Snakes & stuff: Exodus Bible Cartoons

Wow! It’s the end of January 2014 already!
What have I been doing this month? Well, I’ve been drawing the life of Moses from the book of Exodus, which is commissioned artwork from a US sports ministry organisation. By agreement with them I am also able to sell the work on this website, which is great!
Here’s the pic’s I’ve drawn so far:

















Exodus 02 - Birth of Moses - Scene 01 - Nile Basket
This picture took days to draw & colour, due to the vast number of reeds I included. Still, it was worth it in the end. I imagine that Moses’ mother & sister would have picked a spot on the bank of the river Nile which would screen them from anyone looking.
I was very pleased with the way the water Lilies in the foreground came out. I think it adds an extra dimension to have a strong close-up object in a scene.

















Exodus 02 - Birth of Moses - Scene 02 - Pharaoh’s daughter
This scene also took a long time to draw, partly due to the reeds & partly due to the complicated figure poses needed. I had to take photo’s of myself wearing a sheet to try to get the features & clothing folds right!
The architecture & stone sculpture of ancient Egypt is very large & impressive, which I hope I have managed to show in this scene.
Notice the 2 Flamingo’s flying overhead... and the crocodile gliding past in the water!

















Exodus 02 - Birth of Moses - Scene 04 - Moses playing (Hide-and-seek)
I enjoyed drawing the columns with their Egyptian hieroglyphics in this scene. I also had to research which plants are found in Egypt, so that I could include appropriate species in the foreground garden, in which the young boy Moses is hiding.
I added Dr. Who’s TARDIS onto the 4th column’s Egyptian hieroglyphics, just for fun!

















Exodus 02 - Moses murders - Scene 01 - Egyptian slave master
More photo’s of myself in action poses enabled me to draw convincing figures here! The things I do for art!
I didn’t want to make too much of the marks & blood on the Hebrew being whipped, as this scene is intended to be used in sports ministry & will be viewed by young children.
I enjoyed drawing the Egyptian hieroglyphics & even added some non-standard ones, just for fun (see below). There’s also a green Tyrannosaurus rex, behind the Egyptian slave driver’s left hand!



















Exodus 02 - Moses murders - Scene 01 - Egyptian slave master - Partial
Note my inclusion of Noah’s ark (bottom left) , a red space capsule (top left) & Dr. Who’s TARDIS (bottom right)!

















Exodus 03 - Burning Bush - Scene 01 - Wonder (fiery version)
I drew two versions of this scene, as a result of adding extra fire in the burning bush & extra shadows across the scene. I couldn’t make up my mind which version I preferred, so I made them both available.
I really enjoyed drawing all the fire & designed it so that it would contrast strongly with the dark mountains behind them. I added the long steamer of fire going up skyward, or perhaps it’s coming down from God in heaven, to show the divine nature of the burning bush that was not consumer in the flames.

















Exodus 03 - Burning Bush - Scene 01 - Wonder (shadow version)
This is the second version of this scene, with striking cast shadows across the background rocks.

















Exodus 03 - Burning Bush - Scene 02 - God calls to Moses
In the version used by the sports ministry people, the words “Moses, Moses” are coming out of the burning bush.

















Exodus 04 - Burning Bush - Scene 04 - Staff
I liked the way the background rocks came out in this scene. The view is looking back towards the rock on which we saw Moses sitting (see Scene 01 - Wonder) & also includes his goats: it’s nice to be able to include objects in two or more scenes that connect those scenes together.


There’s more drawings to complete before the end of February. The next one shows Moses’ shepherds staff turning into a fierce looking snake - should be good fun to draw & colour!

How can Christians know they have eternal life?

There are many verses in the Bible that help us to realise that we can have complete confidence in our eternal life. Probably the most famous is John 3:16, where Jesus himself says:

“For God loved the world so much that he gave his one and only Son, so that EVERYONE who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life.”

I’ve long found the very next verse (John 3:17) equally interesting & encouraging, it reads:
“God sent his Son into the world not to judge the world, but to save the world through him.”
So there Jesus is telling us why he came into the world, to SAVE the world, i.e. the people of the world.

How does that work?
If we believe in Jesus the Christ (Messiah) then we will be saved from the sure & certain eternal punishment for our wrong-doings (sin), which comes on the Day of God’s Judgement - an unavoidable day that is to come for us all.

“God sent his Son into the world not to judge the world, but to save the world through him.” This is actually a very hopeful message, because it shows JUST HOW committed God the Father is, through the actions of God the Son (on the cross) to save the world. The way TO BE saved is completely open. Nothing is stopping you from being saved right now - wow!

But the Good News gets even better! In the first part of John 3:18 Jesus says:

“There is no judgment against anyone who believes in him.” So if you’re worried about the coming, completely unavoidable judgement of God, where ALL OUR SECRET SINS & WRONG-DOINGS will be laid bare for all to see... YOU DON’T HAVE TO BE! Because accepting Jesus as your own Lord & Saviour (becoming a Christian) means that John 3:18 comes into play FOR YOU: “There is NO JUDGMENT AGAINST ANYONE who believes in him.” Christians will not face judgement, because the blood of Jesus on the cross wipes away all our sins - & God makes a promise never to keep a record of our wrong-doings [1] & [2] - how FANTASTIC is that! 

Why don’t people want to become Christians?
If we do not accept Jesus as the Saviour of our lives, then obviously the judgement of God remains upon us, as John 3:18 goes on to prove:

“But anyone who does not believe in him [Jesus] has already been judged for not believing in God’s one and only Son. 19 And the judgment is based on this FACT: God’s light came into the world [that is Jesus came], but people loved the darkness more than the light, for their actions were evil. 20 All who do evil hate the light and refuse to go near it for fear their sins will be exposed.”

