Tuesday, 10 July 2012
Tuesday, 3 July 2012
Prodigal 3
What would Jesus Say to a Banker?
// references to parallel passages ‘scattered’ over the page design for people to check out Matthew 13:44-46, Matthew 6:19-24, Mark 10:17-31//
So imagine the scene; Jesus and his mate John have accepted an invitation to a wealthy banker’s home. They have enjoyed a nice meal and as the evening draws to a close Jesus gets the chance to get to know his host a little better.
“So how’s business Dave?”
“I can’t complain” he replies with polished manners.
Jesus continues “Tell me, what return did you make last year?”
Dave beams “Well one of my investments made 30% - my bonus was 6 figures!”.
Jesus looks impressed “That’s a lot of money – Is there anything more you could long for?”
Dave recoils slightly; he has been ambushed like this before – and who is this Jesus anyway? He is just about to launch into a defence when Jesus cuts in:
“What’s it all for? You’re a smart guy; you invest your whole life into work: what does your return look like. You have lovely things but is that enough?”
Dave still fears the net closing in, but senses some compassion in Jesus voice and thinks for a moment before replying.
“Everyone wonders what they would do if they had millions of pounds and I have been fortunate enough to find out. People hate me for it though, to be honest, it’s not as good as you’d hope. I carry on working to pull off the big trades, build and maintain my reputation and to spar with the other players. It’s not about achieving a dream anymore…”, Dave’s visible enthusiasm for his subject deflates as he sees a profound sadness creep over Jesus face.
“Dave - What would you do if your work was taken away from you? Be it recession, ruthless competitors, unscrupulous employees, your health or simple bad luck. You have sold your soul to your work and have made a good living from it but what if that dream you speak of really does exist and was within your grasp, that thing that, were everything else taken from you, would still satisfy your soul”.
Dave’s mind raced. Was it Jesus who was out of his mind? Or was it he who had spent his entire life blind to what life was all about. Uncharacteristically lost he asks “What would I have to do to find life?”
Without a breath Jesus answered “Sell everything you own, give it to those who need it most, and come spend time with me”.
Now Jesus shows his true colours! Dave rolls his eyes and allows another guest to grab his attention.
John takes Jesus to one side and asks why Dave must give everything away? “The issue is not work or money it’s about perspective, and who / what your god is. Dave has given up searching for what is special, infinite and eternal and has settled for what is here and now - the sad thing is that there is so much more and its close”
As Dave waved his guests goodbye, he smiled seeing Jesus leave. There was something about this man and the things he says. Dave knew his life wasn’t perfect but could one man have the answer to ultimate fulfilment?
Who Is Pulling Your Strings?
“It must be true I saw it on telly”. When we hear a statement like that we are often tempted to laugh contemptuously at the naivety of someone who thinks the media tell the truth. We like to think we are not so easily swayed. But is that really the case? What do we base our opinions and beliefs on?
Most people like to think they arrive at their opinions based on facts and an understanding of the situation. But often this isn’t actually true; in fact our opinions are, at least in part, formed by the cultural messages around us – a key source of these being television. Al Bandura was the first to experiment with the idea that what we see on television affects us. Although today many consider his research somewhat unsophisticated, it is so influential that the United Nations spend a considerable amount of money; producing their own soap operas for the developing world that have sub-plots around hygiene, sexual health and domestic violence. These have been incredibly effective in changing attitudes in the nations where they have been broadcast.
So where does that leave us? Are we so sophisticated that these things have no effect on us – or is it possible that they do - but we just don’t realise it?
Perhaps it even affects our attitude to and beliefs about, the Bible and the Christian faith. People who have never opened a Bible have very definite views about its content and reliability. But what is this based on? Few of us have done any serious research; instead we trust TV documentaries and “experts” we read in the media.
Is it possible that the truth is different from the message we have heard? Could it be true that there is a vast amount of archaeological evidence for the reliability of the Bible we simply have not heard about? Is it possible that real life Christians are not like the judgemental, dull, or sexually repressed figures portrayed in episode after episode of our favourite soap and TV detective series? Perhaps it’s time for you to find out and discover who is really pulling your strings?
