces my sadness with His joy AND the greatest thing is that He, that is, the Lord Jesus Christ IS ALWAYS..WILL ALWAYS be around.. Listen to what Hebrews 13 says  “Since God assured us, “I’ll never let you down, never walk off and leave you,” we can boldly quote, God is there, ready to help; I’m fearless no matter what. Who or what can get to me? (He’s right there with you. He won’t let you down; he won’t leave you.)

Tell me this would you not like to get to know this Jesus and know as I do that there is now NEVER a time in my life when I can say, I have no one who loves me, no one who cares, no one around???

Lessons from The Ant!

Lessons from the Ants! 

 

When you live in Tenerife you have to get used to one of two things..Well maybe you have to get used to BOTH in some places? Cockroaches or ants!
Personally speaking I’d rather have the ants. I know my wife would definitely rather have the ants! It’s just as well as the apartment we live in has ants, little tiny, minuscule ants, so tiny you can hardly see them that find their way into everything. They love anything sweet or sticky. Woe betides you if you leave anything in those two categories out for any length of time! It is absolutely amazing to see the hordes of ants that descend upon the smallest amount of ‘sweety’ stuff in a plate or a cup! You can sure see them then! There’s a couple of lessons there alone!
(E.G. have a look at 2 Kings 7:3ff especially note v9? Or Acts 17:6b!)

The complex in which our apartment is situated has its own colony of another species of ant..Just a little bigger than the ones inside, yet just as amazing and fascinating to watch. I have become so intrigued with these little creatures and then the other day I was outside and was just transfixed with the goings on of a bunch of them trying to get the body of another insect home in time for tea, I think? Well you can see for yourselves in just 3 photos.

LET ME EXPLAIN!
There were just a few of them initially but they weren’t getting very far and as they steered this body toward the wall the obstacles that hindered progress got bigger and more difficult BUT amazingly the harder the going got the greater the reinforcements and eventually the task was completed successfully.. The colony had a feast that

night OK!!!

 If you have been following my recent blogs, especially last weeks you will know I have a passion for getting the message out. that we, believers, have a task to complete and it is only in being committed to that task together that we will get it done. Sometimes I feel like I am ‘flogging a dead horse’ as the cliché puts it..So I am willing to
try and get us to think about this from another angle.. From these ANTS! I’m in good company too! King Solomon to whom “God gave wisdom and understanding and knowledge as vast as the sand on the shore” tells us to go to the ant and learn lessons from it! The two occasions these little creatures are mentioned in the Bible you will find in Proverbs written by Solomon. Proverbs 30:25 and the one that I want you really to think about, Proverbs 6:6 “Go to the ant, you sluggard (Take a lesson from the ants you lazybones)! Consider her ways and be wise (watch it closely you will learn a thing or two)”

Just TWO things I want to leave with you this week..

1. The ants are tiny little creatures and even though they can lift individually way above their own weight, they do things better and do greater things TOGETHER. They pull their resources and skills and can accomplish amazing things far beyond their size. NOT one will shrink away from doing it’s bit in the task and it doesn’t even need anyone to tell it to do it..No excuses from these tiny insects! Have a read at the verses that follow in Proverbs 6! “It has no commander, no overseer or ruler, yet it stores its provisions in summer and gathers its food at harvest. How long will you lie there, you sluggard? When will you get up from your sleep? A little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to rest—and poverty will come on you like a thief and scarcity like an armed man.” v7-11.
Come on wake up, unfold those arms and get to work!!                                     
YOUR CHURCH WANTS YOU!

2. The ant just NEVER gives up..I watched those ants in our complex for hours. I mean it hours they strained and struggled, this was too important, they needed to bring ‘the bacon home’ OK not kosher but you know what I mean!!! Do you not get so fed up, sick sore and tired with yourself, never mind others, when we give up so easily..A critical word said, a plan that didn’t go the way you though it might at the beginning, or that guy you witnessed too and seemed to be interested just went off to his mates laughing at you. OR even sadder are those times when you don’t even try??? I’m always amazed at my grandkids when you take them out to a restaurant and when they look at the menu decide there is nothing on it they like..Well I don’t like that, or that’s not nice?? Hey, how do they know that?? They have never tried it???? So to hear the same sort of thing from Christians. “It’ll never work!” “I could never do that!” How do they know, well they will NEVER know with that attitude…The task you and I are called to do is too important, we need to be committed and to persevere until it is done..OK! 
YOUR CHURCH NEEDS YOU!

So there you are now, TWO lessons I am asking you to consider this week.
“Go to the ant..... consider its ways and be wise!”