Ancient Truth | Modern Sound

“these things happened as examples for us so that we would not choose evil as they did”.

My friend Frank makes fun of my bible study beginning in Genesis .  On asking, “Where else?”, believe it or not he suggested Deuteronomy!  I will leave that for another day.   Even so, after a bit of a rest, I want to continue on with Genesis.  Paul wrote those words above writing to the church at Corinth using the lessons of Moses in the wilderness to help the Corinthians choose good over evil (1st Corinthians ch 10).  The books of Paul’s bible were not just stories they were the experiences of a community which shaped their character, life, and purpose.  (more…)

I have hardly had time to turn around.  Work is filling every space in my life right now which is more of a problem than usual because my wife and children arrived in London a week or so ago.  When they are around I realise that I spend all my time thinking of work and hardly any about them – I am ashamed.  However, the blessing of children (and their curse) is that they will not be long ignored and my life is moving towards more of a healthy balance when they are around.

I am blessed in my family and I am almost equally blessed with good friends.  In 1991 Karen and I arrived in Houston with six suitcases and a 3 month old baby – we did not know a soul in Houston.  In the years since then I have made great friends and 3 of them (Buddy, Max, and Paul) came over to visit me a couple of weeks ago.

We had a great time investigating some of London’s sights and while also sampling “Dick Whittington’s Ale Trail”.  One thing is for sure, you are not going thirsty following Dick’s footsteps around London.  It was interesting for me to see my new home through their eyes.  Fish and chips were sampled along withpickled eels and pub food.  We had Pimms on my balcony and watched the sun go down.  Like I said, I am blessed. 

These men have without knowing it shared with me the burden of bringing up my children.  Sure, Karen and I needed to be the ones to impose the curfews, wipe the runny noses, and set the Christian example as best we could.  Yes, we did the practical and the necessary work of bringing up the kids.  What these men and their families did was raise the faith of Karen and I above the level of intellectual quirk or weird lifestyle choice.  Because of these friends of ours my son and daughters know that Christian truth leads to Christian life (and, importantly, vice versa).  Because of their faithful lives, my kids have seen other families close up dealing with good times and bad in faithful ways.  They have seen mothers and fathers love and forgive each other, they have seen children be encouraged and disciplined in the faith and made better because of it.  That, is a special gift that not all people get. 

I was glad to share my home with my friends, Buddy, Max, and Paul.  I am glad they had fun, saw the London eye, ate marrow, and enjoyed the Lefe (Google it!). 

Most people travel a little in their work and when they do it is often a treat.  Nothing like a couple of days of room service and clean sheets to revitalise the soul. 

On the other hand, there are a few people like me who travel a lot.  Once, years back, I did 200,000 miles in a year.  It is not easy to do that, but I did it.   Don’t ever need to do it again but, unfortunately, this year might be close.  I know what you are thinking, poor, poor you.  Suck it up.  Fair enough.

So last week I spent a couple of days in Hungary specifically in Budapest and in Segzed (where the local oil activity is).   Hungary is right slap bang in the centre of Europe and in the centuries before the Soviets took over after world war two it was at the heart of a lot of European history.  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hungary  For example, Hungary has been invaded by barbarians twice, three times if you include the Soviets.  It has survived regional and world wars and gone from being a great power to a country at the outside of European success.  One thing that survives throughout is the ancient Christian faith.  I visited the church in Segzed (that’s the picture above) and was again awed at how simple faith outlasts the vagaries of history.  During the history of this particular church the country was invaded by the Ottomans and Islam was imposed on the country.  Today Islam is barely represented in the country - and in the church in Segzed mass was being said during my short visit.  The church outlasted too the invasion of the Soviets and the imposition of their own religion, communism.  Communism still is part of the political landscape in Hungary but no one is confusing it with the truth any more.

As Christians we have much to be fearful of when we look around the world.  Sitting in Europe it is hard to be coonfident in the future of our faith.  Compared to Budapest and Segzed everything in America seems so new and our Christian faith in America is polished and close to perfect.  But in Europe it is the very ancientness of our faith that gives hope.  Our church has seen it all - and survived.  It survives because the Spirit of God is eternal and lives in the church and it is this fact that gives us as Christians our eternal hope.