According to a song, The Beatles apparently got by with a little help from their friends.
Simon and Garfunkel sang ironically about being a rock, and an island, feeling no pain and never crying.
These song lyrics show two different ways of living – choosing community or choosing isolation, and pretending all is well.
We were made for community. There is an African proverb which I love, called ‘Ubuntu’. It means “A person is a person because of other person’s”. It links in with the one about it taking a whole village to raise a child. No room for any ‘kingdoms of isolation’ here (sorry, Elsa). For the Church, John Wesley had this to say: “There is no such thing as a solitary Christian”. Wow.
In the Bible, Paul writes “Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfil the law of Christ” (Galatians 6:2). The reference is on the bracelet in this picture, along with the words “WE NEED EACH OTHER”.
Most of us don’t like asking for help – probably because we think it looks weak (it doesn’t) – but if we receive help we tend to be grateful for it! Jesus sent his disciples out in twos – never alone – and even the trinity or ‘Godhead’ is three-in-one: Father, Son and Holy Spirit, all in perfect community.
I wonder what you make of all this? From whom do you need to say the brave word ‘help’ right now? And who has a need that you can meet? Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfil the law of Christ.
Sometimes a song can break through your logical brain and speak straight to your heart. I’m sure there is some theology or psychology behind it but I don’t need to know that…all I know is that this song is breaking through for me right now.
I could pick the song apart and explain why each bit is hitting a nerve but instead I’ll just say this… “Come with me, let’s take it to Jesus” is plural and invitational. I don’t have to do this alone…I also don’t need to have all the answers – we can go together and take everything to Jesus.
I have no idea what to say right now How could any words ease the pain right now Something like this will never make sense never make sense at all I have no idea what to say right now
If you wanna come you can stay for awhile I know a place we could go right now Pack all your pieces, broken and bleeding, all of your grief and doubt I know a place we could go right now
When your questions don’t have answers and you just can’t understand it When your mind just won’t stop running and the tears just keep on coming You don’t have to explain it He hears you before you can speak Come with me, let’s take it to Jesus
This is the place you can rest for a while If you need to just fall apart Lay down your worry, he’s not in a hurry, take all the time you need This is the place you can rest for a while
When my questions had no answers and I couldn’t understand it When my mind wouldn’t stop running and the tears just kept on coming Didn’t have to explain it He heard me before I could speak Even now, I still take it to Jesus
We’ve recently been in Northern Ireland, and brought back not just good memories but also some wonderful bread that is only made over there.
Yesterday we ended up having an impromptu toast party, where we ate more of the bread than we initially thought we would, and so we put our faithful toaster through it’s paces!
The end result was satisfied taste buds and tummies, along with a kitchen full of smoke! It turned out that some crumbs became caught in the bottom of the toaster and had set on fire.
They were good embers – but no one wants embers like these in their toaster. They make a smell, kick up smoke and generally cause a nuisance.
Then what is the best place for embers? Your life and mine, and everywhere we go. God’s Church in the UK needs people like you and me who want to burn brightly with God’s love in a world that can be very dark. People who have tasted something of God and long for more of him; people who perhaps were ‘on fire’ for him at one stage but realise that fire has dimmed. People who see potential in their relationship with God, with a conviction that he has more for them. If each of us takes our relationship with God seriously and lives that out alongside others, each one of us can be an ember in our local churches. When this happens God will renews them, and us too. The end result will be felt in our neighbourhoods, towns and cities.
So, be encouraged to ‘be an ember’ where you are – yes in your local church, but everywhere else you and God go throughout the week. And then, don’t forget to tell people what he is doing! It will build and strengthen faith in existing believers and will help it to spring up in those who don’t yet believe. Just remember the embers should be burning in your life, and not in your toaster!
Andy Frost of Share Jesus International (SJI) created this booklet in 2022 and I’ve just had a read. It’s really good.
It refers to a ‘disciple’ as someone who knows Jesus, becomes like Jesus, and who does the things that Jesus did.
The booklet is only 40 pages long, is very practical and helps new Christians think about the things that may be hard for them and how they can overcome them.
Along the way are plenty of great resource recommendations, from things to read and things to watch to questions to consider and even courses to attend.
I wish I’d had access to something like this when I made the decision to follow Jesus! It would have helped greatly with actually working out “What do I do now?”. It can be tempting to think “I’m in! Job done” when actually we have the rest of our lives to live after that point of decision, and if you’re anything like me you’ll be grateful for whatever help you can get along the way.
From Decision to Disciple can be purchased here for just £3 and there is a discount for multiple copies.
I saw a sign recently which made me think. It was on the side of a church building and at first glance it simply said ‘The Way’.
This reminds me of 2 things:
1) There is a worship song with the chorus ‘You are the way, you are the way. Lost and dead but your love came to find me, Jesus you’re the only way. (Click here to listen to it on YouTube.)
