Monday, 5 March 2012
Sunday, 4 March 2012
A cathedral
Sat on a second hand sofa
I ponder on who He is
And wonder surges in my heart
From an ever-deepening well of gratitude
I look up towards the light
And my curtains seem to me as stained glass
And my home feels like a cathedral
Echoing my whispered word of thanks
I ponder on who He is
And wonder surges in my heart
From an ever-deepening well of gratitude
I look up towards the light
And my curtains seem to me as stained glass
And my home feels like a cathedral
Echoing my whispered word of thanks
Tuesday, 7 February 2012
The tongue as a rudder
In the Bible, this guy James writes about the tongue, saying "a small rudder makes a huge ship turn wherever the pilot chooses to go, even though the winds are strong." (James 3 verse 5). Rick Warren tweeted today "If you want to know where you'll be in 5 yrs listen to what you talk about most now. 'Your tongue is a rudder'".
It got me thinking - what do I talk about?
Well, a lot of rubbish comes out of my mouth - stupid jokes, banter. Some cultural stuff of course - I talk about MMA, about what beers I like, and a LOT about tech and the Internet. Catch me in a thoughtful mood though, and I'll talk about justice, about mercy, about Jesus, about worship, about feeding the hungry, about encouraging the disheartened.
So I suppose it's a case of which way I want to go. I want my tongue to steer me well. Also in the Bible, in a letter to some people in Ephesus, the writer says "Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen." (Eph 4:29). I easily forget that the things I say are important. I don't think it's arrogant to say that, I think everyone has something to say.
In a way, I'm encouraged because over the last few years since I started this seldom-updated blog, I have certainly become more focused on issues of justice, on knowing God, on living a life of integrity, than I was before. Short term, I'm moving my money out of a bank that I feel is misinvesting it but there is so much more to be done if I am truly to take the responsibility I have to the poor seriously. In other ways, it's a challenge because I know I'm still full of pride, bluster, arrogance and some of my words are really out of line with my core beliefs in that they can be unkind and abrupt.
So hopefully, in the 5 years that Rick refers to, I'll be more involved with working for justice than just online campaigns and the occasional protest march. Hopefully I will know God far more deeply and be more obedient to what He wants - Micah 6:8 "He has showed you, O man, what is good. And what does the LORD require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.". And that's what I want too. With most of my heart. And I WANT TO want it with ALL my heart.
It got me thinking - what do I talk about?
Well, a lot of rubbish comes out of my mouth - stupid jokes, banter. Some cultural stuff of course - I talk about MMA, about what beers I like, and a LOT about tech and the Internet. Catch me in a thoughtful mood though, and I'll talk about justice, about mercy, about Jesus, about worship, about feeding the hungry, about encouraging the disheartened.
So I suppose it's a case of which way I want to go. I want my tongue to steer me well. Also in the Bible, in a letter to some people in Ephesus, the writer says "Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen." (Eph 4:29). I easily forget that the things I say are important. I don't think it's arrogant to say that, I think everyone has something to say.
In a way, I'm encouraged because over the last few years since I started this seldom-updated blog, I have certainly become more focused on issues of justice, on knowing God, on living a life of integrity, than I was before. Short term, I'm moving my money out of a bank that I feel is misinvesting it but there is so much more to be done if I am truly to take the responsibility I have to the poor seriously. In other ways, it's a challenge because I know I'm still full of pride, bluster, arrogance and some of my words are really out of line with my core beliefs in that they can be unkind and abrupt.
So hopefully, in the 5 years that Rick refers to, I'll be more involved with working for justice than just online campaigns and the occasional protest march. Hopefully I will know God far more deeply and be more obedient to what He wants - Micah 6:8 "He has showed you, O man, what is good. And what does the LORD require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.". And that's what I want too. With most of my heart. And I WANT TO want it with ALL my heart.
