tag:youth-adventistchurch-org-uk.adventist.eu,2005:/blogs/spirit-of-the-flame-70-days-following-the-olympic-torchSpirit of the Flame - 70 days following the Olympic Torch Blog2012-07-28T00:24:33+01:00tag:youth-adventistchurch-org-uk.adventist.eu,2005:Post/3132012-07-28T00:24:33+01:002016-01-06T22:44:26+00:00DAY 70!Nathan Stickland<p><img src="/uploaded_assets/137137-torch.JPG?thumbnail=small&1452119341" border="0" /><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms,geneva; font-size: small;"></span></p>
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<p><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms,geneva; font-size: small;">The end has come!</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms,geneva; font-size: small;">Or is it the beginning? </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms,geneva; font-size: small;">ENDING</span><br /><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms,geneva; font-size: small;">It is the end of the 70 days of the Olympic Torch Relay; weeks and weeks of the torch touring the nations of the United Kingdom, as well as visiting the Republic of Ireland. The torch, representing the spirit of the Olympics, covered 8000 miles, and visited a city, town, or village near you. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms,geneva; font-size: small;">As this pondering devotional blog has been following the 70 days of the torch tour, the end has come for me to finish my last rambling thoughts.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms,geneva; font-size: small;">The end has come for another week. Just a Sabbath day left. A time to put aside all that preoccupies my time and devote more attention to God, my family, and other people.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms,geneva; font-size: small;">BEGINNING</span><br /><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms,geneva; font-size: small;">But it is the beginning too. The beginning of the opening ceremony for the Olympic Games. We had two protesting kids this evening when we turned off the television and settled down for worship at sunset. For us in Watford, less than 20 miles from the Olympic Stadium, sunset was minutes before the much publicised opening ceremony. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms,geneva; font-size: small;">Instead of focussing on the opening ceremony, we focused on the opening of Sabbath! For us it was a chance to teach our kids that nothing, not even a £27 million extravaganza watched by 1 billion people worldwide takes the place of our worship of God. (http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/blog/2012/jul/27/4-billion-olympic-opening-ceremony)</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms,geneva; font-size: small;">What my kids did see on TV this evening was the Red Arrows flying in perfect formation. With so many people watching worldwide, it is easy to see how global events can be seen in an instant around the world. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms,geneva; font-size: small;">We have heard an unusual number of helicopters, including military choppers, flying over our area. There has been a lot of busy activity in the sky, which has caught the attention of my kids. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms,geneva; font-size: small;">APOCALYPTIC ENDING AND BEGINNING</span><br /><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms,geneva; font-size: small;">For evening worship I deliberately chose two stories; one of the three angels bringing their messages (like the Red Arrows), and another of the return of Jesus in the clouds (like the helicopters). </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms,geneva; font-size: small;">I asked my kids to look for lessons as they compared these stories with the Olympic Games opening ceremony. With some discussion, they got it. And gave it more interest than they had shown in pining to see the ceremony. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms,geneva; font-size: small;">If the Bible is to be believed, we are told that God will give everyone the chance to turn back towards Him. This is the message of the three angels. Each message is about worship. True worship. Worship of God.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms,geneva; font-size: small;">JESUS LEAVING (ENDING) AND RETURNING (BEGINNING)</span><br /><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms,geneva; font-size: small;">The Bible also says that Jesus will return just as He left the earth (drifting up into the clouds Acts 1:11 (NLT) “Men of Galilee,” they said, “why are you standing here staring into heaven? Jesus has been taken from you into heaven, but someday he will return from heaven in the same way you saw him go!”).</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms,geneva; font-size: small;">And that when He returns, those who have returned to God will live eternally. 1 Thessalonians 5:10 (NLT)</span><br /><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms,geneva; font-size: small;">Christ died for us so that, whether we are dead or alive when he returns, we can live with him forever.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms,geneva; font-size: small;">A MOST IMPORTANT ENDING AND BEGINNING</span><br /><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms,geneva; font-size: small;">So the end has come for the Olympic Torch Relay, and with it the beginning of the Olympic Games. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms,geneva; font-size: small;">The end has come for my 70 days of ponderings on the presence of God in our lives. As for a beginning, well maybe I begin to get my evenings back!</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms,geneva; font-size: small;">But how about the most important ending and beginning? Is the most important ending and beginning the end of life on earth as we know it, and the beginning of an eternal life? While this will be important, and I believe more than 1 billion people will see that, there is a more important ending and beginning. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms,geneva; font-size: small;">The most important ending and beginning you can experience is the end of turning away from God, and the beginning of experiencing the daily presence of God in your life. It is not easy. There are always distractions. Leaving God out of your life seems so easy to do. It's so easy to say, "God can wait for later." But you never get round to making the date.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms,geneva; font-size: small;">So what is it time you ended? And what do you need to begin? </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms,geneva; font-size: small;">If you are interested in learning about God's love for you, about ending your running away from God and beginning your faith journey, contact me, LIKE us on our Facebook group (BUC Youth Ministries), and keep in touch at our website (www.adventistyouth.org.uk). If you like I can put you in contact with someone local to you to help you in your faith journey.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms,geneva; font-size: small;">And if you want the ending and beginning to start right now, join me in this prayer:</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms,geneva; font-size: small;">Our Father in Heaven, we sense you exist but we want to know you more. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms,geneva; font-size: small;">Help us to intentionally set aside some time every day just for you. Even in our day, may we present our struggles and victories to you. Help us develop a habit of chatting with you. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms,geneva; font-size: small;">May we put aside our life of self, and begin a life of eternal opportunities with you. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms,geneva; font-size: small;">We ask these things because you love us and want us to join with you in your presence. </span><br /><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms,geneva; font-size: small;">AMEN.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms,geneva; font-size: small;">-Pr Nathan Stickland</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms,geneva; font-size: small;">PS Thank you for joining me in my ponderings about the presence of God. It has been a joy to share with you, and an amazing experience of focus for me. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms,geneva; font-size: small;">Remember what God said to His people taken as slaves to a foreign land, "If you look for me wholeheartedly, you will find me." - Jeremiah 29:13. Enjoy seeking God wholeheartedly!</span></p>tag:youth-adventistchurch-org-uk.adventist.eu,2005:Post/3122012-07-27T03:57:20+01:002016-01-06T22:44:26+00:00DAY 69Nathan Stickland<p><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms,geneva;"><img src="/uploaded_assets/137137-torch.JPG?thumbnail=small&1452119341" border="0" /></span></p>
<p><br /><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms,geneva; font-size: small; color: #993300;">God is with me where ever I go.</span><br /><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms,geneva; font-size: small; color: #993300;">For the last 68 days I have been sharing my ponderings as the Olympic Torch has toured the UK and visited Ireland. The proximity of the torch to the majority of the population inspired me in its example of the close proximity of the presence of God in our lives. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms,geneva; font-size: small; color: #993300;">I was unsure as to what to write about for DAY 69 as I know I would be out much of the day, and I did not anticipate sharing what I have been getting up to! As some seem to think that a Pastor is available 24/7 and therefore does not have time to have holidays, days/time off, family time, or time off in lieu, I was thinking of not mentioning that I took my son to Old Trafford, home of Manchester United football team, to see two Olympic football matches!</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms,geneva; font-size: small; color: #993300;">When the tickets were booked (thanks Grant) some time ago, we did not know which teams were to play on which days. To our joy, having booked the tickets, we discovered that Team GB was drawn to play Senegal on our ticket day! </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms,geneva; font-size: small; color: #993300;">I am only glad that 4.5 hours that have passed since the end of the game, and my drive home has given me time to conclude I will not comment on the game; not even the cautious approach of Team GB, the filthy fouling of Senegal, and the lack of consistency from the referee. Though I did enjoy the United Arab Emirates v Uruguay game! </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms,geneva; font-size: small; color: #993300;">While I have been pondering on the presence of God in my life, and wondering what to share with you about day 68, something caught my eye in the stadium. I saw it first on the big screen, then I spun round to see it for real. