a best of past blog roll…

while i was sitting at the office waiting for someone to help me with something i started scrolling backwards through my blog posts and came upon some from long, long, ago in a galaxy and figured that there might be new readers/followers who hadn’t seen these and so here is a taste of past brett’s blogging:

not just this post but all the commentary that followed – there were some really great questions and we definitely wrestled with some stuff here:

Go to Hell! Ha Ha Ha!

i wish i wrote more poetry and maybe i’ll get round to taking some time that we have here in Oakland to do just that, but this is one of my favourite poems that i wrote when i used to – it is basically about the prodigal son returning home but as he gets closer realising that this may not be the first time:

Twice Prodigal

i have posted recently on being present as a way to love your person better and this post from a while back looks at that from a bigger picture scenario – too often we fall into the trap of looking to the next big thing at the expense of the one we should we currently enjoying [and we do this to other people more!]:

Can’t I just enjoy this big thing first?

this post is a good intro to two more i am hoping to post later today relating to the rape-as-humour scenario that played out over Twitter in the last few days and which i am still trying to get my mind around. i really believe that with humour there is a line and that probably we will all put our lines at different places, but i think it is so important to hold to that and react when your line is crossed:

‘Raped’ as a fun catch phrase tragedy

and just so we don’t get too serious, here is a great clip of Louis C.K. on the Conan o’ Brien show speaking about the miracle of flight:

You are in the sky contributing zero.

and then lastly this short series i did three years ago and got into trouble from the head of my denomination because he read the series name but never read any of the posts:

reasons to hate Christianity

You won’t relent until You have it all…

one of the first things i want to do once i am settled in Americaland is buy a copy of this song ‘You won’t relent’ by Jesus Culture – i find the lyrics and the singing of it so powerfully haunting and it just resonates s completely with my soul in terms of catching a glimpse of how God sees me. i am reminded of this passage from 2 Corinthians 2.14-15 which says, ‘For Christ’s Love compels us, because we are convinced that One died for all, and therefore all died. And He died for all, that those who live should no longer live for themselves but for Him who died for them and was raised again.’ Especially the phrase, ‘Christ’s Love compels us’ which if you don’t understand the context seems to carry the message of ‘You have to do this thing’ but once you catch a glimpse of God’s great all-encompassing Love for you it quickly becomes something closer to, ‘I can’t not do this for God, everything in me just pulls towards this’…

You won’t relent – performed by Jesus Culture

You won’t relent until You have it all,
My heart is Yours [4x]

I’ll set You as a seal upon my heart
as a seal upon my arm
For there is love that is as strong as death
Jealousy, demanding as the grave
And many waters cannot quench this love

You won’t relent until You, have it all
My heart is Yours
You won’t relent until You, have it all
My heart is Yours
Come be the fire inside of me
Come be the flame upon my heart
Come be the fire inside of me
Until You and I are One [2x]

I don’t want to talk about You
Like You’re not in the room
I want to look right at You
I want to sing right to You [3x]

You won’t relent until You have it all,
My heart is Yours [4x]

I’ll set You as a seal upon my heart
as a seal upon my arm
For there is love that is as strong as death
Jealousy demanding as the grave
And many waters cannot quench this love

Come be the fire inside of me
Come be the flame upon my heart
Come be the fire inside of me
Until You and I are One [2x]

Mark, my words: the two were sent out to find a man of peace

there is a great principle of ministry that you can see glimpses of in the life of Jesus:

Teacher does, pupils watch.

Teacher does, pupils are involved and do it with Him.

Pupils do and teacher watches.

Pupils do by themselves and report back to teacher.

Then later the pupils find their own pupils and the whole scenario begins again.

In this passage in Mark 6.6-13 we see Jesus sending the disciples out to try some kingdom stuff for themselves…

[to move on to the next story where John loses his head, click here]

Mark, my words: Jesus freeing the demon possessed man.

What i chose to focus on in this story that we have heard a lot of different preaching on, is the aspect of Jesus working out of the box in a sense and challenging the way things work and also a closer look at the response of people to God pitching up in a very clear way which both amazes and terrifies.

Mark chapter 5 verse 1 to 20.

The question we are left with is how open to God moving in an unusual way are we?

[to move on to the next story which is a lesson in making space for the interruption, click here…]

a response to a nonny miss? part v: a glimpse into the why

so there was this email, and by now i think we’re all up to speed with that – this was part of it:

Brett-boy, you need to rethink how you spend your energy.
And here I’m speaking in particular about the humor side of your energy. To take an example: Brett, let’s be honest: your youtube videos suck. Big time. And I don’t even see the purpose in it. Will you really stand before the Jesus one day and when He asks you “So how did you spend your valuable time?” answer “Well, there are these youtube videos I made.”
Humor is good. But it must be part of the bigger mission.
You do many good things. Focus on that. You have limited time. You have limited energy. You have a (God-graciously-given) large audience. Use it well.