Tuesday, 25 October 2011
Creative Zen m300: ID3 tag reading inconsistencies - SOLUTION
I offered to help a friend tag some of his (legitimately owned) MP3 files. It worked perfectly! Except, when I dropped it on his Zen m300, it all came up as "Unknown Artist"/"Unknown Album". Rubbish! Oddly, some pre-existing files on the device were correctly recognised, and some were not, leaving me scratching my head.
After many (MANY) hours of tinkering, I went down to just two files. The working ones were ID3v2.3 tagged, whereas the non-working ones were ID3v2.4. I tried a few different pieces of software but in the end forced it to work with MP3tag (http://www.mp3tag.de/en/) - go tools, options, tags, mpeg and select ID3v2 ID3v2.3 ISO-8859-1 in the "Write" section of Tags>Mpeg.
Your mileage may vary but this fixed it for me!
After many (MANY) hours of tinkering, I went down to just two files. The working ones were ID3v2.3 tagged, whereas the non-working ones were ID3v2.4. I tried a few different pieces of software but in the end forced it to work with MP3tag (http://www.mp3tag.de/en/) - go tools, options, tags, mpeg and select ID3v2 ID3v2.3 ISO-8859-1 in the "Write" section of Tags>Mpeg.
Your mileage may vary but this fixed it for me!
Friday, 12 August 2011
What's the answer to the riots?
The London riots have been truly appalling. I am not surprised that people are calling for changes and even suggesting that rioters should lose their benefits... I don't believe these things are the answer, however. I don't see any political/social/legal quick wins. Offenders should stand trial, but I don't think bringing in special measures is appropriate. We had only a very small percentage of people rioting, and then a lot of folks seem to want a police state as a result! This is dangerous, because it gives even more power to those at the top who have been instrumental in steering society to the place it is in.
Looking at society, we have corruption in business and government; we have poverty that is the result of people's greed. There is much we can do to stand up to this kind of thing and try to fix the systems, but ultimately the problem is human nature - we're all capable of being selfish, grasping, hateful, spiteful, full of self righteous self justification. I don't believe that we can point at anyone and say "they're the bad guys"; I believe we're all responsible.
I believe the answer isn't political or legal recourse, it's Jesus. I believe he changes our hearts, turns us around from selfishness and puts us on a rescue mission to love this world. I've seen lives changed, people going from being riddled with bitterness to being full of joy, gentleness, humility and generosity. I'm not talking about some mandatory thing or empty religion but genuine encounter with the son of God, who came in humility and stood up to the corrupt leaders of the time. He said his kingdom is not of this world, it's not about it becoming part of the state, it's about one-by-one people's motivations being changed. Jesus said he knows how deceitful human nature is, and I believe he is the only doctor for it.
It's a hard path though, it means laying down selfishness and "me me me" forever to follow Jesus, but I believe that if people truly do, then they start to bring real change to the world - this Kingdom of God Jesus spoke about is a here-and-now thing, and a forever thing. So that's how I want things to be fixed. I can't and wouldn't ever force that on anyone. I hope that many people who are feeling disenfranchised, the oppressors and the oppressed, allow themselves to be changed by the King, who prizes humility, gentleness, courage, strength, truth and above all love.
"Be not overcome of evil, but overcome evil with good." - Romans 12:21
Is this a pipe dream? Could we really have so many people transformed by meeting Jesus that our society takes a more positive direction? Could our leaders and captains of industry abandon greed as a principle in favour of love? I believe so. Some call it "revival".
I'm not perfect, I've still got massive wrongdoing in my life, but as for me, I'll keep trying to follow Jesus, try to do what is right, try to see through the murk of politics and society to show what love, justice and mercy I can. God has promised His strength (Phil 4:13) so that we can overcome the poison in ourselves, and thereby overcome the poison in the world.
Looking at society, we have corruption in business and government; we have poverty that is the result of people's greed. There is much we can do to stand up to this kind of thing and try to fix the systems, but ultimately the problem is human nature - we're all capable of being selfish, grasping, hateful, spiteful, full of self righteous self justification. I don't believe that we can point at anyone and say "they're the bad guys"; I believe we're all responsible.
