I’ve never been one of the great and mighty, never worked for a multi-national company, never attended a mega-church. I’ve never lived in a huge capital city or felt comfortable in crowds. The big and bustling metropolis and the giant organisations which have slick marketing campaigns and jazzy slogans generally leave me cold. I’m a little person – literally and metaphorically.

That’s why stories like David and Goliath (1 Samuel 17) mean a lot to me. Or the story of Gideon (Judges 6). Or the story of the little boy whose lunch feeds five thousand (John 6:1-13 TNIV). I like the fact that the Bible doesn’t just deal with the big things (armies, nations, battles and wars) but focuses on individuals and the role they play in the bigger picture. Psalm 131:1-3 TNIV is one of my favourite psalms: ‘My heart is not proud, LORD, my eyes are not haughty; I do not concern myself with great matters or things too wonderful for me.’

The Bible reassures me that God knows each one of us as individuals and cares for us by name (read Psalm 139 TNIV or Isaiah 43:1 TNIV if you don’t believe me.) It also reassures me that individuals can make a difference, however small or inadequate they feel in themselves. It declares that one with God can achieve amazing results: ‘One of you routs a thousand, because the Lord your God fights for you, just as he promised.’ (Joshua 23:10 TNIV)

So often, we feel disempowered as individuals and disheartened as a result. ‘What difference can I make?’ we say. We feel there’s no point getting involved in our communities, in politics, in church life, in our work situations or whatever because we don’t think we can influence or change anything in these ‘bigger’ pictures. But history tells us a different story. History shows us that individuals can make enormous differences: Shaftesbury, Wilberforce, Mother Teresa, Francis of Assisi.

Goliath didn’t win. The young shepherd boy, scorned by his brothers and the runt of the family, triumphed where no one expected him to. Gideon became a worthy judge, despite his own self-image. The little boy’s lunch met a huge need. And we too can make a difference, not because of our own ingenuity or strength, perhaps, but because God specialises in working with individuals who are surrendered to Him. More and more I pray this prayer:“God, let me make a difference for you that is utterly disproportionate to who I am” and rejoice in the individuality of personality made by God.

‘Who Am I?’, Casting Crowns

The Evangelical Alliance has just published the results of its latest survey, this one about work. You can view the overview below on the Power Point. The survey was completed in May 2013 by 1,511 people who were asked a number of questions about work, faith and other related issues.

Since we spend so much time at work, it’s obviously a very important part of most people’s adult life and one of the questions asked was how well the Church prepares people for the world of work and supports them in this world. This is something that is directly connected to the ‘whole life discipleship’ course run by LICC and is of interest to many Christians.

The full report can be read here.

Since I was a child, I have loved the piano. I love listening to the piano and like a whole range of piano music. But I never learned to play the instrument. Because of that, there was always a mystique about it, a sense of mystery. How did someone learn to play Beethoven’s piano sonatas or Gershwin’s Rhapsody in Blue?

We discovered my son had perfect pitch when he was very young, and so it seemed natural to give him the opportunity to harness that God-given gift and learn to play instruments. Because he was very young when he started lessons (about four or five), I had to sit in on the lessons and secretly I was pleased about that, because I thought that would mean I would finally get to uncover the mystery!

What I discovered over the next few years was there really was no mystery. There was just a lot of hard work and persistent practice. Progress was slow and there were many, many times over the next few years when both he and I would honestly have preferred him to give up. He didn’t always want to practise: there were other things he’d rather do than sit and play scales and play the same pieces over and over again until he’d mastered them. There were other things I’d rather do than listen to the same things over and over again.

But when I listen to him today, able to play just about any piece you ask him to, often by ear, without any sheet music whatsoever, changing the key so it fits our voices, adapting what he’s heard, adding little variations and chord progressions which bring a smile to my face, I’d say it was worth the work. Practice pays off. Perseverance brings its own rewards.

Whatever the task – sport, magic tricks, doing puzzles, sewing, gardening, cooking – we are often awed by those who have practised more than we have at those particular things and feel there’s got to be some magic secret to their success. There isn’t. There is talent, yes, which perhaps means they can do something we can’t. But wherever there is talent, there is also perseverance and hard work if that talent is to mature into achievement. We call it ‘fulfilling potential.’ Talent on its own isn’t enough. As the saying goes, ‘genius is 1% inspiration and 99% perspiration.’

Similarly, we can look at other Christians and feel they have some magic formula that enables them to seem so serene, so prayerful, so happy, so powerful. We can envy them their ‘success’. But if you get to know these people, you will find that there really is no magic formula. They have to persevere in faith and experience the same doubts and temptations that are common to mankind, just like we do. They have to persevere in prayer, worship no matter what their feelings say, forgive when they’re hurt, believe when they’re afraid, trust in God’s grace just like we do. There is no secret about it all. God has plainly revealed everything we need to know to live how He wants us to live! Romans 12:12 TNIV sums it up rather neatly: ‘Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer.’ That’s it. You don’t have to keep buying the latest ‘how to be a successful Christian’ book to find a magic formula. There is none!