2) A well-known Bible verse came to mind: ’I am the way, the truth and the life’. Jesus said this in John 14:6.
The fact that the sign was on a church building made me smile – how fitting that a building that should be full of people showing ‘The Way’ to God has this sign on it! But upon closer inspection I noticed the extra writing…it said “Private Road/No Access”.
‘The Way’ that I am talking about, the one in the song and in the Bible verse is not private, it is not restricted access, it is not blocked off to certain people. It is open to all. That doesn’t mean ‘The Way’ will be an easy or a smooth road – in fact God pretty much promises that it is going to be rough and bumpy with twists and turns along it. Despite all this, the ‘Way’ I am talking about leads to heaven, to life eternal with Jesus in all his Glory!! ‘The Way’ that the sign on the church referred to just lead to a cul-de-sac of houses; nothing life changing, no glory. They were nice enough but hardly eternity with your creator.
I see this sign every single week as I attend a toddler group with my daughters. It is a little reminder to me that my primary focus right now is to show them ‘The Way’, and to encourage them in it. How am I going about that? Do I hinder their access to ‘The Way’ at all? If so, how can I remove that barrier? Thankfully as we get close to the toddler group I am reminded that I don’t have to walk this way alone. I have friends, mentors and brothers and sisters in Christ who walk ‘The Way’ with me and encourage me and my children in ‘The Way’.
Who is your primary focus right now? Maybe it is your husband or wife who doesn’t yet know ‘The Way’, maybe it is your work colleagues or your school friends who have lost their way a bit, or maybe it is your neighbour. How could you help them find ‘The Way’?
We recently had the privilege of helping with a course called ‘The Culture Bridge’, led by Pioneers UK (https://www.pioneers-uk.org/).
According to the website, the aim of the course is to “help diaspora Christians navigate the challenges of integrating into British culture”. The word ‘diaspora’ refers to being scattered, and the course is aimed at Christians from other nations who have left their homeland for whatever reason and are now scattered here in the UK.
The course was made up of people mainly from African nations, and was led by people from Pioneers (we were there as guests and were able to help with some specific input). The participants learned about British culture and then they were able to gain more confidence in how to relate to British people, not to mention how to share the good news of Jesus here. I can only imagine how very grateful I’d be if I moved to a different country and had the chance to take a course like this. After all, things that have worked over here are not guaranteed to work anywhere else!
It was helpful for us to think about what it means to be British, and we had a good laugh about some of the quirks and oddities that seem to be engrained into who we are over here, such as how much we love queuing(!), and how we don’t always say what we mean!
There was one fascinating moment where someone said they had managed to turn a conversation with a stranger about the weather (a very British thing) into a conversation about Jesus!
If you fit the description of a diaspora Christian here in the UK, or if you know anyone who does, we strongly recommend The Culture Bridge as a tool that could be of great use. It isn’t just for individuals, but groups from the same church could also get involved. So why not email hello@pioneers-uk.org and ask when their next course is happening?
There are a number of songs that describe what Embers is about, and what we are aiming for when we work with people. We haven’t written any of the songs so we don’t own the copyright, but we’ll mention some of them from time to time and put a link in if you’d like to hear them.
One that I can’t stop listening to at the moment is ‘Soul On Fire’ by Third Day. Click the button below to listen to the song on YouTube.
The lyrics, some of which are below, speak of someone longing for God, not just a vague fancying but a deep desire which is pushing them to run. This isn’t a gently jog, or a slow meander but running, full throttle, for God.
God, I’m running for Your heart I’m running for Your heart Till I am a soul on fire Lord, I’m longing for Your ways I’m waiting for the day When I am a soul on fire Till I am a soul on fire
Lord, let me burn for You again Let me return to You again And Lord, let me burn for You again And let me return to You again
What would I mean for you to be a ‘soul on fire’ for God?
We would love to hear your thoughts, and to help fan that flame in you!
Some of my favourite plants are weeds!! Don’t get me wrong, I love a beautiful rose, I find green flowers eminently interesting and there is something stunning about the way water beads and rolls off a lupin leaf…but still, some of my favourite plants are weeds.
Dictionary.com defines a weed as ‘any valueless, undesirable or troublesome plant that grows profusely where it is not wanted, especially one that grows on cultivated ground to the exclusion or injury of the desired crop.’ They sound like a bit of a nightmare don’t they? Anyone who has attempted to keep a garden or allotment will know that weeding is one of the biggest jobs, and no matter how clever your planting scheme is or how deep you mulch, weeds will always make their way through.
