Following Jesus – 4 – The Name

Jesus – what image comes to mind at His name? In my childhood, it meant that white guy hanging on the cross statue in our Church. I knew He was a miracle worker and that He taught people a highly moral lifestyle. I knew He was called the Son of God and that He was part of a Trinity. Still, it was merely head knowledge. In my teen years, He became symbolic of what I thought was a dead religion that persisted despite ’scientific evidence’ to the contrary… a religion that was authoritarian and legalistic. In my early years as a university student, He once again became a good moral teacher. I knew a few people who called themselves His followers; and they managed to demonstrate this in their words and actions. Their lifestyle intrigued me – I wanted to know what made them so different. Their example drew me in. Of course, I tried to deflect their influence – I had hundreds of questions, many I thought would be devastating to their Christian faith, but they patiently gave answers (1 Peter 3) and treated me with a kindness I knew I did not deserve.

Maybe, when we hear Jesus’ name, the image that comes to mind too often is that of His followers. And not the ‘good’ ones. It’s the weird ones who go a bit ultra-mystical. Or the sort who seem to think the Good News of the Gospel is all about making more money. Or the types who seem to take delight in their moral superiority and use it to attack non-Christians. Maybe it’s the type who think Christianity is an excuse to judge someone else, ask people to ‘pray for that bad person,’ and then tell that person that they’re praying that they’ll escape God’s judgement. Or perhaps it’s the ‘Christian’ whose outlook seems to be fairly racist, bloodthirsty and committed to their own culture’s version of ’success.’

Still, I don’t want to be negative, and I don’t want to pretend that somehow my own Christian walk has been exemplary. See, the thing that scares me is that maybe, for the many people in my life who do not believe in Jesus, when they hear the name ‘Jesus,’ they’re going to think of me. My life. My example. My words and actions. How have I treated them? Have I come across as narrow and judgemental? Or materialistic? Or moralistic and legalistic?

One scary thing about being a follower of Jesus is that my own life and example could have an impact – whether positive or negative – on the people around me. When some social issue comes into a conversation – some political thing, or maybe a moral issue like abortion – how are they going to interpret my response? Will I be loving and merciful, like my Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, or will I be the hellfire and brimstone Bible thumper that leaves them wishing they hadn’t asked?

I don’t know how right it is, but I like to point people to Jesus Himself. As He is described in the Bible. Perhaps not enough people have read the Four Gospels these days for me to assume that people know the records of His life. The Bible records that, as a child, He and His family had to flee the violent ruler of their nation and seek refuge in Egypt (Matthew 2). As an adult, He worked at the family trade – carpentry (Matthew 13:55; Mark 6:3) – before beginning His ministry; which was marked by miracles (Matthew 11:20; Mark 6:2; Luke 19:37; John 10:25), astounding teachings (Matthew 7:28; Matthew 13:54; Matthew 22:33; Luke 4:36);and violent persecution (Matthew 26:4; Mark 14:1; John 7:25). He was murdered, but He rose again to life (Luke Chapters 23-24). Then, shortly after His resurrection, He ascended to Heaven (Acts Chapter 1). He then sent the Holy Spirit, the third Person of the Trinity, to Earth to inhabit His followers and empower them to live their lives for God (Mark 1:8; Luke 11:13; John 14:26).

One of the most astounding things Jesus said about Himself was this:

John 14:6 (NIV)

Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”

I used to think that rather offensive a statement. In my early Christian walk, I then tried to provide elaborate reasons and explanations for it. Lately I’ve been more inclined to suggest that there’s only a couple of ways to take this statement:

If Jesus is truly God Incarnate, the Creator, Sustainer, Saviour, and Redeemer of all Creation, then He is well within His rights to make a statement that, coming from a mere mortal, would be ridiculous – or a sign of insanity. That is, God is well within His right to be the decider of issues of eternity and salvation.

If He is insane, then one must wonder how He also managed to revolutionise the way that humans treat each other. We may well take for granted His teachings on justice, mercy, kindness, charity, forgiveness and goodness – but these values are not particularly intrinsic to humans, are they? Look at the broken down world, where one side of the world is dying from starvation and the other is dying from diseases resulting from overeating; where racism and war and hatred are daily occurrences; where the elderly are beaten and the young are abused and the unborn are routinely murdered; where people engage in incredible acts of cruelty towards our fellow creatures; where the wilderness is butchered for profits; where we know the right way to live but choose the selfish, hedonistic options instead.

With more than a little hint of C.S. Lewis’ Mere Christianity, I am convinced that Jesus is either Lord, Liar or Lunatic. His amazing lifestyle, teachings, and descriptions of Himself don’t leave room for much else.

Following Jesus

Following Jesus – 3 – Nature

Abell 2667 - From www.nasaimages.org

Nature is full of some incredible things. The magnificent beauty of the galaxies. The colour and scent of flowers. The satisfaction of eating fresh vegetables that have grown in the garden. The majesty of the large beasts. The cuteness of the small beasts!

There’s some amazing stuff out there. The more that humans explore nature, the more we find. The further we travel, the more stars we find. The smaller the objects we can see, the more layers of reality are discovered. The intricate workings of the human body still have their many mysteries. Even the simplest life form is incredibly complex.

