In October this year I will celebrate thirty years of being a Christian. That has made me ponder what I’ve learnt over these thirty years. I often feel I’ve not made thirty years’ worth of progress or that I am not as far on as I should be in this life of faith (but hey! even Paul said, ‘Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already arrived at my goal…’ Phil 3:12 TNIV). However, as I’ve been considering what I have learnt, I’ve come to realise that this probably could be very easily summarised:

1. God is far greater than I realised when I first came to know Him.
2. The basics matter just as much now as they did then.

Let me unpack those two thoughts a little.

1. When we first come to know the Lord, we see that He is holy, mighty, powerful, loving, just and compassionate. Yet every day of our lives thereafter is spent getting to know Him better. We can never come to a place where we have God all sewn up, where we know everything there is to know about Him. The heights and depths and breadth and length of God are greater than we can ever possibly imagine. Just when we think we’ve got a handle on one attribute, He reveals something else to us and we continue to discover that there is so much more to Him than we could ever have envisaged. Paul says ‘I want to know Christ—yes, to know the power of his resurrection and participation in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, and so, somehow, attaining to the resurrection from the dead.’ (Phil 3:10-11 TNIV) That pretty much sums up how I feel too! I want to know Christ. I want to discover more of who God is, what He is like, how He thinks and acts… and even though I know He is far beyond my understanding, I want to delve into this mystery of godliness as much as possible.

2. When I first became a Christian, I learnt the children’s songs written by Ishmael. One had the lines:
‘I’m gonna say my prayers, read my Bible every morning,
Gonna get some fellowship, witness every day.’

As with all good children’s songs or literature, that encapsulated what the Christian life involves in a very simple way. Yet just because something is simple does not mean that it is not true or that its truths become irrelevant as you get older. I used to think that as I progressed in faith and grew spiritually, the ‘basics’ would be replaced by more advanced things. Hebrews 6:1 TNIV talks about moving beyond the elementary teachings about Christ and progressing towards maturity, and I used to think that that would mean a linear progression of knowledge.

However, just as all language builds on the basics and all maths builds on the basics, I have discovered that the ‘basics’ are really essential to everyday living. Every day we need to pray, to nurture that conversation with God, to share our hearts and listen for what’s on His heart. Every day I need to absorb the truth found in the Bible. I need my thinking to be shaped and modelled by God’s Word. I need to know what God says rather than what the newscasters say. I have to acknowledge that no man is an island and that we all need fellowship, that the church is God’s idea and there is no place for the ‘lone ranger’ in His kingdom. I have to be willing to share the truths of the gospel with others; I have to have a faith that looks outwards and cares for others, because that’s exactly how God reached out to me!

1 Cor 13:1-3 TNIV is blunt about the pre-eminence of love. We can do all kinds of things – speak in tongues, prophesy, have a faith that moves mountains, give selflessly to the poor – but if we do not love, it’s worth nothing and we are nothing. The basics are so simple that a child can understand them and yet we adults often forget them in our efforts to learn new things. Maybe we should just accept that it’s not really as complicated as we make out and do the works we did at first (Rev 2:5 TNIV).

There is a statement made in the book ‘Epiphanies of the Ordinary’ with which I wholeheartedly agree: “I try to live each day with a sense of the unrelenting benevolence of God for me and for my house… It is a choice we can make to accept that ‘God is for us.'” (‘Epiphanies of the Ordinary’, Charlie Cleverly, P 132).

Some people find it easy to believe that God is for us. They quote Romans 8:31 TNIV and consider the matter settled. (‘If God is for us, who can be against us?’) However, the linguist in me sometimes balks at that little word ‘if’ and I can easily wonder ‘ah, but is God really for us?’ That is why it is important to read the whole context of Scripture and not just take things in isolation. The whole tenor of the passage in Romans 8 is that Paul is building his argument relentlessly. Because of Christ’s sacrifice for us, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus (Rom 8:1 TNIV). We are living in the realm of God’s Spirit now (Rom 8:2-12 TNIV). We are God’s children and have all the rights and privileges of sonship (Rom 8:14-17 TNIV). Suffering is temporary and future glory awaits us (Rom 8:18-27 TNIV). God’s sovereign plans to make us into the image of His Son are unstoppable (Rom 8:28-29 TNIV). Nothing will be able to separate us from Christ’s love (Rom 8:38-39 TNIV). It is from this context of looking at all God has done for us that Paul says ‘What, then, shall we say in response to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us?’ (Rom 8:31 TNIV) In this context, the ‘if’ is not implying uncertainty or doubt, but is resonant with assurance and confidence. No wonder he says ‘we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us.’ (Rom 8:37 TNIV)

Not everyone feels confident about God’s ‘unrelenting benevolence for me and for my house’, especially when the storms of life hit. In fact, Charlie Cleverly remarks “Many feel uncertain and find they have developed a kind of Achilles’ heel in this area, so need daily doses of realisation of the constant covenant love and good intentions of God for them.” (ibid.)

