"the bits of our lives advertising agencies prefer to ignore."

 "Christianity is recognisable, drawing on the deep and deeply ordinary vocabulary of human feeling, satisfying those who believe in it by offering a ruthlessly realistic account of the bits of our lives advertising agencies prefer to ignore."(1)

"the bits of our lives advertising agencies prefer to ignore." That phrase so well addresses a large part of the disconect between what seems to be continually broadcast over us, and the reality of our relationship, or potential relationship, with God.

My 'world' seems to be continually messaging me that my relationship to God through Jesus is irrelevant, not needed, archaic, irrational.

And yet in my world, 'on the ground' the oppsite proves true. In so many people's lives, where there is hardship, poverty, injustice, unemployment, struggle - in many of those contexts, it seems faith flourishes and God is present in a way that seems alien to my world as it is portrayed to me by 'the advertising agencies'.

Could it be the part the advertising agencies choose to ignore is more the real world?

It is fashionable to say that faith cannot hold up in the face of reality and yet, at least as often, when I look at 'reality' on the ground, in the real world, I find the opposite is true. Real faith navigates the struggles and challenges of life rather well.

Recently I read of a man who 'lost his faith' in the course of theological academic studies - a not unheard of  experience. He 're-found' his faith in the middle of a battle field when a bullet killed his friend as they were speaking together. His 'academics' had no answer, or efficacy, in the face of such 'reality'.

Jesus said that when all has been said and done that many who actively trust in Him and are now 'last' will be 'first' (and vicki-verka). I increasingly suspect that we will find the 'first' will contain a large number of those who have met God and followed God in 'the bits of our lives the advertising agencies prefer to ignore'.

(1) This is part of a description of Francis Spufford's book  "Unapologetic: Why, despite everything, Christianity can still make surprising emotional sense"  http://amzn.com/B008CB9J4C

Love that will not let me go.

This week I had the joy of catching up with a friend of past days. His brother, who was well known and been in pastoral ministry for many decades, having suffered through a somewhat prolonged period of depression, which included a loss of clarity about his salvation and God's acceptance of him, had died recently.My friend related how his brother's last days, were a long oppressive darkness.

Yet one day on visiting, only to find his brother 'in his right mind', at peace and 'back to his old self'. Upon inquiring what had happened, his brother told him he had a visitation from some angels, two of which had assured him of God's continued love for Him, and interestingly another one who tried to convince him that the other two were lying! "What do you make of it?" his brother asked, to which my friend replied along the lines of  'you wouldn't be the first to have such a visitation.'

A few days later my friend visited again only to find his brother again engulfed in darkness.
"What happened?"
"Oh the doctor told me I was hallucinating - it was the drugs."
I'd like to talk to that doctor one day.

That aside however, this is a common scenario that many families go through, though thankfully not too many doctors are as foolish as that one.  As well as the situation itself, families, and maybe more so Christian families, struggle themselves with the question of how does God see my loved one who now seems to have lost, or even given up, their faith?

As I reflected on my friends situation I remembered a familiar story (apocryphal or otherwise I don't know)  which tells of a husband tending his wife who has lost her memory. She recognises no-one, including him. Friends ask him "why do you bother?- she doesn't even know who you are." to which he replies "But I know who she is."

If a husband is capable of that towards his wife, I am confident God must have that same attitude towards his people who have through illness or misfortune 'forgotten' who He is.

He never forgets who we are. Numerous verses from the Bible come to mind.

".....whoever comes to me I will never drive away." John 6:37

God has said, "Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you." Hebrews 13:5

"Love that will not let me go" indeed!   The promise is not vain. (1)

Our God knows who we are.


(1) http://www.igracemusic.com/hymnbook/hymns/o08.html