I believe the answer isn't political or legal recourse, it's Jesus. I believe he changes our hearts, turns us around from selfishness and puts us on a rescue mission to love this world. I've seen lives changed, people going from being riddled with bitterness to being full of joy, gentleness, humility and generosity. I'm not talking about some mandatory thing or empty religion but genuine encounter with the son of God, who came in humility and stood up to the corrupt leaders of the time. He said his kingdom is not of this world, it's not about it becoming part of the state, it's about one-by-one people's motivations being changed. Jesus said he knows how deceitful human nature is, and I believe he is the only doctor for it.
It's a hard path though, it means laying down selfishness and "me me me" forever to follow Jesus, but I believe that if people truly do, then they start to bring real change to the world - this Kingdom of God Jesus spoke about is a here-and-now thing, and a forever thing. So that's how I want things to be fixed. I can't and wouldn't ever force that on anyone. I hope that many people who are feeling disenfranchised, the oppressors and the oppressed, allow themselves to be changed by the King, who prizes humility, gentleness, courage, strength, truth and above all love.
"Be not overcome of evil, but overcome evil with good." - Romans 12:21
Is this a pipe dream? Could we really have so many people transformed by meeting Jesus that our society takes a more positive direction? Could our leaders and captains of industry abandon greed as a principle in favour of love? I believe so. Some call it "revival".
I'm not perfect, I've still got massive wrongdoing in my life, but as for me, I'll keep trying to follow Jesus, try to do what is right, try to see through the murk of politics and society to show what love, justice and mercy I can. God has promised His strength (Phil 4:13) so that we can overcome the poison in ourselves, and thereby overcome the poison in the world.
Tuesday, 7 June 2011
Singleness and marriage
I recently came across a video where John Piper, Don Carson and Tim Keller discuss marriage. It really spoke to me and corresponded with many of my own views on the subject.
I love the Dietrich Bonhoeffer quote: "It is not your love that sustains the marriage, but from now on, the marriage that sustains your love." As in, once you are committed to somebody, you are committed to love whoever they become, as we all change over time. Of course, both partners in the marriage have to have that level of commitment, but then again, that's pretty much what the marriage vows express. Feelings fluctuate, it's true, but the covenant (promise, agreement) that two people must be worked through daily.
This is, of course, incredibly challenging; I'd hope I'd never judge anybody for getting divorced or having problems. After all, I've been single now for a full year after my relationship with my girlfriend came to an end, which I think is what got me thinking on this topic.
I believe that in the same way as God put heaven in the human heart (as King Solomon put it, and I take that to mean desire for Him and a sense that we are meant to be eternal), so He put in the desire for the companionship of a counterpart. My mind fights this:
"Gav, you wouldn't be able to play in bands any more"
"Gav, you couldn't see your mates so much"
"Gav, you'd have no time to write games"
and so on and so forth, trying to rationalise what is essentially a particular sliver of loneliness that friendship, faith and family cannot quite address.
The Bible talks about singleness and marriage both as gifts. I understand that singleness presents its own challenges. I hear that the theologian John Stott came to accept it over time; it gave him lots of time for the great work of his life, and I am indeed desperate for my life to count for good in this world. On the other hand, that inbuilt desire for a partner is something I can't deny. if I were ever to find somebody, then the kind of lady I'd want would need to sound a little like this:
"A woman's heart should be so hidden in Christ
that a man should have to seek Him first to find her." Maya Angelou
Because, for all my sin, failure, damage and the mess in my head, it's Jesus I wish to seek and serve above all so I would need to be with someone of the same mind. It's hard to explain; I could give "chapter and verse" on this and quote scripture, but for now I'll just say that a relationship with somebody who is not on the same page in that regard simply cannot work.
So, if I am to remain single, I choose, with my free will, to see it as a gift and thank God for the opportunities it presents, and He will help me to deal with that form of loneliness.
And, if I do meet somebody, somebody wonderful who loves Jesus more than she could ever love me and who is willing to partner with me to face this world together, then I will thank God for her and ask Him to help us to be stronger together than we could apart.