If you’re in that position of sometimes doubting that God is indeed for you, I recommend a very slow perusal of Romans 8 and listening to songs based on that Scripture, such as Aaron Shust’s ‘God Is For Us’ as part of the ‘daily dose of realisation’ you need:

“You work together for our good.
You are loving.
You give us more than we deserve.
You are unfailing.
And we are more than conquerors, Saviour,
In You our future is secure.

We will sing, sing out
Sing for the hope found in His love.
We will sing, sing out,
Sing to our God.” (‘God Is For Us’, Aaron Shust)
‘God Is For Us’, Aaron Shust

Thinking of boats inevitably led me to think of anchors!
“We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure.” (Hebrews 6:19 TNIV)

‘It’s a soul anchor,
Hold onto the hope.
It’s a soul anchor
Just hold onto your courage.
Before we call, He answers us with hope.’ (‘Soul Anchor’, Michael Card)
‘Soul Anchor’, Michael Card

“My hope is built on nothing less
Than Jesus’ blood and righteousness.
I dare not trust the sweetest frame,
But wholly trust in Jesus’ name.

When darkness seems to hide His face,
I rest on His unchanging grace.
In every high and stormy gale,
My anchor holds within the veil.” (‘Cornerstone’, written by Hillsong United)
‘Cornerstone’, performed by Aaron Shust

When you visit a small island for a holiday, you inevitably think about boats.

We sailed to the Isle of Man on a catamaran:

Whilst we were at Liverpool waiting to board the ship, we saw first-hand just how enormous a cruise ship (Caribbean Princess) is. We were stunned at the differences in size, only imagining how lost we’d get on such a vessel!

Our catamaran crossed the Irish Sea from Liverpool to Douglas to take us on holiday. At many points on the island, you can watch other ferries taking passengers and cargo to different destinations. This ferry was seen from the northernmost point of the Isle of Man:

We went on a boat trip around the southernmost part of the island to look at wildlife. That was a relatively small boat, holding about a dozen people.

Some people got off at the Calf of Man to wander around the rugged rock:

From this boat, we got to see the Calf of Man and other rocks off the southernmost part of the island, enjoying a beautiful day and relatively calm seas:

Apparently, however, these beautiful rocks make for treacherous sailing at times and many boats have been shipwrecked here. The lighthouse on the Calf of Man has a vital role to play in avoiding such disasters:

Whilst on holiday, we enjoyed using rowing boats and even had a go on a pedalo! These boat trips were in the ‘safe’ confines of man-made lakes, often small pleasure lakes.

As I’ve been looking at photos and thinking about the various boat trips we made, I have been musing on life as a journey. I generally enjoy boat trips, but only if the sea is calm. I don’t enjoy rough seas where the up-and-down motion seems far too much like a roller-coaster for my pleasure! Similarly, I prefer life when it’s calm and sedate, but often it has times of turmoil and uncertainty, rather like being out on a rough sea!

The boat trip I took around the Calf of Man seemed typically laid-back in style; the whole island has that attitude. We turned up at the harbour at Port Erin; there was a sign advertising trips; a man sauntered up to us, asked if we wanted to go, named a time and a price and we returned at that point. You wandered down some steps to reach the boat; they cast off, sailed around, pausing the engines at times so we could see the seals and birds without disturbing or alarming the creatures:

The trip worked so well because the people in charge were clearly totally comfortable with what they were doing and their experience and expertise gave us a real sense of security. They would point out sights for us to see when we could only look at those things through binoculars; with the naked eye, we would have totally missed the treasures they were showing us. They worked as a team, tying the boat up with practised skill and then casting us off when it was necessary. It made me think a lot about the disciples as fishermen and about the storms which frightened them and how Jesus is never afraid, even on the roughest seas.

On our last day, we visited a museum about the island’s history and were amazed to look at a model of a Viking longship:

The thoughts of sailing the open seas on this kind of boat compared to the ferry, catamaran or cruise ship is mind-blowing! Yet our worlds were explored and discovered in such boats, long before the comforts of the present age, where cruise ships are like towns-on-water!

