Renew Your Mind

Larkin’s poem “Talking in Bed” ends with these lines… It becomes still more difficult to find Words at once true and kind, Or not untrue and not unkind. I’m not sure whether this observation is sad, or maybe the best we can hope for? Is it perhaps better than the alternative- words that are untrue and unkind? In the TV world of American public life, portrayed by series such as The Good Wife, characters spend most of their time speaking words which are neither true nor kind. We are led to believe that public discourse, whether in the media, politics or the law, is all about power, manipulation and revenge. The last thing anyone seems interested in is whether the words are true- until the lies become personal and hurtful, of course. Perhaps the compromise Larkin suggests is better than this- can we at least agree to speak to one another in a way that is “not untrue and not unkind”? Yet God expects more than this of His children. We are to seek truth and kindness…and ...

What does it mean to be truly human? What is the best that we can be? How can we be our most authentic selves? Perhaps it is in the last few days that Jesus, the Son of Man, spent on earth that we catch some glimpses of humanity at its best. Paul reminds us that Jesus certainly was truly human- he had forsaken all divine privileges and submitted to the limitations of human flesh. Christ Jesus who, though he was in the form of God, did not regard equality with God as something to be exploited, but emptied himself, taking the form of a slave, being born in human likeness. And being found in human form he humbled himself and became obedient to the point of death- even death on a cross. Philippians 2: 6-8 Being truly human is not dependent on status, position, physical ability or achievements. The opposite seems to be true- we read here of emptiness, humility, obedience and eventually death. This seems extreme, counter-intuitive, and certainly against the grain of contem...

Christmas is really for the children Christmas is really for the children. Especially for children who like animals, stables, stars and babies wrapped in swaddling clothes. Then there are wise men, kings in fine robes, humble shepherds and a hint of rich perfume. Easter is not really for the children unless accompanied by a cream filled egg. It has whips, blood, nails, a spear and allegations of body snatching. It involves politics, God and the sins of the world. It is not good for people of a nervous disposition. They would do better to think on rabbits, chickens and the first snowdrop of spring. Or they’d do better to wait for a re-run of Christmas without asking too many questions about what Jesus did when he grew up or whether there’s any connection. Steve Turner Easter and the events surrounding it are awkward- difficult to package and market commercially, as Steve Turner points out. It's a time of year when most people are happy to enjoy the benefits of a ho...

T-CUP, or Thinking Clearly Under Pressure, was the acronym used by Sir Clive Woodward when he was the coach of the British Rugby team.  Read more about TCUP here We have seen that cultivating character is slow, patient work that can take a lifetime, and sometimes the results of that steady cultivation are not obvious until we face a challenge. Surely the events of Holy Week presented the greatest challenge so far for the followers of Jesus. We saw at the weekend that Peter was not ready for this challenge, and when it came to a test of his character he buckled under the pressure. Earlier that evening, Judas had made a decision that revealed his true character. While the other disciples shared the Last Supper with their Lord, Judas slipped out to arrange to betray him to the chief priests and elders. Under the slowly mounting pressure of competing ideologies, Judas saw only weakness and disappointment in what Jesus seemed to be offering, and chose instead a way that appeared t...

And now faith, hope and love abide, these three; and the greatest of these is love. Pursue love... 1 Corinthians 13:13, 14:1 This week the events and importance of Easter begin to come into sharp focus. We remember Jesus' last week on earth, and because we know the events still to come, the people he chose to be with and he things that he said to them carry extra significance. John spends 4 chapters of his gospel telling us what Jesus said to his disciples as he prepared them for what was to come next. Now before the festival of the Passover, Jesus knew that his hour had come to depart from this world and go to the Father. John 13: 1 Jesus said:' Now the Son of Man has been glorified, and God has been glorified in him. God will also glorify him in himself, and will glorify him at once. Little children, I am with you only a little longer. You will look for me, and as I said to the Jews so now I say to you, "Where I am going, you cannot come." I give you a new ...

