So yesterday we went visiting various places along the ‘Jurassic Coastline’ of Dorset. I must say, there are some really quite phenomenal places along there, including the Durdle Door (above) and Lulworth Cove (below).  These places strike me as quite amazing simply because they are completely natural. Handmade but not by us. The Durdle Door for example is amazing to look at, this huge stone arch in the middle of the water, the centre arc eroded and now it looks like this. Goodness knows how long it took for this to happen. And Lulworth cove, once completely land, the sea has eaten away at it and made it what it is now. All along the walkway there are little coves forming and little arches in the stone walls beginning to be created and you can see these. In the whole of my lifetime they will probably look exactly the same, but here is the evidence to compare in many years to come.

These are the sort of images that we see on postcards and on TV, never thinking that we will see them all with our very own eyes. However, when we do see them we realise that the sights before us as too big to comprehend.

Yup, so slightly embarrassingly I’m posting about Dolly Parton again. Some people who know me will be fine with this, and some won’t, but really, who cares!

Just the other day I went with a couple of friends to the SECC in Glasgow to see Dolly live. Now, I must admit that I don’t have much experience with concerts of the live variety but happen to be quite critical of some when I see them on TV afterwards. I don’t know whether this is a bad thing or not, you can make up your own mind about that.

Now, back to Dolly… My overall verdict on this concert was that it was fantastic, she really puts on a show and for a little lady she has a huge stage presence. The crowd were totally hyped for her to come on and some even cheered as her little blonde backing singer came on stage, thinking that it was the lady herself. OOOoooh the suspense!!

However, the show started with the amazing Two doors down which is always a crowd favourite. I must say that I was a little disappointed in the response of the audience, with most sitting down for the entire show. Needless to see, my companions and I were dressed up in our country gear, and some looking very dolly-ish, and we were not for allowing this to be a sitting concert. Afterall, doesn’t country music like Dolly’s just make you want to dance?

The set list for the first half looked like this: 

There may be some I’ve missed out of there, so if you’re aware of any I forgot then let me know and I’ll add them on. My personal favourites from the first half were definitely the autobiographic track Backwoods Barbie and then the Gospel Medley which was immense and I totally didn’t expect it. It also reminded me that there are people out there who just refuse to be ashamed of their faith and I think that’s great! The flow of songs in the whole evening was great, with Dolly bridging from song to song with stories from her life. Sometimes in a crowd of 10000 I felt like we were just sitting in her livingroom and she was telling me all about herself. Random eh?  But great!

After the intermission, Dolly came storming back onto stage in a similar but similarly stunning outfit (white with possibly rhinestones on there, but hey if you know me you’ll know I don’t have a clue - they were shiny!). She kicked off with Baby I’m Burning and I’d heard this song but had no idea Dolly sang it. The second half was even more amazing than the first half if that was even possible! She stormed through some of her classics and through some of her very first songs which were simply great! Again the whole thing was laced with jokes and story-telling which added to the evening and character of the woman. I must say that overall I was still disappointed with the crowd’s reaction, but Little Sparrow was where things began to change. Through the song the entire audience was stunned and silenced by her powerful vocals, and then she stuck up chords to her next song and the audience were energised.

Here’s a more comprehensive list of the songs she played in the second half. Again, I think I might have got some wrong but I’m sure someone will tell me if I got mixed up!

The last three songs of the main set were amazing, Islands in the Stream sung with her backing vocalist who was great, 9 to 5 having everyone on their feet and some (Er, Us of course!) dancing and singing, and then and energy filled version of the hit I will always love you. The crowd were wild for her, understandably and I was truly amazing at how this little woman could play a crowd so well with her vocals and amazing songs.

However, my favourite favourite bit of the evening was the Jesus and Gravity encore. I thought it was so so great, and its by far my favourite song on her newest cd (Backwoods Barbie 2008). My friend and I were totally waiting for this one and I’d almost given up that she was going to sing it! She sang it so beautifully and it was even more powerful than on the cd if that’s even possible! I think it’s an awesome description of the woman’s faith and allegiance that even in a concert where people would expect her to encore with 9 to 5 or something more well known that she actually chose to encore with Jesus and Gravity because her faith is important to her. In addition, I felt that because she left stage before the song was finished and the backing singers kept singing the words Jesus, Lifting me up, Holding me down, Keeping my feet on the Ground it just emphasised the thing she’d said more than once in various ways during the concert, that she needed to remain humble. I think the whole encore was actually a great testimony to her faith and humilty as a woman of God. I know there are people out there who disagree with this and would just say it was showmanship, but I’m not sure - I’d love to hear those arguments though. Go for it! 