God is amazingly creative. He’s made a world of such awesome wonders. It’s amazing how creation isn’t just functional, it’s beautiful. Think of the creatures that inhabit the dark depths of the ocean but are spectacularly colourful. Or the incredible designs on butterfly wings.

The interesting thing with following Jesus is that nature takes on a new significance: nature has been made by a loving creator for His purposes and enjoyment. He has made humanity, in His image and likeness, to dwell in this world of matter.

The spiritual life isn’t about denying the material things, but putting them in their correct priority. We do not pretend that suffering doesn’t exist; we use what we have to alleviate suffering.

Luke 12:33 (NIV)

Sell your possessions and give to the poor. Provide purses for yourselves that will not wear out, a treasure in heaven that will not be exhausted, where no thief comes near and no moth destroys.

Nature is not, then, a deity in itself. It has been made by The Deity, to serve His purposes. However, nowhere do I see in the Bible that this is permission to plunder the Earth’s resources. Indeed, when we damage the environment, we destroy the world in which other people live. Caring for the environment is, I believe, a reasonable way of responding to God’s creation. Think of how He made a beautiful Garden, Eden, and placed the man and woman there to tend it and care for it. He did not say, “go and destroy this Garden in your quest for material possessions.”

Genesis 2:15

The Lord God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it.

I read a while back an interesting idea that Christian environmentalism incorporates the human element.* Rather than deifying nature, and downgrading humans, it seeks to take into account how the human treatment of the planet affects not only nature but all humanity, too. It included an awareness of such things as the manufacturing conditions of the products we buy. I personally believe there are many good environmentalist arguments for vegetarianism, for example, as well as acknowledging that many foods suitable for human consumption are instead fed to farm animals, which are then consumed by the small proportion of rich Westerners who can afford fast food. I digress. What was the point I was trying to make? Ah, yes – that being a follower of Jesus necessarily impacts on the way I perceive nature.

All too often we followers of Jesus have been linked to a philosophy of guns, hunting, destruction of the planet, and cruelty to animals and even to our fellow humans. But surely there is a distinction between religious ‘Christianity,’ in which man-made rules become the highest law; and a life genuinely lived following the Lord Jesus Christ and living as those called to tend His Garden? While such things – environmentalism, issues of diet, and our treatment of nature – may well be secondary to the primary issue of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, one of our greatest apologetics is found in the way we live our life.

Peter 3:15-16 (NCV)

But respect Christ as the holy Lord in your hearts. Always be ready to answer everyone who asks you to explain about the hope you have, but answer in a gentle way and with respect. Keep a clear conscience so that those who speak evil of your good life in Christ will be made ashamed.

Finally, acknowledging God as Creator has significant effects on my life: I have Someone to thank for the glorious wonders of nature. I can enjoy and appreciate animals, plants, the changing seasons, the stars, the weather, the land formations… I can also be creative – as I am made in the likeness of Creator God, so He has bestowed at least a little of His creativity on all His people. I have a reason to care what happens to the planet, and to do what I can to look after the environment. And I can enjoy the spectacular discoveries of the natural sciences, as human exploration reveals more and more of God’s spectacular works.

*David Tyler, Creation – Chance or Design?

Following Jesus

Happy International Talk Like A Pirate Day!

19 September 2009, drawn on an iPhone using the ‘Doodle Buddy’ app.

International Talk Like A Pirate Day – 19th September. Mark it in your diaries!

Following Jesus

As I write, it helps me negotiate, in a sense, my understanding and beliefs. It’s a way of personally reasoning through my thoughts and ideas. Recently it’s been an intersting exercise engaging in online discussion about life, the universe and everything on Facebook.Com with friends and family from my local Church community.

It occured to me that I haven’t actually written a whole lot about my Christian faith on my blog. So, while I do intend to keep the key purpose of this blog as a means of sharing my art folio, I really do want to include a bit more specifically on the topic of life, the universe and everything – from the perspective of being a follower of Jesus.

I don’t intend to address controversies, denominational debates, or any huge issues here. I would like to stick to the topic of just what it means to follow Jesus. I have provided plenty of links* elsewhere on this blog to sites that do deal with the more ‘controversial’ issues of Christianity. Readers are encouraged to visit those sites to learn about possible Christian responses to various issues and concerns.

I hope to keep it simple – to keep the focus on Jesus and the Bible and how I seek to apply His Word to my day-to-day life. Hopefully it will serve as an encouragement to my readers who are also believers; and that, for those of you who do not share my faith, it mght spark your interest in learning more about who Jesus is and what He teaches us today.

For those of you who are reading and wondering what my ‘qualifications’ are, I have been a volunteer leader for about four years in my local Pentecostal-style non-denominational Christian church. I spent one year involved in, and eventually leading a hospitality team that looked after new visitors to a youth programme for high school students. I spent almost three years running a small home group for senior high school girls. The last year has been involved in co-leading a small group for young adults aged 18-25 years, most of whom are newlyweds. For a convenient summary statement of faith to which I ascribe, see http://www.citylifechurch.com/info/statementoffaith.aspx, or read The Foundations of Christian Doctrine (1980) by Kevin J. Conner. 

* See the Links Page or the Weblinks Category for more links.