You have the reason why people will not accept Jesus as Saviour of their lives right there: “All who do evil hate the light [that is, Jesus] and REFUSE to go near it FOR FEAR THEIR SINS WILL BE EXPOSED.” But guess what guys? Your sins WILL be exposed, for all to see, UNLESS you take option A & become a Christian! That’s just the way it is.

As we just read: “20 All who do evil hate the light and refuse to go near it for fear their sins will be exposed.” All people have been given a conscience, a moral compass, & that is one way that God helps us to know for ourselves what is right & what is wrong. We KNOW, inside our own minds, if our actions & intentions are right or wrong. So we have no excuse for choosing to do wrong. God didn’t want us to be in doubt about that.

Walking into the light.
It is interesting to note that in contrast to people who CHOOSE to remain in darkness & continually choose to run their own life into the eternal fiery pits of hell...

“21 But those who DO WHAT IS RIGHT [become Christians] come to the light so others can see that they are doing what God wants.”

I hadn’t noticed that last bit before, “... so others can see that they are doing what God wants.” Jesus points out here that it is FANTASTIC to come to the light for our own sake; to be saved from our own sins; to come to close friendship with God (who lives in the light). But Jesus is also pointing out in the verse that there is purpose & a by-product of “coming into the light”, & it is that OTHER PEOPLE can see that we are “doing what God wants.” In other words, people can have an example to follow. They can see people being saved (becoming Christians) & going on in a positive, encouraging, life-affirming way. This “step towards the light” is called obedience elsewhere in the Bible. People who are obedient walk into the light, & get all the benefits of the light - and there are MANY!


Bible References
John 3:16-21 (NLT)
16 [Jesus said] “For God loved the world so much that he gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life. 17 God sent his Son into the world not to judge the world, but to save the world through him.
18 “There is no judgment against anyone who believes in him. But anyone who does not believe in him has already been judged for not believing in God’s one and only Son. 19 And the judgment is based on this fact: God’s light came into the world, but people loved the darkness more than the light, for their actions were evil. 20 All who do evil hate the light and refuse to go near it for fear their sins will be exposed. 21 But those who do what is right come to the light so others can see that they are doing what God wants.”

[1]
Hebrews 8:12 (NLT)
[God says] “And I will forgive their wickedness, and I will never again remember their sins.”

[2]
Psalm 103:10-13 (NLT)
“10 He does not punish us for all our sins;
he does not deal harshly with us, as we deserve.
11 For his unfailing love toward those who fear him*
is as great as the height of the heavens above the earth.
12 HE HAS REMOVED OUR SINS AS FAR FROM US
AS THE EAST IS FROM THE WEST.
13 The Lord is like a father to his children,
tender and compassionate to those who fear him*.”

* "Fear” refers to reverence; worshipful acknowledgement of the awesomeness of God. Not as in fearful running away from God!

Obedience even when the act seems a bit senseless!

2 Kings 13:14-19 (NLT)
When Elisha was in his last illness, King Jehoash of Israel visited him and wept over him. “My father! My father! I see the chariots and charioteers of Israel!” he cried. Elisha told him, “Get a bow and some arrows.” And the king did as he was told. Elisha told him, “Put your hand on the bow,” and Elisha laid his own hands on the king’s hands.
Then he commanded, “Open that eastern window,” and he opened it. Then he said, “Shoot!” So he shot an arrow. Elisha proclaimed, “This is the Lord’s arrow, an arrow of victory over Aram, for you will completely conquer the Arameans at Aphek.
Then he said, “Now pick up the other arrows and strike them against the ground.” So the king picked them up and struck the ground three times. But the man of God was angry with him. “You should have struck the ground five or six times!” he exclaimed. “Then you would have beaten Aram until it was entirely destroyed. Now you will be victorious only three times.”

Interpretation - The king KNEW that the arrow he shot out of the window had been proclaimed as the Lord’s arrow, & since Elisha told him to do something else with the remaining arrows perhaps he SHOULD have realise that Elisha’s prophecy wasn’t over yet! If the king had thought that then perhaps he would have paid more attention to what Elisha asked him to do: strike the ground with the remaining arrows.

The "obvious" thing for the King to do (in his own mind) might have been to strike the ground three times, but that wasn’t the SMART thing to do! To be fair to him, he didn't know what was "riding" on his actions - the number of times he would be able to defeat the Aramean army! But since he DID know that Elisha was in “prophecy mode”, perhaps he should have been more careful & thoughtful in his actions. And the king HAD JUST HEARD Elisha proclaim “This is the Lord’s arrow, an arrow of victory over Aram” so he should have realised that “victory over Aram” was in the offing!

Application - What can we learn from the kings error?
1) Don't ASSUME we know the importance of an apparently senseless or "small" act of obedience which we are asked to perform. There could be a LOT more "riding" on our act of obedience than we realise.

2) Don’t disregard a prophecy, even if it doesn’t SEEM to relate to us - it might turn out to be central to our lives, careers, future, etc in the end! King Jehoash discovered that... the hard way!

3) Actively look for, & pay close attention to, what the Lord God is “saying” to us. That might be through a reading of the Bible, or else by a thought in our minds, or a word someone says to us, or various other means.

4) If we believe God (through a prophet) has told us to do something, then it would be WISE & PRUDENT to do the thing, & keep doing it, until He tells us to stop! King Jehoash STOPPED doing the thing he’d been told to do, which was to strike the ground with arrows, after only doing that three times. We need to keep on “striking the ground with arrows” (I use that metaphorically here) over & over again JUST IN CASE an great deal more is at stake than we realise... better to be safe than sorry!

