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“If you don`t know the blues… there`s no point in picking up the guitar and playing rock and roll or any other form of popular music.” Keith Richards

“Blessed are the meek for they shall inherit the earth.”

So what is “meek?”

Gentle? Humble? Considerate?

Those are some of the words we use to describe someone who is ‘meek’ but last night in our small group i felt we needed to look a bit closer. In John Piper’s sermon on this verse, he asks from the outset “What does meekness have to do with God?”

If being meek is only part of who you are because you were constantly ‘put down’ as a child or because your parents were softly spoken, or because of your metabolism, then what does that have to do with God?

To try and understand the qualities of meekness we looked at Psalm 37. Trusting in God, committing our way to the Lord, being still and waiting patiently for him and refraining from anger and worry…….

Those roll of the tongue easily but i have to continually ask myself if i am really in tune with them, If i really grasp this.

The literal hebrew word for commit means, ‘to roll’ your way onto God. How often do you take the troubles of your day or week and just roll them off your shoulders onto God’s? He wants us to do this…..

James Ch 1 V 19-21 says “19: Know this, my beloved brothers; let every person be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger; 20: for the anger of man does not produce the righteousness of God. 21: Therefore put away all filthiness and rampant wickedness and receive with meekness the implanted word, which is able to save your souls.

Can we be gentle, humble or considerate without being ‘quick to hear, slow to speak’ or ’slow to anger?’

Can we be any of these things truthfully if we are not trusting in God? If we are not ‘rolling our way’ onto Him? Waiting patiently for him?

If we “get this” perhaps we get closer to being meek……..

I’ve been blogging for 5 years!

This month saw me reach a 5 year milestone with my endless moaning and complaining and occasional words of wisdom! I say ‘milestone’ because if i’m honest, i never expected i would still be blogging after 5 years.

Every so often the traffic dips into a valley and my pride tells me to quit!

There is some stuff in the archives which i no longer agree with or would adhere to but from time to time i like to look back at the past 5 years and see the growth and change that has taken place.

When i started to blog, i knew of nobody else locally or in my circle of friends who blogged. For a while i was ‘that guy who rattles on about blogging…….or bogging or something?’ Most people had no idea what or why or how!

Some of you followed though, copycats! I take no responsibility for your blabbering! Some of you should just quit! (kidding)

And here we are…..

I’ve changed jobs a couple of times, got married, flirted with graphic design, made friends, lost friends, caused some of you to ‘think,’ offended some of you, groomed my beard and quit doing ‘Christian music events’ – amongst other things…..

And so it goes on, this thing of ours!

Last year i began a slight musical obsession with Talking Heads and today i might have looked down the barrel of a similar foray into the work of Roxy Music. I listened to Country Life about 5 times today………….it is sublime though!

I would have posted the cover of Country Life instead of this image because it is a classic work of art, way ahead of its time BUT …………….ah google it & see for yourself!

Elton John said this

“I think Jesus was a compassionate, super-intelligent gay man who understood human problems. On the cross, he forgave the people who crucified him. Jesus wanted us to be loving and forgiving. I don’t know what makes people so cruel. Try being a gay woman in the Middle East — you’re as good as dead.”

He also wrote these words

“Say, Candy and Ronnie, have you seen them yet, But they’re so spaced out, Bennie and the Jets. Oh but they’re weird and they’re wonderful, Oh Bennie she’s really keen
She’s got electric boots a mohair suit. You know I read it in a magazine, Bennie and the Jets”

You do the math!

“When i see a man leering at a woman, it makes me cringe. Anger can be ugly. When i see someone become enraged it is unsightly. Worry is unbecoming, and judging others is repulsive. When i hear someone saying terrible things about another, i feel ill. Pride and prejudice, deception and degradation – all are ugly. When i see these in others, its is clearly unattractive.

But when i see them in myself, i am quick to rationalise and minimise them. ”

from The Good & Beautiful Life by James Bryan Smith

How romantic we are!

On saturday we went our for lunch and in hindsight, i’m glad neither of us had the prawns!

We have never really bought into the farcical Valentines day scam so we unanimously decided we would watch a film and not necessarily a “romantic” one! In truth we wanted to see District 9 anyway so i’m exaggerating a bit!

I seriously hope there will be a sequel or the rumoured prequel to this film.

A great film

The Garvaghy Road dispute can be resolved by the Orange Order never marching their again, the Deputy First Minister has said. Martin McGuinness said he believed it was “not too much to ask” to expect that the Orange Order acquiesce to resident demands not to walk there.

