Let your life do the talking

I love words. I love words individually and in ordered sequences. I love words in different fonts, different sizes and different colours. I love words from lip and pen (or keyboard). I love words like ‘snozzcumber’ and ‘erudite’  in equal measure. I just love words.

But I don’t love words in and of themselves because, as such, they are without impact or meaning. I love them because of the messages that they convey when crafted and woven together.

I particularly love the truth, wisdom and irony of this collection:

Just a set of words but so ingeniously crafted.

I’ve been thinking about this rather a lot of late. What is it that matters most – words or actions? Preaching or practice? Belief or behaviour?

It’s only my opinion but I believe that the faith that you proclaim, the words that you spout, the principles that you hold count for nothing if your behaviour is not utterly and ultimately shaped and defined by them.

Moreover, should your lips and your life not match up (or, God forbid, contradict one another) then best not even to speak of your position at all.

Note to self: Always…always… let your life do the talking.

Wild and simple

I have often wondered if those of you who glance at (or read) this blog would, if asked, say that you consider me to be ‘religious’? I often wonder how you guys respond and react to what I write, if you even engage at all, if the mention of God or the Bible switches you off. I wonder if anyone has ever held a conversation in which they have said of me ‘she’s quite religious you know’. I guess it bothers me a bit…no, a lot!

I wonder and I bother because the absolute truth is that I am not religious at all… and yet I seem to be the writer of a blog that mentions God quite often…so you would be forgiven for assuming that I am!

Those who know me well would know that I am not one for simply accepting and I don’t really conform. I am actually not a fan of religion. I’m not always comfortable with the label ‘Christian’ because it is assumptive and defining in ways in which I really cannot be defined. I am too questioning and more filled with uncertainty than I am with assurance, I am extremely open-minded and probably categorised as rather ‘liberal’ in my views. I read and read and read and, in so doing, collect a new stepping stone to lay one place in front of me, or sometimes to the side (or even behind), enabling me to take the next step on my path.

I feel that honesty is exceptionally important and is something that we are often too afraid of for fear of being condemned. So, if I am honest there are times when I think it’s all a big mistake; times when I wonder if my inclination towards God is just my family tradition and upbringing, times when there seems to be a complete emptiness when I pray, times when I just cannot believe that Jesus was truly the Son of God and all that that entails, times when I don’t believe that there is anything beyond this life…and so on…

That is my truth: I am far from certain but I am searching. I am a person of questioning faith. My example and saviour is Jesus. I really feel that that needs to be said!

But because I am one who ponders, thinks and discusses the issue readily when it is opportune, I have always, wrongly, been considered somewhat devoutly religious. As a teenager my nickname at school was ‘Jesus’! It made me feel very separate and misunderstood. Proud of the name but not of the ‘she’s religious’ connotations.

I know I’ve mentioned this before but, of late I have developed a bit of a crush on Bear Grylls. I am drawn to his charisma, his strength, his courage and his values. I’ve watched him on TV a fair bit lately and I love the way that he listens a great deal and speaks hardly at all. I identify with him in being comfortable in his field but very shy outside of it. I love that he oozes a strength from within and that he knows who he is and what he’s about. He’s fun-loving but extremely serious. I’d love to grab life the way that he does! He takes calculated risks, which I am trying to emulate…not least here!

I’ve read a little about him and discovered this fascinating old article at http://www.relevantmagazine.com/culture/tv/features/22088-the-wild-faith-of-bear-grylls and recommend you read it.

I totally identify with Bear’s ‘wild and simple faith’. I think that religious people get far too caught up on debating the whys and wherefores and minor details of religion: I think that if the little details and intricacies were so vital to the process Jesus would have made it unquestionably clear. What Jesus did make unquestionably clear was ‘Love one another as I have loved you.’

For me it’s not about arguing over the correctness of things, it’s about exactly what Bear says. It’s about home, about being loved, about having a backbone of strength running through you, about developing a relationship with a father.

He says, “What does it mean? It’s about being strengthened. It’s about having a backbone run through you from the Person who made you. It’s about being able to climb the biggest mountains in the world with the Person who made them. ”
Grylls says there was something comforting about realizing Jesus wasn’t all about religion—that Jesus was, in fact, “the least religious person you’ll meet. Christianity is not about religion, it’s about faith.”

As we approach Easter Sunday, I just feel very aware that I have acquired readers from all walks of life and that clarity is rather important. I mention God often simply because I think about God often (my blogs are never pre-planned), it runs through and out of me. But I am not religious and I don’t want to close any doors by leaving that unsaid.

