Month: February 2017

The heart of a kiwi Christian: a personal journey

img_0423

Here’s the first excerpt from my page: The heart of a kiwi Christian: a personal journey Feel free to leave comments on this blog post.

I’ve decided to write a personal journal. Why? Because my heart is being changed.

It’s quite a journey, life! There are ups and downs, struggles, battles – the deepest battles sometimes are within our own hearts.

I’ve found an ally in that kind of warfare: a powerful ally,  so I’ve found – so I’ve experienced, to the depths of who I am.

There are times in our lives when we find great treasure – and we can’t help but want to pass that treasure on. Jesus Christ has become that treasure for me: the pearl of great price! The taonga.

I want to make that treasure known.

Come: join me! Find out who this person is! Let me share how Jesus has made my life, and my heart, so much better.

18/2/17 The best things in life cost our all.

There is a saying that the best things in life are free. The idea here is that we need to pay money for treasures like pearls, or diamonds, while more important than these is love: and love is for free. But is love really for free? They say true love is unconditional: but is true love really unconditional?

I’m not talking about a kind of love that expects results: a parental love, say, that is only given if the child succeeds, or a romantic love that is only given on payment of sex. The idea of unconditional love says no to these: a good parent will love their child irrespective of their achievement; a good partner will love even in the absence of sexual pleasure. But there is a higher kind of love than this: a higher calling into Love that requires the payment of a price in order for it to reach its true realization.

Jesus is calling us into that kind of Love.

Are the best things in life for free? No: the best things in life demand our all. A parent staying up all night for a sick child. A spouse remaining sexually faithful with an incapacitated mate. True love sacrifices: true love costs. And, in response to paying the right and necessary price, true Love beckons for us to do the same in return.

This is what Jesus means, when he says, ‘Take up your cross and follow me.’ He offers his life to save our souls: to carry our darkness, our flaws, our human frailty – but does it end there? It does not. Love beckons: ‘I’ve done this to show you what real Love is: now, go and do the same. Be like me.’

‘Take up your cross and follow me.’

Love costs. Love demands. Love beckons us to be more than we are.

The best things in life cost our all.

Sexuality: the battle between religion and atheism?

love-13702007079dg

Here’s a hot topic: sexuality. Everyone knows sex sells: Hollywood, Playboy, anyone advertising virtually anything. Sexuality is a powerful force, there’s no denying it: heck, it’s one of the reasons why we’re all here, might as well admit it.

But how we do sexuality: ah, that’s when the real tremors begin. Conservative? That’s me. Liberal? That’s many of us. But the wars!

We could talk about sexuality for hours: maybe we should, instead of warring about it – recognise and allow for the differences. But the topic that is really seizing me right now is the connection between religion or non-religion, or anti-religion, and sexuality.

Is there a connection? Talk to me.

It has been said that people only reject or avoid God because of a desire for sexual freedom. True? False? Ah, maybe…? Sometimes?

So, then: let’s talk about sexuality. What is sexual freedom? Why conservative? Why liberal? How does Christianity or agnosticism/atheism influence sexuality? And are we sometimes choosing our worldview on the basis of our sexuality?

What do you say?