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms,geneva; font-size: small; color: #993300;">In the Sir Alex Ferguson Stand (where no one stands any more, it's all seating only!) the chairs are coloured to spell Manchester United. This is unseen when people are sitting in the seats. A block in the middle seemed to be reserved, but was at times unoccupied. The surrounding seats were full. In amongst all the crowd was the unoccupied gap, which relieved the letters HE. HE was in the middle of the crowd. HE was in the stadium. HE was with us, even if others did not realise! </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms,geneva; font-size: small; color: #993300;">Jesus said something to his followers before HE left this earth with the promise to return, </span><br /><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms,geneva; font-size: small; color: #993300;">"Teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you. And be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” (Matthew 28:20 (NLT))</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms,geneva; font-size: small; color: #993300;">I am with you always! HE, Jesus, is with us always! HE, Jesus, wants to share HIS presence with us, even if we don't realise it! </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms,geneva; font-size: small; color: #993300;">I was moved by what I saw and what I realised God was telling me. In the massive crowd, with all the noise, so much to keep our attention, I believe God was telling me HE is with me. And I believe God wants you to know HE is with you too.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms,geneva; font-size: small; color: #993300;">HE is with us, where ever we go! HE wants to be in our presence.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms,geneva; font-size: small; color: #993300;">-Pr Nathan Stickland</span><br /><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms,geneva; font-size: small; color: #993300;">www.adventistyouth.org.uk</span></p>
<p><br /><br /></p>tag:youth-adventistchurch-org-uk.adventist.eu,2005:Post/3112012-07-25T23:56:03+01:002016-01-06T22:44:26+00:00DAY 68Nathan Stickland<p> <img src="https://youth-adventistchurch-org-uk.adventist.eu/uploaded_assets/137137-torch.JPG?thumbnail=small&1452119341" border="0" /></p>
<p><br /><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms,geneva; font-size: small;">Just before 1pm today the BBC Torch Relay website posted that hundreds of red balloons had been let off, just before the torch team stopped for a lunch break. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms,geneva; font-size: small;">Much as I have tried to find a picture of this, I have found nothing. Sorry. But it didn't stop me from looking, and started me singing a 1983 song by Nena called "99 Red Balloons". If you don't know it, don't look it up. It will plague you! You have been warned. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms,geneva; font-size: small;">The original song was in German, and the lyrics slightly different to the English ones. In English the storyline is two kids buy some red balloons, inflate them, and let them go. They drift from West Germany to East Germany, and an East German radar technician spots something on the radar and activates a nuclear attack warning. Missiles are fired from Global East and returned by Global West. A world nuclear war defaces the surface of the earth. This is obviously before the fall of the Iron Curtain. Young ones, consult your history books. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms,geneva; font-size: small;">At the end of the song, the singer says she is looking for something to prove what was there, and finds a single red balloon. Then she lets it go. One suggestion is this song represents the dreams the post WWII Germans had of peace without division. Each red balloon is a dream of something better. ((http://www.songfacts.com/detail.php?id=2511))</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms,geneva; font-size: small;">I have heard some concerns recently about the perceived association between the Church and the Olympics. Without unwrapping that one too much, I want to say we should never compromise our faith, for anything. But we have an opportunity to do something for God's sake! </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms,geneva; font-size: small;">The "Jesus Followers" in the book of Acts didn't stay quiet during a Jewish festival. Paul didn't stay quiet when surrounded by statues of mythical gods. So we should not stay quiet when the world is visiting the Olympic Games. That's not compromise, that's opportunism! </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms,geneva; font-size: small;">The founder of the International Olympic Committee is Pierre de Coubertin. His perspective of the competitive aspect of the games was stated this way, "The important thing in life is not the triumph but the struggle, the essential thing is not to have conquered but to have fought well."</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms,geneva; font-size: small;">"....de Coubertin's idea that winning was less important than striving is at odds with the ideals of the Greeks. The Apostle Paul, writing in the first century to Christians in the city of Corinth where the Isthmian Games were held, reflects this in his writings when he says, "Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize", (1 Corinthians 9:24)." ((http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pierre_de_Coubertin))</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms,geneva; font-size: small;">The struggle to make the best of oneself, to win, to dream of better, to have a red balloon, is not just a sporting slogan, or an aspiration inferred in a song. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms,geneva; font-size: small;">Revelation 21 (NLT)</span><br /><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms,geneva; font-size: small;">21 Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the old heaven and the old earth had disappeared. And the sea was also gone. 2 And I saw the holy city, the new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven like a bride beautifully dressed for her husband.</span><br /><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms,geneva; font-size: small;">3 I heard a loud shout from the throne, saying, “Look, God’s home is now among his people! He will live with them, and they will be his people. God himself will be with them. 4 He will wipe every tear from their eyes, and there will be no more death or sorrow or crying or pain. All these things are gone forever.”</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms,geneva; font-size: small;">It's good to have dreams, aspirations, red balloons. It's good to do your best, in sport, in study, in work, for others. But the best dream, vision, I have heard is that one day, everything will be levelled, everything made new, everything will be like God intended for us to experience, with the absence of selfishness and personal gain. I can't wait. Come, Jesus, come. This is my red balloon.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms,geneva; font-size: small;">-Pr Nathan Stickland</span><br /><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms,geneva; font-size: small;">www.adventistyouth.org.uk</span><br /><br /></p>tag:youth-adventistchurch-org-uk.adventist.eu,2005:Post/3102012-07-25T00:11:56+01:002016-01-06T22:44:25+00:00DAY 67Nathan Stickland<p><img src="https://youth-adventistchurch-org-uk.adventist.eu/uploaded_assets/137137-torch.JPG?thumbnail=small&1452119341" border="0" /></p>
<p><br /><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms,geneva; font-size: small;">I took my kids to the park today. Lots of kids roaming around in the hot sunny weather. Some boys came along and sheltered in the shade of one of the play apparatus. One boy had been talking to my son as they played on a flying fox type piece of equipment. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms,geneva; font-size: small;">The boys then sheltered again, and shared out some bags of crisps from a multi-pack bag. As they finished the bags, they tossed them away, as if they would vanish into thin air. I was irritated by their poor behaviour. I considered talking to them, and make them pick up their litter. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms,geneva; font-size: small;">As I talked myself out of telling them off, suggesting in my mind that one of the boys had a wrestler of a Dad who might come and tell me off for telling his son off, my son walked over and proceeded to pick up the empty bags, now tumbling across the play area blown by the welcome breeze. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms,geneva; font-size: small;">I noticed the boy who my son had been talking too took notice of this neighbourly act. But he said nothing. My son casually gathered the rubbish, and found a bin to put it in. No drama. Over in a matter of seconds. He needn't have done it, but I am proud he did. And for the sake of my wife reading this, yes, I did tell him!</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms,geneva; font-size: small;">As we were leaving the park my young daughter befriended a puppy. Jumping on the end of its lead, the puppy enjoyed my daughters attention. The owner admitted that even a little puppy needs a lot of care. I was grateful for that comment! And then as we left, my daughter said to the dog owner, "Thank you for letting me play with your dog." </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms,geneva; font-size: small;">I walked out of that park a very proud father. I commended may daughter for her comment. Then we jumped in the car and went to get something to eat. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms,geneva; font-size: small;">1 John 2 (NLT)</span><br /><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms,geneva; font-size: small;">15 Do not love this world nor the things it offers you, for when you love the world, you do not have the love of the Father in you. 16 For the world offers only a craving for physical pleasure, a craving for everything we see, and pride in our achievements and possessions. These are not from the Father, but are from this world. 17 And this world is fading away, along with everything that people crave. But anyone who does what pleases God will live forever.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms,geneva; font-size: small;">My kids made me proud of them today. I am proud of them anyway, but I hope you know what I mean. I was pleased they had behaved so well. In the Bible it talks about us being children of God. If God is our heavenly Father, is it possible for us to do things that please and disappoint our Father? </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms,geneva; font-size: small;">My kids behaviour today in the park made me wonder what I have done today that pleased God; that made Him proud of me, His son?</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms,geneva; font-size: small;">-Pr Nathan Stickland</span><br /><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms,geneva; font-size: small;">www.adventistyouth.org.uk</span></p>tag:youth-adventistchurch-org-uk.adventist.eu,2005:Post/3092012-07-24T00:19:20+01:002016-01-06T22:44:25+00:00DAY 66Nathan Stickland<p><img src="https://youth-adventistchurch-org-uk.adventist.eu/uploaded_assets/137137-torch.JPG?thumbnail=small&1452119341" border="0" /></p>
