The pen will shout, never silenced.

“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning.”

Words are powerful things. We think in words. We speak words. We write them.  They express who we are – our innermost thoughts, ideas and opinions. They can change lives. They can heal or can wound terribly.  The words above, which begin the gospel of the apostle John, describe Jesus: and how significant that He is described as “the Word.” Jesus is the One who spoke to us of our Heavenly Father and how we can be reconciled to Him; and who imparted (together with the other two members of the Trinity – our Father God and the Holy Spirit) His divine inspiration to the writers of the Bible.

As a Christian writer, I seek to glorify God and promote the gospel of Jesus Christ in various ways in the different spheres in which I write, including this blog. Sometimes more than others, I feel a prompting of the Holy Spirit to express my views on a particular subject or to provide insights and information that I’ve learned through personal or small group study, from sermons or a variety of other situations.

Over the past week I’ve thought a lot about the power of the pen. Like many others, I was horrified by this week’s events in Paris. My deepest condolences go out to the family and friends of those killed and the people of France who have been traumatised by these events. In a similar way only a few weeks ago, all Australia was deeply shocked and dismayed by the killing of innocent people in the Lindt cafe siege in Sydney’s Martin Place.

As a Christian, I am aware of the blessing of living in a country which allows freedom of religion. I am free to worship in a church or mosque or synagogue. I am well aware of what a privilege this is, in comparison to many countries in this world where Christians are persecuted, alienated, discriminated against or killed for preaching the good news of Jesus. Others practice Christianity in secret. Yet such is the reality and power of the gospel that throughout the world, people are coming to faith in Jesus Christ. My church congregation recently heard the testimony of a man who had come to faith in Jesus simply by reading Jesus’ name – he decided to find out for himself who this person with the compelling name was, and became a Christian.

The Christian message is one of hope, love and forgiveness. It is the only hope in a world of increasing fear and darkness.

Wrestled with forgiveness until it won.

Wrestled with forgiveness until it won.

Carrying nothing but love into twenty-fifteen.

These are two of my recent six word memoirs, published on Smith magazine’s website. I’ve been part of the six word community for about four years now, under my moniker of Kharis. It’s an interesting mix of writing talents and provides a constant source of fun, reflections and topical points of view.

These two sixes highlight some of the struggles I’ve had in my life in relation to forgiveness. Some painful experiences have taken me many years to come to terms with, to the point of being able to put them firmly where they belong, in the past. Injustice and abuse do not usually exist in isolation – often they are supported by a culture of silence and denial, and as such forgiveness may need to be extended to more than one person or to a group or community.

There are lots of well known quotes about forgiveness but it is pointless to talk about wishing your enemy dead and drinking the poison yourself, etc. etc. until you have come to the place in your own walk with God that you can understand the effect that grace has – God’s grace to you, and the effect of grace that you extend to others.

The story of Jacob wrestling with God (Genesis 32:24) is one that has always struck a chord with me. It’s a peculiar story in many ways: Jacob wrestling with an unknown assailant all night long and demanding a blessing from him, while the man dislocates Jacob’s hip and changes his name to Israel (meaning “he struggles with God”). To me it’s a powerful reminder that we can sometimes rail against what we know to be right and what God wants, but ultimately we realise that what He wants is what’s best for us. Even the things that hurt us can ultimately draw us deeper and closer to God.

Over the Christmas holidays I’ve been watching the first two parts of The Hobbit movie trilogy. In the second movie Gandalf remarks to Bilbo that he (Bilbo) has changed. Indeed, Bilbo has changed – his possession of the magic golden ring has seen him subtly beginning to lose his innocence and evade questions, kill to protect his possession and begin to idolise the power of what he has. He is losing control and the ring is controlling him. So it is with a hurt or grudge or injustice that we cannot let go of.

On the other side of forgiveness, when I can genuinely pray for God’s revelation of Himself and blessing upon others, I can see that I have regained a soft heart, a heart that loves and cares, that wants to believe in the goodness of God and his ability to change lives for the better, to hope for the best in others, even within a fallen world in which none of us are perfect and all of us are hurtful. The alternative is to subtly allow bitterness and cynicism to creep into my life and change me, to steal away the best that God has placed there.

Thomas More wrote in his prayer, “A Godly Meditation”

Give me the grace, good Lord,

To set the world at nought,

To set my mind fast upon thee.

......

To think my most enemies my best friends,

For the brethren of Joseph could never have done him so much good with their

love and favour as they did him with their malice and hatred.

.......

This is the kind of forgiveness that Jesus epitomized on the cross, extended to each of us, and subsequently demonstrated by Stephen, Paul, most of the apostles and many Christian martyrs over the centuries since. Amazing love, and humbling to those of us who have thankfully never needed to extend such grace.

A watercourse is sometimes dammed up, perhaps by man, or by natural courses such as a landslide or debris blocking its way. It may pool for a while, but such is the nature of water that it usually changes course and finds another path. So it is with lives that are changed. The acts of others can set us on a different path, but one which, if we are open to God’s leading and guidance, will be used by Him for His glory and in ways which will deepen our walk with Him and knowledge of His love and blessing in our lives.

Wivenhoe Dam overflow after floodgates were opened in 2010.