What do you think? How would you interpret the story of King Jehoash's visit with the prophet Elisha?

I have just completed the cartoons that make up the complete story of Philip & the Ethiopian eunuch.
The cartoons (shown below) & their full descriptions can be found by following this link to the Bible Cartoons webiste: http://www.biblecartoons.co.uk/cartoons/famous-bible-story-acts-8-philip-the-ethiopian-eunuch

Below is the complete set:

 

Acts 08 - Philip & the Ethiopian eunuch - Scene 01 - Road

Acts 08 - Philip & the Ethiopian eunuch - Scene 02 - Reading

 

Acts 08 - Philip & the Ethiopian eunuch - Scene 03 - Instruction

Acts 08 - Philip & the Ethiopian eunuch - Scene 04 - Baptism

Acts 08 - Philip & the Ethiopian eunuch - Scene 05 - Snatched away (Rocket)

Acts 08 - Philip & the Ethiopian eunuch - Scene 05 - Snatched away (Vanished)

Acts 08 - Philip & the Ethiopian eunuch - Scene 06 - In Azotus

Do we believe God is for us? Trust

Psalm 106, verse 24-25 struck me this morning. Here is that reading:

Psalms 106:24-25 (NLT)
24 The people refused to enter the pleasant land,
for they wouldn’t believe his promise to care for them.
25 Instead, they grumbled in their tents
and refused to obey the Lord.

The Psalm refers back in time to when the Hebrew people left Egypt (the Exodus) & saw the amazing power of God divide the Red Sea for them to pass through. Only a few days later (unbelievably!) they had “forgotten” that display of God’s power & favour towards them, & were now grumbling about the wilderness they were passing through.

The phrase that caught my attention was ‘... they wouldn’t believe his promise to care for them’.
How often do we doubt God’s goodness towards us, even after a display of His commitment to us?!
Even though God has promised time & again ‘to never leave us nor forsake us’ [1] & ‘to prosper us & not harm us’ [2], yet we STILL do not believe Him. It’s as if we hardly dare hope that God might want us to prosper. It seems as if somehow we are more “comfortable” with Him NOT caring for us! Perhaps we think we don’t DESERVE to be looked after by God. In effect we sort of say, “if you only knew what I was really like God, then you wouldn’t want to help me!” But, of course, God DOES know EXACTLY what we are like - warts & all! And the truth is, that despite our best efforts to reject God’s help & assistance, He STILL persists, all of our lives, to offer His love, kindness, care & council. What amazing patience God has with his creations!

Perhaps the real source of the trouble, SELF-DOUBT, rather than “God-doubt”.
I wonder if the issue is not so much that we don’t believe God & His promises, but rather that we DOUBT OURSELVES; our motives & “true” natures. But we simply MUST remember that God KNOWS our true natures, through & through. Nothing disqualifies us for God’s grace, because that grace IS undeserved; that is the definition of grace: UN-DESERVED FAVOUR.
God chooses to lavish His undeserved favour on us; He wants to help us. Yet, in spite of His continued promises & words of encouragement (recorded for us in the Bible) to simply believe in His benevolence, more often than not we “throw it back in God’s face” by reacting today (in the 21st century) just as the Hebrew people did during the Exodus (circa1440 BC), with the conclusion: ‘... they wouldn’t believe his promise to care for them’.

There is a rather chilling consequence outlined in Matthew Henry Concise Bible Commentary, in response to our continuing doubt regarding God’s motivation of wanting to do us good:

‘Those that will not wait for God's counsel, shall justly be given up to their own hearts' lusts, to walk in their own counsels. An undue desire, even for lawful things, becomes sinful. God showed his displeasure for this. He filled them with uneasiness of mind, terror of conscience, and self-reproach.’
(Source: Matthew Henry Concise Bible Commentary.)

That sounds a bit “wordy”, but I gather Matthew Henry was saying that if we will not accept God’s words, reassurances & good council (designed to help us & bless us) then we will inevitably follow our own ideas (our council) & that will lead us inexorably away from God’s blessings, & into a condition where we will not have peace of mind, security, confidence, but rather we will have, ‘uneasiness of mind, terror of conscience, and self-reproach.’

I think that is a very real danger, especially for those of us who seem unable (or is more accurate to say unwilling?) to accept the “simple” truth that God is ‘for us & not against us’ [3].

One of two positions.
In the end we have to EITHER 1) accept that God wants what’s best for us (in spite of all our sins, errors, wrong-doings, doubts, etc) or else 2) we reject Him & His motives.
Sorry if that sounds stark, but what else is there?
We either accept the profoundly self-affirming pleasure of simply CHOOSING to trust God; what the Bible says; what other Christians have experienced & “know” about God, or else we stumble over this point, & actually reject that truth.
There appears to be no middle position that we could hold; partial trust & partial mistrust doesn’t seem possible!

There is great power in simply CHOOSING to TRUST that what the Bible says about God (that He is love [4], that He cares for us [5] & that God is entirely trustworthy [6]) is actually true. Once you “come down on that side” of the argument, then there is GREAT peace of mind, GREAT simplicity of faith, GREAT confidence, security & self-worth to be had.

I’ve just found a very good, helpful & uplifting blog about the trustworthiness of God, especially in personal suffering. This lady’s talent is in explaining the “So what?” of reading the Bible, in practical, real terms, during our times of suffering.

Here’s this lady’s conclusion in the 2nd of her 4 articles:

‘The argument of Romans 8 is from the greater to the lesser: <b>Since God is absolutely trustworthy in all aspects of your salvation, you can wholeheartedly trust Him in your present suffering.</b> If He is trustworthy in the big thing, then He is trustworthy in the small things. The promises of God for your salvation in the past, present, and future, are guaranteed, and so you can trust in His promises that He cares for you even now. “Is God trustworthy in your suffering?” The answer is a resounding and eternal “YES.”’