Sometimes reading self help books or well-meaning blogs can make us feel that adopting a regime, a mantra or a new habit will lead to measurable results in a steadily increasing way. We feel as if we should be drawing a progress chart that climbs steadily upwards- but real life is just not like that. Maybe that's why so many of us find Peter an encouraging character in Scripture. When Jesus changes Simon's name to Peter, meaning the Rock, we cheer for him as we see Jesus recognising his strength of character. Jesus replied,  ‘Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, for this was not revealed to you by flesh and blood, but by my Father in heaven. And I tell you that you are Peter,   and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades [  will not overcome it.   I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; whatever you bind on earth will be  bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be   loosed in heaven.’   Then he ordered his...

Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit.  Galatians 5:25 Many of us are becoming increasingly   conscious of the number of steps we take each day, helpfully reminded by our smart devices, some of which will even prod us to get moving if we haven't reached our daily quota. Each small step on its own makes very little difference, but a decision to walk more each day becomes a habit that builds a more healthy life and (hopefully) has long term benefits. Practising virtues is perhaps a bit like this. A small decision to act with kindness, to pause and respond gently instead of angrily, an attitude of forgiveness to others rather than blame all begin to build into a life lived according to the Spirit, rather than our natural desires. Our choices become habits. Recent brain research suggests that habits actually rewire our brain, creating new neural pathways which become our new normal. Or, as Paul writes, since we live by the Spirit, let's keep in step...

But what happens when we live God’s way? He brings gifts into our lives, much the same way that fruit appears in an orchard—things like affection for others, exuberance about life, serenity. We develop a willingness to stick with things, a sense of compassion in the heart, and a conviction that a basic holiness permeates things and people. We find ourselves involved in loyal commitments, not needing to force our way in life, able to marshal and direct our energies wisely. Galatians 5: 22-23 The Message One of the great things about 21st century life is the ability to access many different Bible translations so easily. Eugene Peterson's translation, or paraphrase, is a really helpful approach to reading a familiar bible passage in a fresh way.  In Peterson's words, we get a sense of the cohesion of these fruit, of how they work together to give a picture of a life well lived rather than a tick list of virtues to be acquired. His use of the word "we" so often also r...

But the fruit  of the Spirit is love,  joy, peace,  forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,   gentleness and self-control.   Galatians 5: 22,23 This list in Galatians is perhaps the most well known list of virtues, memorised by many of us in song, preached in countless sermon series and stitched into Bible samplers. But the fact that we know it so well does not mean that we are any better at living this way. We have seen over these weeks of Lent that the challenge of cultivating character is a huge one- one that involves far more than knowing what to do, and one that will take our whole lives here on earth to achieve. The image of a tree is one that we have seen before, and a helpful one because it reminds us that we should not be surprised if we don't see instant signs of growth- these are fruits whose cultivation will take time, intentionality, sunshine and rain. David Brooks, in his book on character that I mentioned yesterday, describes peopl...

So I say, walk by the Spirit,  and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh.   For the flesh desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the flesh.  They are in conflict with each other, so that you are not to do whatever  you want.   Galatians 5:16,17 Paul writes to the Galatians, as he has done before, of the tension between what he calls th Spirit and the flesh. David Brooks, in his bestselling recent book "The Road to Character", recognises this same tension between the two impulses driving our behaviour. He names them Adam I and Adam II, and claims that our lives are often shaped by the needs of Adam I: to do, succeed, win. As he explains, these things are valued by our culture and we are encouraged to pursue them- but often at the expense of developing character, the Adam II side of our nature.  Paul paints the contrast in much starker terms. He writes that the desires of the flesh are in conflict with the desi...

In traditional Japanese dress, a kimono is worn by wrapping it around the body and tying a sash, or obi, around the waist to secure the clothing. (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kimono) The writer Joni Eareckson Tada is married to a Japanese man, and explains how this traditional Japanese image helped her to make sense of Paul's words in Colossians 3: 14: And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity. How beautiful, that by learning about a different culture we see something that helps us understand God's purpose for our lives! Surely this underlines the idea we first met in Genesis, that we are all made in God's image and each culture hides within it things that point to that image- even something as simple as a sash to hold your clothes together. If the obi is fixed properly- not with great strength or lots of pinning and gluing, but just fixed in place the way it should be, then the whole kimono can be worn gracefully. Th...