Following Jesus

 

Another plug…

Here’s a music video clip from one of the many talented people from my local Church community. She’s written this song to promote awareness of post abortion syndrome.

Her MySpace page is at http://www.myspace.com/amyksmusic

378. Meditations On Genesis 1

Ink fineliner pen on paper, July 2009.

The idea for this drawing came from reading Genesis, Chapter 1 in the Bible. It is one of my favourite Scriptures. I personally believe that Genesis, Chapters 1 through to 11, lay the foundation for the Gospel message. All of Christ’s work of incarnation, atoning sacrifice, mercy, grace, resurrection, and all that, is given its explanation through the events of the first Chapters of the Bible.

I have made this image available as an art print and greeting card. Information can be found at my RedBubble.Com Bubblesite.

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Genesis, Chapter 1 – New Century Version from http://www.biblestudytools.com/

1 In the beginning God created the sky and the earth. 2 The earth was empty and had no form. Darkness covered the ocean, and God’s Spirit was moving over the water.

3 Then God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light. 4 God saw that the light was good, so he divided the light from the darkness. 5 God named the light “day” and the darkness “night.” Evening passed, and morning came. This was the first day.

6 Then God said, “Let there be something to divide the water in two.” 7 So God made the air and placed some of the water above the air and some below it. 8 God named the air “sky.” Evening passed, and morning came. This was the second day.

9 Then God said, “Let the water under the sky be gathered together so the dry land will appear.” And it happened. 10 God named the dry land “earth” and the water that was gathered together “seas.” God saw that this was good. 11 Then God said, “Let the earth produce plants — some to make grain for seeds and others to make fruits with seeds in them. Every seed will produce more of its own kind of plant.” And it happened. 12 The earth produced plants with grain for seeds and trees that made fruits with seeds in them. Each seed grew its own kind of plant. God saw that all this was good. 13 Evening passed, and morning came. This was the third day.

14 Then God said, “Let there be lights in the sky to separate day from night. These lights will be used for signs, seasons, days, and years. 15 They will be in the sky to give light to the earth.” And it happened. 16 So God made the two large lights. He made the brighter light to rule the day and made the smaller light to rule the night. He also made the stars. 17 God put all these in the sky to shine on the earth, 18 to rule over the day and over the night, and to separate the light from the darkness. God saw that all these things were good. 19 Evening passed, and morning came. This was the fourth day.

20 Then God said, “Let the water be filled with living things, and let birds fly in the air above the earth.” 21 So God created the large sea animals and every living thing that moves in the sea. The sea is filled with these living things, with each one producing more of its own kind. He also made every bird that flies, and each bird produced more of its own kind. God saw that this was good. 22 God blessed them and said, “Have many young ones so that you may grow in number. Fill the water of the seas, and let the birds grow in number on the earth.” 23 Evening passed, and morning came. This was the fifth day.

24 Then God said, “Let the earth be filled with animals, each producing more of its own kind. Let there be tame animals and small crawling animals and wild animals, and let each produce more of its kind.” And it happened. 25 So God made the wild animals, the tame animals, and all the small crawling animals to produce more of their own kind. God saw that this was good.

26 Then God said, “Let us make human beings in our image and likeness. And let them rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky, over the tame animals, over all the earth, and over all the small crawling animals on the earth.” 27 So God created human beings in his image. In the image of God he created them. He created them male and female. 28 God blessed them and said, “Have many children and grow in number. Fill the earth and be its master. Rule over the fish in the sea and over the birds in the sky and over every living thing that moves on the earth.”

29 God said, “Look, I have given you all the plants that have grain for seeds and all the trees whose fruits have seeds in them. They will be food for you. 30 I have given all the green plants as food for every wild animal, every bird of the air, and every small crawling animal.” And it happened.

31 God looked at everything he had made, and it was very good. Evening passed, and morning came. This was the sixth day.

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Further information on Genesis and its relevance to the Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ can be found at:

http://creation.com/genesis-questions-and-answers

New Defender’s Study Bible Genesis 1

Christian Answers Network – Genesis 1

ICR on Progressive Creationism

Here’s a link to an interesting article (accessed 1 September 2009), talking about the basics of ‘progressive creationism,’ one of the many attempts to form a theory that combines popular science with Biblical Creation:

http://www.icr.org/article/progressive-creationism/

Quote from the article: “We conclude that progressive revelation—each additional verse shedding infallible light on previous revelation—demonstrates conclusively that “old-earth Progressive Creationism” must be abandoned by those who claim to believe that God has not erred in His written revelation of truth in the sixty-six books of the Bible.”

Photography Plug

I just wanted to give a quick ‘plug’ for a Melbourne-based photographer/videographer (!) friend of ours. He takes fantastic photos. His recent 21st birthday party doubled as an art exhibition of his amazing landscapes, and – demonstrating his great values – all profits made from photo sales were donated to charities! (I’ve never been to a 21st birthday party that was a charitable event before!).

Anyway, I encourage you to check out his great work.

His recent work includes the Dare Conference, CityLife Church’s annual women’s conference. CityLife is one of Australia’s largest Christian church communities, with congregations meeting over several locations in Melbourne.

jStuchbery Productions

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Landcare Awards

Here’s a random bit of Aussie information for you.

