Digital Babylon

The term 'Digital Babylon' offered by Kinnamen and Matlock gives incredibly helpful language for our contemporary context. For a great insight, watch this YouTube video:

The digitally connected experience that we are now immersed in is akin to the people transported to the foreign land of Babylon - a place that is largely Godless and with a number of competing thoughts and experiences.

Yet despite these surroundings true faith is still possible - God can still be known, and He is still active. The sister term 'Resilient Disciples' is equally helpful - people who learn to be faithful and forthright in their faith despite the surroundings.

Remember that Daniel and the other greats from that part of the Old Testament did their faith within the foreign system! They lived different yet did not isolate themselves off. They even had high ranking positions in the regimes that sometimes (but not always) overtly acted against faith in God.

Let us not build fortresses to contain adherents, but let us do our mission out their in the wild of Digital Babylon, seeking to be and to make resilient disciples who can thrive even in such a foreign land. For this is the way of God - who is still working, still transforming, and still drawing forward in His salvation purposes.

Disney Gets it Right

Over the summer I watched the new Disney Lion King: the CGI remake of the original cartoon. In a way I only partly enjoyed it, because some of those great one-liners I remember from the original had been replaced (to my dismay) with new dialogue.

Yet in the new script was one key line where the script-writers get it right. Scar is being taken to task for his despot approach to kingship, and is told:

Being king is not about what you can take, but about what you can give.

This chimes so well with the Christian poem in Philippians 2, describing Jesus not hanging onto his position but giving it up, lowering himself for humankind, indeed the whole of creation. He lives a 'given life', giving himself for the benefit of all around.

That one liner in Disney's Lion King captures the concept, and shows what true kingship and leadership is about. Thank you Disney script-writers!

Too bad many of our national top politicians don't seem to get this concept - pray for them!

Glory Pour Down

There are times when I find myself praying that God would simply open up the heavens and pour down His glory: a kind of Isaiah 64:1 'rend the heavens' thing, or Isaiah 45:8 'you heavens above rain down my righteousness', or Isaiah 40:5 'the glory of the Lord will be revealed'!

Yes please, Lord, let your glory fall.

A few weeks ago I had the privilege of passing through Singapore, with time to visit 'The Jewel' at the airport. Truly an extraordinary achievement of man, and a sight to behold - for you get to see this!

A massive circular waterfall, pouring down from the domed roof of this extraordinary 5 story building!

In my mind its hard to beat this sight enjoyed at The Jewel as an illustration of God rending the heavens and pouring down His glory! The domed roof for me is symbolic of that spiritual barrier perceived by many between us in physical creation and the heavenlies. Yet through this barrier God pours in an incredible abundance, which produces life all around it (see the lush green plants/trees around the pool).

On occasion when doing prayer ministry for someone I will get a sense of God pouring down onto/into their life. Sometimes it is a sense of water falling, sometimes like rose petals gentle coming down over the person, just occasionally soothing or anointing oil. Any of these is encouraging for me and the person receiving prayer.

Yet I continue to pray and long for a day when 'the glory of the Lord will be revealed', where it is an unmistakable mass waterfall seeming to come through the 'roof' of the world!

Life On the Line - Philippians 1:12 - 30

"I want you to know that what has happened to me has served to advance the good news of Jesus!". These were Paul's words in a letter to the Philippian Christians. Paul had devoted himself to travelling city to city, proclaiming Jesus in each place.