Mini Film Review: The Art of Getting By.

The Art of Getting by was a film based on the usual "weird loner guy gets the pretty girl" but it had something different too. I think what we can call this difference is emotion. Not just 'cry your heart out' emotion, but emotion that stirs up some long lasting feelings. I came away from this film thinking "Do I respect myself?" The main character George did not respect himself or anyone around him. He was caught up in some sort of depressed yet joyful ignorance of life. He said at the beginning "we all die...so what's the point?". Hence he had no respect for anything. Yet in comes Sally! The pretty and sexy rebel who dares to invade George's life! Why does she do that? We actually never find out, or at least I didn't anyway. What I think I'm getting at here is what does it take to respect ourselves? Either as a Child of God or whoever? What does it take? For the Christian I would say Jesus does, but what about everybody else? Have they found something to make them respect themselves? Or are they George waiting to have that something fall in their lap? We can only respect ourselves when we know who we really are and what someone thinks of us. But that someone has to be totally trustworthy and always right? Does he exist? I'll leave you to answer that...
So in conclusion, a good film with real emotion, but a film that makes me flee from the thoughts and attitudes that George has.

We're Back!

Hello People! So after a year of being down, we are back, and back for real. Since I go the cinema pretty much every week its time to start mini reviews and comments on mainstream cinema. Also other nuggets too... Thanks!

God Holds us! We don't hold him!

Isa 41:13 For I, the LORD your God, hold your right hand; it is I who say to you,"Fear not, I am the one who helps you."

I go through bad times, times of disappointment, times of sadness and many other different times and seasons.

Sometimes I wonder whether I even have hold of God at all? This is a fear that recently has been removed. As a sinner, wretch and terrible person in every-way will let go of God and leave the Father I claim to love. My heart lies and deceives me.

However here in Isaiah, God is the one who holds Israels hand(and ours), not the other way round. Yes we stumble and fall, ran a million miles away and hide from God. But it is him who holds the hand. Not us!

Security in the Father is real! He holds us! What joy!

See the video below, (please forgive the cheesy photos.)

Talk to yourself, but don't listen to yourself?

Huh?
This is a weird saying of the Dr(Martyn Lloyd Jones).

He says how different we would be as Christians, if we just spoke to ourselves instead of listening to ourselves.

The Psalmist speaks to himself,
Psa 42:5 Why are you cast down, O my soul, and why are you in turmoil within me? Hope in God; for I shall again praise him, my salvation...

Do we ever do this? I mean people think that speaking to yourself is the first sign of madness? In fact I would argue its a sign of Godliness!? (You may disagree)

Brothers and Sisters, let us preach to ourselves the glories of the Gospel and wonders of what God has done!

Acceptable Legalism.

The War against sin is also a war against legalism. Why do we want to be like Jesus? Because of the Joy that awaits us in doing so? The Glory it brings to God? The Smile of God upon us?

I would argue that all of the above are not wrong, but miss the first stepping stone.

Surely we do everything out of grateful hearts to God?

I believe that whatever we do for God should be out of response for what he has done for us? How often to do we do this?

We should wake up in the Morning and Proclaim "I am a New Man/Women", created in Christ Jesus!

Not to wake up and think, "I must do....... to have a good day"

Brothers and Sisters, let us put nothing in the way of thanking God in our lives, no matter how Holy or Good they might be. Lets just thank and praise God, the rest will follow!

Jerry Bridges on Grace

Your worst days are never so bad that you are out of the reach of God's grace. And your good days are never so good that you are out of the need of God's grace.
Jerry Bridges, Discipline of Grace.

I think sometimes we need to move away and kill the Good Day and Bad Day style of living. We need to remember that God treats us according to his Grace in Christ Jesus. There is nothing we can do as his Children, to make him love us less or more. Just because we had a great day does not mean we deserve his blessings. The same is also true, that when we have a bad day we don't deserve his blessings and need to earn it. We never deserve anything from God, but because he is rich in Love, Mercy and Grace, he gives us all things.

So whenever we ask for something, remember that we ask according to Grace, never works. How much more joyful we would be if we approached our God who sits on a Throne of Grace, instead of coming to the god satan creates in our mind who sits on a Throne of Works!

Thank you Father that by your grace we are free to call you Father and ask for things!

Getting the Jesus fix!

The day has come, the last Cafe of Mission in Sunny/Rainy old Bournemouth Town.

However one thing has struck me rather a lot this week about the so-called "Jesus fix".

What is the Jesus fix you might ask? Well I would describe the Jesus fix as:-
"A time or moment in which you feel great about a situation that's enabled somebody to hear and respond to Jesus"

A good thing? Yes, no maybe?

Well, it in itself is great and we should rejoice when somebody responds to Jesus, and invites him into their lives as Lord and Saviour.

But...! The catch! Do we just love the feeling or fix of this moment? Are we taking our joy from good experiences instead of the giver and creator of Joy himself(Jesus).

There is a story in Luke's gospel about people who follow Jesus doing great things, and in this case driving out evil spirits. The followers of Jesus are greatly rejoicing in the power they have. But Jesus tells the off for this! He says, "Don't rejoice in this, that the spirits are subject to you, but rejoice that your names are written in Heaven."

I think we can take a lesson from this. Are we taking our Joy from things that are not God himself? I would argue it is ok to take joy from the work God does, but not to base your whole joy on these. Simply because they are fickle and momentary, whereas Jesus is constant and eternal. Enabling us to have Joy at all times!

So...do we like the quick Jesus Fix, or are we looking to the Joy that lasts forever?