As I write this, voting is open for the Victorian LandCare Heroes Awards – with a people’s choice category. I have just jumped onto the site to vote for some people who own a property formerly owned by members of my family – the work these people have done to the land is astounding.

LandCare is an Australian land management system, in which volunteers seek to use sustainable and environmentally friendly land management practices where possible. Australians from many walks of life can be involved, many of whom are farmers and Indigenous Australians.

I encourage you to go and check out the nominees for the awards at http://vic.landcareheroes.com/nominees/victorian-landcare-awards-nominees, and consider voting for your favourite!

More information on what LandCare* can be found at http://www.landcareonline.com/.

*I am not personally involved in LandCare. Some of my extended family members are, and it’s amazing to see what they have done with their land. I was able to study LandCare during a unit on rural Australian sociology back in 2008, as part of my university studies;and was impressed with the way it fosters community development and participation, as well as encouraging farmers to develop sustainable practices.

Flight of the Conchords Season 1, Episode 2

“Inner City Pressure”

Pet Shop Boys – “West End Girls (2003 Remaster)”

There’s a suspicious similarity between these clips…

I’m hooked on Flight of the Conchords. I used to watch them on Australian comedy tv shows, when they were playing them on free-to-air tv, anyway. Their songs regularly get played on Triple J radio, too. So, imagine my excitement a year or so ago, when I turned on the tv to find that FOTC had their own tv series! Hooray!

FOTC is rated M in Australia. (15 years +.)

363. Mount Dandenong Bushwalk

 

Ferny Creek Leaves

Autumn Leaves, Ferny Creek

Kookaburra

Sherbrooke Falls

Photographs, May 2009.

On the last day of May, 2009 – which is also the last day of Autumn (Fall) for us – we took a wonderful bushwalk down to Sherbrooke Falls in the Mount Dandenong, Victoria area.

The wonderful mixture of the Autumn leaves on deciduous trees combined with the evergreen eucalyptus forests is a sight to behold. Most amazingly, we actually had the rare  privilege of seeing a Lyrebird (Menura novaehollandiae) in the wild. These unique birds are named for their lyre-like tails, and are known for their ability to mimick sounds to a surprising degree of perfection. We used to hear them all the time in the bushland near my childhood hometown: they would often imitate a bizarre mixture of chainsaws, truck engines, and other birds.

Links (accesssed 7 June 2009)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lyrebird

Dandenong Ranges National Park – Information

My Photos are also available as art prints, mostly in the form of greeting cards. They can be viewed at my RedBubble Profile. The following links are to the same photos on my Bubblesite Gallery:

Late Autumn Branches

Ferny Creek Leaves

Leaves At End Of Autumn

Kookaburra, Mount Dandenong

The Wonderful Variety of the Body of Christ

1 Corinthians 12:4-27 (TNIV)

4 There are different kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit distributes them. 5 There are different kinds of service, but the same Lord. 6 There are different kinds of working, but in all of them and in everyone it is the same God at work. 7 Now to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good. 8 To one there is given through the Spirit a message of wisdom, to another a message of knowledge by means of the same Spirit, 9 to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by that one Spirit, 10 to another miraculous powers, to another prophecy, to another distinguishing between spirits, to another speaking in different kinds of tongues, and to still another the interpretation of tongues. 11 All these are the work of one and the same Spirit, and he distributes them to each one, just as he determines. 12 Just as a body, though one, has many parts, but all its many parts form one body, so it is with Christ. 13 For we were all baptized by one Spirit so as to form one body–whether Jews or Gentiles, slave or free–and we were all given the one Spirit to drink. 14 Even so the body is not made up of one part but of many. 15 Now if the foot should say, “Because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body,” it would not for that reason cease to be part of the body. 16 And if the ear should say, “Because I am not an eye, I do not belong to the body,” it would not for that reason cease to be part of the body. 17 If the whole body were an eye, where would the sense of hearing be? If the whole body were an ear, where would the sense of smell be? 18 But in fact God has placed the parts in the body, every one of them, just as he wanted them to be. 19 If they were all one part, where would the body be? 20 As it is, there are many parts, but one body. 21 The eye cannot say to the hand, “I don’t need you!” And the head cannot say to the feet, “I don’t need you!” 22 On the contrary, those parts of the body that seem to be weaker are indispensable, 23 and the parts that we think are less honorable we treat with special honor. And the parts that are unpresentable are treated with special modesty, 24 while our presentable parts need no special treatment. But God has put the body together, giving greater honor to the parts that lacked it, 25 so that there should be no division in the body, but that its parts should have equal concern for each other. 26 If one part suffers, every part suffers with it; if one part is honored, every part rejoices with it. 27 Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it.

 Lately I’ve noticed that a lot of Christians around me, for whatever reason, have really, really strong opinions about what a real Christian is or is not. Now, I’m not going to pretend that my views are somehow greater or stronger or better reasoned than theirs, but a few thoughts have come to my mind. It’s all part of this … well, not liberal… not postmodernist… but something like that Christianity. It tends to be cynical, apologetics-oriented, and critical. And those aren’t necessarily bad things. In fact, I’m a lot like that. I like answers, lots of answers. I hate hypocrisy and don’t get it when people try to think that Jesus supports their guns, beers, violence and racism religion. (Have they even read their Bibles?) But sometimes it goes a step further than that.