Here are the links to her 4 blog articles. I found them VERY uplifting, & I would heartily recommend that you read them:

1) http://womenwalkingwisely.com/category/gods-trustworthiness/
God in the Storm: Jonah 1

2) http://womenwalkingwisely.com/2012/01/29/god-is-trustworthy-part-2-is-god-trustworthy-in-your-suffering-2/
God is Trustworthy, Part 2: Is God Trustworthy in Your Suffering?

3) http://womenwalkingwisely.com/2012/02/05/god-is-trustworthy-part-3-seeing-him-as-he-really-is/
God is Trustworthy, Part 3: Seeing Him as He Really Is

4) http://womenwalkingwisely.com/2012/02/11/god-is-trustworthy-part-4-what-does-real-trust-look-like/
God is Trustworthy, Part 4: What Does Real Trust Look Like?</a>




[1]
Deuteronomy 31:6 (ANIV)
6 [Moses said,] “Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the Lord your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you."

[2]
Jeremiah 29:11 (ANIV)
11 For I know the plans I have for you," declares the Lord, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.

[3]
Romans 8:28 (ANIV)
28 And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose....
Romans 8:31 (ANIV)
31 What, then, shall we say in response to this? If God is for us, who can be against us? ...
Romans 8:38-39 (ANIV)
38 For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, 39 neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

[4]
1 John 4:7-8 (ANIV)
7 Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. 8 Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love.

[5]
1 Peter 5:7 (ANIV)
7 Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.
John 16:26-27 (ANIV)
26 “In that day you will ask in my [Jesus’] name. I am not saying that I will ask the Father on your behalf. 27 No, the Father himself loves you because you have loved me and have believed that I came from God.”
Romans 5:8 (ANIV)
8 But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

[6]
Psalms 9:10 (ANIV)
10 Those who know your [God’s] name will trust in you, for you, Lord, have never forsaken those who seek you.
Psalms 111:7-8 (ANIV)
7 The works of his [God’s] hands are faithful and just;
all his precepts are trustworthy.
8 They are steadfast for ever and ever,
done in faithfulness and uprightness.

New BC Hoodie; branding whilst I walk!

Today (Sat 23/March/2013) I received my latest piece of Bible Cartoons (BC) branding, a black hoodie with the BC logo embroidered on the front. It looks great, & feels comfortable to wear too! See photo below.
The company I bought the hoodie from doesn’t cater for embroidered logo’s on the back, so I’ve tasked another company with producing a much larger BC logo, which I’ll sew on myself. It’s all about promoting BC & trying to generate interest & recognition for BC, even when I’m walking about, shopping, chatting, etc!

Our faces are NEVER covered with shame - Psalms 34:5

Psalms 34:4-7 (ANIV)
4 I sought the Lord, and he answered me; he delivered me from all my fears.
5 Those who look to him are radiant; their faces are never covered with shame.
6 This poor man called, and the Lord heard him; he saved him out of all his troubles.
7 The angel of the Lord encamps around those who fear him, and he delivers them.

Verse 5 is fantastic, especially for those of us who all too readily accept the enemies’ accusations that we somehow do not measure up to the perfection we THINK is expected of us. Our society “demands” that we are this or that; that we perform flawlessly; that we measure up & juggle all the balls well & with a smile plastered on our faces at all times! But really it is the quiet whispered accusations of the enemy of our souls who keeps laying expectations upon our overloaded backs until we creak under the strain.

His goal is not to perfect us, but to break us.

Of course we “hear” his accusations in the first person; “I should do better”, “I didn’t do that very well”, “I should shape up & be more like, x,y,z”. But accusations “heard” in our imaginations in the first person are from Satan.

We HAVE to resist his insidious accusations... But how do we do that?

God’s word is powerful to the pulling down of strongholds. We must rely on what the Word of God says, not the whispered, poisonous warped words of the enemy, which are designed to knock us down & keep us down... sometimes with our own absent-minded consent.

2 Corinthians 10:5 (ANIV) says, ‘We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.’
I rather like the Message version of that scripture which reads, ‘We use our powerful God-tools for smashing warped philosophies, tearing down barriers erected against the truth of God, fitting every loose thought and emotion and impulse into the structure of life shaped by Christ.’

‘powerful God-tools’ = The Bible; the Word of God, which speaks the truth to us at all time. Rely on what we KNOW God has said, through the Bible, not on our own thoughts which are so variable, wavering & subject to outside influence.

‘...for smashing warped philosophies’, that’s a GREAT way of describing the evil, soul-destoying accusations of Satan!

Psalms 34:5 reminds us (& boy, do we need daily reminders!!!) ‘Those who look to him [God] for help WILL be radiant with joy; no shadow of shame will darken their faces.’ That verse reminds us that DESPITE all the fears, insecurities & ideas that we don’t measure up; that we’re not good enough, the FACT is, that Jesus MAKES us sinless, such that we do not have to accept the enemies accusations any more.

We need to learn to disregard ANY thought that accuses us; disregard ANY thought that says we don’t measure up; disregard ANY thought that says we don’t perform well enough. Any “voice” that says these things to you is not “for” you, but against you.

God loves you...
don’t gloss over that 3 word sentence without REALLY dwelling on it & realising the truth of it. If God loves you, then He ISN’T going to accuse you. God has paid far too high a price (in the death of Jesus) to accuse you & “put you down”. That’s not what God is about AT ALL. Any & all performance anxiety you face never comes from God, it is an accusation from the enemy of our souls. After all, Jesus described his yoke as easy & his burden as light, right? (see Matthew 11:30)
The FACT is, the death & resurrection of Jesus the Christ is MORE THAN ENOUGH sacrifice to remove ANY & ALL sin from our souls. The work of Jesus REMOVES any claim Satan has over us any more. The cross of Jesus IS ENOUGH to save us.

