Sugar was added to chewing gum in 1869 - By a dentist!

The coronation ceromony is over. God touches a group of men’s hearts to stand by Saul their new king and serve him. Where does Saul go? To his new palace, a place to discuss things of national importance, out to other nations to make international treaties? - oh no Saul goes home! (1 Samuel 10:26)

Not only does he go home but when the next crisis comes he is found plowing a field like a farmer! He seems to be unsure of who God has made him to be. He is king of the whole nation of the Israelites - not Old McDonald!!

When a group of of young men scorned and despised his kingship (10:27) he didn’t punish them, or contradict them but he just he ignored them (10:27, 11:12-13). His silence suggests that he agreed with them - that it was all a mistake and really he was no-one special.

Who is Saul a farmer or king - there is a big difference. Who are we sons and daughters of the King, heirs to the throne - or just plain and ordinary Joe Bloggs. It makes a big difference to your life as to who you think you are. Are you royal - or peasant? Have you the riches of the kingdom at your disposal - or are you poor? Are you being made from glory to glory - or are you in a continual battle over small issues in your life? Are you a hand picked, chosen, powerful, mighty warrior - or part of the rat race?

Saul doesn’t know who he has been anointed or what God has called him into? Do you know who you are and what God has called you into? What is your purpose and role in life? What are your dreams and aims? Unless you know who you are and what you are called to do you will end up doing things here and there in the hope of doing good - but it will not be as effective as doing the thing you are anointed for. A king can plow a field - but that isn’t the best use of his time. Don’t second guess God as to what you should be doing - just ask him.

I want to take the rest of the week to look at an issue I see in the story of Saul. He suffers with a serious self image issue. By exploring his problem with you I would like to show you what we can learn in order not to fail like Saul, but to succeed in life.

The first time we see Saul he is looking for his father’s donkeys - so he goes to the ’seer’ or prophet Samuel. The bible says that all of Samuels prophecies came true, not one fell to the ground as void. Samuel anoints Saul (1 Sam 10:1) and tells him that God has appointed him as the first King of Israel. Saul is very shocked and can’t believe that a guy from the smallest tribe of Israel should be picked for such a grand job. (9:21). God gives Saul a new heart (v9) and causes Saul to prophecy (v10 remember the word of God at this time was still fairly scarce). Yet Saul didnt tell his Uncle all that had happened and hid it from him (v16). This was the most amazing thing that had ever happened to Saul -why did he hide it? Did he not believe it? Was he trying to deny it all? Was he embarrassed? Could it be that he didn’t believe he could carry out Samuel’s expectations?

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In the present climate of cuts it is no suprise that national youth services and youth clubs are going to suffer. The priority for finances will be given to education for young people.

“Councillor Rita Krishna, a member of the Children and Young People’s board of the Local Government Association, said there was a risk that the long-term gains of youth work were lost to short-term cuts. She said the obsession with getting rid of the deficit within four years was building up more problems for the future.

She added: “There are people’s whose whole lives are changed by youth work. I am worrying about the potential human waste where people don’t have the kind of enablement that youth work can give them.” Taken from the BBC website http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/education-11607329

How important are the voluntary sectors in todays society to bring help, security and support for the younger generation in todays climate? It is the hope for our communities in keeping young people engaged in society and connected with groups outside their education.

The work we do as youth workers is vital for the future of society as a whole.

I wasn’t sure if you had seen the new “This Little Light Video”.

You can order the new album here.

Hann

Hannah was in deep anguish, crying bitterly as she prayed to the Lord. And she made this vow: “O Lord of Heaven’s Armies, if you will look upon my sorrow and answer my prayer and give me a son, then I will give him back to you. 

1 Samuel 1:11 (NLT)

Twice in this passage we see God referred to as Lord of Heaven’s Armies, here above and earlier on in the story in verse 3. This seems strange to me as it is a family story - a heart rending tale of a lady with no children, not a fight to the death. Hannah is teaching us about our view of God as we pray to him about our circumstances in everyday life.

