Assembly line

Ok, so I'm a sci-fi fan - I admit it. (But I don't go to conventions, or own a Star Trek uniform, so that's OK.) And not only do I watch the films, but all the DVD extras as well. Yes, I know. Which is how come I've just seen how ILM (Industrial Light and Magic, for any of you non-Spielberg fans out there) used computer imagery to create a human body. They started by generating a precise 3D computer model of a human skeleton and built it up from there, adding muscles, attaching them correctly, and so on. The result is that you can see every bone rotate, muscle flex and sinew twist as the body moves. As one of the CGI specialists said: "We just followed the assembly guide".

Of course this took months of hard work, thousands of man hours, and gadzillions of computing power. And in the end, they didn't have enough computer power to make it perfect, so had to go for something that would "look perfect" on screen.

I couldn't help thinking of the author of that "assembly guide":

For you created my inmost being, you knit me together in my mother's womb. I praise you for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. (Psalm 139 v 14)

And of course, the Lord does it all without any computers…

Dirty-looking pebbles

What do young people aspire to be? Pop star? Footballer? Or maybe a supermodel...

Naomi Campbell is in the news this week giving testimony at the war crimes tribunal of Charles Taylor, ex-dictator of Liberia. I guess that's what happens when you mix with the rich and famous. Initially she denied everything. Then tried to avoid being a witness. Now, in court, she has admitted being given three "dirty-looking pebbles" but says she didn't know who they were from (a statement likely to be contradicted by other witnesses next week).

I guess not so many are aspiring to be her right now. But what really caught my eye was a comment in today's Times:

...I say, laugh not at Naomi, for you laugh at yourself. Inside all of us is a good side ... but we know it's really just a thin facade. Because underneath there is our secret self, the one we hope no one will discover: the side that is childish, petulant and self-absorbed. (The Times, 7/8/2010, p21)

Hmm... If those "dirty-looking pebbles" were cut and polished they'd reveal themselves to be sparkling diamonds inside. But if our hearts are cut open - our "secret self" revealed - the opposite is true. The Times columnist may not know it, but Jesus said it first, and much better:

...from within, out of men's hearts, come evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, greed, malice, deceit, lewdness, envy, slander, arrogance and folly. (Mark 7 v 21-22)

If that was the end of the story, we'd be wretched people indeed., for "all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God" (Romans 3 v 23) BUT, as Romans 3 goes straight on to say, "and are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus." (Romans 3 v 24)

Without Christ, we are the opposite of those diamonds. Our hearts show what we're really like, the bits we hope no one will ever know about. But through Christ, we can have the joy of forgiveness. If we trust in Jesus, God looks at us and sees the purity and perfection of His Son. And one day He will welcome us into the new creation. Now that's really something to aspire to.

Name Game

I've just found a great new website to play with. It's from the National Trust and will show you the geographical spread (in the UK) of your surname in either 1881 or 1998. I already knew that Mitchell was a Scottish name - courtesy of my Scots dad - and the map bears out that it was common where I was born and bred even in the 1880s. But it's also strong in Yorkshire, where my mum grew up, and Devon and Cornwall, where most of my relatives live. So maybe Mum was predisposed to fancy a Mitchell!

There's no deep thought behind this blog - or a moral to draw out - I just thought it was fun. You can join in the fun for yourself here.

Purple prose

For three years this blog page has been black - chosen, I thought at the time, for its striking impact. Having just returned to blogging after a long gap, I realised how very... black... it looked. As black as my mood. Black as my thoughts. Black as the daily battle with depression. So...

I've gone PURPLE! :0)

Not that the depression is over - it's not, the battle rages on. But no matter how gloomy things get, the Lord is sovereign still and I can trust in His goodness. And that feels purple to me, not black.

And don't worry, I won't be blogging about depression all the time. Sometimes, yes, since people tell me it helps them understand those of us bonded to the black dog. But also odd musings, thoughts on children's and youth work, and stuff I couldn't help noticing. Starting with…

Three bits of post arrived together this week. A bank I no longer bank with told me details of their new overdraft limits (which I'd never used). A building society I do bank with offered me a loan (which I've never had or wanted). An electricity company told me how much I'd save by using direct debit, but based it on a family of four in a large house, rather than my minimal usage in my solitary flat. My reaction to all three was that these people hadn't bothered to find out anything about me, though they all had the information - so the letters went in the bin. And then I started wondering…

Do we do that with our Christian literature or events? Do we give girly tracts to women who hate shopping? Do we invite a neighbour to hear a Christian sportsman when they prefer gardening? Do we tell a bereaved friend about God's justice, when what they need right now is compassion? I was struck by how angry I was that those three institutions didn't bother to check who I was first. And challenged not to do the same when reaching out with the good news about Christ.

PS Yes, the photo IS deliberate!

Thank the Lord for winter

I'm reading a cracking book at the moment: Grace People by Michael Baughen. In it he traces God's covenants from Genesis right through Scripture. So I've recently been thinking about the 'Creation covenant' in Genesis 8 v 22:

'As long as the earth endures,
seedtime and harvest,
cold and heat,
summer and winter,
day and night
will never cease.'

I've always loved the seasons, because they're such a physical reminder of God's faithfulness. They also mean that Harvest and Christmas and Easter keep coming round again, like old friends, with all the fantastic opportunities they provide to thank God and tell others about Him.

But it suddenly occurred to me this week that God's creation covenant means I should also be thankful for the nights getting longer, evenings darker and clocks soon to change. This is a tricky time of year for me, especially since my depression is back in deep measure (which is why this is my first blog for two months). As winter comes, I and many other depressives fear that our minds will grow darker too. But the coming darkness can be a reminder as well - that God is keeping His promise to all creation. Until that wonderful day when Jesus returns, 'summer and winter, day and night will never cease'. How good to be reminded of the faithfulness of our God!

Mirror, mirror

What does it mean to be made 'in the image of God'? (Genesis 1 v 27) I recently read that this means that God's people are to be like mirrors, reflecting God's image to the world around us.

* What is God like? - look at His people to see His reflection.
* How does God feel about poverty, or greed, or injustice? - look to see how Christians react.
* What matters most to God? - look to see how His people spend their time and money.

In children's and youth work, I'm always trying to help people to be Bible-centred - to teach God's Word faithfully, and to allow it to shape the way we work with young people. But our 'teaching' must be matched by our 'reflecting'. Paul taught this to a young leader nearly 2000 years ago:

'Watch your life and doctrine closely.' 1 Timothy 4 v 16

It's just as true today. What kind of mirror are you? What kind of mirror am I?

Character building

There's an interesting article on the BBC news website at the moment about whether it's possible to build character. You can read it here.

The assumption of the article goes as follows:

'What makes people do the right thing rather than the wrong one? What makes us bad or good? The answer is a mixture of our genes, our parents and our peers - these are the ingredients of our character.'

Hmm... Doesn't that imply that we are not responsible for any flaws we may exhibit? It's not our fault - it's our genes, parents, friends... The Bible says otherwise. My pride, selfishness and laziness all grow from my sinful nature. But wonderfully, God is at work in His people, by His Spirit, to make them more like His Son.

'But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.' Galatians 5 v 22-23

Now that's what I call character building!