Anyways, I am so pleased I got to see her, and I’m so glad the whole thing fulfilled my expectations and more. I would definitely go and see her next time she is back in Glasgow, and I would happily recommend anyone else to see her live. I will leave you with what I filmed of the encore. Be sure to leave me a comment here or over on Youtube about the video or your take on the Dolly in Glasgow experience!

Alcohol and the Christian (My Views and others)- Part 1

I’ve been thinking a lot more about whether or not a Christian should drink at all. I guess to put the horse before the cart, my conclusion would be that the answer is almost entirely contextual; but, the contextuality of this is something we will discuss in part 2 of this series.  I mean, at YF:T we’ve looked into all the biblical stuff surrounding it, and we will re-cap on this here for those who read this but haven’t been part of our studies. However, it’s not the biblical stuff that I keep coming back to, rather it’s the moral and ethical responsibilities of a Christian which I feel are important,  so check back for the link to part 2 very soon.

A Biblical Staple?

As a re-cap on the biblical side of this argument, we’ve recently looked at the pearls or alcohol in our youth fellowship group. We discussed ideas relating to the New Testament events where Jesus was involved with wine.  These are as follows:

• 1. Matthew 11:18 - This passage talks about John the Baptist firstly, who did not drink wine, but of Jesus following on, who did drink. While this verse does not say directly that Jesus drank wine the proximity of the statement to the statement above about John drinking wine suggests that He did. However, as will be reiterated whenever I talk about this subject, we must assume that since Jesus didn’t sin (or else the whole salvation plan would be down the proverbial toilet) that He didn’t get drunk. It is clear throughout the bible (Old and New Testament) that drunkenness is a sin.
• 2. John 19:29-30 - One of the last things that Jesus actually did was to receive a drink of wine in these verses. Just after that, Jesus said “It is finished,” and then died. Again, Jesus didn’t drink to get drunk as is very clear here, and if He had this would have been sinful. However, it’s also clear that alcohol wasn’t a problem for Him.
• 3. We all know the story: Jesus turned water into wine. Would He have done this and lead other people into temptation if He knew drinking wine was sinful. I think not. Verdict: wine isn’t sinful.

As for the Old Testament views on alcohol, we see that the word yah’-yin is used around 144 times in the OT. The meaning of this is as follows:

From an unused root meaning to effervesce; wine (as fermented); by implication intoxication: - banqueting, wine, wine

Some people say that this word does not always necessarily refer to grape juice in its intoxicating form; however, Strong’s concordance clearly differentiates between this type, which is intoxicating and others which are not.  There doesn’t seem to be a view against this wine, and in actual fact the frequency with which it is mentioned perhaps suggests that it is completely normal. On the other hand, there is another word, shay-kawr’, which is mostly translated as strong wine, and for the most part is condemned, except for case where it seems to be used an offering to God.

Despite the frequency of the subject of wine, we still see this balanced with many many warnings on drunkenness. There is absolutely no doubt that being drunk is sinful in biblical terms.  We see that the OT describes to us how alcohol makes people become unwise, noisy and encourages them to mock others (Proverbs 20:1). From Isaiah 28:7 we also see a collection of priest and prophets who are too drunk to stand properly and who are confused and make more judgements because of this. A few examples also show us that people do stupid things that would have caused them embarrassment had they not been under the influence.  For example, take a look at Habakkuk 2:15, or at the story of Noah’s shame after He got drunk and his son saw him (Although this story doesn’t not brand Noah as an alcoholic, nor does it mark his stereotypical image). The story of Noah also reminds us that drinking to get drunk clearly has repercussions on the people around us as well as ourselves. Far too many of us, especially in Scotland, have had the unnecessary experience of a family member, friend or acquaintance who becomes addicted to drunkenness for whatever reason.

It is clear to me, through the bible or through personal experience, that a social, relaxed drink is not a problem. However, drunkenness is unnecessary and frequently harmful to ourselves and others around us.

All of this does not clear up the issues surrounding the morality and appropriate context of drinking. For example, I believe that there are in fact circumstances where Christians in particular should not even have one drink. This, as pointed out above, will be discussed in the next part of this series, delivered to you tomorrow.

 As always, readers’ thoughts are very much appreciated on all of my posts.