So don’t listen to that small inner “voice” that accuses you. The Holy Spirit DOESN’T accuse, He CONVICTS. There is a BIG, fundamental difference between accusation & conviction.
We need to learn the difference, then we ‘ll correctly identify the source of the “voice”, every time.
If anyone (outside or inside) accuses you, then they are not speaking God’s Word in love... so disregard at once!
Keep your shield of faith up at all times.

Psalms 34:5 reminds us, ‘Those who look to him [God] for help WILL be radiant with joy; no shadow of shame will darken their faces.’ That means that never, ever will God accuse us, & therefore, never EVER do we have to accept shame. We ARE free of all shame - that is our on-going condition, even if we don’t feel like that is true. Just because we don’t feel it, that doesn’t change the fact that, through Jesus, we ARE free of all condemnation, accusation & shame.
So don’t accept that thought-accusation - kick it into touch! It isn’t from God, so you don’t have to accept it.

Remember: the shield of faith is there for your defence: use it.

The tiny/huge step: needing faith like a child

I have just been reading about the life of Thomas Aquinas, sent to me as an article regularly by BibleGateway (BibleGateway@e.biblegateway.com). He wrote extensively & compiled his Summa Theologica, which was the most comprehensive treatise on theology ever written (at that time, in the late 13th Century.)

What grabbed my attention was the assertion that Aquinas proved the existence of God with his "Five Ways", a sequence of logical thought progression... I was intrigued by that, so I looked up the "Five Ways" on Google; it proved to be an interesting read.
(source: http://web.mnstate.edu/gracyk/courses/web%20publishing/aquinasfiveways_argumentanalysis.htm). 

Then I noticed 4 articles down the list on Google an atheist article entitled, “Refuting the five ways of Aquinas” (Source: http://patas.co/articles/opinion/refuting-the-five-ways-of-aquinas/)

Although the arguments against Aquinas seem not very well constructed (a bit like this sentence!) I took the point that for every logical argument FOR God’s existence, there is an equal logical argument AGAINST God’s existence.

I think there will always be arguments for & against the existence of God. We quote from astronomy, cosmology, evolution, logical reason, quantum physics, etc, etc, & use these mental frameworks to bolster our own beliefs; to uphold the positions we have already adopted, either in support of our assertion that God exists, or, using exactly the same evidence (!) in support of our assertion that God does not exist!

For me, the only logical conclusion is that logical argument is INCAPABLE of proving God’s existence in either direction. It seems to me that logical reasoning & logical rationalism is a “tool” incapable of actually shedding any light on the subject of God’s existence or non-existence. As I have explained in other blogs, I believe that we human beings are bound into a temporal, physical cosmos, with physical cause & effect, & therefore can not use observable data from within that cosmos to assert anything about a being who may or may not dwell outside that cosmos.

We can tie ourselves up in knots by trying to find evidence either for or against the existence of God. The pursuit of either seems to be never-ending, & there appears to be no single piece of irrefutable evidence either way. As a Christian I am left to wonder if perhaps that is exactly what God intended!

”For the Kingdom of God belongs to those who are like these children.”
Jesus the Christ shed some light on the whole subject of how to approach (the kingdom of) God, in Luke 18:15-17 (NLT), which says, ‘15 One day some parents brought their little children to Jesus so he could touch and bless them. But when the disciples saw this, they scolded the parents for bothering him. 16 Then Jesus called for the children and said to the disciples, “Let the children come to me. Don’t stop them! For the Kingdom of God belongs to those who are like these children. 17 I tell you the truth, anyone who doesn’t receive the Kingdom of God like a child will never enter it.” ‘
Jesus himself says that we need to approach the kingdom of God as a child. And that unless we do, we will not enter it.
What does that mean?
I think he was saying that our adult thinking, which seems to always require evidence & proof before we are prepared to enter into something, is simply UNABLE to help us to enter the kingdom of God. I don’t think Jesus was saying it is wrong to have a questioning mind. Questions are good! I don’t think Jesus was saying that critical thinking doesn’t have some value in certain situations. As anyone who has children, or works with children will know, children ask a LOT of questions! Would Jesus have been cross with the many questions he would have been asked by children (& adults alike) - No, I think not. The Bible doesn’t show Jesus ever getting angry with anyone who had genuine questions for him.

Atheists & the search
I’m not trying to “bash” atheists in my blog writings. All of our questions from ANY viewpoint or stance, are really our attempts to try to uncover the truth, to discover what is REAL & what is RELIABLE. So an atheists’ questions are as important & invaluable in uncovering the truth about the universe as anyone elses. An atheist is a person who has simply not found enough compelling evidence to switch from not believing in God to the reverse position. If that is you, then simply be happy in your current assertions. But please, do make sure you have weighed up all the alternative positions. Please don’t let someone else’s thoughts bias your own thinking: examine the arguments for yourself. Find your own position, don’t just adopt someone else’s.

That said, I pray to my God that you will find that the atheist position is not really the “end game position” but is, in fact, the “starting position”... obviously we are all atheists before we believe in God! I hope you will come to see that what you are looking for (THE answer) is not found in unbelief at all. I pray that you will find the lasting peace, security & hope we all want. We just have to be honest in our own hearts & minds, about that search. But, of course, I believe you will only really find that answer & position, in Jesus the Christ. I can’t help but pray to my God, that you will find the lasting peace, lasting hope & eternal meaning that we all seek.