Bear with one another and, if anyone has a complaint against another, forgive each other;  just as the LORD has forgiven you, so you also must forgive. Colossians 3: 13 It seemed that Aristotle's virtues were strong, manly things designed to equip those whose life was lived in public service on the battlefield or running affairs of state. Did the Christian virtues sound a bit...well, pathetic next to them? The virtues of compassion, kindness, humility, meekness and patience don't sound quite so exciting. But in the very next verse, here in verse 13, we are reminded that these virtues are in fact just as difficult to aspire to, and if mastered may give us a more real strength. The reason they are so difficult is other people. It would be easy to be kind to kittens, patient while waiting for the kettle to boil and humble when reading biographies of Mother Theresa. It is far more difficult to show humility, patience and kindness to those who share our bathroom and leave towels...

As God's chosen ones, holy and beloved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, meekness and patience. Colossians 3:12 Ancient writers such as Aristotle thought carefully about the virtues they would hope to see in a man of good character (and it was only the men they were interested in, of course!). Aristotle proposed four cardinal virtues, which he said were the most important aspects of character to practise in order to become a complete, flourishing human being. His cardinal virtues were: courage justice prudence temperance These virtues sound a bit like the clothes a soldier or statesman would choose, as he faced the tasks that lay ahead of him that day. That's not surprising, as that was the context in which Aristotle lived and wrote. But his list is very different from Paul's. Paul's world was not very different- he was writing to a Hellenized, urban audience which may well have included both soldiers and statesmen. Why did he suggest s...

Today the sun is shining, and in the Northern Hemisphere it's a sign that Spring is here, and Summer cannot be far behind. At last we can put away our thick Winter coats, fold up jumpers and warm woolly clothes, and with a smile search for the brighter colours and softer fabrics of Spring. The stores would like us to think that we have to shop for a whole new wardrobe- but sometimes it's enough to find clothes that we already have, that we used to wear, but haven't worn for a while. I wonder if the virtues we have been considering can be a bit like this? We know that we should be behaving with kindness, honesty, patience etc.....but have we forgotten about these things, pushed them to the back of our wardrobe and replaced them with the behaviours of darker and colder times? Paul uses this image in Colossians 3, where he writes Don’t lie to one another. You’re done with that old life. It’s like a filthy set of ill-fitting clothes you’ve stripped off and put in the...

Mary's song in Luke chapter 1 v. 46-55 is well known. My soul magnifies the LORD and my spirit rejoices in God my Saviour The entire song looks away from Mary herself, towards God. She praises Him for who He is, highlighting His character. He has looked with favour on the lowliness of His servant... holy is His name His mercy.....His strength.... He has brought down the powerful from their thrones, and has lifted up the lowly. He helps....He remembers His promises Taking truth and turning it into a song can be very powerful. As Mary sang, was she reminding herself about the God who she worshipped, the God who had just visited her in the form of an angel to give her a most remarkable job to do? Was her song a way of repeating to herself, and all who heard her, just what this God was like? Mary sang of how the ways of God are so often opposite to the ways of the world- and she must have been thinking that she herself was such an unlikely choice to be the mother of Go...

Brian Little is a Cambridge research professor, who is interested in the psychology of personality. He explains some of his ideas in a fascinating TED talk- find it here  Who are you, really? He has also written a book about his research, "Me Myself and Us: The Science of Personality and the Art of Well-being" where he uses the phrase "acting out of character". He explains that the phrase can mean two different things- we usually use it to describe someone who is acting differently from what we might expect. In this sense, we use character to mean their personality- if a grumpy person acts in kind and thoughtful way, we might describe this as uncharacteristic behaviour. Or if someone who normally is patient snaps and loses their temper, we assume that something unusual has happened because this is not their real character, and maybe the circumstances or provocation was extreme to cause them to behave 'out of character'. But Little suggests that another w...