Now, I am not usually one for reading daily devotionals such as UCB’s Word For Today but I happened to be flicking through the pages of this month’s booklet, and stopped at today’s entry. The whole entry made me think, about the issues which were raised but also other issues which are connected. I’ve pasted the devotion in below and my thoughts are further down the page.

The first lie ever recorded was the one satan told Eve when he said that God didn’t really mean what He said, and he’s still peddling the same line.

You hear it in comments like:

a) ‘If you’re sincere, it doesn’t matter what you believe.’ What if you’re sincerely wrong? If your car brakes don’t work your sincerity won’t stop you; telephone poles and buildings will

b) ‘We must be careful not to offend anyone.’ What if people don’t want to hear the truth or live according to it? Should we soften or edit the Scriptures based on what we think they can handle? If you love someone, wouldn’t you interrupt their sleep to keep them from burning up with the house?

c) ‘There is truth in the Bible, but not all the Bible is true.’ Paul writes that ‘All Scripture is God-breathed’ and Isaiah says, ‘If they speak not according to this word, it is because there is no light in them’ (Isaiah 8:20). Twelve inches must make one foot, otherwise we’re all open to each other’s interpretations and subject to each other’s value judgments and somebody’s going to get the short end of the stick.

Now, when we become arrogant in presenting the truth, the cause of Christ suffers and spiritually hungry people are turned off. We who have received grace and mercy must show it. But let’s not compromise what God’s Word says. Interestingly, when polled recently, the majority of today’s young people (16 to 29 year olds) said, ‘Give it to me straight. And if you don’t live it, don’t give it!’ How refreshing! Bottom line: God’s Word is wholly, solely, fully, completely and altogether true. So be faithful to the Scriptures!

These sorts of questions and challenges are the ones which we are all faced with in day-to-day life; sometimes from both Christians and non-Christians.  However, my thoughts of late have been along the lines that we do need to stand up for what we believe in, but in order to do this we must actually know what we believe in.  This, today, is often the obstacle.  We have diluted our faith and our beliefs so much that often we are so easily swayed by the half-baked arguments such as those above. Why? Perhaps because we have a half-baked faith too - not knowing our doctrines, our true beliefs, why believe what we do believe… and sometimes not even knowing our own scriptures or our own Saviour or God.

The other realisation which came to me when reading the above was that although the above excerpt says that young people want it told straight or not at all, there’s obviously the growing challenge of Relativism that the postmodern thought brings with it. Does a postmodern Church mean that we must accept a lukewarm relativist Christianity?  Is it really all or nothing?  Can a modern church with Universal values and ethics really survive in a postmodern culture?

Where should we stand with Universalism vs. Relativism as the Christian Church?

I guess I’m asking more questions than I can answer myself… anyone got any answers?

JOYFULLY in hope

This verse is typical of the a new testament paradox which tells us so often to be glad in all that we have but also to be glad in all that we don’t have - i.e. in our trials and tribulations; the times on the mountain tops and the times in the valleys. We obviously know that circumstances in this life often do not give us reason to be joyful, but we do know that “Hope” is the anticipation of what is going to come.  The main point to this is often take as the believer eventually rising from the dead, becoming like Christ, and going to heaven for eternity. The concept of Joy is mentioned 165 times in 155 different verses through the entire bible (KJV) and therefore there’s no doubt that it’s something that Christians do not live in fully. The Joy of the Lord, count it all as Joy, having the Joy of the God in the Lord and even Hebrews 12:2 “Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross..,”   What a powerful concept, Matthew Henry writes that: “He had something in view under all his sufferings, which was pleasant to him; he rejoiced to see that by his sufferings he should make satisfaction to the injured justice of God and give security to his honour and government, that he should make peace between God and man, that he should seal the covenant of grace and be the Mediator of it, that he should open a way of salvation to the chief of sinners, and that he should effectually save all those whom the Father had given him, and himself be the first-born among many brethren. This was the joy that was set before him.”  There’s a lot in that, and we don’t have time to go into it all in this post, but if anyone’s interested then be sure to ask.