Win/Win. Either way, God loves me, He has good plans for me, and He can use me to make this world a better place. I put my trust in Him, and I am at peace about this - even though it's not going to be easy, either way!
I love the Dietrich Bonhoeffer quote: "It is not your love that sustains the marriage, but from now on, the marriage that sustains your love." As in, once you are committed to somebody, you are committed to love whoever they become, as we all change over time. Of course, both partners in the marriage have to have that level of commitment, but then again, that's pretty much what the marriage vows express. Feelings fluctuate, it's true, but the covenant (promise, agreement) that two people must be worked through daily.
This is, of course, incredibly challenging; I'd hope I'd never judge anybody for getting divorced or having problems. After all, I've been single now for a full year after my relationship with my girlfriend came to an end, which I think is what got me thinking on this topic.
I believe that in the same way as God put heaven in the human heart (as King Solomon put it, and I take that to mean desire for Him and a sense that we are meant to be eternal), so He put in the desire for the companionship of a counterpart. My mind fights this:
"Gav, you wouldn't be able to play in bands any more"
"Gav, you couldn't see your mates so much"
"Gav, you'd have no time to write games"
and so on and so forth, trying to rationalise what is essentially a particular sliver of loneliness that friendship, faith and family cannot quite address.
The Bible talks about singleness and marriage both as gifts. I understand that singleness presents its own challenges. I hear that the theologian John Stott came to accept it over time; it gave him lots of time for the great work of his life, and I am indeed desperate for my life to count for good in this world. On the other hand, that inbuilt desire for a partner is something I can't deny. if I were ever to find somebody, then the kind of lady I'd want would need to sound a little like this:
"A woman's heart should be so hidden in Christ
that a man should have to seek Him first to find her." Maya Angelou
Because, for all my sin, failure, damage and the mess in my head, it's Jesus I wish to seek and serve above all so I would need to be with someone of the same mind. It's hard to explain; I could give "chapter and verse" on this and quote scripture, but for now I'll just say that a relationship with somebody who is not on the same page in that regard simply cannot work.
So, if I am to remain single, I choose, with my free will, to see it as a gift and thank God for the opportunities it presents, and He will help me to deal with that form of loneliness.
And, if I do meet somebody, somebody wonderful who loves Jesus more than she could ever love me and who is willing to partner with me to face this world together, then I will thank God for her and ask Him to help us to be stronger together than we could apart.
Win/Win. Either way, God loves me, He has good plans for me, and He can use me to make this world a better place. I put my trust in Him, and I am at peace about this - even though it's not going to be easy, either way!
Sunday, 23 January 2011
Firestarting: 2011 Welsh Revival?
If you've spoken to me or read my facebook or twitter you've probably heard about what's been going on at Cardiff City Temple. I figured I'd blog about it. Where to begin!?
Well, a "revival" or "outpouring" appears to be going on. Very roughly defined, "Revival" is a phrase used in Christian circles to mean basically people rediscovering their love and passion for Jesus. An "outpouring" is essentially a pouring out of God's Holy Spirit. The folks at City Temple and Run With Fire ministries aren't labelling what's going on too much - when God moves, you basically have to go with it, and He's in the habit of doing new things, and doing things differently! For example, He's yet to produce two people who are quite the same!
So whatever you want to call this thing, it has taken the format of extended evening meetings (like 7 hours or so - hence I look a bit tired!), night after night, where we have "pressed in" to God - done all we can to get close to Him through prayer, worship, teaching and ministry. It's been intense, I can say that unreservedly! People have been crying, laughing, praying in tongues, falling down on the floor, worshipping, quietly listening - a very wide range of responses. So why have they been behaving in this manner?
Because here it comes: you see, this Christian thing that I profess - it's REAL, and I know this because I've encountered God. At these meetings (and others), I've encountered God in a variety of ways. I've had people pray for me and felt something of a warm touch of God, and I came away more passionate and determined to grow close to the Father. Some of the strongest encounters, however, have been through worship, during which on a couple of occasions I've sensed perhaps a tiny glimpse of God's power and love. See elsewhere on my blog for more of this kind of stuff.
