(S)he that cannot obey cannot command!

I like this Benjamin Franklin saying, but I must admit that obedience and submission don’t come naturally to me… I like getting my own way far too much. Now I'm studying these concepts at Bible College and it’s challenging stuff.

When I was young and my mum told me not to do things, I often did them anyway and learnt the hard way that she was right all along. I now know that she told me not to do them because she wanted the best for me, not (as I thought then) because she wanted my life to be boring. I'm discovering the same thing about God’s commands.

Growing up in a Christian home, I also knew I should obey those in authority: parents, teachers, church leaders and bosses. I publicly did and said the right things (obedience) a lot of the time as a child/adolescent. 

Submission has been harder for me to learn. Often I outwardly did as I was told, but my heart wasn't in it. I complained about things (sometimes to myself, sometimes to others); I obeyed, but I wasn't fully submitted. This is something I'm still working on.

I am discovering, though, that God’s grace (ability) is what makes us able to obey – we don’t have to do it in our own strength (although we do still have to choose to obey). Jesus laid down His will entirely to do the Father’s will, and this is how we should live. I am also starting to realise that we should be obedient because we love God (John 14:15), and that this obedience should be instant and joyful. 

One area I am particularly challenged in is my driving. When I'm behind the wheel I take on my (earthly) father’s personality. I drive too fast, I get angry; I have even been known to swear. I disregard parking notices and speed limits. In short, I disobey the law and by doing so, I put myself and others at risk.

Initially, I laughed this behaviour off, but I soon came to realise that I wasn't just disobeying the law; I was disobeying God. If we disobey the laws of those in authority – who are in fact ordained by God Himself (Romans 13:1) – we disobey the One who is over all. And until we learn to yield to authority, we will never be good leaders ourselves.

I know that with the Holy Spirit’s help I can put off the old (wo)man with her anger, foul language and so on, and allow Him to renew my mind (Colossians 3:8-10). And the more I meditate on the Word and listen to the Spirit, the easier it becomes to obey and to emulate the personality of my Heavenly Father.

Eventually this should become a natural reaction rather than an adopted or forced behaviour. And Bristol’s roads will be all the safer for it!

Read more from Joy in the next issue of Liberti magazine.

Setting boundaries is biblical and liberating!

I’m just about to complete my first semester of Bible School, and it’s already beginning to change my life. One of the modules, in particular, has made me rethink the decisions I make on a daily basis. 

It’s called Boundaries, and its aim is to help people take ownership of their own actions. One of the first principles of this practical and thought-provoking course is learning how to say “NO!” to things. This in itself is a revolutionary concept to me!

I thought I’d share a bit of it with you to get you thinking about where the boundaries lie in your own life. I’m sure we could all do with ‘fixing up the fences’ around our ‘properties’ (bodies, minds and hearts) and making sure we protect ourselves from the many people and things that want to invade our space each day. So here are some of the basic principles…

A boundary is a personal property line defining where a property begins and ends. We are called to set physical, emotional and spiritual boundaries; distinguishing what belongs to us and what we are responsible for (Galatians 6:5-8). Establishing boundaries is about setting limits that protect us from harm, maintain order and help us to not to “stray” from (violate the boundaries of) God’s commands (Psalm 119:20-24).

God introduced boundaries right from creation (darkness/light, land/sea) and gave Adam and Eve clear boundaries (rules and responsibilities) in the Garden of Eden. Jesus had boundaries: He only ever did what the Father had instructed Him to do (John 5:19) and He often introduced physical boundaries between Himself and others when He withdrew to pray. Jesus says: “I stand at the door, and knock” (Revelation 3:20). He never invades our space without permission.

Boundaries define what we are personally responsible for and help us fulfil our God-given purpose. They also allow us to say no to things without feeling guilty. They prevent us from having our property (time/values/relationships) invaded or corrupted (2 Peter 1:2-4). They enable us to guard our hearts, minds and bodies (1 Peter 1:13), which are temples of the Holy Spirit (1 Corinthians 6:19). Failure to protect and maintain our boundaries can lead to sin and the consequences of this sin.