We have to be utterly disciplined about this Christian life. It’s not something we undertake light-heartedly or aimlessly. Paul says, ‘No, I strike a blow to my body and make it my slave so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified for the prize.’ (1 Cor 9:27 TNIV) He tells Timothy ‘Be diligent in these matters; give yourself wholly to them, so that everyone may see your progress.’ (1 Tim 4:15 TNIV) Jesus was equally unequivocal about the cost involved (Luke 14:25-33 TNIV). The question is not ‘how do find a magic formula for a successful Christian life?’, but ‘are we willing to count the cost and put in the effort required?’

Jack Gibbons plays ‘Rhapsody In Blue’
(I had the privilege of seeing Jack Gibbons play this live in Oxford in 2011 and then play a variety of Beethoven piano sonatas in 2012. I will never forget these occasions. Talent coupled with hard work is a formidable pairing!)

Last night we had two birthdays to celebrate for the week ahead, both in the same family!

When I was 40, I was diagnosed as diabetic. The maxim ‘Life begins at forty’ didn’t seem particularly true to me at that point: this was a painful wake-up call. One of the things I was forced to evaluate was my own lack of self-discipline and I had to make pretty radical changes to the way I was living, particularly in regard to diet and exercise.

As a child I had disliked participating in the majority of sports, mostly because I felt I was not very good at them and because I was very self-conscious about how I looked when I was doing them! The only thing I had enjoyed doing was swimming, because I loved the feel of the water. Reluctantly, therefore, I decided that if I had to do exercise to improve the state of my health, swimming was where I’d better start.

The first time I went swimming was on a Wednesday evening in December, not the most exciting time of year to be starting a new way of life. I managed 22 lengths in one go (550 metres), which was considerably more than I’d done in the past twenty years put together, so I was quite encouraged by that. I reckoned that if I could do a few more each time, in a few weeks I’d be doing quite well.

Maths was never my strong point, so I was quite surprised when, on announcing that I hoped to manage 30 lengths next time, my son casually said, “If you do 32, that’s half a mile.”

That was a carrot dangled in front of me. Half a mile sounded much more virtuous than 550 metres. And once I’d achieved that, he reminded me that 40 lengths was a kilometre, and that sounded even better. And then 50 lengths didn’t seem that much more. And then, just as casually, “Did you know 64 lengths is a mile?”

Within a few months I’d managed a mile and by then I’d discovered that there was a great deal of satisfaction in perseverance and that I could do much more than I’d ever imagined. These days I swim 80 lengths most mornings and can manage 2 miles in under 2 hours. I’ve done a sponsored swim of 5 km (200 lengths) and did a Channel Swim of 22 miles in 12 sessions. There’s a lot to be said for perseverance!

Perseverance is required if we are to finish the race God has marked out for us. Hebrews 12:1 TNIV says ‘let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us.’ What I discovered with swimming was that if we just keep doing what is required, however boring it seems or however painful, the end result is virtue. Some days, swimming feels great. Other days, it feels like agony. But again, it doesn’t really matter what it feels like. Perseverance tells me I need to do this because it’s good for me and so I do it. Seeing the results – lower blood pressure and lower blood sugars – is reward for the effort.

Often, we give up because we don’t see results instantly or get rewards straightaway and because it’s hard work to persevere. ‘Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows. Whoever sows to please their flesh, from the flesh will reap destruction; whoever sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life. Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.’ (Gal 6:7-9 TNIV)

Rick Bass uses the analogy of a glacier to emphasise that perseverance pays off. He writes “A glacier is the most powerful force the world has ever seen. Nothing, literally nothing, can stop a glacier. A glacier is formed by the falling of snow that accumulates over a period of time. As the snow deepens, the weight compresses. Ice is formed, and then more snow, which becomes more ice, year after year after year. Nothing happens for a long time, but when the glacier is sixty-four feet thick, it starts to move, and once it starts nothing can stop it…I believe that even if your heart leans just a few degrees to the left or the right of center [sic], that with enough resolve, which can substitute for mass, and enough time, a wobble will one day begin, and the ice will begin to form, where for a long time previous there might have been none.” (quoted in Eugene Peterson’s ‘Christ Plays in Ten Thousand Places’ P 338) Eugene Peterson and others talk about ‘a long obedience in the same direction’ as being one of the hallmarks of being a Christian. Perseverance takes time but is necessary for finishing the race of life, so that we can say, like Paul, ‘I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.’ (2 Tim 4:7 TNIV)

If we don’t give up, we will be amazed at what God can achieve through even our own ordinary efforts.

Mark McKeown shared with us tonight an innovative way of raising money for the poor and needy in the run-up to Christmas. In addition to the usual tins and food items we are bringing to church, we can sponsor him from now until 14th December to raise money which will be used to buy even more items to help with the Salvation Army’s Christmas food project. He will be growing a beard and then shaving one half of this off… an unusual sponsored event, but one which is bound to attract comment and attention, which can then be used to explain his motivation for doing this! Hopefully, we can raise a substantial amount of money to buy food and items of clothing for the poor and needy of Goldthorpe. If you would like to sponsor Mark and pledge money for this cause, please email dave@gpcchurch.co.uk or sign up to the sponsor form at church!

We will be holding a celebration service on Saturday 4th January 2014 at 6 p.m. to thank Mark and Diane for their work leading the church over the past eight-and-a-half years and to welcome Garry and Julie to their new roles within the church. Further details will be available nearer the time, but since we know Christmas and the New Year are always busy times for people, we wanted to make sure the date goes in the diary now!