1. We are to approach God in all the might and authority he possesses

2. Our fight isn’t against flesh and blood but against spiritual realities

3. God fights for us in our circumstances

1 Samuel 1:1-9Hannah’s married life started off so promising, but is now full of dissappointment and tears. Her hearts desire is for children, yet she hasn’t any. Her husband has another wife, Peninnah, who has no problem having children - this only rubs salt into her wounds. Peninnah, from the security of her large family, pours scorn upon Hannah. She daily taunts her loneliness. All the rude comments and jibes fill Hannahs’ thoughts. Poor Hannah is heartbroken in longing and distraught with shattered dreams.Hannah does not let the story finish here. She doesn’t take the shame and sorrow and feel it is her lot to bear. There is no sense that she sees any normality that her dreams have not yet come to pass - see still hopes in God.

Hannah stands up V 9 (NIV). How I love this phrase. She is bent over with the presure of failure, her head low with the shame of not being able to bear her husband a child, weighed down with sorrows - yet she overcomes all this dissapointment. She stands up and cries out to God again. Her heart pours out once more her desires and hopes. God is her answer to the despair. He is her hope and her miracle maker. She allows her dreams and desires to be released into heaven mingled with tears to the one who cares and answers. Her deep anguish and longings are seen by God. A year later she gives birth to Samuel - meaning God hears.

Just when we feel that things will always be one big dissapointment and never improve, when we feel overwhelmed with shame and taunts of others it is time to stand up. Time to lift our heads up, time to look up and fix our eyes on the God who loves to do the impossible.

We can’t, but he can!!

“Theres no greater drama in human record than the sight of a few Christians, scorned and oppressed by a succession of emperors, bearing all trials with a fierce tenacity, multiplying quietly, buiding order while their enemies generated chaos, fighting the sword with the word, brutality with hope, and at last defeating the strongest state that history has known. Caesar and Christ had met in the arena, and Christ had won.”

The Jesus I never knew by Phillip Yancy

“The only way to overcome evil is to let it run itself to a standstill because it does not find resistance it is looking for. Resistance merely creates further evil and adds fuel to the flames. But when evil meets no opposition and encounters no obstacle but only patient endurance, its sting is drawn, and at last it meets an opponent which is more than its match. Of course this can only happen when the last ounce of resistance is abandoned, and the renunciation of revenge is complete. Then evil cannot find its mark, it can breed no further evil, and is left barren.”

‘The Cost of Discipleship’ Bonhoeffer

Hi everybody - I am back after a well earned break. I have had a busy yet fulfilling year and now am ready to roll again. Actually to tell the truth I tried starting off a couple of weeks ago and wrote a fab post - then lost it all!! Perhaps God was teaching me something about not loosing heart!!

I have been reading about Saul and David recently - two kings. Both anointed by Samuel, both called from unexpected places - Saul from the smallest tribe of Judah and David the smallest in his family. Their looks are good (Saul tall, David ruddy and handsome), neither are poor (Sauls father was wealthy and infuential, Davids father had plenty of sheep and goats) and yet there was a massive difference between the two - they were looking for different things in life.

Saul looked for a prophet to give him wisdom and direction (1 Sam 9:11) not to find out God’s desires - but to find his fathers donkeys. In life his aim was to find the donkeys he was looking for. He sought God’s words from His prophet for personal gain and help . David was looking for something bigger and greater. He sought God to find his heart - God himself said “he is a man after my own heart” (1 Sam 13:14)

There are so many benefits from seeking God: wisdom for life, direction, touches of the Holy Spirit, finances, family, security etc. All these are fantastic and beneficial - but are never to be sought after for their own merits. We seek God alone - not for what he can do for us - but just because of who he is. If God did nothing for us from today onwards, we would still love him with all our hearts. He is all powerful, wonderful and incredible and for this alone he deserves our undevided attention and adoration; not to mention the fact that he has already given everything for us - the life of his only Son.

 Fix your eyes on Jesus and not the blessings and you will have found the greatest treasure of them all.