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Turn the Page
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More to life than we imagined, Turn the Page
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A little water
3w ago00:01:08Tap to summarizeAs much of the UK bakes in yet another heatwave, I’m reminded of the story of an Indian water bearer. Every day he walked several miles to collect water for his home in two clay pots hung on a pole across his shoulders. One of the pots was cracked and by the time he got home it was always half empty. Eventually the pot felt so ashamed of its failure to carry a full load that it apologized. The carrier, however, responded by saying, “Have you not noticed that there are only flowers on your side of the path? I’ve always known about your flaw, so I planted seeds on the side of the path where I knew you would water them. The flowers that you have grown have brought beauty to my table.” Like the clay pot we are all flawed in some way, and it is easy to despair and only see the things we get wrong. Jesus, however, sees things differently. Like the water bearer he celebrates the good that we bring despite our failures. But then he goes even further by offering redemption and life in all its fulness. No wonder he says, ‘Come to me all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest’. With the transformation Jesus brings we can grow not just a few flowers but a whole garden! The post A little water appeared first on Turn the Page.
Transcribe →Red card appeal
Jul 800:01:10Tap to summarizeHowls of protest this week as Trump intervened over the red card awarded to Falorin Balogan the USA’s top goal scorer. Sent off in the game against Bosnia-Herzegovina everyone assumed that that was that. The rules are clear – get a red card and you miss the next game, and FIFA’s rules don’t allow teams to appeal. But then came the phone call from Trump and mysteriously the one match suspension was postponed for a year. Near universal condemnation has followed. It’s just not fair. Similarly howls of protest surrounded some of Jesus’s last words from the cross. Either side of him two criminals were also crucified. Their guilt was not in question, and they were getting what they deserved. But then one made an appeal for clemency and just like that Jesus offered him a place in Paradise. It’s just not fair. The rules are clear – if you sin, you’ll get what you deserve. But that’s the beauty of the gospel and the gift of grace made possible by Jesus. We’ve all been issued a red card but on the cross Jesus took them, paid the penalty and cancelled them. As Balogan and the thief on the cross both discovered, a friend in a high place can get you out of the most serious trouble; and the trouble we face for sin is rather more serious than a one match ban. We stand to miss out on eternity and the fulness of eternal life that Jesus promises. So, what are you waiting for? Why not make your appeal and get what you don’t deserve? The post Red card appeal appeared first on Turn the Page.
Transcribe →No other gospels are available
Jun 3000:01:13Tap to summarizeAs a licence fee funded service the BBC is not allowed to advertise. This means that whenever a brand name is referenced, for example Heinz Tomato Ketchup, the presenter must always add ‘other ketchups are available’. It’s become so familiar and so regular that adding this disclaimer has entered common usage. Many of us referencing a particular brand will add the disclaimer without thinking. It’s all become very amusing. But there are times when it doesn’t apply. When he was still a prince King Charles declared that he wanted to be defender of faith, rather than defender of the Christian faith which his coronation oath required. His actions, statements and intentions as King have made this desire explicit. Sadly, this decision to unilaterally rewrite a coronation oath is not in his nor any other monarch’s gift. It’s a truth to pass on rather than adapt in a changing world. It was Jesus who lived in a pluralist multi-faith society who declared, ‘I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me’. So, you see the thing is this, when it comes to the Good News of God, no other gospels are available. The post No other gospels are available appeared first on Turn the Page.
Transcribe →Water of Life
Jun 2400:01:02Tap to summarizeIf you are cooling off in the latest heatwave with an ice-cold drink, you might want to raise a glass to Frederick Tudor. Tudor lived in New England in the early 19th century and one day hit upon the idea of selling ice to people in countries where it was hot. Everyone thought he was mad. Firstly, there was no demand and secondly, all the ice was sure to melt before it reached its destination. But he didn’t give up and gradually persuaded people that cold drinks were a good idea. He also worked out how to insulate the ice in transit, using sawdust and wood shavings. One shipment left Boston carrying 180 tons of ice and arrived months later in Calcutta with 100 tons left. It turned out that he was genius and not a fool. Someone else who was considered a fool but to whom we should be similarly grateful is Noah. One day he hit upon the idea of building a boat. But he lived in a desert where it hadn’t rained for years. Like Tudor, everyone laughed. But he was convinced he was right and no matter how much he was mocked he kept going, and in the end was proved right. Tudor’s perseverance led to the widespread availability of cold drinks. Noah’s would one day lead to the widespread availability of the water of life found in Jesus who said, ‘whoever drinks the water I give them will never thirst’. The post Water of Life appeared first on Turn the Page.
Transcribe →Dying words
Jun 1000:01:10Tap to summarizeSteven Spielberg’s famous film Saving Private Ryan begins with a graphic portrayal of the D-Day landings on Omaha beach. Thousands lose their lives during the assault. But then comes news that Private Ryan’s three brothers have all been killed in quick succession and to spare his mother further grief the order is given to find him and bring him home. Captain Miller is tasked with the rescue and sets off into enemy occupied Normandy to find Ryan. Along the way most of his team are killed, and in a final scene Miller himself is mortally wounded. With his last breath he whispers to Ryan, ‘Earn this, earn it.’ The film closes with Ryan as an old man weeping by Miller’s grave. He turns to his wife and asks, ‘Tell me I’ve lived a good life. Am I a good man?’ Miller’s last words left a legacy of doubt and uncertainty that have haunted Ryan. What a contrast to the dying words of Jesus on the cross who said, ‘It is finished’. Not a cry of defeat but one of victory. Unlike Miller’s death which saved just one man, Jesus’s death in our place, paying the price for our sin, sets free all those who come to him. The post Dying words appeared first on Turn the Page.