To generalise (and not quoting anyone specific, here), here are some of the sorts of statements one might hear / read (some exaggerated, some not):

“Jesus didn’t say, ‘Let’s all go into politics and lobby the Government on Christian morals.’”

“The Bible says more about the poor than anything else. Unless you roll up your sleeves and serve the poor, you won’t go to Heaven.”

“All Christians should be concerned with the pro-life cause. Millions of babies have been murdered in the name of convenience, and all to support a billion dollar industry.”

“Christians should stop thinking so much about abortion and do something about the millions of children dying from starvation.”

“Christians all need to stop being so greedy and start thinking about the environment. We are called to be good stewards of God’s green Earth.”

 “Christians need to be wary of getting caught up in the environment. That stuff is the domain of hippies, pagans and idolaters.”

 “Christians shouldn’t worry about animal welfare. Let’s worry about people instead.”

“Jesus was a vegetarian, wasn’t He?”

 “Christians shouldn’t take their Bibles so seriously that all they do is study the Word. Some Christians actually believe the Bible – but instead of worrying about believing it, shouldn’t we just be trying to imitate Jesus?”

“Not enough Christians believe the Bible. If we actually believed God’s Word we might be compelled to imitate Christ, as He has commanded us.”

The list could go on and on. A world of opinionated believers, all of whom have an individual calling and gifting and uniqueness. All involved in different styles and traditions of Christian church and community. All having different careers.

I love the above Scripture in 1 Corinthians 12, because it reminds us that we all have a role to play. And for each of us, our roles might seem like the most important thing. And anyone else who doesn’t hold it as a priority might be, in our mind, not a ‘true’ follower of Christ.

 I have encountered missionary-types who find it unthinkable that I have no particular inkling to travel overseas. I have vague ideas of one day seeing Europe, but even this has more to do with my own search for my ancient ancestors’ heritage. I am very happily Australian. My belief that my “own backyard,” that is, my local community, has more than enough needy people, that I don’t need to travel overseas to find the needy, doesn’t sound like a good explanation to a lot of internationally-minded people. So, who is right or wrong? Maybe we can both be right, as long of us is following our unique callings in life.

The work of travelling missionaries is spectacularly important. I have met some amazing, wonderful, inspiring people who have taken on huge risks. They have travelled through jungles to meet with impoverished people living in garbage dumps and gathering scrap metal to try and make a living; they go and work in developing nations communities to institute positive social change, such as human rights action, distributing life saving medicines and helping people in construction work; they go to remote communities and teach sustainable farming methods. It is brilliant and admirable. Yet, not all of us feel called to go there. We can certainly support the work – through prayer, financial assistance and being a friend to missionaries. However, to be able to send financial aid, for example, requires holding down a job of some description, doesn’t it. In all practicality, of course. Yes God works through prayer, but He also works through the practical.

Then there are people who devote their lives to studying and teaching the Word of God. They seek out fresh revelation and teach people to apply the Word to their daily lives. They use their minds to study and learn the most amazing book in existence. They help the rest of us to understand and develop our theology, and to appreciate the wonder of God. Does that mean, therefore, that all of us, are called to be theologians? No, of course not – but that doesn’t mean theology is not an important task.

There are people I know who are called to work in the ‘real’ world. They are not meant to be cloistered in the employment of a local Church. ( They don’t feel the inkling to attend Bible College – and, among my peers, it seems that 2 out of every 3 is a Bible College student!)  No, they carry the hope of the Gospel and (hopefully) Godly, ethical business practises, and a generous spirit, to their workplaces. Whether that’s as a cleaner, business person, academic, professional, sportsperson – everywhere they are, they are to be the light of the world.

So, why then, do we spend so much time attacking each other? Why is it so terrible that so-and-so is actually called to serve God in business (for a convenient example)? Yes, it is possible. It’s not a prosperity Gospel thing. It’s a definite possibility that there are some individuals who may just be called to work in business, and earn money to serve the needs of the Church. They would be abusing this calling if they were rolling in cash and ignoring the needy and buying up on gold chains and goodness knows what. But there are some good business men and women out there who love God and love His people and support the Church through their financial savvy.

Why is it that some people would change the Gospel of salvation by grace alone (Ephesians 2) to a Gospel of works – no matter how noble those works may be? Yes, we are to do good works (also found in Ephesians 2, not to mention the wonderful and challenging book of James), but not as a way of earning God’s love – it is in order to express that love and joy and purpose that we find in His glorious grace.

I would love to see Churches as communities where each individual is recognised as having unique giftings and callings. Let’s celebrate the diversity, as all the different parts of Christ’s body work together – instead of complaining that each other has the wrong priorities. Whether someone is called to serve God as a secular business employee; housewife and mother; servant to the poor and needy; theologian; pro-life activist; anti-euthanasia activist; environmentalist; scientist; school teacher; animal welfare advocate; anti-slavery activist; cross cultural peacemaker; Government lobbyist; prayerful and devout disciple; preacher and prophet; musician or artist; medical doctor; academic; social activist; a kind friend to gays, hippies, New Agers and all the other unfortunately ostracised human beings out there; a political activist or a politician;… the list goes on…

… Let’s celebrate our differences and uniqueness and work together for a common cause: God’s Kingdom! A kingdom where love, hope and joy reign; where we look on the heart and not on the external.