He was speaking after DUP MLA Nelson McCausland accused Garvaghy Road residents of “cultural apartheid”.

I don’t fully understand all the tradition of the Orange Order. I do realise that the membership here in Northern Ireland is huge and includes many Church leaders and Church elders.

There is no doubt that there are a lot of “Christians” within the order and i am sure, some of them are in positions of influence.

A “Christian” organisation would take these words seriously, would they not?

“Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.”

‘Christians’ within the orange order should take this seriously should they not?

It’s not my message, it was Jesus who said that…

My previous post was influenced by wednesday nights small group study, as is this one. We haven’t got to this verse yet so i will no doubt come back to it in a few weeks.

But as i read this news this morning, i couldn’t help but think about how Jesus said some things that should turn our world upside down, “IF” we are serious about following him.

“Blessed are the peacemakers”

You may be “backing down” or “swallowing your pride” and you may even look like you are weak!

None of that matters if your intention is peace & the kind of peace Jesus wants us to strive for!

“Because our culture thrives primarily on commercialism, we are predisposed to feel a strong desire to buy unnecessary things on a regular basis. We have been conditioned to “need” the things we want. Critics and magazines fill their space with “must-see/read/play” lists that imply relevance hinges on whether or not we end up seeing the new Harry Potter film or playing a new video game. To miss the last episode of Lost, thereby damaging our pop culture identity and credibility, seems to us like self-sabotage, so we do everything we can to be there. We do our duty as consumers—we make the time, we spend the money, and we look forward to the next thing.”

Excerpt from ‘The Problem with Choices‘ Collide Magazine

On 6 February 1958, a charter plane carrying 44 people crashed after refuelling at Munich Airport.

The accident claimed 23 lives, among them eight Manchester United players and three club officials.

I grabbed this shot of Gary Neville quickly during the minute’s silence before the home win against Portsmouth today

“Please give me more time” — This is, without a doubt, the most common desire heard from church artists and media folks. Christian artists wish executive leaders would understand that they can’t simply click the “Be Creative” button and then turn it off when they’re done. Creativity comes in the middle of the night, or in the shower, or while they’re mowing their lawn.

“If I say no to you, I feel like I’m saying no to God” — You may think this is crappy theology, but many artists feel like God speaks to the senior leader, then he/she speaks to the staff with God’s message. When I was in pastoral ministry, this was a voice I battled with every day. There is enormous freedom for the artist when an executive leader is secure enough to say, “It’s okay to tell me no.”

“I want you to be pleased with my art” — Artists need to know that executive leaders like the stuff they create. Most artists struggle with the feeling of not being appreciated for the time and effort they expend on a project.

“I wonder if I’m really making a difference” — Artists need to know that their art is impacting the lives of real people, and a key role executive leaders can play is connecting those dots for them. Names and faces help artists make it real and do more to motivate Christian artists than anything else I know.

“I spend more money out of my own pocket than you’ll ever know” — When God plants an artistic idea deep in the heart of a filmmaker or a graphic designer, they can’t not create it. And when there’s no money, the artist pays. I know an artist in my former church who’s paying off a $6,000 Visa balance, spent entirely on video and web projects for that church.

“Ultimately, I want to get this right” — The artists I listen to want desperately to do whatever is best. They’re willing to change and revise their art. They just don’t want a constant re-envisioning of their art to become the norm during the life cycle of the project. I’ve heard countless stories about teaching pastors who excessively play the “God card” as a reason for changing their entire direction for a series, and then telling the staff to scrap what they’ve already done and start over. Will this happen on occasion? Yes, and artists need to deal with it. But should it ever become the norm? Not if you want to honor artists and creatives.

Read the full article here

I use twitter a lot, though i have been trying to cut back intentionally which has been made easy when busy with work but…….

This morning my phone app would not post messages and i could not log into my account in a web browser. I was unable to reset my password and i knew i had not changed it so what to do?

I reported the issue with twitter and received an automated response via email…..

That was before 11am this morning….

So far i have had no resolution

I thought they were better than this…

Update: 15.16 problem solved, approximately 10 minutes after i posted this blog! well done twitter!

One of my favourite film moments ever……

Tommy Emmanuel will be in Belfast on 11th November this year

He is by far the best musician & live performer i’ve ever seen, hopefully we will make the show this year…

Football is beginning to frustrate me……

Is the finger salute – as displayed by Gary Neville here – really so offensive to warrant an investigation by the football association? Does it warrant all the stupid press attention?