I will be found in church tomorrow celebrating the resurrection that follows the crucifixion of Jesus. I will be expressing my gratitude for a love that will not let me go and for a price paid on my behalf, it will remain my backbone. But I will still be full of questions, I will still be searching for a better understanding of how it works, I will still be confused and frustrated at my inability to grasp any of it.

But I’m not religious you know. I’m an explorer of the armchair sort. It may seem complicated but mine is a pretty wild and simple faith too. One step at a time.

Ted Bear

Today’s 40 Acts contribution was from Bear Grylls. I have a great admiration for Bear…and not only because he’s a rather attractive testosterone-pumped, alpha male!

I admire his openness about his Christian faith and I love that he attributes his strength to the ‘God-given fire within’. I also love that his whole life and success is rooted in his determination to live well outside of his comfort zone. One could argue that this is the overall basis of the notion of ’40 acts’. It is an external prompt to perform a daily act that sits outside of our comfort zone:  Saying thank you publicly, making a generous gesture, speaking to someone who we don’t really know etc etc. Basically, deciding to act boldly even when we are nervous and unsure of the response.

I like to watch Ted talks and, if you have never heard of them, I highly recommend that you have a browse of http://www.ted.com/talks. This mention fits in quite nicely here because Bear derives his now famous nickname from the fact that his actual name is Edward. His sister called him Teddy which led on to ‘Bear’…and history was made!

I also mention it because I recently watched a talk given by Amy Cuddy who is a social psychologist. https://www.ted.com/speakers/amy_cuddy

I love studying body language and so I was naturally drawn to this talk. She asks viewers to share the following information with as many people as they can in the hope that it will improve their life outcomes.

In short, she was an academic high achiever until she suffered a head injury. She beat the odds to return to her studies but found it extremely difficult to overcome her crippling lack of confidence. She feels fortunate that she was mentored by someone who told her to ‘fake it until you become it’, which is exactly what she did. She conducted a bonafide scientific study into the effects of body language and discovered that adopting a dominant pose prior to facing an intimidating action produced astoundingly positive results, whereas adopting a diminutive pose produced astoundingly negative results. She found that candidates who posed for only 2 minutes with their feet slightly apart and hands on their hips prior to an interview were successful in every case over candidates who adopted a diminishing pose. She further discovered that saliva swabs revealed that those 2 minutes with hands on hips resulted in a decreased level of cortisol (stress hormone) and an increased level of testosterone (strength hormone) and the opposite response was seen in the other case!

She wants people to learn to ‘fake it until you become it’.

To a point Bear Grylls endorses the same approach when he takes celebrities out into the wilds on survival missions. Mostly they are terrified but they have great faith in the man himself. He always adopts a dominant pose and he tells them to do the same. He tells them to feel the fear and do it anyway, he tells them that they can survive when they embrace their ‘discomfort zone’! And, it seems to me, that they do!

I recommend Ted talks. I recommend a glance at Bear’s talk on today’s 40 Acts webpage. I recommend faking it until you become it in the hope that it will enable each of us to step out of our comfort zones into acts of kindness, generosity and love.

http://www.40acts.org.uk/the-challenge/fix-up-look-sharp/

Inspiration

So, in my last posting I mentioned that I would return to ‘Tenth Avenue North’, my favourite band. For anyone who is interested in finding out more for yourself, their website is http://www.tenthavenuenorth.com. Fancy that!

It’s a Christian band headed up by a frankly amazing guy called Mike Donehey. Mike is not only a gifted singer/songwriter, he is also the most inspired lyricist. On the webpage he adds short video journals in which he does what I am maybe attempting to do on here; sharing and exploring ideas (except that he does it superbly!) His videos have caused me to do more real, deep thinking about my life and beliefs than anything has ever done before. He’s honest and brave in what he addresses and what he wishes to say. He is a properly gifted communicator.

His story of how he came to do what he does is fascinating.

I particularly love the fact that he recognises the need to ensure that he does not become the star of the show, something which many well-known ‘ministers’ slowly lose sight of!

I have come to realise that music is key to my faith. I very much miss being involved in the musical part of worship. I need to find a choir because I miss it SO very much. When I cannot access the emotional, when I cannot access the heart of my faith or the depths of my soul, music will always get me there!

I am a musician, or maybe I should really say that I was, because I don’t get much chance anymore. I used to love to tinkle away on the piano (as long as no one else was listening), but mostly I have often contacted my soul through song.