One of the things I love about my local Church community is the sheer diversity. A lot of different ethnicities are represented: I couldn’t even begin to list them all, but we are  united by our common belief in and love for Jesus. Different types of people attend. We get a huge mixture of visitors, too. A lot of visitors from different denominations. Our Church is not aligned with a particular denomination, which means we get a massive variety in styles of Christian that attend. Personally, I find myself drawn to the company of the “fringe” types, I must add: the Goths and hippies who love Jesus; the metal heads and the comic book geeks; those amazing friends of mine who brave the wilds and seek to share God’s love with the poor in distant countries; and the adept students of the Bible. Oh, but in each person there is so wonderfully unique. Some brilliantly talented creative people. Some who engage in effective ministry through skills like cooking and domestic service. Those who have a brilliant gift for making others feel welcome. I hope that the variety continues to grow.

Links (accessed 7 June 2009)

The Book of James in the Bible  (New International Version)

Ephesians, Chapter 2 (Today’s New International Version)

1 Corinthians 12 with Bible study tools (Today’s New International Version)

Art For Sale

Some recent additions to my RedBubble Bubblesite and RedBubble Profile, where some of my illustrations and photographs are variously available for sale as greeting cards, art prints, posters, canvases, framed and matted prints and 100% cotton t-shirts in a selection of colours and styles.

My RedBubble Bubblesite Gallery is a simple storefront where people can view and purchase art and t-shirts. My RedBubble Profile provides a lot more information and detail, where other holders of RedBubble accounts can comment, favourite and purchase items. I am really enjoying RedBubble – if you are interested, sign up!

This is available at: http://flokot.redbubble.com/sets/65151/works/3025595-3-wave or http://www.redbubble.com/people/flokot/art/3025595-3-wave

See other Bass Coast Photos, available as greeting cards:

http://www.redbubble.com/people/flokot/art/3025547-3-cliffs or http://flokot.redbubble.com/works/3025547-3-cliffs

http://www.redbubble.com/people/flokot/art/3025567-3-horizon or http://flokot.redbubble.com/sets/65151/works/3025567-3-horizon

http://www.redbubble.com/people/flokot/art/3025546-3-rainy-day-clouds-bass-coast or http://flokot.redbubble.com/sets/65151/works/3025546-3-rainy-day-clouds-bass-coast

http://www.redbubble.com/people/flokot/art/3025536-3-rail-trail or http://flokot.redbubble.com/sets/45302/works/3025536-3-rail-trail

Photos from the Bass Coast, Victoria, Australia. Situated on the South East of the Australian mainland, the Bass Coast is a beautiful stretch of beaches and Marine National Parks. It is notable for its fossils of dinosaurs and bird life - as well as being a spectacularly clean place. I grew up in the area and while I don’t live there anymore, I love travelling there to photograph and sketch it, and to make sure my suburban-raised children grow up knowing what a clean, syringe-free beach is like! The Gippsland Tourism website has information for travellers to the area, see: http://www.gippslandtourism.com.au/South-Gippsland/ and http://www.gippslandtourism.com.au/Bass-Coast/. I am always happy to share info on travelling  to the South Gippsland region, for any blog readers who are interested! The above photo was taken in Kilcunda, which is not far from Wonthaggi.

See http://flokot.redbubble.com/sets/65966/works/3049654-2-romantic-giraffes or http://www.redbubble.com/people/flokot/t-shirts/3049654-2-romantic-giraffes

Other Giraffe designs at http://flokot.redbubble.com/sets/65966/works

Romantic Giraffes! I’ve been amazed at the popularity of my giraffe designs. Turns out there’s a lot of fellow giraffe fanatics out there!

http://www.redbubble.com/people/flokot/t-shirts/2898300-1-inri-inspired-by-easter or http://flokot.redbubble.com/sets/30716/works/2898300-1-inri-inspired-by-easter

INRI – inspired by the Latinised abbreviation of “Jesus of Nazareth, King of the Jews.” I’ve made this as both a t-shirt (available in cuts and colours other than the default shown here). While I’ve generally avoided representations of Christianity in my t-shirts, and I on’t want to succumb to cheesiness, I felt that this was a labour of love. The brilliance, uniqueness and wonder of the Gospel – that Jesus died and rose again – means that the vile execution device of the Ancient Romans becomes a symbol of hope for millions of believers linked across the ages. Wow. I can’t begin to describe what Jesus means to me.

Other recent t-shirt designs include a winged horse and hmm another winged horse!

Easter T-Shirt Design

T-Shirt -

http://flokot.redbubble.com/sets/30716/works/2898300-1-inri-inspired-by-easter

As an Art Print and Greeting Card – http://flokot.redbubble.com/sets/31396/works/2898307-2-inri-inspired-by-easter

RedBubble Profile – http://www.redbubble.com/people/flokot

**

Here’s my latest t-shirt design, which is available for purchase at RedBubble.Com. I entitled it “INRI,” which is an abbreviation of the Latin for, “Jesus of Nazereth, King of the Jews,” that is often seen on images of the Cross in Roman Catholic Churches. That said, as always my art here is intended as a non-denominational celebration of the foundational aspects of Christianity that followers of Jesus hold in common.

