Be Encourage-able

I have been thinking a lot recently about William Wilberforce as not only is it his anniversary but also he is the theme of my Lent course. One thing though is that quickly pointed out is that William did not work alone but was part of a group, called the Clapham Sect. These people all shared the same thoughts about slavery but only one of them could represent that opinion in parliament. A task at some times I'm sure he would rather not have had to do.

That's a fact, we are often faced with tasks we would rather not do. Going to the dentist, confronting an awkward individual or visiting a disliked relative. Just today I bumped my car into a parked car and caused some damage. All my fault and also my job to tell the owner. How much I would have liked to dodge that little job. Just be cause the right thing needs to be done does not mean that we want to do it. We're not all superheroes.

The truth is that we need support and encouragement. It's a part of the human mentality it's why we need friends and family and usually hate being alone. Wilberforce was encouraged by the Clapham sect and strengthened in his task which he saw through to the very end. If you are part of a church then you should be in a community of like minded people and everyone in that community should be attempting to support and encourage one another. This may be in small ways or huge ways, a smile and a nod or helping someone recover from an illness. We all have different skills and abilities and are all different parts of Christ's body on Earth. That's what a church essentially is.

So accept this and try two things this Lent. First encourage and support the people around you in what they are trying to do and be encouraged by the efforts of others trying to help you. Then empowered by love you may well achieve far more than you ever felt possible. In short be encourage - able.

Peace Dave

Bible Temptation

I listened to a priest preaching last night about Jesus being tempted during his time in the wilderness. The sermon centred on the fact that Jesus countered the Devil with quotes of scripture that he had obviously memorised. Thus the literal word of God was used to defeat the Devil. The priest then went on to talk about us and the constant temptation coming our way in life. His suggestion was that we should keep a constant contact with the bible and attempt to actually learn passages by heart so that we could as we felt necessary use them to fend off temptations.
What I started to feel was the general lack of bible knowledge that I have ( what many call scripture) let alone how much I could actually call upon for a specific purpose. Like many Christians I have read the Bible in bite size chunks for ages and listen to epistles and readings regularly at church. What I don't do is memorise it. To illustrate my point tell some one a story from the bible ( any story) without referring to the bible while you do it.
In our culture we don't remember things in detail, probably because there is just too much to know. But this got me thinking just how close are we to the knowledge in the bible and how do we apply it in daily life if we don't know it well. Thinking of William Wilberforce and my Lent course, I wonder how well he knew his bible and how many times he had to go scuttling off to read up on the fine print when he arguing about slavery.
I suspect his knowledge of the bible was better than mine. I also think that the priest has a rel event point we should be far more aware of the knowledge in the bible and far more able to apply it, even to the point of utilising specific pieces to ward off temptations. The Bible is our resource after all. I suggest that you make a little time this Lent to read and digest something from the bible. See how well you can remember it, maybe surprise someone you know with a bible story - they might like it.

Peace Dave.

Good Opportunity

There is a lot of talk about slavery at the moment, partly because it is the anniversary of William Wilberforce and partly because slavery has not completely stopped. The Lent course that I have signed up to looks at the underlying Christian values that Mr William Wilberforce adhered to and asks can we make use of them today as Christians ourselves. For those of you that don't know William Wilberforce is credited with changing the political opinions of the British Empire about slavery. Certainly in his time he stood up and said some radical things that definitely went against the grain of the times.
It would have been all too easy for Wilberforce to have sat back and accepted things as they were, as many of his contemporaries must have done. Many others may have agreed with him but never had the opportunities that Wilberforce had to make change. Straight away there's a lesson, you can only do what you can do. Not every Christian can be Mother Theresa or William Wilberforce, you can only do what you can do. That's not a cop out though or an excuse either. What you can do, you should do and do with all your heart. Everyone is blessed with their own talents and abilities, all that is required is the right opportunity. This Lent try to be open to opportunities, what ever they may be and when ever they occur, then challenge yourself to do something good.

Peace Dave

Proper Start

Lent can be a bit like New Year, you make promises to yourself - and sometimes to others. Plans always seem easy, it's when you begin to do the things you plan that reality kicks in. Change can be awkward to manage simply because it is change, you need to make room for it.
So today I have steeled myself and began as I intend to carry on. No great secret, just determination and effort. It may sound dramatic but it's the only alternative to the ever present easy options that surround me. No amount of groups or books will help me if I will not help myself first. Many of the people that Jesus met personally had suddenly realised that they had deep needs and had chosen to do something about it.
Every journey starts - if it ever starts - with a first footstep. Many people though never take the first step, finding change just too hard. The good news is that the next step is easier and with each passing step the journey gets shorter. So if you are sitting on the fence reading this hop off and walk along with me on my journey this Lent, I would relish the company.

Peace Dave.