Yes, Gary Neville can be an annoying little man at times, but if this is deemed so offensive and some of the verbal tirades that we clearly see on television footage can go unnoticed then i am at a loss……….

The unspoken rules of etiquette that are taking over football are more often than not, a bit of a joke. During the game players can shout obscenities at each other, kick lumps out of their opponents and – despite all the supposed rules – insult the referee and swear at him from point blank range!

But Gary Neville cannot raise a middle finger toward his former team “mate” from the side-lines?

Update: Tevez has now responded by calling Neville a “Boot licker,” an equally mature reaction!

Cherith told me about this quote on John’s blog tonight….

“The Church is looking for better methods; God is looking for better men. He has staked His kingdom on men. He has trusted His Gospel to men. He has given His Spirit to men. The Church is on the search for new methods, new plans, new buildings, new organisations, but “the eyes of the LORD move to and fro throughout the earth that He may strongly support those whose heart is completely His” (2Ch 16:9). The Holy Ghost does not come upon methods, but upon men. He does not anoint machinery, but men. He does not work through organisations, but through men. He does not dwell in buildings, but in men. He indwells the Body of Christ, directs its activities, distributes its forces, empowers its members.” – Samuel Chadwick

This sums up 2009 for me.

In the midst of busyness and things that were a waste of my time, I discovered that i needed to be a better man!

I’ve been trying that out & will continue to in 2010………

I was listening to Bruce Springsteen this morning and pondering some recent comments, remarks and discussion about Christian Bookshops.

The passion in Bruce’s voice as he sings “We’ve got one last chance to make it real” on Thunder Road jumped out at me. The passion on the whole ‘Born to Run’ album is inspiring, but thats another post.

“We’ve got one last chance to make it real”

What if that was true? What if it was true yet all we can manage to do is criticise and complain, instead of actually taking the chance to “make it real?” As drastic changes take place in the UK Christian retail trade, my prayer is that those in positions of power act as if it was the last chance to make it real.

As my employers move ahead with the many changes in our organisation that have been ongoing, my prayer is that they do so as if they had one last chance to make it real for our customers.

As we lead our Church small group, my prayer is that we do it as though it was our one last chance to make it real for the folks in our group….but also for ourselves.

Perhaps as you work your job? serve in your Church? Be a husband or wife? Be a parent? Be a friend?

The list of possibilities are endless but wouldn’t it be great if we lived life as if we had “one last chance to make it real.”

If i published books i would love to have a team of people with blogs and a good online presence to send a few titles to & have them blog about them. If i produced multiple musicians, bands & artists, you know? Like a record label? It would be great to send out a few cds a month and then see the effects of people’s honest opinions……….actually, sending cds is so last year, they could just provide an online source where the music could be downloaded?

As much as i have ranted about Christian Books and CCM in the past, this is the industry i work in and i enjoy it hugely. Sure i am not likely to be involved with events for a long time, if ever, but behind my opinions and sometimes rash comments lies a passion about books and music.

I think there is potential to change opinions and make things happen within the UK trade but anyone who knows the ‘Christian retail sector’ will know that 2009 ended with events that shook the industry to its core, so perhaps the “new-fangled” online stuff will yet again take a back-seat for now!

The thing i wanted to say though, is that the UK trade needs to waken up! It really does!

And before some of you say, “but we have a blog and we are on facebook & twitter.”

That may well be, but is it a priority of your business? Is it taken seriously at Board Level where the dinosaurs rule? Is someone actually paid to take care of your online presence or is it a task thrown in at the end of their days work?

In 2008 & 2009 i ran some ads on my blog for a ‘Christian music label’ who are a BIG concern. In order to do so, i had to go through the USA! I would also get regular pre-release music from them, all the way from across the Atlantic. I have nothing against the UK wing of this label, in every other way they do a great job but it is kind of odd that nobody on this side of the Atlantic wants to have the conversation about blogging, social media etc etc ….

There is an awareness of social media within some areas of the industry BUT not in many of the UK offices…………….

And i need to say, i am not trying to push myself into the limelight as some kind of guru, i am not an expert and i am also not trying to blag free products. I work in the industry, i get that anyway!

In fact, within the industry there is already enough activity going on for you to see what you need to do without listening to me!

Pick up the phone, send an email and speak to your associates in the USA instead of employing the old and tired methods which are starting to fail you!

Sadly i feel like i have said this all before but with the massive changes in the UK trade, perhaps there is a chance that someone will now step up and lead the way?

As dark as it is, Taxi Driver is without a shadow of a doubt my all time favourite