Boundaries give us control and true freedom (John 8:32). They allow us to choose how to respond to provocation and offence. Effective boundaries help us to remain sin (“trespass”) free, which means we don’t hurt others or encroach on their property. Boundaries guard our “treasure” but allow us to live in communion with God and others, giving us the freedom to choose life or death (Deuteronomy 30:16-19; Romans 8:13). Ultimately, boundaries help us to become more Christlike.

If you are continually saying “yes” to people, when really you mean “no” or “maybe”, or you allow people to walk all over your life rules and values, I’d encourage you to take a Boundaries course or to read Boundaries by Dr Henry Cloud and Dr John Townsend. The principles are simple and it’s surprisingly liberating.

Read more from Joy in the next issue of Liberti magazine.

What’s in a word?

The beautiful Mary Alessi

I’ve always been a bit of a word geek; in fact a perfect evening for me would be a Scrabblathon with a hefty serving of chocolate on the side…

But what fascinates me most is the way we may think we understand a word for decades and then realise it might actually mean the complete opposite.

One example of this is the word “shadow” or, more specifically, “overshadow”. These words have always spoken of darkness, danger and domination to me.

And I believed the Bible backed up this view:

• 1 Chronicles 29:15b and Job 8:9: “Our days on earth are like a shadow, without hope.”
• Psalm 11:2: “The wicked bend their bows; they set their arrows against the strings to shoot from the shadows at the upright in heart.”
• Isaiah 59:9b: “We look for light, but all is darkness; for brightness, but we walk in deep shadows.
• Psalm 23:4 speaks of “the valley of the shadow of death”, while Job 16:16 talks about “dark shadows” around the afflicted man’s eyes and James 1:17 says that God is not changeable like “shifting shadows”.

So shadows are bad, right?

Well actually, I was overwhelmed by the number of positive references I found:

• Isaiah 32:2: “Each one will be like a shelter from the wind and a refuge from the storm, like streams of water in the desert and the shadow of a great rock in a thirsty land.” Isaiah makes several references to being hidden/covered in the shadow of God’s hand.
• Acts 5:15: “As a result, people brought the sick into the streets and laid them on beds and mats so that at least Peter’s shadow might fall on some of them as he passed by.”
• And of course there are many references to being hidden in the shadow of God’s wings in Psalms.

Okay, so “shadow” is a little hazy (excuse the pun), but “overshadow” can’t possibly be positive – can it? This is how the dictionary defines it: “To cast a shadow over; darken or obscure” and “to make insignificant by comparison; dominate”. Case closed, then.

Well, that’s not the way the Bible uses the word. American songwriter and worship leader Mary Alessi points out that the two key instances of the word – just prior to Jesus’ conception and at His transfiguration – are incredibly positive:

• Luke 1:35: “The angel replied [to Mary]: ‘The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the baby to be born will be holy, and he will be called the Son of God.’”
• Mark 9:7: “And there was a cloud that overshadowed them: and a voice came out of the cloud, saying, ‘This is my beloved Son: hear him.’”

 I also found the following great usages of the word, and I’m sure there are others (please feel free to add these in the comments below):

• 1 Kings 8:7: “The cherubim spread their wings over the place of the ark and overshadowed the ark and its carrying poles.”
• Ezekiel 31:3: “Consider Assyria, once a cedar in Lebanon, with beautiful branches overshadowing the forest; it towered on high, its top above the thick foliage.”

As Mary Alessi explains, it is the source of the shadow that makes the difference. If our ‘source’ is in or of the world, we are likely to end up feeling insignificant and defeated when we are overshadowed. But God’s overshadowing represents his presence, his protection and the pleasure he takes in our growth and success.

  

Read more from Joy in the upcoming issue of Liberti magazine.

The Christian camps that are “brainwashing” our kids

Soul Survivor 2011 courtesy of River Methodist Church

As a regular Guardian reader, I was surprised to see an article called “Christian teen camps are wicked, innit” (August 2011) on the paper’s website.

Although cleverly written, this piece reveals Thomas Prosser’s ignorance and prejudice, and is typical of our generation’s tolerance for anything apart from Christian values.

The general gist of the article is that Christian camp organisers are using teen lingo and exploitative techniques to brainwash kids into believing the (clearly nonsensical) views that millions of people around the world hold.