<p><br /><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms,geneva; font-size: small;">Carbohydrate and "special blessings".</span><br /><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms,geneva; font-size: small;">I am resisting the ponder about the Olympic Torch route and day 66, and end up with some linked thoughts about the famous US Route 66. But there it is, I've mentioned it anyway!</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms,geneva; font-size: small;">My ponderings today do have an Olympic link. My wife and son went into London today for a seminar day on adolescent diabetes. As mentioned before, my son is insulin dependant, and is my hero. The amount he has had to bare since diagnosis at 17 months is a lot. I am so proud of him. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms,geneva; font-size: small;">Their trip exposed them to a flavour of the Olympics, with signs and banners everywhere. They came back with comments about what they saw. They also came back with an amazing book about carbohydrate counting. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms,geneva; font-size: small;">The basic relevance of this in Luke's case is he has to have a measured amount of insulin according to his carbohydrate intake. This book has pages of pictures with different portions of foods, so you can look in the book, estimate your portion, and total the carbohydrate in your meal. It saves weighing out food when you are a guest at someone's house, or out for a meal! This book may not mean much to you, but to us it is like a scientists book of formulas, a cheat sheet for students.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms,geneva; font-size: small;">Counting carbohydrate is important for Luke. It's a matter of healthy living, pretty much life or death. With this book, he can count his carbohydrate, and we can count our blessings.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms,geneva; font-size: small;">And now for one of my irritations. I hope that was a smooth enough transition for you from the Olympic Torch route to the subject of blessings!</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms,geneva; font-size: small;">Maybe one day I will write about this some more, but for now I will give you the short version. I get so mad when people us the word, bless, or blessings, or they ask God in a prayer to bless this, that, and the other, or worse still, ask God to bestow a "special blessing" on something. What do they mean?</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms,geneva; font-size: small;">Do these people think about what they are saying? For me, it's like tossing "blessings" around. Like a modern artist flicking a paint laden brush towards an already splattered canvas. The blessing paintbrush adding another layer of paint blessing at the canvas of life. Both this kind of use of the word blessing, and that kind of modern art make little sense to me. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms,geneva; font-size: small;">To temper my rant, let me just ask, what does it mean when we ask God to "bless" someone or something? Does God know what we are talking about? Do we know what we are talking about?</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms,geneva; font-size: small;">Like an insulin dependant diabetic needs to count their carbohydrate intake, we need to count the blessings we receive, and those we ask for, and name them one by one. Yes, that does sound like a song I used to sing as a child. But why is it that somewhere between childhood and adulthood we loose the detail of the blessing? </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms,geneva; font-size: small;">We have misled ourselves by sitting with a plate of food in front of us, and asking God to "bless" our food. This is not Biblical! Open your eyes. Sniff in the aroma. You have the blessing in front of you already! </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms,geneva; font-size: small;">Jesus did the Hebraic thing when He fed the large crowds. He took the food they had, gave thanks (properly translated in modern translations, and not in the old English translation), and performed a miracle of multiplication so everyone ate and was satisfied. Jesus gave thanks for the blessing.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms,geneva; font-size: small;">My appeal to you is not to use the word "bless" or "blessing" without specific reference. If you want God to bless someone, explain how! I pray with my kids in the evening and ask for a blessing, but I name the blessing. I ask for the blessing of a restful night. In the morning I pray our family will have a blessing that day, of peace, of tolerance, of whatever I feel relevant for that day.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms,geneva; font-size: small;">Counting is important. Not just diabetics counting carbohydrate, but us counting named blessings. Ask for blessings by name, and give thanks for blessings by name too.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms,geneva; font-size: small;">Count your blessings, name them one by one,</span><br /><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms,geneva; font-size: small;">Count your blessings, see what God has done!</span><br /><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms,geneva; font-size: small;">Count your blessings, name them one by one,</span><br /><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms,geneva; font-size: small;">And it will surprise you what the Lord has done.</span><br /><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms,geneva; font-size: small;">-http://www.cyberhymnal.org/htm/c/o/countyou.htm</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms,geneva; font-size: small;">-Pr Nathan Stickland</span><br /><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms,geneva; font-size: small;">www.adventistyouth.org.uk</span></p>tag:youth-adventistchurch-org-uk.adventist.eu,2005:Post/3082012-07-23T15:31:11+01:002016-01-06T22:44:24+00:00DAY 65Nathan Stickland<p><img src="https://youth-adventistchurch-org-uk.adventist.eu/uploaded_assets/137137-torch.JPG?thumbnail=small&1452119341" border="0" /></p>
<p><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms,geneva; font-size: small;">Yesterday I pondered about the lessons youth can teach us older ones. This time I ponder over a football game I was involved today. Under 35's v over 35's. Yes I was in the second group! With youthful athleticism on their side, <span class="text_exposed_show">us older ones still managed to beat them 3:2! But given the way I feel, I bet I know who is more likely to have been nursing aching muscles; the older ones! <br /> <br /> The saving grace of the game was that we could swap players, a bit like ice hockey. Ten minutes on, and then it's time to hand over your bib to someone fresher than you. Change was a good thing.<br /> <br /> This evening, when my kids got home from a party and time visiting friends, they saw the last part of Crocodile Dundee II. Mick Dundee, the hero, gradually "kidnaps" each of the seven men trying to hunt Mick down. Set in the outback of Australia, there are funny moments as each person gets taken from the group. Most were in amusing mischievous ways, which made my kids laugh. <br /> <br /> At the end, Mick swaps clothes with the villain. They walk out in the open making it look like the villain had caught Mick. Wally, a terrible shot, shoots at "the villain". He goes to the ground. This flushes out the last villain, who shoots "Mick", who falls over the cliff. The heroine shoots the emerging villain, and then grieves over her lost loved one. <br /> <br /> A friendly Aboriginal appears, and explains the swap, and says something like, "Just as well you are a bad shot, Wally." They had counted on Wally being a bad shot so Mick would not be seriously hurt, and present the intended illusion, flushing out and disposing of the two villains. While this is not the kind of TV our family promotes, the illustration is useful; the change (of clothes) was a good thing.<br /> <br /> Romans 12:2 (NLT)<br /> Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect.<br /> <br /> There are times when CHANGE IS A GOOD THING. Like changing tired players in football. Like changing places/clothes to save your life. Like allowing God to change the way you think. <br /> <br /> This is not a brainwashing, it is a choice, one that you can revoke at any time. It works with the idea that some things in this world are not good for us. Selfishness, greed, and a lack of loving concern for others breads hatred, prejudice, and intolerance. <br /> <br /> I like the way The Message translation puts this verse, "So here's what I want you to do, God helping you: Take your everyday, ordinary life—your sleeping, eating, going-to-work, and walking-around life—and place it before God as an offering. Embracing what God does for you is the best thing you can do for him. Don't become so well-adjusted to your culture that you fit into it without even thinking. Instead, fix your attention on God. You'll be changed from the inside out. Readily recognize what he wants from you, and quickly respond to it. Unlike the culture around you, always dragging you down to its level of immaturity, God brings the best out of you, develops well-formed maturity in you." (v.1-2). <br /> <br /> Sometimes change is good. Especially when we have a God who is unchanging. Hebrews 13:8 (NLT) "Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever."<br /> <br /> So if change is sometimes a good thing, and if God can help us change spiritually, what do you and I need to ask God to change in our lives?<br /> <br /> -Pr Nathan Stickland<br /> <a href="http://www.adventistyouth.org.uk" rel="nofollow nofollow" target="_blank">www.adventistyouth.org.uk</a></span></span></p>tag:youth-adventistchurch-org-uk.adventist.eu,2005:Post/3072012-07-22T17:54:35+01:002016-01-06T22:44:24+00:00DAY 64Nathan Stickland<p><img src="https://youth-adventistchurch-org-uk.adventist.eu/uploaded_assets/137137-torch.JPG?thumbnail=small&1452119341" border="0" /></p>