While I do not have time to go into great detail here, I thought that a brief summary of the Gospel message is in order:

- in the beginning, God created the Heavens and the Earth and they were perfect. There was no suffering or death.

- Satan was a great angel who, in his pride, sought to take God’s place. As a result, he Fell and became the Devil. He is not the exact opposite of God, but rather a corrupted, and very powerful, creature.

- God appointed the first humans to be his representatives on Earth. However, they gave up their authority by obeying the Devil. Later, in the Gospels, the Devil is seens as telling Jesus that he (the Devil) was given all authority on the Earth (see Luke 4:6). All that was under the dominion of Humanity was now the Devil’s.

- This was the beginning of the Curse, the entrance of death and suffering into human existence. The punishment for humanity’s sin (disobedience to God’s commands) is death. All humans who have since existed inherit this sin from their fathers. However, God promises to one day send one who will be of the seed of a woman – not a man. The only way for men or women to reach God is through the shedding of blood of an innocent individual.

- God the Son, one of the three persons of the Trinity (the Trinity being One God who is represented in Three Individual but Indivisible Persons… phew! I know, it can be such a mystery, can’t it?!), took on human flesh. That is, though He remained fully God, He was also fully man. He was born of a Jewish Virgin, but not of a human father. God the Father was His Father.

- Jesus lived a short life, but in only three years of ministry transformed the world. His ideas were radical and often offensive to the people of His day, who plotted to kill Him. The Devil probably thought that he had won by killing Jesus… but, in the shedding of Jesus’ innocent blood, the perfect payment for all human sin was made.

- After three days in the Tomb, Jesus rose again and subsequently appeared to hundreds of people before being lifted to Heaven. He sent the Holy Spirit of God to live in believers, empowering them to continue Jesus’ earthly work.

It is an astounding Gospel and very good news for any who has ears to hear and an open heart. Admittedly, it took me several years to be convinced of it as being True… oh but it is glorious!

A few thoughts:

- think of all the various religions, spiritualities and rituals that demand the shedding of blood and sacrifice. What does it mean if God Himself has become the sacrifice? What exactly are all the religions shedding blood for, anyway?

- The Bible tells us that no one can earn their way to God through their own efforts of work (Ephesians, Chapter 2). For me, I was quite shocked at this. I had spent years thinking that my own goodness and morality would be enough to find God, and I was upset to think that it wasn’t enough. However, I eventually realised that it was a great relief. How would I have known that I had done enough for God? How would I be able to tell between good and evil, for that matter? What place, then, do good deeds have in the Christian life?

Good books…

If you want to learn more on this topic there are countless resources out there. If you’ve only ever read anti-Jesus conspiracies, but consider yourself open-minded, you may want to check out the pro-Jesus books (to balance your views).

Some useful books are The Case for Christ by Lee Strobel, which takes a court case approach to the Gospel accounts of Jesus. The Jesus I Never Knew and What’s So Amazing About Grace? by Philip Yancey are fantastic books that really challenged all my assumptions about Christianity. Ravi Zacharias’ Jesus Among Other Gods is also a good book; and a fantastic read that really dissects the questions about Jesus and the Gospels is Mere Christianity by C. S. Lewis. Last time I checked they’re all readily available. You might want to try Australian bookstores like Koorong and Word.

Awesome Photography

Hi all,

Belated Easter greetings and many thanks to all the wonderful people who have added their comments and encouragements and Easter greetings.

I just want to share a quick plug for a friend of ours, Josh Stuchbery. He’s barely 21 years old yet turning out some beautiful photography. We had the privilege of attending his Debut Exhibition in March 2009 and were very impressed with the quality artwork on offer. His landscape photos were especially striking, in my opinion. It is so rare to see good panorama photography that manages to avoid the skewed and bowed look often seen in that format, so Josh has achieved a really great standard in his photos. He offers his photography for sale in various formats as well as video production services.

His website is at http://www.jstuchbery.com/jStuchbery_Productions/Home.html. Hope you can check it out!

329. Tersk

Pencil on paper, February 2009.

More Russians. This is a concept sketch developing ideas about drawing the Tersk breed of horse. In the photos I’ve seen of this breed, I thought they had beautiful Arabian-like profiles.

More information:

Flickr Photos Tagged “Tersk Horse”

“Breeds of Livestock – Tersk Horse”

“The Tersk”

“Troika – Gateway to Russian Horses”

All links accessed 5 March 2009.

328. Don

Graphite pencil on paper, February 2009.

Another Russian-style horse. This one is based on the Don breed.

More information:

“Don Horse“

“Horse2Buy – Don Horse“

Art for sale:

This illustration is available for sale in various printed formats, including greeting cards, canvas prints and laminated prints. See http://flokot.redbubble.com/sets/46856/works/2652453-2-russian-inspired-horses-2 for more information..

All links accessed 5 March 2009.

327. Budenny

Graphite pencil on paper, February 2009.

It must be all the Tolstoy and Dostoyevsky books on my bedside table, or the interest in Eastern European culture I”ve developed since marrying a part-Ukrainian… but I thought I’d have a go drawing Russian types of horses. As most of the time I draw Arabians or Thoroughbreds, it was kind of nice taking a break and drawing the Russian breeds. This one is inspired by the Budenny breed of horse.

