BAZZAS BLOG

Wow, so we seem to have loads of Bank Holidays at the moment….bring it on!!

This weekend, we are taking a group of young people away to the Beacon Youth Centre in Devon - check out www.thebeaconyouthcentre.org.uk This is our third weekend away with this group and I’m, presuming it’s gonna be great fun as usual.

However, we suddenly realise that having booked it over the bank holiday weekend, there is likely to be loads of traffic there and back! EEEEEEEK! Im going to guess now on a trip of about 6hrs and 38mins…..it’ll keep me amused on the journey anyway.

Speak to you soon

Stuart

lol!

Have you been salvaged?

Thats the question that we were asked by Brian who was precahing at our church on Easter Sunday. Now, we may have heard all about salvation and all that over the years but, to be honest, I don’t know if I’d ever really considered what it meant in reality. I know I am saved (as a full on believer in Jesus Christ) but ’salvation’ is quite an old fashioned word.

Brian helped us to see that word ’salvation’ means exactly the same as the word ’salvaged’. The great thing is that that really helps me to see exactly what God has done for me through Jesus sand what He continues to do in me.

I was thinking about this and started to think about things that are salvaged. My first thought, for some unkown reason, was of a ship that has run aground. First one on the scene can claim salvage rights to the stricken vessel. But what happens to the ship once it has been released to the salvage company -once it has been salvaged!

Well, I suppose they break the ship down into its many parts; they sort out the good stuff from the bad and then sell on what they can. The people who buy parts of the ship may then sift through their purchase and take out stuff they don’t want or is of no use and use what they can. Maybe then, someone else can use the left-over stuff and once again remove anything that isn’t required etc etc.So the ship has been salvaged and yet it is continually being salvaged and impurities and ‘bad bits’ taken out and off. (probably a naff analogy)

The Bible says this about the cross and salvation:  

1 CORINTHIANS 1:18

For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.

I know I am saved through Jesus death and resurrection on the cross and yet, as it tells us here, I am being saved (salvaged) - still my life is going through the process of having all the naff stuff taken out of it which is sometimes a painful experience but always leaves me feeling better and closer to God. I know that this will be a continual process as long as I seek to want to be what God wants me to be.

I still get it wrong! All the time I find myself in positions where I let God down and need to come and ask Him to help me with issues etc. He is faithful and will always forgive and help get us back on track through ths on-going salvation (salvaging) process.

I hope all that makes sense. A theologian I ain’t but a passionate follower of Jesus Christ I am.

COME ON!!

Stuart

I was thinkng of what to write about Easter Sunday but I read an article on the 24-7 prayer website and thought it was what I wanted to say. So follow the link below and see what you think.

http://www.24-7prayer.com/cm/articles/750

Thanks to all of you from (literally) around the world who have sent comments. Its great to hear your thoughts about what I write. Keep the comments and thoughts coming.

Stuart

I don’t know about you but I am a bit intrigued as to what really went on in the tomb on Easter Saturday. When did the resurrection happen? Was it on Easter Saturday or was it literally on the morning of Easter Sunday? Was it like a scene from some film about magical things with lots of whizz and bang etc or did Jesus simply open His eyes and rise up?

The truth is no-one knows and I suppose we will only know, God willing, when we get to Heaven to be with Him. Easter Saturday is like an in between place. No celebration really. Good Friday has it’s walks of witness; it’s showing of the Jesus films; it’s debates on tv of the validity of the Gosplels etc. Easter Sunday is a day of celebration of the resurrection of Jesus. But, Easter Saturday is a bit of a ‘nothing’ day in the scope of it. To the Jews, of course, Saturday was the sabbath and they did nothing on it so we have nothing recorded of that day in the Gospels.

Today, many peoples lives are caught in this kind of no-mans land. Loads of people have given up hope in many ways and still loads more are prodigals in that they have known God and yet have walked away and often find themselves longing once again for that relationship with the living God.

We do need to remember however that Friday has now gone and we are in the vacuum of Easter Saturday but…….SUNDAY IS COMING!!!!!!!

HALLELUJAH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Stuart

….good only becuase it was the start of the victory! Jesus Christ died on a cross for us to be free. Sin would be defeated although at this point it looked like sin and the devil had won.

There is a book by Tony Campolo called ‘It’s Friday but Sunday’s Coming’ which is all about this subject in a way.

Sometimes it feels like we are stuck in the doom and gloom of Good Friday and yet if we will only look we see the that Sunday is coming. Jesus rose from the dead, sin was defeated and we can come to God and have that relationship restored. AMEN! COME ON!!