//Title: Incredibly Debt Free
//Quotes (for cutout boxes etc.)
www.capuk.org
Money Saving Expert Martin Lewis, Jeremy Vine – BBC2 Friday May 13, 2011:
“I am not worthy of Christians Against Poverty. It is an amazing organisation that comes to people’s homes and they will do many more hours than other organisations.”
Without CAP
37% considered or attempted suicide
78% said that debt affected their health negatively. 57% of all clients visited a GP as a result of debt and 74% of these people were prescribed medication.
With CAP
94% said our service was 'life transforming' or 'a great help'
//Article 562 words
The fact that average households now owe more than £15,000 in loans may not surprise you but did you know that this debt is caused mostly not by overspending and credit cards but changes in circumstances e.g. job loss, relationship breakdown, illness or bereavement. John Kirkby founder of Christians Against Poverty (CAP) comments “When you haven't got a lot to start with, it takes very little to throw your finances into crisis and it is up to all of us to make sure that even when times are hard, we don't give up helping those who struggle to achieve the most basic standard of living.”
CAP currently has 190 centres across the UK, including Canterbury, where it partners its financial know-how with the care of the local church. Our local branch based at Vineyard Church is head up by a friend to many at Barton church, Wendy Morrell, who heard about the organisation from a someone who had been helping out as a support worker in another centre in Folkestone. Wendy completed her training in October 2011 and is now spending 2 days a week offering debt coaching to those struggling in the CT1 – 4 district. She is the vital link in helping her clients follow the tried and tested CAP programme which goes something like this:
1 Home visit
Calls to CAP’s Freephone number 0800 328 0006, are assigned to local case workers. Wendy and a Support Worker visit their new client in their own home to find out the details of the debt problems. Once the client signs up they are given a card which obliges all debt collectors to deal direct with CAP from then on.
2 An effective budget
In a couple of weeks Wendy returns with a realistic budget worked out at CAP HQ that prioritises the essential bills. The HQ team also negotiates affordable payments with each creditor and stops unfair interest and charges where possible. She and the support worker also try to deal with immediate problems to get their client back on their feet.
3 CAP Account
Each client opens a simple bank account which is used to pay regular bills and debts. Weekly or monthly payments go into this account and CAP then distributes the money to the various creditors on their client’s behalf. Clients can also make savings in their CAP Account.
4. Severe Debt
After negotiating with all creditors a final debt figure is worked out. Based on the budget CAP workout how long it will take to become debt free. In most cases this will be less than 7 years but in some cases CAP must advise insolvency options, such as petitioning for bankruptcy. They help fill out all the forms and even attend court with their client.
5. Debt free
Wendy and the support worker stay in touch right through to becoming debt free and the CAP organisation have resources and incentives to keep their clients on track - 88% do eventually make it.
Talking to Wendy about this project was a real privilege. We all know that there are 1,000s of people out there who have real debt problems but I was thrilled to find out about a local church that has such a professional effective tool to tackle debt and all its debilitating consequences.
2 TRANSFORMED PEOPLE: The Gospel continuously transforms our lives from the inside out.
The bits most people know about Christianity are the 10 Commandments, Heaven and Hell; the dos and don’ts and final judgement. This is a very important because it shows the way God looks at us if we stay as we are. Simply put: here is a perfect standard – how do you measure up? If we are honest we have to admit that none of us are perfect and we would end up polluting a perfect world if we went there.
Christianity offers the solution to this problem. The first step is to deal with our failure to live up to this perfect standard (something the bible calls sin) which was explained in our last edition; thereafter it is all about our transformation. This transformation is not a series of sacred steps but an incredible alliance where God is actively working in us to change us, now in part, but at last in full in the future.