<p><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms,geneva; font-size: small;">This evening my 11 year old son talked me through the moves to complete the Rubik's cube. I have never done this before. And it took my well practised son to help me do this for the first time. Thank you, Luke.</span><br /> <br /><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms,geneva; font-size: small;"> I heard a great sermon today, by a sports degree student, based on the idea that Jesus is for life, not just for Christmas; Jesus is for Uni, not just for home. She used a numbe<span class="text_exposed_show">r of sporting illustrations to good effect, and was honest in her testimony about her early days in this her first year at uni. <br /> <br /> Intending to be bold in her witness, she confessed that Sabbaths became a lay-in day, and intentions remained intentions. Time and opportunity has changed that, and she is now more involved in witness on campus. (N - I hope this is a fair précis of your talk. Thank you and well done). <br /> <br /> Two young people. Two lessons learnt today. <br /> <br /> Paul wrote to a young missionary. He counselled not to be puzzled by confusing teachings, he used a sporting analogy, and encouraged Timothy not to allow his youthfulness to be a reason to give up.<br /> <br /> 1 Timothy 4 (The Message)</span></span><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms,geneva; font-size: small;"><span class="text_exposed_show">6-10</span></span><br /><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms,geneva; font-size: small;"><span class="text_exposed_show"> <span style="color: #800000;"><em>You've been raised on the Message of the faith and have followed sound teaching. Now pass on this counsel to the followers of Jesus there, and you'll be a good servant of Jesus. Stay clear of silly stories that get dressed up as religion. Exercise daily in God—no spiritual flabbiness, please! Workouts in the gymnasium are useful, but a disciplined life in God is far more so, making you fit both today and forever. You can count on this. Take it to heart. This is why we've thrown ourselves into this venture so totally. We're banking on the living God, Savior of all men and women, especially believers.</em></span><br /> <br /> 11-14<br /><span style="color: #800000;"><em>Get the word out. Teach all these things. And don't let anyone put you down because you're young. Teach believers with your life: by word, by demeanor, by love, by faith, by integrity. Stay at your post reading Scripture, giving counsel, teaching. And that special gift of ministry you were given when the leaders of the church laid hands on you and prayed—keep that dusted off and in use.</em></span> <br /> <br /> Whether you are in secondary or tertiary education, over educated or uneducated, don't let your young age deter you from teaching someone something new. Be sure you don't get distracted in your faith. Exercise daily in God. Read the Scriptures. And keep doing something for God's sake.<br /> <br /> Thank you young people for teaching me something recreational and spiritual today.<br /> <br /> -Pr <a href="http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=726692572" data-hovercard="/ajax/hovercard/user.php?id=726692572">Nathan Stickland</a><br /> <a href="http://www.adventistyouth.org.uk" rel="nofollow nofollow" target="_blank">www.adventistyouth.org.uk</a></span></span></p>tag:youth-adventistchurch-org-uk.adventist.eu,2005:Post/3062012-07-22T17:53:13+01:002016-01-06T22:44:24+00:00DAY 63Nathan Stickland<p><span style="font-size: small;"><img src="https://youth-adventistchurch-org-uk.adventist.eu/uploaded_assets/137137-torch.JPG?thumbnail=small&1452119341" border="0" /></span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: small; font-family: trebuchet ms,geneva;"><span class="text_exposed_show"><span style="font-size: small; font-family: trebuchet ms,geneva;">On the day a teenager tried to grab the Olympic Torch in Gravesend, Kent, the Olympic Torch/Flame ended the day with a dramatic arrival at the Tower of London. Carried by a Royal Marine abseiling from a helicopter, the Torch joined<span class="text_exposed_show"> all the medals in the safety of the Towers vaults. (<a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-18930410" rel="nofollow nofollow" target="_blank">http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-18930410</a>)</span></span><br /> <br /> At the end of our day, as a family we sat together to read the story of Gideon. A fearful farmer, who considered himself less important than everyone else in his family, not least as his was the weakest clan in the tribe of Manasseh. <br /> <br /> It is a story worth reading, and to read it again even if you are familiar with the story. (Judges 6:11-8:35. I am referring mainly to 6:11-23). <br /> <br /> I find it interesting as to what Gideon accepts and what he challenges. Gideon accepts the stranger without question. The stranger, the Angel of the Lord, tells Gideon he is a strong warrior and that God is helping him. Strange this "strong warrior" is fearfully preparing his grain in a pit, out of site from his enemies!<br /> <br /> Gideon respectfully suggests, challenges, that God did amazing things in the past for Israel, but that was then. Now there is no sign of God. Gideon felt abandoned. <br /> <br /> Then God commands Gideon to be strong, because God was going to give him the power to rescue Israel. This makes me wonder if we shouldn't be careful what we complain to God about. If I go to God with a problem, He might make me the agent of change! But if He does, He will give me the power to do the job.<br /> <br /> Gideon needs a sign that this is really happening, and he wants to offer a sacrifice to God. So before he goes to prepare himself, Gideon asks God to wait until he brings God an offering. And God says, "OK, I'll wait."<br /> <br /> Then Gideon brought to God a valuable meal, a feast really. And when Gideon realised he had been in the presence of God, God had to calm him down as Gideon thought he was about to die. Gideon was exposed, but found safety in the presence of God.<br /> <br /> The Olympic Torch is somewhat exposed to people breaking ranks and reaching for the Torch as it travels the streets, but for the "bubble" of Police security. Heightened security seems certain with a professionally trained soldier depositing the Flame into the vaults at the Tower of London. If the crown jewels are safe there, then probably everything else is safe there too.<br /> <br /> God is like the Olympic Police safety bubble, and like the Tower of London. But just as God expected Gideon to get up and do something with His promise, God asks that of us too.<br /> <br /> Things happen in our lives that might be likened to the threat of Midianite invasion, and plundering. We might hide in a pit, fearful of our life. We might even summon God to challenge Him as to why it seems such a long time ago that He "saved the day". <br /> <br /> The threat of exposure is not the absence of protection and provision.<br /> <br /> In my previous ponderings I have reflected on the protection God offers. I won't repeat myself now. In this story God's protection was only withdrawn when people "disobeyed the LORD." (Judges 6:1). Gideon was faithful to God, even under threat. And God rewarded Gideon's worship of the true God, even when Gideon kept asking for a sign so as to be sure this was God. Gideon then got up, rallied the troops, and told them of his experience, that God was about to let Israel win. And they did.<br /> <br /> And when we experience this kind of salvation and protection from God, we get a chance to tell everyone about it.<br /> <br /> Psalm 40 (NIV)<br /> 9 I proclaim your saving acts in the great assembly;<br /> I do not seal my lips, Lord,<br /> as you know.<br /> 10 I do not hide your righteousness in my heart;<br /> I speak of your faithfulness and your saving help.<br /> I do not conceal your love and your faithfulness<br /> from the great assembly.<br /> <br /> 11 Do not withhold your mercy from me, Lord;<br /> may your love and faithfulness always protect me.<br /> 12 For troubles without number surround me;<br /> my sins have overtaken me, and I cannot see.<br /> They are more than the hairs of my head,<br /> and my heart fails within me.<br /> 13 Be pleased to save me, Lord;<br /> come quickly, Lord, to help me.<br /> <br /> As you seek the protecting presence of God in your life, remember to share your experiences with others. What you tell them might be just what they need to hear.<br /> <br /> Happy Sabbath.<br /> <br /> -Pr <a href="http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=726692572" data-hovercard="/ajax/hovercard/user.php?id=726692572">Nathan Stickland</a></span></span></p>
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<div class="blueItemLink fwb"><span style="font-size: small; font-family: trebuchet ms,geneva;">Olympic torch arrives in London</span></div>
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<div class="sitePreviewText fsm fwn fcg"><span style="font-size: small; font-family: trebuchet ms,geneva;">The Olympic flame arrives in the host city in dramatic style, transported from Guildford by helicopter before an abseil into the Tower of London.</span></div>
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</div>tag:youth-adventistchurch-org-uk.adventist.eu,2005:Post/3052012-07-20T12:11:32+01:002016-01-06T22:44:23+00:00DAY 62Nathan Stickland<p><img src="https://youth-adventistchurch-org-uk.adventist.eu/uploaded_assets/137137-torch.JPG?thumbnail=small&1452119341" border="0" /></p>
<p><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms,geneva; font-size: small;">Day 62:</span><br /><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms,geneva; font-size: small;"> Have you ever read a verse or more in the Bible and thought, "Wow! I never read that before", but on closer inspection you realise you must have, because you had already underlined it? Well I did that this morning!</span><br /> <br /><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms,geneva; font-size: small;"> I have been reading around John 5 for a while. There is so much in these verses, so much that relates to other things, and I have had days of distracted reading. My revelati<span class="text_exposed_show">on was with verse thirty-nine.<br /> <br /> John 5:39 (NLT)<br /> “You search the Scriptures because you think they give you eternal life. But the Scriptures point to me!"<br /> <br /> Jesus was talking to the Jewish leaders after He had healed the man at Bethesda who had been an invalid for 38 years. The Jewish leaders were being meticulously pedantic over the application of an interpretation of working on the Sabbath. This man should not be carrying his mat on the Sabbath!<br /> <br /> Jesus scolded them with a lesson on how we should read the Scriptures. Jesus said they read the Scriptures in order to gain eternal life. But in reading, they had totally missed the references to the coming Messiah, Jesus.<br /> <br /> In fact it gets worse. Jesus said they read the Scriptures wrong because they didn't have a love for God in their hearts. That's brutal exposure!<br /> <br /> So how do we read the Bible? Isn't it by reading that we gain eternal life? <br /> <br /> In Acts the Bereans read the Scriptures (Acts 17:11). Paul and Silas went to Berea and were preaching about Jesus being the promised Messiah. The Bereans didn't take the preachers word as "gospel"! They checked themselves, to see that everything was true. A worthwhile activity for us all. Never believe what a preacher says without checking for yourself.<br /> <br /> So how do you read the Scriptures? If by reading the Bible we can gain eternal life, what need is there of Jesus, or our search for the presence of God? <br /> <br /> Reading the Scriptures is pointless unless we have the love of God in our hearts. It is by grazing on the Scriptures with a desire for God that we gain benefit. Otherwise, we read and simply gain knowledge. Read the Bible because you are in love with God.<span class="commentBody" data-jsid="text"></span><br /> <br /> -Pr Nathan Stickland<br /> <a href="http://www.adventistyouth.org.uk" rel="nofollow nofollow" target="_blank">www.adventistyouth.org.uk</a></span></span></p>tag:youth-adventistchurch-org-uk.adventist.eu,2005:Post/3042012-07-20T12:08:13+01:002016-01-06T22:44:23+00:00DAY 61Nathan Stickland<p><img src="/uploaded_assets/137137-torch.JPG?thumbnail=small&1452119341" border="0" /></p>