I love the sea. God created land and seas and I love exploring His creation. The sea has featured in many Bible stories I love, perhaps most vividly in the parting of the Red Sea or the story of Jonah or the calming of the storm in the New Testament. I am immensely grateful, however, for the skill and ingenuity of men in making boats so that we can explore this part of God’s creation, venture further afield and spread the gospel.

It’s hard to pick a favourite song from a new album packed with favourites. Songs often speak into our lives at different times. Sometimes we need upbeat rhythms and bouncy melodies; at others, we need slower rhythms and gentle melodies. Sometimes we need lyrics that are anthemic and declarative; at others, we need lyrics that soothe our wounds and heal our hurts. Some songs are instant hits with us; we recognise their power and impact the first time we hear them. Other songs ‘grow on us’, finding their way into our hearts gradually as we listen repeatedly.

Aaron Shust’s new album ‘Morning Rises’ has all of the above. But I was encouraged to hear him talk about the song ‘Mighty Fortress’ and how he came to write it, because that was a song which, the first time I heard it, spoke deeply into my heart and my situation, correcting wrong thinking, silencing doubts and reaffirming God’s character.

Aaron began writing ‘Mighty Fortress’ two days before his youngest son was born. He had read through the verses that talk about fixing our eyes on Jesus and our hearts and minds on things above. As he read, he thought he wanted to write a song inspired by these verses but wanted to put a bit of a twist on them. He wanted to write about the things that God will not do. Two days after beginning ‘Mighty Fortress’, his son was born with Down Syndrome, a major heart defect, and profoundly deaf in one ear and severely deaf in the other. It was a devastating day for his family. Their world had been rocked and they needed the truths of this song to hold them up.

It was precisely the emphasis on what God will not do which I needed to hear. Sometimes, it’s easy to focus on who God is and what He is like, but we use the same words over and over again until we rob them of their meaning (in our eyes, at least.) Looking at something from a different angle enables us to see truth in a different light. These powerful verbs – abandon, deceive, desert, leave, forsake, running away, rejecting – can seem all too real to us when we are confused, hurt or bewildered. Reminding us of the things God will never do – because they are totally alien to His nature and character – is as powerful as reminding us of all the things He is like (which the chorus obviously does.)

The other thing I liked about the song was how we started in the 3rd person (‘he won’t abandon’ etc.), declaring truth, but moved to the 2nd person (‘you won’t abandon’ etc.) We start by learning objective truths about God, but those truths have to become personal to us if they are to move from our heads to our hearts.

The chorus echoes Luther’s hymn of the opening line, much loved by me in the original German (‘ein feste Burg ist unser Gott’). Any work which alludes to another opens up additional paths to explore; that always goes down well with me! Lyrics that also echo Scripture are, of course, solid truth on which to stand. Again, I liked the way the chorus (written by Paul Baloche) combines both 3rd and 2nd person truth. And finally, as I listened to the bridge, I found a lyric which brought home the truths of Romans 8:38-39 TNIV in a new way, all because instead of talking about nothing separating us from God’s love, they chose to use the phrase ‘nothing has the power to sever Your love.’ Sever. A verb meaning ‘to divide by cutting or slicing, especially suddenly and forcibly’ or ‘to put an end to (a connection or relationship); break off: “he severed his relations with Lawrence”.’

No wonder I like the song!

“He won’t abandon.
He won’t deceive.
He won’t desert us.
He won’t ever leave.
He’ll never forsake us.
He won’t ever run.
He’ll never reject us,
The Faithful One.

Yesterday and today and forever
Your love will remain
Nothing has the power to sever Your love
You are good, You are good
And Your mercy endures.
You are good.” (‘Mighty Fortress’, Aaron Shust & Paul Baloche)
Aaron Shust teaches the song

Last month when we were in Oxford, Igor met some wooden friends:

As far as I was concerned, that was the end of it. But today, an unexpected parcel arrived in the post, a ‘thank you’ present from our friend for the Oxford trip, providing a new friend for Igor:

She suggested this could be Igor’s younger brother; he has been named Arnold.

Arnold is obviously Garry’s, but I was not forgotten either. The other animal is Horatio the hippo (hippos being my favourite animal, though you can tell from recent posts that seals come a pretty close second! – perhaps my love for swimming is fuelled by my love of these animals, or maybe it’s the other way round!)