God is so much bigger than an official scorekeeper on planet Earth. The bible teaches that humans are the pride of his creation and that he designed them in such a way that they could represent something of who he is. This is an amazing statement and explains why God’s plan for us extends beyond simply getting us to heaven one way or another. God wants to change our heart and out of this new heart change our whole person, our families and the community we are part of.
In practice this means that God wants to be involved in every aspect of our life and gives us the power and conviction to follow a very different set of values. On the surface these appear a very old fashioned set of rules but if you look more closely these are Christians’ best efforts to demonstrate her and now the future we all look forward to.
//Anonymous Testimony
I became a Christian aged 7 whilst growing up in a stable middle class family. However, my family life unravelled in my teens when my brother developed a serious illness and I, various neuroses such as phobias, obsessive/ compulsive disorder, and eventually anorexia and depression. My father also had an affair and divorced my mother. So when I left school at 18 I was unhappy, unconfident and very confused.
I found I could escape by throwing myself into my studies and, having done well at school, earned a place to study veterinary science at University. It turned out that after just 6 months I suffered a breakdown. I tried again the following year, this time studying BSC Dietetics (with all the other anorexic sufferers), and to begin with I fared much better but by the end of the year the depression and anorexia had returned. This was a very low point in my life but became a turning point. I wanted to change and finally prayed to God promising I would do anything if only he would make me whole again. Despite believing in God and going to church I had never before relied on God for anything that really mattered.
In a strange turn of events, during a Nursing interview, the Matron recommended hospitalisation! Within 2 weeks I was admitted to a mental hospital where I stayed for 3 months. This proved to be the right place for me at the time. I could no longer pretend I was ok and was given the time to face the turmoil within me. The outward symptoms of anorexia are the tip of the iceberg, and just a method of coping with the underlying problems. Not eating and seeking thinness helped me cope better with the world around me. In hospital for the first time I began to face my fear of the unpredictability of life and my lack of identity.
I abandoned my prior ambitions and took to just studying the Bible. I wanted to find out what God thought about the world and about me? What He like, and what did He expect of me? One verse that kept coming back to me was “Trust in the lord with all your heart, lean not on your own understanding, in all your ways acknowledge him and he will make your path straight”. (Proverbs 3vs 5-8) When civil unrest in the country caused the hospitals to free up beds, in case of casualties I left and found a job at a pre-school. I had never worked with children before but there discovered that children’s’ happy spontaneity lifted my spirits and really helped my depression. After the first week the headmistress handed me a note and on it was written that familiar verse, ‘Trust in the Lord with all your heart, lean not on your own understanding’
During this period I made some real progress with my underlying issues, so much so that I returned to university and this time studied Agriculture. As the year progressed, I realised I was not well enough to study and so decided the upcoming annual Agricultural ball would be my final farewell to university. Little did I know at the time, that the man I went to the ball with would become my husband.
Today I am free of anorexia and manage my depression through medication and exercise though I am still learning. It has taken over 30 years to get to this point but throughout I have found God to be trustworthy, faithful and true. I have tried to build my identity on Jesus, and in faith believe I am valuable because He loves me. I have discovered that the bible is food for the soul and prayer can change your perspective. I have been given a purpose, which is to love and serve God and others. When I mess up, in faith I know that God forgives me, and although my best is not very good even in my eyes, He accepts it.
God has blessed me in so many ways, through my children, my husband and my church. My children showed me that freedom comes when you love and care for others more than for yourself. When you love this way, you feel alive. My husband has been vital in my healing: our relationship has been difficult at times but he has remained faithful, loyal and loving through all our challenges. I could never have learnt to accept myself without his acceptance – he has been God’s hands and feet here on earth illustrating God’s faithfulness and love. I always loved going to church as a child and now as an adult I have come to see that a church community where you can receive inspiration, support, care and love is vital. I am very grateful to my family at Barton Evangelical Church.
Ask, and it will be given to you
seek, and you will find;
knock, and it will be open to you.
For everyone who asks receives,
the one who seeks finds,
and to the one who knocks it will be opened.
(Matthew 7:7,8)
Member of Barton Church