Alot of pre-conceptions exist in the world about what a Christian is. You may be called anything from a "bible basher" to a "Holy Joe". It saddens me that this is often the worlds view of Christians today, when put simply we are merely "sinners in rehab" . In realizing that sin is what messes up our relationship with our creator God, we have laid our allegiance to Jesus Chist, the only one to have lived this life sinless, and who was prepared to die for sinners as an immense demonstration of His love. We are made worthy by His worthiness, and now live our lives in accordance to His will, allowing God to mould us into His image, changing us from within.
Wouldn't it be great if we become a generation of "Jesus Freaks" as DC Talk put it, passionate about our faith, living a life worthy of the calling, practicing what we preach, and showing Gods love daily to a hurting world.

I’m now officially a member of our church, having partaken in communicant classes, and been received into the church fellowship at pre-communion service last night. Was given a card outlining what it means to be a communicant member:
My Confession
– I have received Jesus Christ to be Saviour and Lord of my life.
My Vows
- to be open to Christ’s will in my life
- to live in fellowship with him through prayer and bible study
- to obey and honour him in my daily life, and witness for him I my daily life
- to be regular in attendance at worship and at the Lords Table
- to be active in the life and work of my church, and support it financially
- to play my full part in his mission to the world

Pretty serious stuff, but I cant help wondering what it really means to people, and as a church are we loyal to these vows. Initially we may passionately fulfill these vows, but sadly this initial passion and fervor dies as we loose our focus, and become comfortable in our Christianity, and caught up in the whirlwind pace of life. It would be worthwhile to ponder these vows throughout our life with Christ. I pray that with Gods help I will fulfill these vows, and that I wont loose this passion and fire that I have at this early stage of my Christian walk with God.
Another thing of note was the minister’s address, looking at John 15 where Jesus is described as the vine. The Old Testament refers to Israel as the vine, but since Christ’s coming and living the perfect life, He can now boldly state that He is the “true vine”, and more than that: we as a body of believers are the branches. God’s purpose being to bear fruit through the branches, reaching out with the message of love and redemption offered through Christ to bear a rich and healthy fruit. It also describes the pruning process, which can be painful at the time, but necessary so that the greatest fruit can be produced. To remain fruitful, it should be noted that the branches need nourishment from the vine, and must remain in it, developing a dependence on it.

Reading from Revelation 5 in my daily notes this morning, and the portrayal of Christ in this passage is interesting as 2 contrasting images are portrayed. Firstly He is described as the “Lion of Judah” who has triumphed over evil, and is the one who can open the scroll detailing the last days. He is in control. But in the next verse He is described as “The Lamb that was slain”, slain for the sins of man on the cross, living a life of utter obedience to the Father. And this is the awesome Lord we worship, victorious in battle against evil, and submissive in obedience and reverence to the father. And it’s in Him we place and focus our lives, trusting in His will for our lives. He indeed is more than worthy to be the center of our worship.

A mixture of emotions today at football. We were knocked out of the Junior shield by Stranmillis (not the teacher college) 2-1, but I got the goal, my first of the season. So i'm sitting here joyful because I scored a goal, which doesn't happen too often as a defender, but annoyed because we were defeated by a team we really could have beat in a match we really should have won. Ah well, such is life. Though as I noticed on a budwiser poster, a quote from Bill Shankly "Some people believe football is a matter of life and death. I'm very disappointed with that attitude. I can assure you it is much, much more important than that." Dont know if i'd go that far, but it sucks pretty bad when you loose.

Everything happens for a reason. Sometimes its worthwhile taking a look back through your life, and seeing how Gods plan has unfolded. Often we find ourselves wondering why certain things happen, especially at the time they are happening, and questioning God, asking Why? Its easy to forget that God has a bigger plan for our lives, and His purpose will prevail. Often our view of how we want things to work out for ourselves ultimately leads to disappointment when God reveals His plans that may not match up with ours. But we have to remember that He has a unique and perfect plan for each of our lives, and often looking back over times of trial of trouble, we can see now how God was using these situations to strengthen our faith, and craft us through the trials into the people we are today. As the apostle Paul records in Romans 8 vs. 28 “ in everything God works for the good of those who love him” . So the next time your in a situation where everything seems to be going wrong in your life, take encouragement that God has a greater plan for your life, and He will be there with you through the tough times, helping you and ultimately strengthening your faith in Him. Easier said than done I know, but worth remembering none the less.

While growing in your relationship with God, you’re also becoming more aware of the Devil, and the whole concept of the spiritual battle that Paul depicts in his New Testament writings becomes more of a reality. The Devil is hard at work to bring you down, and draw you away from God, either subtly or more directly. This may be through troubles, trials, temptations or doubts. And that’s why we have to be 100% focused and reliant on God through the Holy Spirit to prepare, strengthen and equip us in the battle. We need to become aware of our weaknesses, the areas of our life where we are most likely to fall back to our old sinful ways. By being aware of these areas, and handing them over to God, asking for his strength to resist the temptation, we can avoid putting ourselves in the position of being tempted, and focus ourselves rather on Him.