<p><span style="font-size: small; font-family: trebuchet ms,geneva;">Day 61:</span><br /><span style="font-size: small; font-family: trebuchet ms,geneva;"> The Olympic Torch made its way into Kent today, finishing up in Dover. And I went to Kent today too. We had an outing to Diggerland with our extended family. </span><br /> <br /><span style="font-size: small; font-family: trebuchet ms,geneva;"> Amidst the busyness of work it was good to steal back some time with my family. While it was breezy, quite blowy actually, and cloud cover was 100%, the rain only came as a drizzle while we were indoors for lunch, and as a tropi<span class="text_exposed_show">cal storm as we were making sure the right children were in the right vehicles on departure. Praise God!<br /> <br /> I am a miserable person to be with in a crowded leisure park, but today I was smiling like a groom. At the height of the busy time there was only 100 or so people there, and one of the park staff said within a week they will have 1000+ visitors, with queues of an hour for some of the rides/tasks. Not a place for me then!<br /> <br /> But today, we waited for the three or four people in front of us to take their turn, and then we were on. A day when my 8 year old daughter hooked plastic ducks out of a pond with a mini-digger using a chain and ring on the end of the arm. My son drove a 7.5 tonne, £52k JCB digger (brand new registered this year!) around the muddy and undulating digger track. And I screamed like a primary school girl as I sat with my nieces and daughter in the bucket of a giant digger as it spun round at high speed, at incrementally higher levels during the ride.<br /> <br /> One of the rides/tasks, was to use a mini-digger to pan for gold. Well actually, you use a rake-like bucket on the digger to sift through the wet gravel, looking for the metal bricks; four in all. You scoop them up, and then place them to the side. With controls in both hands, to operate up and down, forward and backwards, and roll the rake/bucket away and towards, it takes some getting used to if you haven't used this machinery before. <br /> <br /> Patience and method help you find the bricks. Concentration helps you do the task. <br /> <br /> This reminded me of the sequence of stories, illustrations, Jesus told recorded in Matthew 6 & 7; storing up treasure (6:19-24), not worrying about worldly possessions (6:25-34), and asking, seeking, and knocking (7:7-12). And I am reminded of the story, well sentence actually, of a merchant who sold everything to buy a field that he knew had treasure in it (Matthew 13:44).<br /> <br /> To summarise and apply these verse to my experience today, Jesus said, concentrating on your motivation for material possessions is a distraction, but equally you don't need to worry about what you have, or don't have, if you are making the search for God's kingdom your first priority. That when you make it imperative to ask of God, seek for God, and knock on God's door (call around at God's house, metaphorically speaking), you will be given what you are looking for because God welcomes you with an open door policy. <br /> <br /> The imperative is that if a relationship with God is that valuable, we will give everything to maintain the ownership of that relationship, that nothing else will matter.<br /> <br /> Digging for metal bricks in gravel is hardly a religious activity, but it can help emphasis the above mentioned invitation from Jesus. If we want the bricks, the valuable relationship with God, we have to spend time and concentration, and use our senses to gain what we value.<br /> <br /> So next time you see a digger, ask yourself, "What am I digging for? Where is my treasure?"<br /> <br /> -Pr Nathan Stickland<br /> <a href="http://www.adventistyouth.org.uk" rel="nofollow nofollow" target="_blank">www.adventistyouth.org.uk</a></span></span></p>tag:youth-adventistchurch-org-uk.adventist.eu,2005:Post/3032012-07-20T12:05:31+01:002016-01-06T22:44:22+00:00DAY 60Nathan Stickland<p><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms,geneva;"><img src="https://youth-adventistchurch-org-uk.adventist.eu/uploaded_assets/137137-torch.JPG?thumbnail=small&1452119341" border="0" /></span></p>
<p><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms,geneva; font-size: small;">Day 60:</span><br /><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms,geneva; font-size: small;"> Today, the Olympic Torch ended its day in Hastings. Famous for the battle on 14 October 1066, it is imaginatively known as "the battle of Hastings".</span><br /> <br /><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms,geneva; font-size: small;"> On that day in history, the Normans, under Duke William II of Normandy, beat the English, lead by King Harold II. It is notable because it is the last time England was defeated on its own soil by an invading country. And consequently, as t<span class="text_exposed_show">he Normans spoke French, within time French words started slipping into the English language. <br /> <br /> Duke William II of Normandy was crowned King of England on Christmas Day 1066. <br /> <br /> It would be a quick link for me to now talk about a spiritual battle that has been going on since mankind was put on this earth. So why not? <br /> <br /> My life goes through times when it feels like things are going against me. That there is a battle going on. A Pastor is not exempt from temptations and afflictions! I am very much aware of the spiritual battle going on to pull me away from my time with and faith in God. And it is easy to feel defeated by other decisions that have to be made.<br /> <br /> 1 Samuel 17:47 (NIV)<br /> "All those gathered here will know that it is not by sword or spear that the Lord saves; for the battle is the Lord’s, and he will give all of you into our hands." <br /> <br /> David was a young man, short, but full of the boldness of his faith in God. In front of his brothers, the Israelite army, and King Saul, who stood head and shoulders above all the other Israelites (but that's another lesson!), David taunted the taunter, and he taunted the taunters battle strong warriors. <br /> <br /> David's message was simple; it matters not what the threat is, the battle belongs to God. He will give me the victory.<br /> <br /> What a wonderful outcome of putting your faith in God. God will give you victory in your battles. If that is the criterion, and the outcome, what have you done to maintain your faith in God today? How are your facing your battles? Have you spent time enough with God so you can face every battle with confidence?<br /> <br /> David still had to face his giant, but God promised the victory. And I believe God offers the same victory to everyone today. The good thing is, you don't have to learn French to be on the winning side!<br /> <br /> -Pr Nathan Stickland<br /> <a href="http://www.adventistyouth.org.uk" rel="nofollow nofollow" target="_blank">www.adventistyouth.org.uk</a></span></span></p>tag:youth-adventistchurch-org-uk.adventist.eu,2005:Post/3022012-07-17T01:53:18+01:002016-01-06T22:44:22+00:00DAY 59Pastor Nathan Stickland<p><img src="/uploaded_assets/137137-torch.JPG?thumbnail=small&1452119341" border="0" /></p>
<p><span style="font-family: 'trebuchet ms', geneva; font-size: small; color: #993300;">Fabric conditioner! What kind do I buy? I stood in the aisle this evening doing my mental arithmetic working out which one was the best price. Which one was on promotion. The most litres I could get for the fewest pounds spent. What kind do I buy? The cheapest branded kind!</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: 'trebuchet ms', geneva; font-size: small; color: #993300;">It's all about choice. Life is full of choices. The choice of fabric conditioner. The places we go. The people we call friends. The spouse we marry. The home we live in. The time we give God. All are choices. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: 'trebuchet ms', geneva; font-size: small; color: #993300;">James 4:4 (NIV)</span><br /><span style="color: #800000;"><em><span style="font-family: 'trebuchet ms', geneva; font-size: small;">"You adulterous people, don’t you know that friendship with the world means enmity against God? Therefore, anyone who chooses to be a friend of the world becomes an enemy of God." </span></em></span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: 'trebuchet ms', geneva; font-size: small; color: #993300;">James puts all our choices down to one major choice; will we be friends with the world, or friends with God?</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: 'trebuchet ms', geneva; font-size: small; color: #993300;">He later goes on to say how much God wants to be with us. James 4:8 (NIV) <span style="color: #800000;"><em>"Come near to God and he will come near to you. Wash your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded." </em></span></span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: 'trebuchet ms', geneva; font-size: small; color: #993300;">The past 58 days I have been writing about being in the presence of God. As the Olympic Torch toured our countries, imagine the presence of God, the Holy Spirit, filling our nations with His presence! Today I ponder about the same thing. And how wonderful it is that James encourages us to come near to God. James asserts that if we do, God will come near to us. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: 'trebuchet ms', geneva; font-size: small; color: #993300;">And God gives us this option. Coming near to God, seeking His presence, is our choice. The most important choice we can make. A daily choice. What have you chosen to do with God today?</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: 'trebuchet ms', geneva; font-size: small; color: #993300;">I read today in TIME Magazine (23 July 2012) a quote by US Governor of Maryland, Martin O'Malley, that "Progress is a choice." He was talking about the state's approach to the economic downturn, and raising income tax to preserve state services. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: 'trebuchet ms', geneva; font-size: small; color: #993300;">In light of the verses in James, O'Malley gives us insight in our spiritual lives. If we want progress with our relationship with God, we need to tax our time in order to preserve our relationship with God. To come near to God, to seek Him, with our whole heart (Jeremiah 29:13). And then we will find God. That's real progress. That's a progressive choice.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: 'trebuchet ms', geneva; font-size: small; color: #993300;">-Pr Nathan Stickland</span></p>tag:youth-adventistchurch-org-uk.adventist.eu,2005:Post/3012012-07-16T11:43:32+01:002016-01-06T22:44:22+00:00DAY 58Pastor Nathan Stickland<p><span style="font-size: small; font-family: trebuchet ms,geneva; color: #993300;"></span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: small; font-family: trebuchet ms,geneva; color: #993300;"><img src="https://youth-adventistchurch-org-uk.adventist.eu/uploaded_assets/137137-torch.JPG?thumbnail=small&1452119341" border="0" /></span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: small; font-family: trebuchet ms,geneva; color: #993300;">Have you ever done something you haven't tried for years? I went roller-skating this evening. I was never too good, or confident, at roller-skating when I was a teenager. Ice-skating was the more regular mode of wrestling with gravity. And I wasn't much good at that either.