The limited scope of logic & reason
When it comes to the kingdom of God (& therefore God & His existence) I do believe that Jesus was asserting that logic & reason was incapable of catapulting us from unbelief into belief. I think Jesus was alluding to the position that any amount of logical thinking, reasoning, & the adult’s need for proof before agreement & adoption of an alternative lifestyle, would be UTTERLY incapable of taking us from unbelief in God to belief in God. I think that is why it is impossible to “prove”, either way, using logical & reason, that God either exists or does not.

What then is required?
Two quotes from Bible commentaries are useful here, please note, I have put the key words (as I perceive them!) in upper case letters, to draw your attention to them:

‘In these words Jesus was stating that a person must come to Him in HUMILITY in order to enter the kingdom. Children come with EXPECTATION and EXCITEMENT. They come realizing that they are NOT SUFFICIENT in themselves. They DEPEND totally on others. If these same attitudes are not present in adults, they can never enter into the kingdom.’
(Source: The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures by Dallas Seminary Faculty.)

‘Jesus explained that little children have the kind of faith and trust needed to enter the Kingdom of God. Anyone of any age who exhibits their kind of faith and trust is PROMISED access to Jesus and to the Kingdom. Children represent the essence of discipleship, coming to Jesus in humility and receiving his blessing as a GIFT. Unless we can completely TRUST in God, we will never get into the Kingdom of God.’
(Source: Life Application New Testament Commentary.)

There are some great points about the attitude we need to have, if we want to enter into the kingdom of God. And it seems to depend on attitude more than anything else.

Taking these points, it seems we need HUMILITY in order to enter the kingdom of God. Pride & arrogance will not get us there. Pride is exhibited in believing that we can do it ourselves. Self-help books are, by definition, reliant on me: my efforts to improve myself; my efforts to “fix” myself. Jesus explains that we simply are not able to work our way back to a perfect, unsoiled, spotless condition.

Romans 3:23 (NLT) states, ‘For everyone has sinned; we all fall short of God’s glorious standard.’
No matter how hard we try, WE can not undo our wrong-doing. Of course, an atheist may not believe in their own wrong-doing. But if we are truly honest with ourselves, we can all look back on a less-than-perfect past performance in our own lives. No matter how small the error, we have all done wrong.

In the commentary quote above, the words NOT SUFFICIENT & DEPEND (or dependent) stand out: because the wise person realises that they are simply not able to repair their own damaged lives, no matter how hard they try. We try to fix ourselves with bigger & better jobs, cars, houses, & other “stuff”, but none of it brings real, lasting contentment. To the atheist: simple denial of your condition does not change it, however hard you try to think yourself into a better state of being. It is very frustrating, I know, but the truth is we are incapable of fixing ourselves, & the only person who can repair our damaged, broken lives is the person you don’t want to believe in: Jesus the Christ. That is the truth. And I simply want to point you in that direction, because Jesus loves you, no matter what you may have done in your past. It is love that wins us back to Jesus from the atheistic starting position we all begin with.

EXPECTATION and EXCITEMENT, these are two very notable characteristics of children!
And I think Jesus wants us (adults) to have the same child-like expectancy & excitement when we want to encounter God. In truth, I think we all have needs & from the believers side of the fence, I can tell you that all our needs can be met & are met, when we chose to believe in Jesus the Christ. Atheists have needs, just like everyone else, but unlike a Christian, those needs can not be met if you “growl” & “bite” the loving hand of Jesus which is constantly extended to you, & in which all your deepest needs are met.

The kingdom of God is PROMISED & is a GIFT, freely given to anyone & everyone who wants it.
TRUST is required: the simple, uncomplicated trust of a child.

It is not a problem to God that we have tons of questions, He welcomes our questions. Indeed, our curiosity & questioning minds have carried us forward into technical advances & devising new break-throughs which benefit us all. God knows, questions are useful tools for us!

But... if our questions stand in the way of us believing in God, or getting to know God, then just how useful are those questions? As adults, we often say that we will only believe in God & Jesus if He proves Himself to us; if He appears to us: thereby asserting that “seeing is believing.” But it isn’t! We see yet still we refuse to believe. The same evidence put forward by an atheist to assert that God does not exist (quoting from the sciences, logical thoughts, micro-biology, etc) can be used by a Christian to assert the exact opposite: that because of that evidence God does exist!

Coming back to the two articles I read at the beginning of this blog, it seems to me that we can always find supporting arguments for our positions. It isn’t hard to find them. But in the end we have to ask ourselves what we REALLY want?...
Do we want to shake off the worries & concerns of our own past performance?
Do we want to exceed our own experiences?
Do we want to be content?
Do we want to be truly confident?
Do we want to be excited by the future instead of fearing or dreading it?

Lifting up  my eyes
I don’t know about you, but I have found that all the reasoning, logic, rational thought, sciences, etc that I have studied have not brought that result. However, I can report that when I focus my attention on the love & nature of Jesus the Christ, then contentment comes my way.

When I lift my eyes up from my problems & look to Jesus, then those problems shrink to their real size, & my Saviour, & his kingdom become more “real” than the problems. That is not denial of my situation: the problems do exist! It’s just that God can & does go to work on them with me, & together, we will solve each & every one of them.

I’m living proof that God can “speak” to anyone, & bring them into his kingdom. I am the lowest & the least likely of people to have become a Christian, yet here I am! Talk about having doubts - that’s me! Talk about trying to hang on to science, astronomy, philosophy, any other comforting mental cushion - that’s me! But none of that man-made stuff has ever really, truly brought me comfort, peace, confidence or excitement about my past, present & future.