In day to day life we can sometimes, often inadvertently, treat people like weeds. Maybe our harsh tone makes someone feel unwanted. When we are so wrapped up in our own business and in the important things we have to deal with maybe others around us feel of little or no value. Sometimes others can make us feel like weeds too…if we are trying really hard at something and someone brushes away our best effort as useless we could feel worthless, if we need help with something and are struggling to find that help we may feel unwanted.
‘The world’ has a way of making us feel like weeds…you don’t have to look far on instagram to find a seemingly perfect mother who finds time to exercise and keep in shape, she has beautiful well dressed children who are always smiling and unnervingly clean, her house is immaculate and her garden is pristine. I see that and instantly feel unacceptable, my lived in house and dishevelled appearance is only matched by my, albeit beautiful, kids who wear mismatched clothes and have stains for every tumble, scrape and mud pie that has happened during the day. I haven’t exercised in years but if I can find clean clothes that’s a bonus!! I’m sure there is an equivalent for every walk of life. That person who earns more than you, that church that has more people attending than yours, that football team which is doing better than yours, that person who always seems to be one step ahead of you…these things can get under your skin and leave you feeling worthless and unacceptable.
So why all the talk about weeds, and why do I like weeds so much?? Well have you looked at them? I mean actually looked at them? Have you ever counted the petals on a daisy? Or really looked at the tiny blue flowers of a forget-me-not? Have you ever got up close and personal with a clover flower and truly appreciated its petals and colour?
Recently I saw a meadow salsify in its seed-head form…it was STUNNING. After showing it to Zoe and encouraging her to blow it like a dandelion clock I looked round for another…just look at the delicacy of each seed, each thin silk like parachute fitting with the one next to it to form this flawless beautiful pom-pom. Look at the unique curve on each seed so it fits perfectly next to the other seeds to form the globe in the picture. All that detail for something generally unwanted by most.
What does all this mean for me or you? Jesus made those weeds, it says in the bible that God cares for the grass, and weeds, in the field which are here today and gone tomorrow, how much more will he care for us (Luke 12:28). We may feel like weeds because of other people’s attitudes and behaviours towards us but God says we are fearfully and wonderfully made (Psalm 139:14), that our name is written on the palm of his hand (Isaiah 49:16), that we are outrageously loved (Ephesians 3:18-19), that we are the apple of his eye (Zechariah 2:8).
But this isn’t an exercise in patting ourselves on the back, how are we to behave towards others? Jesus didn’t listen when people told him that he shouldn’t be spending time with weeds like sinners and tax collectors, foreigners and enemies of the jews, women…let alone women with questionable morals, the sick, the dying…the dead! Jesus saw the beauty in all those people. When everyone else saw unwanted, worthless, cast outs, Jesus saw precious children of God who are covered by grace, forgiven and adopted into God’s family.
Next time you walk past a daisy or see a dandelion clock, catch your leg on a nettle or have sticky weed stuck to you by some mischievous toddler remember you are not a weed in God’s eyes…and neither is anyone else! Who is God bringing to mind for you to encourage…who needs to hear that they are not valueless, undesirable or troublesome? Maybe you could collect a little bunch of beautiful ‘weeds’ and tell them what God thinks of them! You could even get them with sticky weed at the same time!!
As I walked home from a course earlier in the summer I was surprised to notice the street lights weren’t on yet. It was 9:45pm!! I was going along the main road that I live on and as I passed each street light I noticed it flickered on. It made me smile, as though I was somehow causing the street lights to jump into action. I knew it was the sensor on top of each lamp post, but still…I liked to think somehow my presence illuminated that little bit of street.
It got me thinking…as a follower of Jesus I have the ability to be ‘light’ in each situation I am in. That doesn’t mean I’m some incredible oracle who knows everything. It also doesn’t mean I have to be the life and soul of every gathering I am part of, but when we ask Jesus to be in charge of our life we are asking him to come and live inside of us and Jesus is the light of the world (John 8:12)!! If I am genuinely bringing Jesus into my everyday life then how am I allowing the light of Jesus to shine through?
When I go shopping do I keep my head down and plough through the list as quickly as possible avoiding eye contact with everyone around me or do I look up and smile at those around me, for some of those people you may be the only smile they see all day! When I’m with my kids and we see something that makes them ask questions, like a homeless man sitting begging, do I briskly brush off the conversation and walk away or do I engage with the questions and explain that not everyone has the same opportunities as we do and some people don’t have all that we have, maybe we should buy them a sandwich and a cup of tea. At the end of the day when I’ve been busy all day and so has my husband do I get grumpy with him because I’ve used up all my patience during the day, or do I explain how I’m feeling and ask how he is feeling and talk together, or even pray together!!
In every situation I find myself in I can choose how I respond. Do I allow my human nature to guide my response bringing darkness, confusion and maybe even pain. Or do I allow my inner light to shine and invite Jesus into every situation bringing hope, light and love?