</span><br /> <br /><span style="font-size: small; font-family: trebuchet ms,geneva; color: #993300;"> So this evening my family attended a birthday party at a roller-skating rink. My kids did well; I reminded some<span class="text_exposed_show"> of my muscles they have to work for a living, and my wife weaved through the shuffling crowd with grace and style, reliving her teenage years. <br /> <br /> My daughter got in the car to come home and announced how many times she managed to fall over. I had spotted others who toppled the balance between stability and velocity. I know from past experience that when you start to go, your fall ranges from an elegant drop to an Olympic gymnastic routine. Your world can turn upside-down. <br /> <br /> We have a danger in our relationship with God of turning things upside-down too. That is, getting things wrong, mixed up, ending up on our back.<br /> <br /> Isaiah 29: 13-16 (NIV) describes this as a warning. <br /> <em><span style="color: #800000;">The Lord says:</span></em><br /><em><span style="color: #800000;"> ‘These people come near to me with their mouth</span></em><br /><em><span style="color: #800000;"> and honour me with their lips,</span></em><br /><em><span style="color: #800000;"> but their hearts are far from me.</span></em><br /><em><span style="color: #800000;"> Their worship of me</span></em><br /><em><span style="color: #800000;"> is based on merely human rules they have been taught.</span></em><br /><em><span style="color: #800000;"> Therefore once more I will astound these people</span></em><br /><em><span style="color: #800000;"> with wonder upon wonder;</span></em><br /><em><span style="color: #800000;"> the wisdom of the wise will perish,</span></em><br /><em><span style="color: #800000;"> the intelligence of the intelligent will vanish.’</span></em><br /><em><span style="color: #800000;"> Woe to those who go to great depths</span></em><br /><em><span style="color: #800000;"> to hide their plans from the Lord,</span></em><br /><em><span style="color: #800000;"> who do their work in darkness and think,</span></em><br /><em><span style="color: #800000;"> ‘Who sees us? Who will know?’</span></em><br /><em><span style="color: #800000;">You turn things upside down,</span></em><br /><em><span style="color: #800000;"> as if the potter were thought to be like the clay!</span></em><br /><em><span style="color: #800000;"> Shall what is formed say to the one who formed it,</span></em><br /><em><span style="color: #800000;"> ‘You did not make me’?</span></em><br /><em><span style="color: #800000;"> Can the pot say to the potter,</span></em><br /><em><span style="color: #800000;"> ‘You know nothing’?</span></em><br /> <br /> God knows us as our maker. God loves us. God wants to develop a regular contact with us. God wants us to be in His presence. We can't hide anything from God. And worse still, we can say the right things in worship, but we don't really have our heart in it! But there's no fooling God.<br /> <br /> But there is hope. Vs 22-24 read:<br /> <span style="color: #800000;"><em>Therefore this is what the Lord, who redeemed Abraham, says to the descendants of Jacob:</em></span><br /><span style="color: #800000;"><em> ‘No longer will Jacob be ashamed;</em></span><br /><span style="color: #800000;"><em> no longer will their faces grow pale.</em></span><br /><span style="color: #800000;"><em> When they see among them their children,</em></span><br /><span style="color: #800000;"><em> the work of my hands,</em></span><br /><span style="color: #800000;"><em> they will keep my name holy;</em></span><br /><span style="color: #800000;"><em> they will acknowledge the holiness of the Holy One of Jacob,</em></span><br /><span style="color: #800000;"><em> and will stand in awe of the God of Israel.</em></span><br /><span style="color: #800000;"><em> Those who are wayward in spirit will gain understanding;</em></span><br /><span style="color: #800000;"><em> those who complain will accept instruction.’</em></span><br /> <br /> If you find your life, your spiritual life, has been hollow, mixed up, in reverse, upside-down, why not try the formula above? Keep God's name holy, distinct, revered, special enough to tell others about. Acknowledge God in every aspect of your life. Involve God in your decisions, fears, and joys. Allow enough time in your day to stand in awe of God, to have some "you-and-God-time" together. Seek the presence of God without there being the pressure of rushing to another appointment.<br /> <br /> Try turning your world upside-down.<br /> <br /> -Pr Nathan Stickland</span></span></p>tag:youth-adventistchurch-org-uk.adventist.eu,2005:Post/3002012-07-16T11:39:16+01:002016-01-06T22:44:21+00:00DAY 57Pastor Nathan Stickland<p><img src="/uploaded_assets/137137-torch.JPG?thumbnail=small&1452119341" border="0" /></p>
<p><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms,geneva; font-size: small; color: #993300;"></span><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms,geneva; font-size: small; color: #993300;"><span class="text_exposed_show"><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms,geneva; font-size: small; color: #993300;">Hill View.</span><br /> <br /><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms,geneva; font-size: small; color: #993300;"> Today the Olympic torch went from Bournemouth to Southampton, via the Isle of Wight. Yesterday I mentioned about kids aged 6-8 years old, and I must have been about that age when I lived in Bournemouth. It's where my youngest brother was born. It's where I saw the QE II sail past Hengistbury Head, near Bournemouth, as part of the Queen's Silver Jubilee, with the Queen on boa<span class="text_exposed_show">rd apparently; though at half a mile out from shore I have to take their word for it! And it is where I went to Hill View Infants School.</span></span><br /> <br /> At church this morning, I had the blessing of being able to participate in the service of communion. Usually, I am at churches or events where we don't do communion. That's not usually done when the Youth Director is there. So for the last eight or so years I have rarely led or participated in communion. <br /> <br /> Now the violins have stopped, I will just say we sang a hymn during the communion service today that always reminds me of the Adventist Church in Londonderry. <br /> <br /> I was told that it is the hill the other side of the river Foyle from the Adventist Church that gave inspiration to the words of the song "There is a green hill far away". Cecil Alexander was the wife of the Anglican Bishop of Derry, who saw a green hill, or mound, regularly on her way into the city to do her shopping. This mound reminded her of the hill where Jesus was crucified. <br /> <br /> Derry has an old city wall. I believe it is one of the only ones you can still walk all the way around the top. And this too is referenced in the song, "without a city wall", meaning, from the old English, outside a city wall.<br /> <br /> Therefore, Cecil would regularly see a hill that reminded her of God's love for mankind, in sending His Son to experience the spiritual death we all deserve due to our rejection of God. That is, the death of spiritual separation from God the Father. Cecil had a Hill View to remind her!<br /> <br /> It is recorded, "About three in the afternoon Jesus cried out in a loud voice, ‘Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani?’ (which means ‘My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?’)." (Matthew 27:46 NIV). This is a direct quote from Psalm 22.<br /> <br /> In reading this Psalm I noticed that there is a reference in verse 26 to the poor eating and being satisfied. This reminded me of the stories of when Jesus fed large crowds, on a hillside (Matthew 14 and 15). The sum of these stories is Jesus took a small amount of food, gave thanks for the blessing, and shared it with the people. Jesus performed a miracle of multiplication. Everyone ate and was satisfied. There was even food left over. The crowds and the disciples learnt a lesson on those days. They had a Hill View experience.<br /> <br /> These same lakeside hills are where Jesus met with his disciples after his resurrection. And here on the hillside Jesus told them 1. in your going (as you go about your daily business) 2. make disciples (followers of Jesus) 3. baptising them and 4. continue teaching them all I have told you. (Matthew 28:19-20). This instruction was done with a backdrop of a Hill View. This was another Hill View experience for them.<br /> <br /> Our Hill View may not be an infant school, a grassy urban mound, a song, or a Galilean location, but I think it is good to have a Hill View. A Hill View in terms of the presence of God, is a place we can associate with God's love and mission. <br /> <br /> I thank God that things around me: my spiritual Hill Views, remind me of the love God has for us, and how He asks us to share that good news with others. What, and where, are your Hill Views?<br /> <br /> -Pr Nathan Stickland<br /> <br /> <a href="http://www.cyberhymnal.org/htm/t/i/tiagreen.htm" rel="nofollow nofollow" target="_blank"><span style="color: #993300;">http://www.cyberhymnal.org/<span class="word_break"></span>htm/t/i/tiagreen.htm</span></a><br /> <a href="http://homeschoolblogger.com/hymnstudies/618693/" rel="nofollow nofollow" target="_blank"><span style="color: #993300;">http://homeschoolblogger.com/<span class="word_break"></span>hymnstudies/618693/</span></a><br /> (<a href="http://www.adventistyouth.org.uk" rel="nofollow nofollow" target="_blank"><span style="color: #993300;">www.adventistyouth.org.uk</span></a>)</span></span></p>tag:youth-adventistchurch-org-uk.adventist.eu,2005:Post/2992012-07-16T11:34:16+01:002016-01-06T22:44:21+00:00DAY 56Pastor Nathan Stickland<p><img src="/uploaded_assets/137137-torch.JPG?thumbnail=small&1452119341" border="0" /></p>
