a discovery of disconnect

You know, sometimes this faith I say I have feels more like a desperate hope than something certain. When I get like this I know that the solution is to push on regardless. So I pick up my Bible and I read, but after nearly every sentence the cynic inside me is shouting “why?”, “how?”, “what if…?”

I want the Bible to be true, even if I cannot explain every part of it. What’s more, I’ve not been convinced by any other explanation as to life, the universe and everything (great phrase by Douglas Adams). So, my head tells me that the teachings of Jesus are true, and I believe those teachings. But lately there has been this disconnect between my head and my “heart”. It’s like the relational dynamic between God and me has been weakened.

And as I type I think I’ve discovered why. (Journalling is great!) My praying has dried up recently. I know I should give more time to God than five minutes before I fall asleep, so I don’t pray then. But I’m so busy at other times of the day that I run out of time to pray. The regular reader will know that I have long-struggled with prayer, but that’s no excuse. I’m glad the regular church activities are on again, like Elevation and SGM, because in those places I’ll get to pray.

I had a friend round last night. It was a good night: we tried the new Chinese place in town, watched a movie and then chatted until the wee small hours. At the end of the night I felt closer to her than I did at the start of the night. But the reason wasn’t the food (which was great) or the movie (which was great), it was because we just sat chatting after. Now, initially we just talked about her cats and the movie, but then we moved on to other things. Talking about these other, more serious, things brought us closer together as friends.

The same is true with God, right? To have the relationship, we need to spend time with Him. But if I want a relationship that brings me closer to Him, then I need to talk to Him… and not about the cats or the movie, but about the serious things in my life. I need to open up and lay it all out before Him.

That takes time, yes, but it also brings peace. I want to connect again.

islam in the Christian church

Do you remember recently when the Pope quoted Emperor Manual II Paleologos of the Byzantine Empire (14th Century)? The Emperor’s words were: “Show me just what Muhammad brought that was new and there you will find things only evil and inhuman, such as his command to spread by the sword the faith he preached.”

Now I do not want to comment on the political correctness, tact or validity of the quote; rather, I want to briefly mention words I heard a London Imam speak while being interviewed on BBC Radio Ulster. (I’m afraid most of the detail has left my memory, including the Imam’s name, but I vividly remember this thought he voiced.)

The interviewer asked a standard question of the Imam: what do you want to happen now? The Imam, predictably, demanded a full apology of the Pope but then went further to say that he wanted a change in teaching in Christain churches, seminaries, Bible colleges, etc. He wanted Islam to be taught to Christian people the same way Judaism and Christianity were taught; he wanted Islam to be recognised as a valid religion in the eyes of Jewish and Christian teachers and to be taught as such. He then said a rather terrifying thing: “Until this is so there will never be peace”.

Is Islam a valid religion? Yes. Is Islam a way to God, a means of salvation, divinely given instruction? No. And I’m pretty sure that the Imam wanted Islam portrayed as a way to God, rather than just a collection of ancient texts, rituals and traditions.

There can never be an agreement here. Christians and Messianic Jews believe that Jesus is the only way. Islam teaches that Jesus was merely a prophet and that getting to heaven is more about how we act in this life and then whether or not Allah chooses us for heaven. To teach both as truth is relativism (and implicitly labels Christ a liar). Relativism is a self-defeating philosophy and cannot be successfully argued.

Doesn’t that London Imam see this? It really frustrates me how mistaken some people can be… and these people are almost always in influencial positions. God help us!

finished: red moon rising

I’ve finished reading Red Moon Rising and I loved it. I also read 24-7 Prayer Manual by the same author, which is really just a shorter version of Red Moon Rising and has a lot less back-story and a lot more practical advice/tips on starting and running your own prayer room. Both books stirred something in me and have got me thinking about the use of sustained prayer in the context of my home church, youth group and the local area. I was pleasantly surprised to learn that JD has also read Red Moon Rising and has been thinking about the potential for a prayer room. Exciting times!