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Riots

www.christian.org.uk/news/comment-london-riots-are-a-moral-breakdown

Agree wholehartedly with this comment from Mike Judge at the Christian Institute.

Obviously the breakdown of the family has played a big part. But how should we deal now with people who are already what Lord Baden-Powell called "poor-spirited wasters"? Well, Baden-Powell's solution in the army was simply to give them hard physical work. And lots of it. Wish it would happen. People are just crying out for strong leadership, iron discipline, and clear boundaries.

This is a part of reaching people with the gospel. If you hate all forms of authority, you're going to have a bit of a problem with God. It's a question of remedial help for people whose consciences have already been hardened, people who are just "takers" and give nothing back. As a church we can help individuals one at a time who we encounter but it is reeeeally hard.

It is my hope that the authorities will be tough in dealing with this mess, and that the policy-makers would start to value the family more. It is not a quick fix. It has taken several generations of family disintegration to produce social conditions such as these, so any good input now will take several generations to show itself in family structures. I wonder if any policy-makers have the patience for long-term investment when our democratic system kicks them out after 4 years if they haven't produced good results.



"My son, if sinners entice you,
do not give in to them.
If they say, "come along with us;
let's lie in wait for someone's blood,
let's swallow some harmless soul;
let's swallow them like the grave,
and whole, like those who go down to the pit;
we will get all sorts of valuable things
and fill our houses with plunder;
throw in your lot with us,
and we will share a common purse" -

my son, do not go along with them,
do not set foot on their paths;
for their feet rush in to sin,
they are swift to shed blood.

How useless to spread a net
in full view of all the birds!
These men lie in wait for their own blood;
they waylay only themselves.
Such is the end of all who go after ill-gotten gain.
It takes away the lives of those who get it."

Proverbs 1v 10-19.

Head over Heels - how to fall in love and land on your feet.


"Why do you suppose the reproductive urge within us is so relevant to cultural survival? It is because the energy that holds societies together is sexual in nature! The physical attraction between men and women causes them to establish families and to invest themselves in their develpoment. It encourages them to work and save and toil to ensure their survival. Their sexual energy provides the impetus for the raising on healthy children and for the transfer of values from one generation to the next....In short, the sexual aspect of our nature- when released exclusively within the family- produces stability and responsibility that would not otherwise occur."


The older that Dr. James Dobson gets, the more valuable, I think, is his wisdom. Here is a man who has been faithful to his wife, and made her a happy lady, for 50 years. This is someone whose advice I take seriously! His newest book "head over Heels - how to fall in love and land on your feet" is pretty short, and at pounds per word comes out as pretty expensive... but you know, maybe he doesn't repeat himself so much these days. Maybe it's pithier, more focussed wisdom. Which, for a guy over 70, is pretty good going in the mental agility stakes.

This is a book that I will be strategically leaving in the kids' bedrooms as they grow older. What great advice for young people embarking upon romantic relationships. He shows our insubstantial characters for what they are, infatuation for what it is, and mature, lasting commitment as the goal we are aiming for. He encourages young people not to sell themselves short when choosing a spouse. And also the consequences for individuals and societies when we don't make the right choices.

He is a Christian, and so knows the power of forgiveness and restoration. He is also a compassionate guy, and unusually for one of his generation, doesn't mind talking about sex, and sexual deviations.

The challenge for us as parents is to have good marriages, and thereby to create stable homes for our children who will invest in the next generation.

A model prayer?

Who's leading in prayer next Sunday?

"Confess your sins to each other"

Those are words from James 5:16. The context is that there is some sin which causes sickness. The antidote is confession and prayer, which leads to healing.

I thought it would be worth a little think about this in response to the Q&A time yesterday morning about openness and honesty. Here's the issue: sin spoils. It robs us of life in one way or another. And the nature of it can often be shameful, which can drive us into isolating, destructive patterns of behaviour. That is quite obvious with some sins - for example, some forms of sexual sin (especially pornography, pain-related eroticism, promiscuity, etc), or compulsive lying, or excessive drinking. But all sin is destructive and isolating, even if less obviously so.

A healthy church has a unity, a one-ness. We are saved not into a vacuum, but into a community - the local expression of God's gathered people. There is always a closeness between Christians, simply because we are members of God's family. And yet because of sin, there can often be a wariness to trust one another even within the local church.

So an openness about our sin is vital - we mustn't live false lives with one another. And yet it would not always be appropriate to confess all of our specific sins to all the gathered church, because not everyone can be trusted with that level of information about us, nor ought everyone to be burdened with our issues. Certain cults force this sort of 'openness', which is then used to hold hostage those who have confessed. That is not the flavour of James 5. However, there ought to be some trusted members to whom sins can be confessed.

It is a scary thing to do! Secrets that have been long held are hard to reveal. But the result is healing. Marriages are strengthened as spouses confess to each other - and forgiveness is given. The church is strengthened as friends trust one another and seek to help one another grow in Christ. Outsiders are drawn in as they observe the depth of trust and relationship between Christians.

So, some practical tips for us as a church:
  1. Develop closer friendships. Spend time together.
  2. Be vulnerable with each other, as is appropriate. Don't resist conversation about more meaningful things sometimes.
  3. Don't be too intense with each other. Intensity is an unhealthy over-seriousness which gets in the way of real relationship.
  4. Don't be shocked by sin - our own, or each others. Don't even be shocked by your spouse's confessions. Sin goes deep, and can show itself in very ugly ways. As long as we are in this body, we will all have terrible confessions to make from time to time. Respond with seriousness, grace and prayer.