<p><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms,geneva; font-size: small; color: #993300;"></span><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms,geneva; font-size: small; color: #993300;">I've had a childish afternoon and evening.</span><br /> <br /><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms,geneva; font-size: small; color: #993300;"> I had my 8 year old daughter and two of her girlie cousins in the car as we went out to visit somewhere. On arrival they expended all their accumulated energy from having sat watching "Ice Age 4" earlier this afternoon. Vocal. Loud. Running. Speed. Jumping. Everywhere. Conversation. Intense. </span><br /> <br /><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms,geneva; font-size: small; color: #993300;"> Then back in the car, the only restraint wa<span class="text_exposed_show">s the seatbelts. There was the same veracity, only encapsulated in the confines of the car. If captured it would fuel a power station.<br /> <br /> After dropping my wife off to go and do the much needed shopping, I took the girls to a local park. This park claims to be a Sport Legacy Zone, the first in the UK. Combining play and social fitness, the park has lots of outdoor exercise equipment, and playful apparatus for little people and parents alike.<br /> <br /> As their energy propelled them across the field, over, under, through, and round the obstacles, I found myself acting the part of their coach. <br /> <br /> When they needed lifting, I was called. When they needed spinning, I was called. When the moving parts needed retrieving because their short legs and arms could not reach, I was called. And of course, I had to do the Dad/Uncle thing and have a go!<br /> <br /> We laughed. We ran. We got a little dirty. And then we piled back into the car when the rain started.<br /> <br /> I have had a childish afternoon and evening.<br /> <br /> One day, these girls will grow up. That is, grow out of doing childish things. Their "maturity" will progress them on to other things, unless they let go occasionally, or if they have to do the mum or aunty thing.<br /> <br /> Doing childish things can be fun from time to time. But for most of us, maturity reshapes us.<br /> <br /> 1 Corinthians 12 talks about the abilities God gives us to work together in encouraging each other, and in sharing our faith. Chapter 13, which is best read in conjunction with chapter 12, reads on about the best ability, or attitude we can have is to love each other. Other good actions are pointless without the attitude of love. <br /> <br /> 1 Corinthians 13:11 (NLT)<br /> <span style="color: #800000;"><em>When I was a child, I spoke and thought and reasoned as a child. But when I grew up, I put away childish things.</em></span><br /> <br /> The simile here is that babies mature, grow, develop. And Paul uses this analogy to show that one day, when Jesus returns, we will reach a maturity in faith. Until then, we are childlike in our spirituality. <br /> <br /> The end of the chapter concludes: <span style="color: #800000;"><em>"Three things will last forever—faith, hope, and love—and the greatest of these is love."</em></span> (verse 13)<br /> <br /> Today, I had a childish afternoon and evening. But I don't normally behave like that, I'm more mature as the decades roll by!<br /> <br /> Today, this afternoon and evening, I have a childish faith and hope. These are maturing by constantly seeking the presence of God. And as for maturity of love for others, I think that is found through spending time with God too. <br /> <br /> As you seek the presence of God, may your faith and hope mature, may your love for others multiply exponentially, but may you never forget how to occasionally run, jump, and laugh like a 6-8 year old!<br /> <br /> -Pr Nathan Stickland</span></span></p>tag:youth-adventistchurch-org-uk.adventist.eu,2005:Post/2982012-07-16T11:26:55+01:002016-01-06T22:44:21+00:00DAY 55Pastor Nathan Stickland<p><img src="/uploaded_assets/137137-torch.JPG?thumbnail=small&1452119341" border="0" /></p>
<p><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms,geneva; font-size: small; color: #993300;"></span><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms,geneva; font-size: small; color: #993300;">I noticed a sign today announcing a road closure on a given date due to the Olympic Torch route. It is almost two weeks notice. A big yellow sign purposefully placed in a prominent public position. (A lot of P words in that sentence! Would have been funny if it was a petite purple sign.)</span><br /> <br /><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms,geneva; font-size: small; color: #993300;"> I remember seeing a sign last year welcoming visitors in Telford to the BUC Congress. It was the <span class="text_exposed_show">BUC Youth Congress over Easter. What a thrill to think, "I'm a part of that!"<br /> <br /> And driving into London a couple of years ago seeing a sign about major delays due to a march in central London. I realised that that was the parade I was on my way to join, the SEC Youth march against gun and knife crime. Wow. I was going to be a part of that.<br /> <br /> Different road signs tell us different things. Round road signs instruct us. Triangular ones warn us. The one I saw today notified me.<br /> <br /> Jesus told us about signs. That various things would happen before he returns. And Jesus asked us to get involved in instructing, warning, and notifying people of His return. (Matthew 24)<br /> <br /> Signs are great if you take notice. If you don't, then you can get into trouble, maybe a fine, maybe a driving ban. Of course, it's even better when everyone takes notice of the signs.<br /> <br /> I wonder what signs God has been showing me but I have been too busy looking in the wrong direction? Sometimes on familiar roads we get used to the surroundings and forget to notice the signs. How true this is of my faith experience. It's easy to go through the motions, travel the same route, process my time with God, act out attendance at church. But how much more benefit would I have if I read God's signs? God's communication to me.<br /> <br /> It's not just a few roads that will be closed at the end of time, the whole world will be closed. Maybe I should read the signs more often, prepare myself for the disruption, and tell others to do the same. I should be preparing to be a part of that.<br /> <br /> -Pr Nathan Stickland</span></span></p>tag:youth-adventistchurch-org-uk.adventist.eu,2005:Post/2972012-07-12T00:28:00+01:002016-01-06T22:44:20+00:00DAY 54Pastor Nathan Stickland<p><img src="/uploaded_assets/137137-torch.JPG?thumbnail=small&1452119341" border="0" /></p>
<p><span style="font-family: 'trebuchet ms', geneva; font-size: small; color: #993300;">The Olympic Torch toured from Reading to Salisbury today. Nearing Stonehenge, but not going there today. It will go there tomorrow. Possibly the oldest object the torch went near today was Salisbury cathedral. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: 'trebuchet ms', geneva; font-size: small; color: #993300;">In the cathedral is a clock dating back to 1386. It is the oldest surviving mechanical clock in Britain, and the oldest working clock in the world. It has no face. In those days clocks only rang out the time. Nowadays, it is accurate to within 2 seconds every 12 hours. That is amazing. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: 'trebuchet ms', geneva; font-size: small; color: #993300;">There is one thing that really bugs me, and that is poor timekeeping. So I was really mad tonight when I arrived late for a meeting. Timekeeping, and timing is important. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: 'trebuchet ms', geneva; font-size: small; color: #993300;">I read with my kids this week about a kind of fish that has to get the timing right according to the moon and tides. Within a certain three day window, the females follow the tide and wash themselves up on the shore, they lay their eggs just under the sand, and catch the next wave back into the sea. The male fish fertilise the eggs, and the tide action buries the eggs deeper into the sand. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: 'trebuchet ms', geneva; font-size: small; color: #993300;">Without the perfect timing, the eggs will get lost, the females will get stranded, the males will not get to fertilise the eggs, and the waves will wash away the eggs, or bury them too deep.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: 'trebuchet ms', geneva; font-size: small; color: #993300;">Timing is important in nature, man can make clocks to keep very precise time, and timing matters to God.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: 'trebuchet ms', geneva; font-size: small; color: #993300;">Reportedly the wisest man who ever lived said in </span><span style="font-family: 'trebuchet ms', geneva; font-size: small; color: #993300;">Ecclesiastes 3 (NLT):<br /></span><br /><span style="color: #800000;"><em><span style="font-family: 'trebuchet ms', geneva; font-size: small;">For everything there is a season,</span></em></span><br /><span style="color: #800000;"><em><span style="font-family: 'trebuchet ms', geneva; font-size: small;">a time for every activity under heaven.</span></em></span><br /><span style="color: #800000;"><em><span style="font-family: 'trebuchet ms', geneva; font-size: small;">A time to be born and a time to die.</span></em></span><br /><span style="color: #800000;"><em><span style="font-family: 'trebuchet ms', geneva; font-size: small;">A time to plant and a time to harvest.</span></em></span><br /><span style="color: #800000;"><em><span style="font-family: 'trebuchet ms', geneva; font-size: small;">A time to kill and a time to heal.</span></em></span><br /><span style="color: #800000;"><em><span style="font-family: 'trebuchet ms', geneva; font-size: small;">A time to tear down and a time to build up.</span></em></span><br /><span style="color: #800000;"><em><span style="font-family: 'trebuchet ms', geneva; font-size: small;">A time to cry and a time to laugh.</span></em></span><br /><span style="color: #800000;"><em><span style="font-family: 'trebuchet ms', geneva; font-size: small;">A time to grieve and a time to dance.</span></em></span><br /><span style="color: #800000;"><em><span style="font-family: 'trebuchet ms', geneva; font-size: small;">A time to scatter stones and a time to gather stones.</span></em></span><br /><span style="color: #800000;"><em><span style="font-family: 'trebuchet ms', geneva; font-size: small;">A time to embrace and a time to turn away.</span></em></span><br /><span style="color: #800000;"><em><span style="font-family: 'trebuchet ms', geneva; font-size: small;">A time to search and a time to quit searching.</span></em></span><br /><span style="color: #800000;"><em><span style="font-family: 'trebuchet ms', geneva; font-size: small;">A time to keep and a time to throw away.</span></em></span><br /><span style="color: #800000;"><em><span style="font-family: 'trebuchet ms', geneva; font-size: small;">A time to tear and a time to mend.</span></em></span><br /><span style="color: #800000;"><em><span style="font-family: 'trebuchet ms', geneva; font-size: small;">A time to be quiet and a time to speak.<br /></span><span style="font-family: 'trebuchet ms', geneva; font-size: small;">A time to love and a time to hate.<br /></span><span style="font-family: 'trebuchet ms', geneva; font-size: small;">A time for war and a time for peace.</span></em></span></p>
<p><br /><span style="font-family: 'trebuchet ms', geneva; font-size: small; color: #993300;"><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HbjSWDwJILs" rel="nofollow nofollow" target="_blank"><span style="color: #993300;">http://www.youtube.com/<span class="word_break"></span>watch?v=HbjSWDwJILs</span></a></span><br /><span style="font-family: 'trebuchet ms', geneva; font-size: small; color: #993300;">Earlier today I shared this from my DVLA facebook subscription. It is a promo about not using the phone to text while driving. Basically, concentrate on your driving when you are driving, and your texting when you are not doing anything else. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: 'trebuchet ms', geneva; font-size: small; color: #993300;">This makes me ponder about timing. In nature, timing is important. In life timing is important. When driving, timing is important. (It's then not time to text!) With God timing is important. Mark 13:32-37</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: 'trebuchet ms', geneva; font-size: small; color: #993300;">And what of our time with God? Do we watch like the fish for the right time and give that time to God? Are we as precise as an old clock ringing out "it's now my time to spend with God"? </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: 'trebuchet ms', geneva; font-size: small; color: #993300;">Or do we allow distractions (texting) to interfere with our journey with God (driving). If you have not been experiencing the presence of God in your life recently, maybe you need to think about your timing.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: 'trebuchet ms', geneva; font-size: small; color: #993300;">-Pr Nathan Stickland</span></p>tag:youth-adventistchurch-org-uk.adventist.eu,2005:Post/2962012-07-12T00:13:55+01:002016-01-06T22:44:20+00:00DAY 53Pastor Nathan Stickland<p><img src="/uploaded_assets/137137-torch.JPG?thumbnail=small&1452119341" border="0" /></p>