Exploring the topic of youth culture last night at the youth course I’m doing, and a few interesting points were brought up that brought things home to me abit. We analysed a number of teen magazines, and the main content and lifestyle they were promoting. The basic attitude is that if it feels good, do it; and its all about satisfying yourself, adopting a self-centered lifestyle, and living for the moment. And the worrying aspect of this is that young people seeking answers for matters they face in their teenage years such as sexuality, relationships and such like are being educated on these life issues by the glossy magazines. The magazines exploit the vulnerabilities of the teen market, and their curiosities in regards to their sexuality, to make a quick buck. The post-modern mindset pushes the please yourself attitude, and to hell with the consequences.
The significance of this is that the church has to be addressing these issues from a Christian perspective, presenting a sub-culture that goes against this current mindset, and basically being open, honest and real with the teens, helping them in the struggles they face.

“And I still haven’t found what I’m looking for”. The lyrics from the U2 song could be the synopsis of a lot of people’s experience of life in this world. Looking at Robbie Williams as an example, a guy who has everything this world has to offer, but the lyrics from his songs reveal a longing in his heart and soul that isn’t satisfied by these worldly things. He has money, fame, success, women; the ultimate celebrity lifestyle pushed so much by the media, and yet he longs for “Real Love” to satisfy the longings in his soul. As Selwyn Hughes puts it in his book Christ Empowered Living “the human soul can only be satisfied when Christ becomes the prime focus of its attention, and that only He can address the ache for life and reality that exists in the human heart.”
We can only find what we’re looking for, and experience “Real Love” by having Christ as the center of our inner-most being, and developing a relationship with the father through Christ by whom we are made worthy.

Started reading abit of the book by Lee Strobel: The Case For Christ. A few interesting points that have arisen in my reading so far:
· Jesus claimed to be God, a claim that ultimately got him killed. Was Jesus willing to die for a lie, or was he willing to die because he believed he was telling the truth? In reading the gospels it becomes apparent that Jesus didn’t just claim to be God; he believed it.
· Other religions of the world are based on people doing something to earn the favor of God. They must do good deeds, or faithfully follow religious drills. However Christianity is based on what Christ has already done on the cross. Nobody can do anything to earn Gods favor; rather, Jesus offers forgiveness and eternal life as a gift.

Just received another rejection letter to add to the pile of unsuccessful job applications, but if you don’t apply, then you don’t have any chance. A lot of things in this world disappoint, don’t pan out the way we think they will, and can get us down. There’s only one who will never let us down, and that’s God, and if we seek to put our trust in Him, then life’s disappointments will be of less importance as we come to appreciate that God has a unique plan for our lives, and often what we think is best is not in His eyes. He has the master plan, and by trusting in Him things will always work out for the best. Its simply about trusting fully and wholeheartedly in Him.

At the youth ministry course tonight again, looking at the ministry strategy of Jesus. Some points that were brought up, and spoke to me I guess was this:
· Jesus inspired, not merely instructed. He lived a life that drew people to Him, a life that they wanted to have and follow.
· He was all about relationships, meeting people where they were, getting to know them, and challenging them.
· The Christian life is not merely rules and regulations, but rather building a relationship with God that has an utter dependence and obedience to Him.
· To be effective in what you do, you have to be reliant and dependant on God, following and indeed seeking His guidance in everything you do, so that it’s not merely your words and strength, but that given to you from, and inspired by Him.
· Its about inspiring them, not merely instructing, and to do this you have to have a passion for Christ that is infectious to all around.

Doubting Thomas as a role-model, something you’ve never probably heard said before, but I think it can be true. Many of us like Thomas want assurances, and indeed doubt before we truly believe. Thomas raised his doubts, didn’t ignore them, and found his doubts answered in Jesus, and as a result was strengthened in his faith, and was assured in his beliefs. Sometimes we don’t simply take God at his word, and doubts creep into our minds. But instead of ignoring these doubts, we should rather address them, and seek to find the answers in and through Christ, thus strengthening and re-enforcing our belief in a risen Saviour

Football match today away up in Ballywalter. Drew 2-2 which wasn't a bad result considering we were 2-0 down within the first 30 minutes. But we came good in the second half, and nearly snuck the winner, but a fair result overall probably. However I fear I may have lost half a lung up there, played the match while majorly run-down with the cold, and regretting this now as my cold is worse than ever. But somehow it was worth it, the price you pay for sport!!

My daily notes this morning were looking at the passage in Luke 17 vs. 11-19 where Jesus healed the 10 lepers, but looking at the fact that only one came back to say thanks. How often do we forget, in the busyness and hectic-pace of this world we live in to say thank-you to the one who has released us from the grip of sin. We must never forget the purpose of our cleansing from sin: to give worship and praise to our Lord, and live our lives as a daily thank-you for his gift of Grace. So often we gratefully accept the gift, but forget the thank-you. Psalm 103 gives us a few things to be thankful for as a starter. Live your life as a thank-you, don’t simply accept the gift. Something I find myself having to constantly remember.