So where does this come from? Well, the Biblical book of Acts records the Holy Spirit filling and empowering Jesus' followers after Jesus had returned to Heaven. It is the Spirit who is God who dwells in God's adopted children. It is the Spirit who gives gifts, develops character, and can lead Christians into God's plan for their lives. It is by the Spirit that we encounter God and are adopted into His family. It is living by the Spirit that frees people to be who they were created to be. And this is where Christianity has to be: in the Spirit (the New Testament makes this very clear). Without the Spirit, it's just a religion, and empty religion is of no real use to anybody. Wondrously, almighty, eternal God continues to interact with normal, imperfect people! The Bible warns us not to quench the Spirit by going with our plans rather than God's, or to grieve the Spirit by our deliberate wrong actions - the Spirit is God in us, the power of Heaven, on Earth!
At these meetings, people have had amazing encounters, been delivered from all sorts of physical, mental and emotional issues, and most importantly have turned their hearts to God.
And that's what I've come away with, really. It's not hype - I know manipulation when I see it and this is sincere (they often don't take the offerings until most people have gone!). It's not just adrenaline: some of the meetings, I've felt flat, but I've pressed in anyway, and still come away flat, but it's not just about emotions, sensations or experience chasing. Encounter is important, however: at one meeting, I was called forward for prayer but didn't make it to be prayed for because I felt God's presence so strongly my legs just gently decided not to support me (I could have probably fought this but I tend to try to go with it if God's doing something!) and I lay there with the rest of the service going on around me as God gently upgraded my heart.
For me, revival is about committing my life to God's purposes (which are basically the most awesome possible use for my time on this earth and my path to fulfilment). My issues, struggles, doubts, fears, insecurities and sin - the baggage I carry - undoubtedly hold me back, but what drives me forwards is the touch of God, those encounters with a loving, patient, kind and perfect Father. That baggage is gradually being cast off as God gets more of a hold of His haphazard, overthinking, neurotic, yet beloved Gavin!
Yes, there have been times where everyone else seems to be "getting it" and I'm not - sometimes people are clearly experiencing God whilst I'm feeling flat. Yes, it's really tough - the preaching has been about tough subjects, including hell, the dangers of becoming complacent, the seriousness of sin, and blase Christians just coasting along with no real connection to God. It's clear from Roy and Melanie's impassioned preaching that even the most outwardly radical of us are prone to religious tendencies - being anti-religious can almost become a religion in itself! The true challenge is to live a life that is a full stack of love, completely surrendered to God (because that's what it takes). I've had to look at my motivations, my heart, my intentions, and give it all back to God and say "I'm a man of mixed motives, I can't change myself, but You can - please make me into the man you want me to be" and He has responded with incredible grace, patience and love. I've come away more hungry for God than ever before, truly desperate to live out a real life of humility, love, service and above all closeness with God.
If you want to find out what this Jesus is all about, I'd strongly suggest you come along on Thursday 27th Jan or Friday 28th Jan at 7.30. It's the challenge of your life, but knowing God's love is the greatest thing possible! Jesus loved you enough to leave Heaven, come to Earth, and die violently for you, and loves enough to save you today and give you an amazing adventure of an eternal life!
I don't have all the answers but I'm always happy to chat with people about faith anytime!
Well, a "revival" or "outpouring" appears to be going on. Very roughly defined, "Revival" is a phrase used in Christian circles to mean basically people rediscovering their love and passion for Jesus. An "outpouring" is essentially a pouring out of God's Holy Spirit. The folks at City Temple and Run With Fire ministries aren't labelling what's going on too much - when God moves, you basically have to go with it, and He's in the habit of doing new things, and doing things differently! For example, He's yet to produce two people who are quite the same!