<p><span style="font-family: 'trebuchet ms', geneva; font-size: small; color: #993300;">Today the Olympic Torch finished up in a rainy Madejski Stadium, home of Reading Football Club. Oh, how I would love to have been there. My family have various connections with this town in Royal Berkshire. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: 'trebuchet ms', geneva; font-size: small; color: #993300;">It's the royal county name that gives the football team the nickname "The Royals". Unfortunately, I can't boast any royal relations that I know of, not even by nickname. Our asso<span class="text_exposed_show">ciation to Reading comes by birth. I was born not far from Reading, and my wife was born in Reading. <br /><br />We do have a tenuous link to the Madejski Stadium though. My wife's uncle is good friends with John Madejski, and I have a photo of a table list from the mentioned uncle's 70th birthday party, where my name appears next to John Madejski's! I thought it would be a bit inappropriate to ask him for an autograph, or tell him my Dad used to buy the Thames Valley Trader, which grew into the Auto Trader brand, a car sales magazine, that made John his millions. So I settled for taking his photograph instead! <br /><br />John Madejski bought Reading Football Club, and has been the chairman until the end of May this year, when he sold a major share in the club. <br /><br />So there is my set of links. I only have royal claim by the fact I was born in Royal Berkshire, and my wife's uncle is friends of the previous owner of a football club called "The Royals". <br /><br />But actually there is a link, a strong link, to me being a royal. And you are a royal too!<br /><br />1 Peter 2:9 (NIV)<br /><span style="color: #800000;"><em>But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light. </em></span><br /><br />This text is used in the context of contrast, with those who reject Jesus. <br /><br />You are special to God, and if you declare God's praises, you are considered part of God's royal family. And a priest enjoys the presence of God. <br /><br />You are royalty. And you don't need to be born in a given place or have the title by heredity. You just have to know Jesus by spending time with Him, and accept that God loves you, and respond by living "Christ approved lives" (1 Peter 2:5 The Message).<br /><br />-Pr Nathan Stickland</span></span></p>tag:youth-adventistchurch-org-uk.adventist.eu,2005:Post/2952012-07-10T20:38:18+01:002016-01-06T22:44:19+00:00DAY 52Pastor Nathan Stickland<p><img src="/uploaded_assets/137137-torch.JPG?thumbnail=small&1452119341" border="0" /></p>
<p><span style="font-family: 'trebuchet ms', geneva; font-size: small; color: #993300;">Just after midday today the Olympic Torch spent time at the Stoke Mandeville Stadium, near the Stoke Mandeville Hospital, the claimed birthplace of the Paralympic Games. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: 'trebuchet ms', geneva; font-size: small; color: #993300;">A German born Jewish doctor, Professor Sir Ludwig Guttmann,<span class="text_exposed_show">fled the Nazi regime in 1939, and ended up working in a British Hospital. By 1943 he was asked to head up a new spinal injury hospital. Under his leadership, the Stoke Mandeville Hospital provided care for injured servicemen. Until his work, most patients with spinal injuries died within a year "having been given no hope of returning to their previous life."<br />(<a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-14896776" rel="nofollow nofollow" target="_blank"><span style="color: #993300;">http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-14896776</span></a>)<br /><br />Part of Guttmann's treatment was the morale boosting challenge of sport. Using wheelchair polo, wheelchair basketball, and archery, he encouraged a "can-do" spirit within people. <br /><br />The first Stoke Mandeville Games took place in 1948, coinciding with the London Olympic Games that year. The first games were just 16 people, and archery was the first discipline. I reckon getting tickets for the archery at the Paralympics this year would have strong historic significance. ((Just checked and it seems these have all gone!)).<br /><br />A team from the Netherlands joined the games at Stoke Mandeville four years later, and by 1960 in Rome the Parallel Olympics, later to be known as the Paralympics, became an Olympic event.<br /><br />One man, with healing in his heart, made such a difference to so many people, directly and indirectly. <br /><br />A paralysed man was once brought to Jesus. (Matthew 9, Mark 2, Luke 5). The disabled man had great friends. The house where Jesus was visiting was packed full, and the friends could not get the disabled man near Jesus. So they went up on the roof, broke a hole through the roof, and lowered the paralysed man down in front of Jesus. These are the kind of friends to have!<br /><br />Jesus told the man his sins were forgiven. The religious leaders were outraged, because only God can forgive sins. They did not accept Jesus was God in human form. If I was the man, I would have been confused. I think I would have been hoping for physical healing not spiritual healing. Jesus asked which is easier to give, forgiveness for sins or physical healing. <br /><br />But then Jesus did both. He looked at the man, and with the opportunity to teach different people different lessons, Jesus told the man to get up, pick up his bed, and walk. And the man did. He walked home.<br /><br />People with spinal injuries were not expected to live long after their injury even back just 60 years ago. But what made a difference was hope in something better. Hope in a healing man.<br /><br />The paralysed man received spiritual and physical healing. He had hope in a healing Man.<br /><br />What do we need most? Physical healing, or spiritual healing? Whatever your answer, I figure that we need to do two things. Come into the presence of Jesus. Don't let the roof stop you from going into the presence of God! And have hope in the healing Jesus. Proximity, and hope. It's time to top-up on both.<br /><br />-Pr Nathan Stickland</span></span></p>tag:youth-adventistchurch-org-uk.adventist.eu,2005:Post/2942012-07-09T01:37:10+01:002016-01-06T22:44:19+00:00DAY 51Pastor Nathan Stickland<p><img src="/uploaded_assets/137137-torch.JPG?thumbnail=small&1452119341" border="0" /></p>
<p><span style="font-family: 'trebuchet ms', geneva; font-size: small; color: #993300;">Hundreds, maybe thousands, watched at Wimbledon today to see if Andy Murray could win the men's final. And I went to Saint Albans to see the Olympic Torch Relay today.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: 'trebuchet ms', geneva; font-size: small; color: #993300;">Crowds covered the hill, shouting, waving things in the air, hoping the new would depose the old. There was great expectation. It seemed that sometimes he had performed miracles to get to where he was. The sense of triumph excited everyone. Could this be the time a national would reign victorious?</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: 'trebuchet ms', geneva; font-size: small; color: #993300;">The crowds slowly filled the streets when people heard about the route through the city. It was like a carnival. A good atmosphere. Jostling to find the best place to see the procession. Everyone wanted to see the "chosen one". The one who brought light in a time of national struggle.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: 'trebuchet ms', geneva; font-size: small; color: #993300;">The entourage preceded the main party. People were peering and jostling to get a look. Some had waited a long time in their claimed roadside places to see this. Others joined later at the back of the throng, hustling their children forward to get a better view. Maybe this would inspire the youngsters to greater aspirations.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: 'trebuchet ms', geneva; font-size: small; color: #993300;">And then the cavalcade moved past. Slowly. Surrounded by those protecting the "chosen one". </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: 'trebuchet ms', geneva; font-size: small; color: #993300;">As the crowd dispersed after they had seen what they came to see, memories and anticipation filled the sentences of the viewers. Little did they know they would be disappointed later!</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: 'trebuchet ms', geneva; font-size: small; color: #993300;">Luke 19:45-46 (MSG)</span><br /><span style="color: #800000;"><em><span style="font-family: 'trebuchet ms', geneva; font-size: small;">Going into the Temple he [Jesus] began to throw out everyone who had set up shop, selling everything and anything. He said, "It's written in Scripture,</span></em></span><br /><br /><span style="color: #800000;"><em><span style="font-family: 'trebuchet ms', geneva; font-size: small;">My house is a house of prayer;</span></em></span><br /><span style="color: #800000;"><em><span style="font-family: 'trebuchet ms', geneva; font-size: small;">You have turned it into a religious bazaar." </span></em></span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: 'trebuchet ms', geneva; font-size: small; color: #993300;">Jesus' triumphal entry into the city of Jerusalem, with crowds of supporting onlookers, amidst the high expectations is recorded in Matthew 17, Mark 11, Luke 19, and John 12. My experiences today remind me of the accounts of Jesus entering Jerusalem. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: 'trebuchet ms', geneva; font-size: small; color: #993300;">The description above could well have been what happened today: seeing the Olympic Torch, and later seeing Federer beating Murray. But the narrative is my description of Jesus' celebrated entry into Jerusalem in light of my day.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: 'trebuchet ms', geneva; font-size: small; color: #993300;">I'm glad I went with my family to see the Olympic Torch Relay. It's a one off. I'll not likely get the chance again. But it won't change my life.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: 'trebuchet ms', geneva; font-size: small; color: #993300;">I'm even more glad that I go with my family into the presence of God, via reading the Bible, devotional readings, focussing on faith in our conversations, and joint prayer. It's something I do regularly. It has changed my life.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: 'trebuchet ms', geneva; font-size: small; color: #993300;">When we participate in events and later say, "I was there", it's a proud claim. A point of reference. Do we equally claim to others, "I was there, today. There in the presence of God"?</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: 'trebuchet ms', geneva; font-size: small; color: #993300;">-Pr Nathan Stickland</span></p>