Happened to be outdoors this morning, and started collecting a few conkers off the chestnut trees at the bottom of our yard. And it struck me that conkers have a certain similarity to Gods view of us. Conkers are prickly, jagged and pretty ugly really on the outside, but when you break off the outer shell, the hidden treasures inside. A beautifully smooth, mahogany coloured conker inside, not really what you’d expect by looking at the ugly shell alone. That’s what God meant when He said that man looks at the outward appearance, but God looks at the heart. If our hearts are pure, then that’s all that matters to God. And in today’s fashion-conscious label-conscious society it’s a point worth remembering. Another thing to note – don’t judge people simply on their outward appearance, but look rather to the purity and sincerity of their heart. Our opinions of people are often formed solely on the outward appearance of the person, and that’s something to be aware of.

Two important concepts I feel are highly important when involved in ministering to the youth of today:
· Common Ground – finding an area where the scriptural truth of God word is real and relevant to the youth culture of today in a format and language they can readily identify with. This I believe is in following with the pattern used by Christ himself and Paul in the teaching of their time.
· In it, not of it struggle – Touching youth culture with the reality and relevance of Gods Word without being submerged in it, thus undermining it and loosing its scriptural relevance.

At the youth ministry course tonight we looked at purpose driven youth ministry: knowing why you’re involved is as important as doing it. We must have a passion for what we’re doing that is evident to all around. As suggested by Aristotle, youth ministry is about a phronesis category of knowledge involving discernment and practical wisdom in whatever situation we find ourselves. Following an Action-Reflection model, shaping experience through discoveries, and taking time to reflect and learn.
By sending His son Christ to dwell among us, He found a way to talk and communicate with us in a manner that made sense: JOHN 1 V.14 “the Word became flesh”. Christ accommodated himself to the culture and language and culture, using metaphors they could relate to, and meeting with them in their situation, addressing them with compassion and genuine concern. He comforted the disturbed, and disturbed the comforted, tuning outcasts into icons. Youth ministry is Educational, Evangelistic, and Pastoral, with the most important resource being ourselves: be empowered by God. As youth pastors, we need to be accountable to ourselves, and the ministry we are called to work in.

The minister this morning at our harvest service, Rev. Hyndman, spoke on Ezekiel 22 vs. 23-31, outlining how the harvest of souls was of more importance to God than the physical harvest of crop we celebrate. The passage examines the terrible state of spiritual depravity that the people of Israel had gotten themselves into, where they didn’t care, wouldn’t share and they didn’t dare. Society today faces a similar crisis point, and Gods call to the people of Israel has relevance to his people today. God states he is looking for v.30: “a man among them who would build up the wall and stand before me in the gap on behalf of the land so I will not have to destroy it.”. And sadly He states conclusively “but I found none”. Today God is looking for Christians who will stand up for Him in places of great need, people who will fill the Gap. And to fill or bridge “The Gap” you have to be in touch with both cultures, applying the truths of Gods word to the situation you have been placed to minister.

We have to realize the mess we are in, in our sin dead lives before we can truly appreciate Gods gift of grace, and Christs gift of salvation, and as a result allow God to craft and mould our lives into the perfect character of Christ. If we don’t see the need for Christ in our lives, then He will never become Saviour of our lives, and the central focus of our very being. While we are caught up in ourselves, and don’t see our need for Christ because we are so “well off”, or so we think, then really what place is there for Christ in our lives?

Life’s a fragile thing, and as quickly as we come into this world, so we leave it also. And none of us knows when that moment will be, and its totally out of our control, nothing we can do will alter that. I guess that’s why so many people fear death, its something they cannot control. And in our self-obsessed, control freak society today, the thought of not being in control of our destiny is a sobering thought for many people. But as Christians, where we have the assurance of Gods plan for our earthly lives, and when our time here on earth is done a perfect life awaiting us in heaven, are we living our earthly lives as such. Are we living it up for Jesus here and now, grasping every opportunity to share our faith with a passion, telling others of the faith that means so much to us. Are we making an impact on this world we are living in while we dwell here, living daily for Him, or are we caught up in ourselves, letting this life we have slip away, merely existing? Are we lacking that passion for our Lord that was so evident in the life of Christ, our role model in this life? Some things seriously worth thinking about.

Where do we stand at present in our relationship with God? Our relationships best show the inner state of our soul. If we are fully aware of Christ’s agape love for us offered unconditionally, then nothing he can ever ask of us or place in our way can break our relationship with Him. If we set about restoring our relationship with our Lord and Savior, then our character will be truly reflective of Christ, and this can only be achieved by spending time with Him, and allowing him to mould and change us from the inside out. Then the Word will truly become flesh as we bear a daily witness, and reflect Christ’s character to all who we meet on a daily basis.