PATIENTLY in trials

What does it mean to be “Patient in Tribulation”?  I highly doubt that it means that we must lay down to our trials and troubles and let them overcome us.  But, we do know that patience is a desirable character for a Christian.  Hebrews says that we should be making the choice “to suffer affliction with the people of God than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a time.”  Does this mean that we should endeavour to be patient in all that we must go through in order to endure until the end of the race? Why, yes, I think it does!  It doesn’t mean that it’s going to be easy, and it doesn’t mean that we should try our hardest to find an opt-out, but it does mean that we should trust in God, trust in Jesus and rest in patience throughout the hard times.  We also know that this patience and waiting is something which is often linked in with the serving of the Lord, a theme which I have occasionally touched upon in this blog. Serving the Lord can often mean “waiting on the Lord”. Just as those who serve you in a restaurant are called “waiters”, so also Christians are “waiters” too.

FAITHFULLY in Prayer

Finally, we come to the aspect of faithfulness in prayer, which is closely linked with the idea above.  The Greek word, προσκαρτερέω (proskartereō), used for faithfully or continue or whatever else you have in your own translation means “to persevere, or to be constantly diligent” from Strong’s concordance.  So it basically means that we have to be steadfastly attentive to prayer, i.e. praying without ceasing - oh wait, we’ve heard that somewhere before haven’t we?  So in giving complete care an attention to prayer, we are following the will of God also, but we often find that we can get easily discouraged when we feel that our prayers aren’t being answered - particularly when there are no visible results. However, 2 Corinthians tells us that we should “walk by faith and not by sight” we should continue to devote ourselves to praying regardless of how we see things are turning out. Instead we must have faith in all things and faith that everything will turn out for the good. (Romans :8:28)

Although I’ve dealt with these in three different sections, it is important also to consider their relation to one another.  We see in Jamieson, Fausset and Brown: “since it is “prayer” which strengthens the faith that begets hope and lifts it up into an assured and joyful expectancy, and since our patience in tribulation is fed by this, it will be seen that all depends on our “perseverance in prayer.”"

Check out part 1, and also part 2 of this study here, and check back for completion of the series.

So, it might be a bit odd that I am writing a post about Dolly Parton’s newest album, but I’m not ashamed and to be perfectly honest, I think it’s a brilliant album!
There are many criticisms of Dolly out there, mainly about her looks, the fact that her music is of the country genre and many more; you wouldn’t need to look very hard to find some posts that harshly criticise her. However, I’d like to point out that when looking for example posts on the criticism that she has received over the years, I was surprised by the numbers of positive reviews of her in comparison.

This new album in particular has created quite a stir, as it’s her first album in a long time as well as being quite striking to see her on the front cover at first. To top it all off, the second single which will be released from it is called Jesus and Gravity, the song which she recently played on American Idol (April 2008). The fact that she dared to play this song about her beliefs on a popular TV show has of course caused outrage amongst folk who say that someone stating their beliefs in a public forum and through popular music is an outrage. Perhaps you think it is? Well, I must say that I don’t. Last time I checked the status, both in the UK and US, freedom of speech was still a right for us! Yep, and it’s a right for Dolly too. I’m interested in what people think of this in context to the performance of ‘Shout to the Lord’ on American Idol recently too! I realise that people do need to be heartfelt in performing these worship songs, afterall, isn’t the performance supposed to be going to God?  Anyway!

In relation to this, and in listening to the album a fair few times, I must say that in the production I admire her most for her storytelling within the songs. This is something that has also been which has been noted in various other reviews; check out metacritic for another opinion. The whole album is obviously self-titled in the respect that she is the Backwoods Barbie, and track 3 also called this tells us that we shouldn’t judge her just because of the way she looks, and in fact the way she looks is just a “country girl’s idea of glam.”  She obviously feels the need to respond to all the criticism she has had and apologise for just being her, and seems to give somewhat of an explanation for who she is.  But if there’s one thing this song is above all else, it’s catchy!

But then again, the majority of this album falls into that category, with a new listener finding it difficult to not sing along to the country remake of FYC’s Drives me Crazy, or the opening track Better get to Livin’ which is guaranteed to get you singing along at the choruses! 

From a Christian point of view, and quite possibly a musical point of view also, the album’s climax is Jesus and Gravity (In my opinion, although the album is so diverse while still firmly within its country roots) where she employs a backing chorus and the song culminates in nothing short of a worship experience, where Dolly Parton declares in this story that Jesus is all she needs, that He’s her friend, her strength and all she’ll ever need.  There is something both heartfelt and passionate about this song and it truly got the hairs on the back of my neck standing from the first time I heard it.

In fair criticism of the album, the last few tracks are good, but tend to both blend into one and drone on a little. They are good, musically but revert to the old-time theme of country woes, and lack the upbeat rhythm that the beginning of the CD has.