so there was kind of an almost question in there of ‘why do i make silly you tube videos?’ [and if you are completely unaware as to which you tube videos we are discussing here it is the mildly popular ‘Dangerous Things You Can Least Expect’ series of Brad Fish warning clips and i would recommend starting with the remade Paper one, or else Punctuation or the latest, and in my opinion funniest, on Violins.

there are actually a couple of reasons why i have continued to make the DTYCLE videos, altho it may have started with a lot less:

i think firstly, i want to make people laugh. i know – guilty as charged. i just think for a lot of people life is often quite tough and challenging and that a good [or even a medium] laugh is something that can help lift peoples spirits. listening to my buddy Mark laugh himself silly while watching the violins one with me just the other day was proof enough for me that the whole series has been worthwhile.

secondly, as with a lot of stuff i do, it is intentionally about building an audience. i feel like i have a message of life to the fullness that everyone in the world could do with hearing – it is the message of how living a Jesus-following life will revolutionise your life and the lives of people around you. i believe that with all my heart and desperately want others to experience the same. and so i tend to find myself doing some things that are not overtly spiritual in feel or look that might attract people towards the direction of where i will be sharing some more about that. if you enjoy a DTYCLE video then at some point you may say to yourself, ‘let’s see what else this dude has going on’ and might end up at a blog or a podcast or thought or on my facebook page. Paul, in his letter to the Corinthian church, says this – ‘I have become all things to all people so that by all possible means I might save some. I do all this for the sake of the gospel, that I may share in its blessings.’ [1 Corinthians 9.21b-23] i am completely not ashamed of the ‘devious intentions’ aspect of my humour posts – if it wasn’t the best life imaginable, then maybe i’d need to think a little longer and harder about it, but i’m convinced.

so making people laugh and introducing them indirectly to the kingdom. those are probably the primary two reasons. but some more emerged as the series progressed.

family. this is not one i planned, but was a happy accident that happened along the way. my mom is from England and so although she has a brother there who had four kids [i hope i’m not forgetting anyone – David, Julie, Mark and Andrew, right?] they live so far away that we have never been in huge contact. it’s not that we don’t like them – it’s just that we never got a chance to really know them. enter DTYCLE… and for some reason my cousin David somehow got to watch one and enjoyed it and the rest is history – we have connected in far greater ways than DTYCLE and i have also gotten to connect with some of his kids through the same medium and so we have shared laughs and grown that into greater discussions and resource sharings [David is a muso and gives away his songs for free] and better opportunity to virtually get to know each other better – for that reason alone DTYCLE has been completely worth it.

education. this was definitely not planned and probably more a sense of ‘what not to do’ than the other way around, but i am aware of at least three schools [and one whole english department within one school] that used my DTYCLE Punctuation video in their English classes in an educational manner of some type. [weirdos!]

sanity. this was more a discovered one then a planned one, but towards the end of our time at The Simple Way i found that sometimes it was just good for me to do something ridiculously silly [as the DTYCLE videos are] just simply for my sanity. they provided me with an avenue to be alone for a few minutes [a completed video takes less than 20 minutes to make – three takes tops cos then i get bored] and just go a little bit lady gaga. and that was good.

 

so those are some of the main reasons that come to mind.

i guess i should end off with a word about the spiritual/secular divide cos i guess this plays into that. there has been a tendency in the church at times to divide life into those two areas – so attending a prayer meeting or singing worship is seen as ‘spiritual’ whereas having a braai with some mates or watching a movie or recording a you tube video will be seen as ‘secular’. i don’t think that’s good theology at all. Jesus calls us to follow Him with our whole lives, and when we really ‘get’ that we realise that actually everything is spiritual – a lot of christians seem to miss that one and so there can be a disconnect between calling yourself a christian and the way that you spend your time or the things you choose to post/support on facebook or the kinds of music you listen to or the way you spend your money and so on… but when we truly understand what following Jesus means in terms of denying yourself, taking up your cross daily and following Him [luke 9.23] then we realise that everything we do becomes a part of our Christ-following life.

the key is inviting God to be a part of everything you do which will mean being motivated by Love and Grace and promoting life-to-the-fullness and so i encourage you to look at different areas of your own life and see if they line up with this.

Mark, my words: Secret Kingdom growth.

“the kingdom of heaven is like…” and so Jesus begins two more stories both mesmerising and confusing his audience, but definitely giving them something to think about… and these are some of the simple thoughts i had as i looked at these two brief parables found in the next section of Mark…

Take a look with me at Mark chapter 4 verse 26-34.

these parables of the kingdom help remind us to be filled with hope as this is God’s kingdom and He is going to be the one responsible for making it grow – we just need to be faithful and obedient to what He has called us to be involved with.

to continue to the next passage and read about Jesus sleeping through the storm, click here.

Mark, my words: Of light and measures.

Continuing through the book of Mark we now get to chapter four verse 21 to 25 where Jesus has some clear instruction for us on where we should be holding the light we possess and what a kingdom way of using measures is.

Take a look with me at Mark 4.21-25

to continue to the next passage and read about the secret Kingdom growth, click here.