So whatever you want to call this thing, it has taken the format of extended evening meetings (like 7 hours or so - hence I look a bit tired!), night after night, where we have "pressed in" to God - done all we can to get close to Him through prayer, worship, teaching and ministry. It's been intense, I can say that unreservedly! People have been crying, laughing, praying in tongues, falling down on the floor, worshipping, quietly listening - a very wide range of responses. So why have they been behaving in this manner?
Because here it comes: you see, this Christian thing that I profess - it's REAL, and I know this because I've encountered God. At these meetings (and others), I've encountered God in a variety of ways. I've had people pray for me and felt something of a warm touch of God, and I came away more passionate and determined to grow close to the Father. Some of the strongest encounters, however, have been through worship, during which on a couple of occasions I've sensed perhaps a tiny glimpse of God's power and love. See elsewhere on my blog for more of this kind of stuff.
So where does this come from? Well, the Biblical book of Acts records the Holy Spirit filling and empowering Jesus' followers after Jesus had returned to Heaven. It is the Spirit who is God who dwells in God's adopted children. It is the Spirit who gives gifts, develops character, and can lead Christians into God's plan for their lives. It is by the Spirit that we encounter God and are adopted into His family. It is living by the Spirit that frees people to be who they were created to be. And this is where Christianity has to be: in the Spirit (the New Testament makes this very clear). Without the Spirit, it's just a religion, and empty religion is of no real use to anybody. Wondrously, almighty, eternal God continues to interact with normal, imperfect people! The Bible warns us not to quench the Spirit by going with our plans rather than God's, or to grieve the Spirit by our deliberate wrong actions - the Spirit is God in us, the power of Heaven, on Earth!
At these meetings, people have had amazing encounters, been delivered from all sorts of physical, mental and emotional issues, and most importantly have turned their hearts to God.
And that's what I've come away with, really. It's not hype - I know manipulation when I see it and this is sincere (they often don't take the offerings until most people have gone!). It's not just adrenaline: some of the meetings, I've felt flat, but I've pressed in anyway, and still come away flat, but it's not just about emotions, sensations or experience chasing. Encounter is important, however: at one meeting, I was called forward for prayer but didn't make it to be prayed for because I felt God's presence so strongly my legs just gently decided not to support me (I could have probably fought this but I tend to try to go with it if God's doing something!) and I lay there with the rest of the service going on around me as God gently upgraded my heart.
For me, revival is about committing my life to God's purposes (which are basically the most awesome possible use for my time on this earth and my path to fulfilment). My issues, struggles, doubts, fears, insecurities and sin - the baggage I carry - undoubtedly hold me back, but what drives me forwards is the touch of God, those encounters with a loving, patient, kind and perfect Father. That baggage is gradually being cast off as God gets more of a hold of His haphazard, overthinking, neurotic, yet beloved Gavin!
Yes, there have been times where everyone else seems to be "getting it" and I'm not - sometimes people are clearly experiencing God whilst I'm feeling flat. Yes, it's really tough - the preaching has been about tough subjects, including hell, the dangers of becoming complacent, the seriousness of sin, and blase Christians just coasting along with no real connection to God. It's clear from Roy and Melanie's impassioned preaching that even the most outwardly radical of us are prone to religious tendencies - being anti-religious can almost become a religion in itself! The true challenge is to live a life that is a full stack of love, completely surrendered to God (because that's what it takes). I've had to look at my motivations, my heart, my intentions, and give it all back to God and say "I'm a man of mixed motives, I can't change myself, but You can - please make me into the man you want me to be" and He has responded with incredible grace, patience and love. I've come away more hungry for God than ever before, truly desperate to live out a real life of humility, love, service and above all closeness with God.
If you want to find out what this Jesus is all about, I'd strongly suggest you come along on Thursday 27th Jan or Friday 28th Jan at 7.30. It's the challenge of your life, but knowing God's love is the greatest thing possible! Jesus loved you enough to leave Heaven, come to Earth, and die violently for you, and loves enough to save you today and give you an amazing adventure of an eternal life!
I don't have all the answers but I'm always happy to chat with people about faith anytime!
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