I went to Christian camps every summer as a teenager and they were the highlight of my year. I made a lifelong friend the very first year and we met up at camp each year after that for about six years. We’re still in touch now.

There were no secret agendas about these camps: they were advertised as Christian camps and I wasn’t surprised to find there was some mention of Christianity when I got there. If you went to a pop concert and ended up watching a strip show, you’d be a little surprised to say the least (or perhaps not so much these days).

Prosser describes Soul Survivor sermons as “wild orations that aim to wear down the resistance of the audience to the message”. He claims: “Videos designed to whip up the emotional temperature of the audience are shown, and fervid calls for youngsters to accept Christ are made.” He adds that “hypnotic music typically sounds out in subdued lighting as youngsters are urged to come to the front and give their lives to Christ”.

I’m pretty sure Prosser’s never actually been to the camp. What makes the music “hypnotic”? Is there anything inherently evil about rooms with dimmed lighting? Should we stop our kids from watching videos that have an emotional impact on them and force them to watch reality TV drivel instead?

I found it deeply ironic that the article – deriding the underlying “manipulation” of Christian “yoof lingo” – used such overtly anti-Christian language. Was this Prosser’s ploy to “brainwash” Guardian readers into rejecting Bible teachings? Let’s just hope his audience is more discerning than he thinks our youngsters are.

Prosser continues by saying: “None of any of this is fair to teens: young people have a right to choose their religious beliefs without being subjected to strategies that emotionally exploit them.”

Do you know many teens who agree to do things they don’t want to do? Isn’t he patronising and undermining the intelligence of our youngsters, who have probably given the issues considerable thought before making a decision one way or the other. That was certainly my experience.

I fundamentally disagree with Prosser’s assertion that “giving one's heart to Christ can alas be done in a fit of absence of mind”. How could he possibly know that? I agree that it can be a spontaneous decision, but becoming a Christian isn’t just about saying “pledging allegiance to Christ” at a specific moment; it’s about deciding whether to follow Him for the rest of your life. This choice is theirs long after the camp ends.

The article stipulates that “Christianity's most controversial doctrines are given a full airing at the camps”. This is probably true. We discussed a huge range of topics including human suffering, racism, evolution, who Jesus was, sex before marriage, the gifts of the Holy Spirit, physical healing… You name it, we talked about it.

But these discussions were open, interactive debates and questions/challenges to doctrine were actively encouraged. It gave us the opportunity to talk about things we might have been afraid to talk about with our parents or friends. And backed up with Bible teachings, the “wickedness” of these principles should probably be taken up with God himself.

Finally, while a lot of my friends were trying out drugs, sleeping around and messing about with Ouija boards, I was learning to jet ski, having a go at archery and horseriding, playing outdoor games, having gala dinners, taking part in music, craft and drama workshops, and most of all, having a LOT of fun.

I scrolled down to read the comments below the article, and sadly, the majority of respondents agreed with Prosser’s bigoted generalisations. “Most sensible people realise that religion is a crock of shit when they hit puberty,” says one. “Anyone uncool enough to sign up for such an embarrassing dickwit fest deserves all they get,” says another.

It’s a shame Christianity is seen by many as something that only the gullible, educationally subnormal and under-10s could possibly take seriously. Would these people have the guts to say the same about Islam or Judaism?

One that made me laugh, though, said: “The thuggery of those Christians over the past few days as they've been rioting, torching buildings, looting and mugging has been beyond contempt. My comment is of course not serious, Thomas Prosser, because I guess your article is not serious.”

I’ll leave Liberti editor Bekah Legg to have the last word on this as she has actually been to the festival and has therefore earned the right to comment.

“I went quite cautious, if I'm honest, but have been thoroughly impressed by all they do,” she says. “I take a group of about 60 kids and watch them grow before my eyes.

“It's an opportunity for them to hear great teaching, participate in great worship, encounter the Holy Spirit in a safe environment where there is no pressure or manipulation and above all I think it is just amazing to be part of a group of 10,000 people and realise that there are a lot more Christians out there.

“I've seen a lot of kids’ lives turned around.”

I don’t have children (yet) but when I do, I think I’ll run the risk of them encountering darkened rooms and "hypnotic" music than allowing them to do the things most teenagers are doing these days. Ok, rant over!