More information:

“Budenny”

“The Budenny Horse”

Art For Sale:

I’ve got this for sale as an art print, available in various formats including matted and framed prints and greeting cards.

Go to http://flokot.redbubble.com/sets/46856/works/2652444-2-russian-inspired-horses-1 for more information and to view in larger size.

All links accessed 5 March 2009.

324. Multi-Coloured Rose

Photograph, February 2009.

Some of my readers may have heard of the terrible heatwave, bushfires and severe storms that have hit the state of Victoria, Australia, in the previous month. February is normally marked by uncomfortable heat, but this year was a record breaker in terms of temperature, and in the number of people killed by the bushfires. When, in early March, Victorians received text messages from the police warning of coming storms, it was time for more tension and fear. Thankfully those storms weren’t as devastating as initially expected, and the rains they brought were a definite blessing!

So it was nice that, in admist the chaos, my poor little pot plants actually survived. We had pretty much abandoned them in search of air conditioning, but here they were, still waiting. This rose bush produces these amazing multi-coloured red-and-yellow roses. I had intended to do a daily series of photographs of this bud flowering, but was distracted by the storm preparations…

==

More information…

about bushfires and heatwaves in Victoria:

Country Fire Authority

Google Image Search for Victorian bushfires

The March 2009 Text Message… – at news.com.au

Victoria’s Record Breaking Heatwave, 2009 – Bureau of Meteorology

All links accessed 5 March 2009.

Photo Prints for Sale

Copyright M. Lokot 2009

As I have mentioned before, my husband and I have a small range of photographs, art prints, greeting cards and t-shirts available for sale through the website RedBubble.Com. To view and purchase prints of our work, please visit the following bubblesites:

http://mattlokot.redbubble.com/works

http://flokot.redbubble.com/works

If you have a redbubble profile and want to visit our profiles, we can be found at:

http://www.redbubble.com/people/flokot

http://www.redbubble.com/people/mattlokot

Copyright F.Lokot 2008

This bunny drawing is available full-colour on various coloured and style t-shirts.

Copyright F.Lokot 2009

Copyright M.Lokot 2009

A Bit of a Laugh

Here’s some links to a few Christian websites that poke a bit of fun at Church culture. For the jaded, world weary Christian… ! And for those of us who are uncomfortable with “This car will be empty in case of rapture” bumper stickers and “Guardian Angel” statues…

Parody News at LarkNews.Com

“Man discovered to have two church families”

http://larknews.com/november_2008/secondary.php?page=1

“Man tired of being used in sermon illustrations”

http://www.larknews.com/december_2008/secondary.php?page=4

“NASA upset at astronaut’s ‘prayer walks’”

http://www.larknews.com/december_2008/secondary.php?page=2

“My church is embarking on something called ‘40 days of purpose.’ Can you explain what this is?”

http://larknews.com/july_2004/secondary.php?page=4

“Pastor laments, ‘My son won’t raise hell.’

http://larknews.com/october1_2003/secondary.php?page=3

Christian Culture at Ship of Fools

“12 Days of Kitschmas”

http://shipoffools.com/kitschmas/2008/index.html

“Gadgets for God”

http://shipoffools.com/gadgets/index.html

“Fruit Tube”

http://shipoffools.com/fruittube/index.html

Articles: environment…

Environment, as in, that world in which we live…

Read this inspirational / devotional article at: http://www.davidmccracken.org/Inspiration-Live-in-Environment.php. (Accessed 12 November 2008).

Saving Melbourne’s Water

http://www.theage.com.au/national/melburnians-urged-to-cut-water-use-20081124-6f46.html

It may come as a surprise to some people, but hosing down one’s driveway is NOT a necessity!

More info on water & environment in Australia (especially Victoria):

http://www.landcareonline.com.au/

http://www.watermarkaustralia.org.au/

http://www.vic.gov.au/environment-water/water.html

All links accessed 26 November 2008.

Apologetics Links: Australian geology

http://biblicalgeology.net/Geological-Histories/Wollomombi-Falls-Australia.html

(Accessed 12 November 2008.)

Excerpt from the article:

How landscapes reveal Noah’s Flood

Visualizing the receding floodwaters

by Tas Walker

The Bible tells us that the waters of Noah’s Flood rose and covered the entire globe, destroying every air-breathing land-dwelling animal on earth (Genesis 7:17–24). After that they began to recede (Genesis 8:1–3).

The process of receding water is mentioned repeatedly: ‘the waters receded’ (Genesis 8:1); ‘the water receded steadily from the earth’ (8:3); ‘the waters continued to recede until the tenth month and on the first day of the tenth month the tops of the mountains became visible’.

Read full article at: http://biblicalgeology.net/Geological-Histories/Wollomombi-Falls-Australia.html

Apologetics Links: Ancient Egyptian Archaeology

http://www.diggings.com.au/

diggings.com.au is the website of the Australian-based archaeology magazine Archaeological Diggings. If you are interested in Biblical archaeology, it is definitely worth a read. I’ve found that it’s readily available in many local newsagencies in Melbourne.