Transcribe →The love of money
Jun 400:01:11Tap to summarizeThe list of goods purchased by Peter Murrell using embezzled SNP funds reads like the items on the Generation Game conveyer belt: a Nintendo Switch, a selection of video games, a necklace, a Miele coffee machine, a luxury Bremont watch, a selection of DVDs, a GoPro camera, a onesie. The list goes on and on. Sadly, Murrell wasn’t a finalist on a game show but abusing his position as treasurer to steal. He wasn’t the first and he won’t be the last. No wonder the Bible warns against the love of money as a root of all kinds of evil and urges us to be content with what we have. In the Old Testament Book of Proverbs, the writer prays that God would give him ‘neither poverty nor riches…but only my daily bread’. Why? Because poverty might lead him to steal and riches to a life not dependent on God. Jesus once cautioned a rich young man that his love of wealth was preventing him from entering the Kingdom of Heaven. He told his followers that they couldn’t serve God and money. They had to choose one or the other. Murrell made his choice and will now have to pay the price. What will we choose? The post The love of money appeared first on Turn the Page.
Transcribe →Remember you are mortal
Apr 2100:01:08Tap to summarizeIn a world in which political leaders are prone to exalt themselves and cling on to power as if they were indispensable, we might be wise to take a lesson from the Romans. A victorious general returning from war would be given quite the homecoming. Their triumphal procession through the city would last all day or sometimes even two. Carried in a horse-drawn chariot the general would be preceded by prisoners and other spoils of war and followed by his troops. Dressed in a red toga to imitate Mars the god of war, he would make his way to the temple of Jupiter. For the adoring crowds the general would take on a god-like status. Such adulation might easily go to his head. He might begin to think more of himself than he ought. For that reason, he had company in the chariot as he rode around the city. A slave stood behind him the whole way whispering in his ear ‘Remember you are mortal’. These are wise words to bear in mind when any of us are tempted to assume an importance that we do not merit. Not for nothing does the season of Lent begin with these words from Genesis, ‘Remember that you are dust and to dust you shall return’. The post Remember you are mortal appeared first on Turn the Page.
Transcribe →Get off that ship!
Apr 1300:01:10Tap to summarizeOn 10th April 1912 Father Robert Browne boarded the RMS Titanic for her maiden voyage. He had been gifted a ticket by his uncle to sail from Southampton to Queenstown* in Ireland, her last stop before the transatlantic crossing. But while at sea he made friends with a wealthy American couple who so enjoyed his company they offered to pay for him to travel all the way to New York. He needed permission from his superior to do so but the reply to his telegraph was unambiguous – ‘Get off that ship’. He did so and his obedience saved his life. The message of Jesus is surprisingly similar. In Mark’s Gospel his first recorded words include a command for us to repent, which might just as well be translated ‘Get off that ship!’ Most of us are living lives our own way and perhaps, like Browne, are tempted to pursue a course that looks to be filled with pleasure and luxury. But Jesus’ invitation to repent is a call to turn our lives around and instead of facing away from God to walk towards him and embrace the fulness of life that he promises. When we do so we will discover, like Browne, that our obedience has saved our lives. *Renamed Cobh in 1920 The post Get off that ship! appeared first on Turn the Page.
Transcribe →Clearing up our waste
Mar 2500:01:06Tap to summarizeClearing up other people’s waste is extremely costly. Across Britain today there are hundreds of sites containing tonnes of waste, and eleven have now been labelled ‘supersites’ with more than 20,000 tonnes each. The cost of the clear up is unknown but will run into millions of pounds with one site alone costing more than £9m. The problem is some people don’t want to have to pay to get rid of their waste. They would rather dump it on others and let them pay the cost. But how fair is that? In life too our selfish hearts accumulate all kinds of waste which we don’t know what to do with. Sometimes we try burying it but generally it spills over and others end up paying the price. How often have we thought, said or done something that we wish we hadn’t? The overflow of waste, the effect of our falling short of God’s standards, the collateral damage caused by sin. If only there were someone who could clear up the mess; someone willing to pay the price. Well, there is. His name is Jesus and 2,000 years ago he died in the Jerusalem rubbish tip, giving his life so that we could be clean. The post Clearing up our waste appeared first on Turn the Page.
Transcribe →Time to unpack
Mar 1800:01:10Tap to summarizeThe TV series Sort Your Life Out features families overwhelmed by the number of possessions and the amount of clutter that is filling their homes. They simply don’t know where to begin. The first step involves removing everything and laying it all out in a huge warehouse. Next, they are guided through the process of deciding what to keep and what to give up. It’s astonishing to see quite how much one family can accumulate, from thousands of toys to dozens of pairs of shoes and, in one case, 521 odd socks. It strikes me that we might think of Lent as an opportunity to sort our lives out but in a different way. Over the course of time our lives fill up with clutter – bad habits, resentments, grievances, losses, and despair. If we’re not careful we may find ourselves feeling overwhelmed. Used rightly Lent is a season for self-examination, an opportunity to lay everything out before God and seek his help to sort through the clutter. In the TV series Stacey Solomon is the kindest of guides through what can be a very emotional process. If we will allow him Jesus will be our guide as we look honestly at our lives and decide what we may keep and what must go. The post Time to unpack appeared first on Turn the Page.
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