All in all, I would say that after 41 years of producing albums, this one is certainly amongst my favourite (and perhaps the only one I truly like). I can’t wait to see her in concert; she is a fantastic performer and an inspiration to many (though perhaps not in looks!).

DOLLY PARTON, BACKWOODS BARBIE (2008) ~ 8/10*

So, servanthood is a topic really close to my heart and today something was said which kind of got me thinking round in circles about this topic.

I’ve always had a passion for taking part in the ’servant hood’, ever since I became a Christian. I don’t know if I’ve ever really understood it, but being a part and an active part of my local church has really helped me put a head and heart passion into something that’s a little more real.

As Christians, we should want to do our best for God in ever aspect of our lives and if this is our goal then our lives will become as a servants, but not in slavery, only through our choice in freedom.
As Jesus, God came to earth as a man and through his daily life, performed so many activites which would have been classed under this heading of servanthood. He was a carpenter but yet He IS and WAS the Son of God. Even as he came to earth he displayed the features of a servant in obedience to God.
He washed the feet of his disciples and submitted himself to those who were ultimately more lowly than himself.
He hung on a cross and as people around mocked him, he asked his Father in heaven to forgive him, in true humility Christ lived for sure.

This is all I want to be. In everything we want to do there should be that element of servant humility and not a ruling pride. For as we submit ourselves to one another (Philippians talks about thinking others as better than yourself) we begin to take on the character of Christ through serving.
No matter what form this takes, whether its in prayer, teaching, prophecy, cleaning, art, and endless other options, Christ will be pleased with us as His true and faithful servants.

Everything I want to do, I want to undertake it with this mindset, and then maybe I can really focus on Him rather than on me.

I found this and thought it was amazing, and yeh perhaps a word which I never use enough, beautiful - but yet it is so simple.

If you have time please please take a look at the presentation by clicking on this - An interview with God, if you dont have time to watch this, just have a wee read through the script below.

Blessings,
Clare

This was a program on channel 4 last year called Child Genius. It showed kids who are, “geniuses”. It’s pretty amazing what some of them can do, especially Mikail Ali who, at the age of three, is the youngest Mensa member ever. Watching the show just a bit makes me a little embarrassed as this kid at 3 can add and subtract four digit numbers far more easily than I have ever been able to. I am worried that it is also far more easily than I will ever be able to! Some of them are even saying into the camera: “well, yes, I am far more intelligent than my parents or teachers.”

Tariq Nelson writes a little more about it here: http://tariqnelson.com/2007/02/09/gifted-and-trying-to-be-normal/

So, how do these parents who aren’t particularly intelligent end up with a super-intelligent child? Though I am not sure about genes and DNA issues around the matter, I am not sure it is possible to attribute the intelligence to genes etc. If anyone has any information to offer on this matter, I’d love to hear about it.

If it is not a matter of inheritance then maybe this is a nurture issue? Is there a certain way to bring up a child so as to encourage their intellectual talent? Can anyone, regardless of their age and social background, have a child who will grow into a “Child Genius.”

I was thinking today about the human need to catagorize things and how many of the greatest thinkers have been those people who have succesfully compartmentalised life. Maybe sometime someone will come up with “10 steps to growing a Child Genius.” If anyone works that out before I do can you please send me the manuscript so that I can read it. Thanks!

Romans twelve (specifically 12:11 today) is one of the few chapters in the bible which deals extensively with the attitudes and characteristics of our Christian life. The idea behind this, and one which I personally strongly adhere to, is that these should be carefully outworked by us in our lives rather than just ‘believed’. Today we will deal with the only one verse in chapter 12 and if you missed the first part on “Worship, Loving and Devotion” then you can check it out here. There will be more to come. Please feel free to share with me what you think on these verses.

Rom 12:11 Don’t be lazy in showing your devotion. Use your energy to serve the Lord.

The Apostle Paul writes so many times about “Zeal” throughout his many letters, and as the Christian Church (I refer to this without denomination, of course!!) it is important that we begin to take heed of these words. He has spoken about the dangers of Zeal previously, in that we must be careful that our zealousness is for good (Gal 4:18) and that also we must avoid zealous Hypocrites, i.e people who looks only for others to enlarge their own ranks and nor the ranks of Christ. It is in this that this very in the book of Romans tells us its true purpose. Therefore zeal should only be used with the sole perspective of serving Christ the Lord.