But Jesus the Christ, in his infinite patience, kindness & love, is coaxing me onwards, ever more gradually forwards, into His kingdom. He is SO patient with my doubting, uncertain, quivering-like-a-jelly faith! He is so patient when I run away from anything I don’t like the look of! He is so kind & loving & encouraging. God “jumps for joy” at my least, tiny, hesitant step of faith, like the proud Father in heaven He really is!

If God is like that to me, then He can be just like that & more so, to you.

What do we truly believe?
In the end I believe we all face the BIG question: what do I truly believe. I have come to realise that belief is a choice, rather than a response to any evidence that we might put forward. I hope I’ve shown that all so-called evidence can be viewed in either way: as “proof” for, or against the existence of God. In the end, what is required is a step of faith: if you want to believe in Jesus, then it is only a matter of asserting that you choose to believe in Him.

For me, on the “having already decided to believe in Jesus” side of the fence, I can report that everything changes, & improves, once you do make that choice. Yes, your problems remain, but there is peace, contentment, & power to overcome, which we did not have before that decision.
I think Jesus showed intense & searing wisdom when He said, ‘For the Kingdom of God belongs to those who are like these children.’ That statement effectively strips away all the logical arguments, all the adult “Show-me-proof-before-I’ll-belive” attitudes.

For me, Jesus & the Bible are both Real & Reliable.
All that is really required is simply a desire to believe. God answers our deepest, most endearing, most urgent questions... but only if we choose to approach Him in a child’s humility & with a child’s faith. Will you put your faith in this amazing Saviour Jesus the Christ?


Additional information:
Here’s an interesting article I just found focussing on what it might mean to have Faith like a little child. It’s well worth a read.
“What did Jesus mean by ‘Faith like a little child’? Dawkins on curiosity.”
http://sntjohnny.com/front/what-did-jesus-mean-by-faith-like-a-little-child-dawkins-on-curiosity/365.html

Be reconciled... what’s that?!

How do I know that God loves us?
The Bible is God’s response to that question. But just looking at one little part of the answer; the apostle Paul wrote in the book of Romans on this subject...

Romans 5:8-11 (ANIV) - ‘8 But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. 9 Since we have now been justified by his blood, how much more shall we be saved from God's wrath through him! 10 For if, when we were God's enemies, we were reconciled to him through the death of his Son, how much more, having been reconciled, shall we be saved through his life! 11 Not only is this so, but we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation. ’

The first verse states clearly how absolutely certain we can be that God loves each & every one of us: But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
Whilst I was still sin-soaked, still separated from God by an enormous gulf of wrong-doing, Jesus died on the cross, to reconcile me to God. God didn’t require me to take the first step - I couldn’t, because my own wrong-doing prevented me from getting to God. Instead, Jesus paid for all my sin, & so opened up the way for me to get to God.

A dictionary definition of the word “reconciled”:

1. To reestablish a close relationship between, as in marriage: The estranged couple reconciled after a year.
2. To settle or resolve.
3. To bring (oneself) to accept: He finally reconciled himself to the change in management.
4. To make compatible or consistent: reconcile my way of thinking with yours.
5. To become compatible or consistent: The figures would not reconcile.
(Source: http://www.thefreedictionary.com/reconciled)

The word reconcile sounds a bit formal, or legal, but when you look at the description, it reveals the depth & incredible scope of the meaning involved: to settle differences & BRING BACK into close relationship, like a marriage. To become COMPATIBLE OR CONSISTENT, to fit together properly once more.

Wow! When put like that we can see that God’s plan to reconcile us to Himself is anything but cold & legal, it is full of passion, desire & deep love: God wants us to believe in Him, come back to Him, trust & love Him. From that reconciled position, we can have an on-going, ever deepening relationship with the Creator God, moving from closer to still closer friendship - amazing! I want that... how about you?

The “Perfect” Tool in the toolbox

You have a favourite tool in your toolbox. You prefer to use that tool. You love to use that tool. You get such a high from using that tool that you use it to the exclusion of all other possible tools. Besides, “everyone else” only ever uses that tool, & they can’t all be wrong, right?! You grew up using that tool. All your school teachers & university professors told you that this one tool was the ONLY tool for the job, ANY job. In fact, they sneered if you even mentioned any other tool. They told you repeatedly that no other tool was up to the job; no other tool would ever out perform the One Tool! They told you that you were silly, uneducated, pathetic, if you DIDN’T use the One tool.
So now, naturally, you only ever use that one tool in your tool box, even when the job at hand calls for a completely different tool!

What is the “Perfect” Tool in your toolbox? Hellenistic thinking, Greek thinking. Logic & reason. Science as the only viable answer. We call it the Western mind-set.
I’m not pouring scorn on the One tool, the Western mind-set. I use it a lot myself! It’s a great tool, & no mistake.
BUT... it’s NOT the only tool in the toolbox. There are others.

Are there any alternatives to the One tool?
Are there any other tools in the toolbox?
What might some of the other tools be?

Abstract thought. Poetry. Nonsense poetry. The Hebrew (Hebraic) mind set. Australian Aborigine thinking.  Actually there are a lot of alternative mind sets & ways of thinking other than the Western mind-set.

The Bible is largely written from a Hebrew (Hebraic) mind set, so reading it with a Greek (Western) mindset may not bring out all the subtle language inflections originally intended.

1 Corinthians 1:21-23 (NLT) - ‘Since God in his wisdom saw to it that the world would never know him through human wisdom [Greek thinking - MY added], he has used our foolish preaching to save those who believe. It is foolish to the Jews, who ask for signs from heaven. And it is foolish to the Greeks, who seek human wisdom. So when we preach that Christ was crucified, the Jews are offended and the Gentiles [Greeks] say it’s all nonsense.’