Being raised in The Salvation Army from birth means that I cannot remember a time in my life when I didn’t sing. In fact, one of my earliest memories is of sitting astride my mother’s lap, at the back of the army hall, with my cheek nestled against the serge of her tunic listening to the thoracic vibrations of her singing. The sounds rising from deep within her soul. So comforting.

I am aware that there is an enormous amount of singing in our house…and car. Our boys have sung since they could babble, and we to them. We listen to lots of music but we often listen (and sing along with) Tenth Avenue North in the car. I delight in hearing my 4 and 7 year old singing (as they did when they were 2 and 4) “Oh, Father won’t you forgive them, they don’t know what they are doing!” at full volume. “This is where the healing begins. When you come to where you’re broken within, the light meets the dark!”…and so on.

It’s a great coincidence that I had already planned on blogging about this topic when a childhood friend wrote a comment yesterday reminding me of a song that I had sung with love and feeling as a child. I reflected on the words and listened to it being sung on YouTube and the tears rolled. I realised, as I have done of late, that singing such songs is vitally important to the Christian walk. There is method in the teaching of song to children – the lyrics stick. Through them we learn to count, to rhyme, the alphabet….to support our journey in faith.

In tough times I automatically find myself singing myself through. In addition to Tenth Avenue North, there have been so many songs that sustained me during the last year – “Let the morning bring word of your unfailing”, “You’ve loved me back into your arms, time and time again”, “Steal away to Jesus”…so many, I cannot even begin…

Some of the amazing words that Mike has written are; “Sparks will fly as grace collides with the dark inside of us; so please don’t fight this coming ride. Let his blood come cover us”

“I’ll be by your side whenever you fall, in the dead of night, whenever you call me, please don’t fight these hands that are holding you.”

“I want to know who you are, even if you’re falling apart. Reach in and touch your scars and all the shame you’ve kept in your heart. ‘Cause it’s not enough just to say that you’re ok. I need your hurt, I need your pain, it’s not love any other way.”

“We think that pain’s owed apologies and then it will stop. Truth be told, it doesn’t matter if they’re sorry or not. Freedom comes when we surrender to the sound of mercy and your grace, Father, send your angels down.”

I could go on and on and on….

The childhood song that my friend reminded me of this week was one that I played in the car with my children yesterday. My eldest son listened and at the end said, “Mumma will you teach me that song please?”

I will teach him that song! I hope that he has all of the lyrics that we share together etched across his heart and that they will sustain him as he walks through this turbulent life.

Never underestimate the power of music.

“Music expresses that which cannot be put into words and that which cannot remain silent”
― Victor Hugo

 

 

The donkey

This morning, in our busy city, there was a donkey walking through the main shopping street. It was eye-catching and noteworthy and is not an everyday occurrence.

Ah! Of Course! Palm Sunday!

The donkey transports Jesus into the beginning and ending of his earthly existence: Mary, of course, journeys on the donkey to Jesus’ arrival in Bethlehem. Jesus selects a young colt for his arrival into Jerusalem.

Why?

Well, firstly there’s the issue of prophecy fulfilment. More interestingly, it wasn’t the done thing.

Imagine, if you will, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge arriving (as they currently are) to greet the crowds in New Zealand. The streets are lined 10 people thick, the people are waving items in the air, the rush of cheers and calling, and then….William plods around the corner….on a donkey!?

It just wouldn’t happen! Kings, princes, Dukes and Duchesses stride in atop lofty, majestic horses way up above the crowds below. The horses are formidable, beautiful, glossy and breath-taking. Handsome creatures that make the most petite jockey appear immense.

Donkey: Hee haw! Plod plod! Lack-lustre! Short legs! Yeah…not the real deal. But Jesus selected it.

Jesus had a habit of selecting the metaphorical donkey. He wasn’t much taken with trappings and fineries. In fact, in Matthew 20:16 Jesus said “So the last will be first, and the first will be last.” He said many things like this.

Jesus didn’t lift himself high above the crowds. If you’d wanted to see him that day, you would have needed to look, you’d have needed to work a little at finding yourself a position from which you were able to see him in the midst and the chaos of the busy-ness. You’d have needed to be patient and to have pushed through the masses of people and things in your way. He was there, clearly, but you’d have needed to put in a bit of effort to see him, not because he wasn’t there but because everything else would have been getting in the way! He didn’t place himself up in the heights, Jesus was always down in the depths of the people. At their level, just like them.

Today, we saw a donkey. A horse would have caught the eye but not the mind.

He chose a donkey.