I read this book some years ago now. I used to read it on the bus while I travelled to work and as the book reached it’s climax, we read of the black preacher in his church. He talks about sin and victory over sin and finishes his talk by saying simply in a quiet voice, ‘It’s Friday but Sunday’s Coming’ and then again a little louder ‘It’s Friday but Sunday’s Coming’ he proceeded to repeat this pharse till he was shouting it and his whole congregation was shouting it too as they grasped the truth of this phrase and all that it means. I remember feeling like I was going to shout too!!!

Stuart

…follow the following link and have a chuckle!!

http://www.whiteboydj.com/babygotbook.html

I found it quite amusing!! . . .  .although that doesn’t necessarily mean an awful lot!!

Stuart

…or maybe not.

I don’t know what your view of the church is but, God thinks it’s something special. He has a plan for His church and we better make sure we are the church that He has a plan for cos’ if we are not, we are in trouble.

So much doom and gloom is spread about the church and there is much we need to take on board and deal with but I believe totally that it is definately gonna survive and that we need to be planting more churches in new locations and cultures…..ie. The Pub (check out www.pubchurch.com) - I borrowed some of this from their site

Here is what some famous people have said……

” Our society makes us out of touch with ourselves. The churches are finished: we don’t have a pow-wow, a place to be emotional. The closest we have to that is a really great concert. There’s an identification: the person on stage is supposed to express how they feel and the way audience get it, they can weep, dance, go berserk, whatever they like. I think that’s important.”
Annie Lennox

and……

“It’s a bit depressing if most of the congregation are in the churchyard instead of the church.”
Alan Ayckbourn

but……

“We do not want as the papers say a church that will move with the world. What we want is a church that will move the world.”
G. K. Chesterton

What people really want and need is a vibrant, living, exciting, self-sacrificing, loving, God fearing community to which they belong; a place to chat and to learn and be accepted for who they are. 

I have spoken with a few people lateley who have asked the question

‘What is the Church?’ This is a big question to grapple with. I found this article on the 24- 7 prayer website that I found helpful. If you follow the link below you’ll go there.

http://www.24-7prayer.com/cm/articles/748

Let me know what your thoughts are.

Stuart

….for they will be comforted.

That part of Matthew chapter 5 from the Bible was our theme last Sunday night at X-Stream. We have been covering the beatitudes and this week, Pete English came and shared his thoughts on that one. It was an interesting night as although it was pretty low key in some ways, God was working and I know of at least one person who was able to share some stuff that needed prayer which was great.

God is good and He loves it when we come to Him in prayer. I believe that if we can begin to see more and more, the possibilties and the difference we can make as we call on God to move, we can really, really see things change for the better in this nation.

From 7th till 12th May we are going to be praying every evening from 7 till 9(ish) in Shirley, Solihull. The prayer will be for our local community and we are believeing for great things. God is the answer to our problems and needs. It also happens to be the National Week of Prayer which is something that is growing year on year as Christians gather to pray. GOD IS ON THE MOVE!!!

Can you afford not to pray?

Stuart

ps. Check out www.24-7prayer.com and be inspired

I remember with fond memory, Saturdays as a child. We used to get up to watch the children’s TV on BBC which all began, in reality with Swap Shop and the even then bearded Noel Edmonds. We used to get Champion the Wonder Horse and the Adventures of Robinson Crusoe or even, if we were lucky, The Flashing Blade……..all rubbish really, but great back then.

Saturday’s are different now and I find myself, particularly at this time of year, stressing about the result of the footie; particularly the Birmingham City result. I hope we stay up!!! I don’t know if I can bear all that faff in trying to get out of the fizzy pop league (the Coca-Cola Championship or first division). My dad was a loyal fan for many years and even though he stopped going to matches in the mid Eighties, he always listend avidly at home even though he would often turn off the radio during a mtach as he couldn’t bear to listen anymore…..I think I inherited that pessimistic Blues fan gene from him….HELP!!!

Anyway, today is the Grand National. Some say it’s bad some say it’s ok. Our family has always had this one bet in the year. 50p each way which is sometimes stretched to £1 each way. I will be off to put down this money at the bookies very shortly but am aware that some people may be unsure whether this is right or wrong to do.

My opinion is that gambling is a bit like Alcohol consumption. It’s ok to drink alcohol unless your’e an alcoholic or you get drunk regularly. In other words, gambling to the extent of the occasional flutter of a minor amount is not particularly a bad thing as long as it doesn’t lead to a habit that wastes loads of money and starts to take over your life.

Anyway, thats my opinion. I am happy to hear yours.

Have a great day

Stuart