 

Happy New Year 2015

You are now entering your mission field.

These were the words which were written on the back wall of the church where I committed my life to God thirty-three years ago – Glad Tidings Tabernacle in Fortitude Valley, Brisbane. Pastor Lloyd Averill was the senior pastor there at that time. The words were there to be read as you left the building and were a reminder that we were to carry God away into every aspect of our lives – into our workplaces and families, in our neighbourhoods, and in some cases, to the ends of the earth.

God is still at work wherever we are, not just in church on Sunday. We are part of the family of God throughout the earth – whether it be through prayer for the persecuted brothers and sisters of our faith, or ministry through our local church, or conversations with unsaved family or workmates, or acts of kindness through which we can demonstrate in a practical way God’s love for all of us.

We live in a world which has tried alternative philosophies and found them hollow and wanting. In some cases we live in a world of abundance which has failed to bring fulfilment. Often we live in a world of uncertainty and anxiety about the future. We live in societies aware of a pervasive darkness of violence and danger.

Against this backdrop the Christian message is one (the only one) of genuine hope. We trust our lives to God, who unlike the gods of any other religion, does not require us to attain some standard of perfection to become worthy of Him, but who took pity on us in our human frailty and became a man, so that through belief in Jesus we could accept eternal life. Christianity is the only religion based upon a personal relationship with God – a loving heavenly Father who extends to us His love, forgiveness, grace and peace.

I pray that throughout 2015, the Christian church will be salt and light in this world, that God will build His church, bringing many lost souls into His kingdom and that I personally, through whatever sphere I am operating in, will be a witness to His loving care in my life.

A few random thoughts about the media

I flipped on the television on Boxing Day. The presenters on our national broadcaster’s morning show were discussing the fact that many people in Australia do not celebrate Christmas, as they are of faiths other than Christianity or of no faith at all. They stated that many people chose to take advantage of the holiday to go to the beach or local parks and have picnics and play cricket.

I wonder why it was deemed necessary to make such remarks. From memory I don’t recall hearing the same thing during Ramadan or Buddha’s birthday or Chinese New Year. These festivals are duly mentioned respectfully in the media. Why is it that anything Christian is automatically reason for the media, the ABC in particular to be scornful and negative?

Our western civilisation is built upon Christian values. Our system of law derives from canonical law. The values that we hold dear are delineated in scripture- the equality of all men, honesty in business dealings, consideration for our neighbours, faithfulness in marriage. We temper justice with mercy.  We seek forgiveness and reconciliation rather than vengeance.

Anyone who states that all religions are harmful and much the same would do well to seriously research the tenets of the major faiths. There are major differences between them.

Which of course is why Christians are singled out for ridicule. If you abuse and mock Christianity, the worst thing that’s going to happen to you is that you will be prayed for. People are free to adopt or discard Christianity without ramifications. And Christians believe that all people are of one blood (Acts 17:26) made in the image of God, so do not regard anyone of another ethnicity or religion as in any way inferior.

So the next time that the media decides to rubbish the Christian faith, especially at times that are of deep significance to Christians such as Christmas or Easter, I would question what their agenda is and why the same deference is not accorded to Christianity as they seem able to do to other faiths.

  

Merry Christmas

There is no snow here,
no frosty night
But in the blistering heat we celebrate
that Christ
is far more than traditions
and tinsel
and caroling and gourmet food
for all around the world
in wintry depths of snow
and broad savannahs
from pole to pole, on sea, in skies
in furthest lands
the Lord of hosts
the Saviour of the world
the babe of Bethlehem
is risen,
to rule and reign
our Saviour,  glorious King.

To everyone who has been a part of this blog over the last year, may you have a blessed and happy Christmas with family and friends and may God fill your heart with His peace and hope throughout 2015. with love from Jo xx

flowering gums, Christmas eve 2014

Shepherds

Not for the likes of us

Warm beds, fine clothes, good food.

Dirty and poor

We walk the night watches on thorny ground

With sheep, those dumb creatures

Like as not to wander

Bleating and fooling each other

Still

With a certain affection

We tend the fires

Keep them safe from prowling wolves

and thieves

Night after night, monotonous year after year

Nobody turns an eye

to the likes of us

Yet we too have our talents-

Scouring the nostrils of newly-born lambs until

they heave with the breath of life

Watching the skies

Telling the seasons

Knowing when

the rains will begin and end
and the fresh green shoots will pierce
the thirsty ground
Relating the stories of old

that our fathers told each other

Then, one beauteous night

One dazzling star

So unlike any other

Who would believe

that angels sang around us

And we followed

There, to a lonely stable

To a baby born a king,

Glorious, wonderful,

A story for our children’s children,

Praise Him

because He came

for the likes of us.

Wise Men

To this end, we had been searching

Many a decade long

Feeling inside an unknown emptiness

We named it not, but knew

It travelled beside us many a dusty road

Where lights of taverns, games of chance

and richest banquets set before us

did not satisfy

And all the wells of knowledge could not slake

this thirst

A memory lost in time, so long ago

We clutched and guessed at meaning

Hope flickering like the last breath

of wintry night on candlelight

And we, the three

Wise or foolish, who could say

Waited, watched

and in one glorious burst of light,

Followed.

Jo Collett 04/12/14