C O M M U N I T Y

You see, community is relationship in all its glory, 

sharing laughter, hurt and hearing stories,

It's about walking together and showing you care,

Helping someone to realise you'll always be there,

It's about building authentic relations with a span of ages,

Not just sticking with your own generation,

It's learning to receive wisdom from the old, and helping the young in dismantling the mould,

Society and culture creates this expectation of how we should be,

Telling the old to dislike the young, when once they were just like me,

We have to abolish this system that chooses popularity over friends,

And realise that relationship and vulnerability mends,

Community is about being real and open, 

Showing scars and being broken,

Joining to do life together as one,

Just like where it all began, 

The Trinity,

Father, Spirit, Son. 

J

*Video to follow*

The Beauty Of A Brutal Death

Over Easter, I was reflecting massively on the crucifixion and resurrection, and what that means for me and my life. Growing up in a Christian family, I knew all about the significance of Good Friday and Easter Sunday and had always been taught about what to believe, hearing the same spin on the story again and again. But this year there was a shift. 

I watched 'The Passion Of The Christ' for the first time on Good Friday. In all honesty, I was expecting it to be a lot tamer than it was. I found myself in floods of tears throughout the entire film. Of course, one of those reasons was because of the sheer brutality of watching Jesus being whipped to the point his flesh was torn from him, a crown of thorns forced through his skull, and 3 nails banged into him to support the entirety of his body weight. 

But the thing that probably made me the mascara run mess at the end, was that the very people that welcomed Jesus into Jerusalem, were then shouting 'crucify' him just five days later. For me, the shift came when I realised that, would I have been a part of the crowd, loving Jesus one day, then screaming for his death the next? The honest answer is I don't know, but I think it's most probable to assume I'd have been in the crowd. And if that was the case, then Jesus died a bloody and brutal death, for someone that nailed him to that cross. Every broken, crowd following, anger driven person stood before Jesus, imperfect, and nailed him to that cross. 

But the beauty of the cross, is that through Jesus being tortured, he takes our brokenness and makes us whole, he takes us from following the crowd and makes us seek Jesus and he takes our anger and restores us with peace. He removes the crowns of thorns we placed on him, and places on us a crown of beauty. Jesus didn't die just to become a figure that is sometimes spoken about, he came to die so that he could radically transform our lives, to take everything that stops us from being in relationship with God, and instead offer us eternity with the king of kings. 

When Jesus died, something shifted. And that shift is still felt today, when we really think about why a man who was pure and perfect faced the most brutal death just for you. 

'From the ashes a fire shall be woken, a light from the shadows shall spring; renewed shall be blade that was broken: the crownless again shall be king' - J R R Tolkien

J

'My Plan Is To Have No Plan'

Recently I was chatting to a friend about what their big plan for life was. It was an ambitious question I know, but I expected him to reply with some kind of mundane answer about a job he wanted to pursue or eventually raising a family or something like that. Instead he simply replied 'My plan is to have no plan'. 

When I first heard this I thought clearly that's not a good plan, but then the question on 'why do you have to feel like you have to get somewhere in life? Why can't it be about the journey?' was raised. This is exactly the point I had been missing. 

About a year ago, I could have told you my grand plan for the next 5 years of my life. I would be in New Zealand for a year, then I would be studying theology at Exeter university for 4 years, doing a year abroad in my studies. The reality is, I didn't get into Exeter, I got into Westminster. I came home from New Zealand 10 months earlier than expected. And I have now withdrawn my university place altogether. 

I have no life plan, but I have never felt so relaxed and peaceful about that. Having no life plan and giving it all to God is my new life plan, and I can tell you now, it's working a damn lot better than any other plans I've tried. When I think about it, making plans for what I want is never going to work, because I'm not the only one involved. Instead, I think I'll leave God to make my plans, and I'll take each day as it comes and enjoy the freedom that comes with having no clue what tomorrow entails. 

'In their hearts humans plan their course, but the Lord establishes their steps.' - Proverbs‬ ‭16‬:‭9‬ 

J 

Jars Of Clay

As we start a new year, there's one thing I long to see in our culture. Something that can seem dangerous, hard, and strips us to the core. It's called vulnerability. 

We are the culture of selfie sticks, image and falseness. You see, we all wear a mask, and it can look different for each one of us. For some, it comes in the form of false confidence, where we boast in our mask, not what is real beneath. For others, it comes in the form of physicality. Dressing up, caking on the make up and pretending to be someone we know we are not. We are a culture hidden behind the mask of social media and endless photo filters. 

Now, I'm not saying that social media, or dressing up is bad, but what I'm saying is stop hiding. Being vulnerable is crazy scary. Opening yourself so people see who you really are, that's knee shaking stuff. But vulnerability in turn carries beauty;

"But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show us that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us." - 2 Corinthians 4:7

Man, our appearances are not what matters, the filters we put on our lives are not what shines. It's being broken, it's not being afraid to tell people you're broken, and it's about letting the real you shine out. You don't have to tell people that 'everything's fine' when really it's not. In your weakness, God shows his strength. In your brokenness, God shows his healing. Life's not about being perfectly put together, but it's about allowing yourself to be vulnerable, and to be broken, because being broken is the realist and most fundamental thing we can be in a broken world. And the best news is, from that brokenness, the treasure that is your beauty of true character, shines forth. 

Happy New Year friends, my prayer for you is to allow God to shine through the cracks and brokenness that have happened, so that your vulnerability is shown through the real beauty of Christ our King. 

J