These verses show WHY to those who insist on remaining within Greek thinking mode, the preaching of Christ crucified appears to be nonsense: it requires something OTHER THAN Greek thinking (logic, reason, science) to fully appreciate the “foolishness” of the Gospel. It requires another tool in the toolbox: FAITH.

Hebrews 11:1 (ANIV) - ‘Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.’

The Greek mind set is only comfortable with, & believes in, what we can see, taste, touch, hear, etc. That which is unseen, mysterious, un-provable, is rejected as nonsense in Greek thinking. Hence the death of a man on a cross as a means to save me from my sins sounds foolish to the Greek (Gentile) mind.

But the Lord God has granted us the gift (tool) of faith, to take us BEYOND merely the provable & observable. Faith enables us to move, be & do things that the Greek (Gentile) mind would not believe as being possible.

Questions to ask yourself.
Do you want to live your entire life using only one tool?
Do you want to live your life tied exclusively to the One tool?
Do you actually want to live your life within the straightjacket of the One tool?

There is so much more to experience in this life, but that requires deliberately putting the one tool of Greek thinking (the Western mindset) down, & picking up another tool instead.

The One tool of Greek thinking is DEEPLY ingrained in the western mind set. Our education systems have used that One tool for centuries, we are soaked in it, so it is not easy to give up something we have been using all our lives. But God can give us faith, & a different mind set, a different experience, if we ask Him for it.

There are many dusty, long-forgotten, foreign, unused, unusual, mysterious tools available.
Do we trust these others tools? If we do, we can start to use them, if we don’t we won’t.

Faith is another tool in the toolbox... a great one to use!
Faith is something which is antithetical to Greek thinking. But Faith is a gift from God, which we can possess in bucket loads, if we simply ask God for that gift!

Hebrews 11:6 (ANIV) - ‘And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.’
This verse shows that faith is the means by which we recognise the existence of God, & the means by which we approach God & operate in ways that please Him. In turn, God rewards those people who deliberately use their faith to earnestly seek him.

I’m aware that I am beginning to use Greek thinking again, in the construction of these sentences: one built on the arguments presented in previous sentences! Greek thinking is clearly well ingrained in us all! However, I pray that God will grant you the mysterious & powerful gift of FAITH, which transcends Greek thinking & can take you to places you have only dreamed of.

Sharing Jesus in local Primary school

Last Friday (25/Jan/2013) I visited a local Primary school, to deliver an RE (Religious Education) lesson. The subject was ‘Why is Jesus an inspirational leader?’ I’d been in to the school the week before to discuss approach, content, etc. A  few days before the event I put together a Powerpoint slide show of various Bible Cartoons I’ve drawn from the 4 books of the Gospels... so far so good.
Two days before I went to the school I was feeling a bit apprehensive, which is natural, I suppose. I’m not renowned for my public speaking! The thought of 30+ intent little faces looking up at me could unnerve anyone!

The day before I delivered the lesson I was listening to a Katherine Ruonala sermon. She is a wonderful Australian preacher (Glory City Church, Brisbane) who often talks about the love of God. In the particular message she gave, she said talked about needing to focus on Jesus in worship in such a way that we focus on His love, rather than on the fears we have. Her phrase, “We’ve got to receive because otherwise we can’t give it away.” really struck me. Since I wanted to focus the children’s attention on the love of Christ, it seemed to me a VERY apt sermon to hear at that time!
Here’s part of my transcription of Katherine Ruonala’s sermon at Basingstoke Community Churches, UK 19-20 January 2013:

“He (Jesus/God) ‘makes His face to shine on us’ [1], & that is the picture of God looking at us as a parent looks at a little baby & tries to get them to smile... & the whole purpose of doing that is to evoke a response. And God, always, is making His face shine on us. Because He wants us to smile! Because He loves us. I encourage our teams to really get filled up to overflowing, to look up & see His face smiling at them, loving them, so that they get filled up with joy & love. ‘We love BECAUSE He first loved us’ [2]. We’ve got to receive because otherwise we can’t give it away. So they’ll often spend an hour before they go out on the streets worshipping & getting fired up, until they’re overflowing, then they go out on the streets & they’re just bubbling & every person they meet sees Jesus in them, overflowing with joy. They get inebriated in the glory, so the fear of man goes, & the love of God, ‘the perfect love of God that cast out fear’ [3] (comes upon them).”

So... before I left home that morning, I took a leaf out of Katherine Ruonala's 'book' & simply chose to worship the Lord, & to focus my attention on Him, rather than my nervousness. I became filled up to overflowing, as she described. And guess what? My nervousness evaporated, & I looked forward to sharing my faith with the children. Instead of getting all 'hung up' on what I'd say, even before the event, I simply enjoyed my deepening relationship with Jesus the Christ. When the time came to drive to school, I was actually looking forward to it, amazing!

And Wow, did I have a great time talking to the children! They knew quite a lot about Jesus, but my Bible Cartoons helped them to learn even more. They had questions, which I was very pleased to answer. I questioned them too, to get them to think about what Jesus said to us.

We looked at the seven “I AM” statements in John’s gospel [4] & discussed them too. Pretty deep stuff, but the children seemed to understand what I was saying!

I broke up the lesson with a stint of cartooning. I got the children to draw simple round faces & to see how many different expressions they could create. They were so inventive, it was great!  I showed them how to construct a human figure too, which went very well. I got a spontaneous round of applause for that, how kind!

I rounded off the RE lesson with a look at Jesus parable of the Wise & Foolish Builders. Which was well received too. The children really seemed to get the point that Jesus wasn’t talking about actual house building, but was referring to what, or more precisely, WHO we build our lives on. Of course, Jesus is the Rock on which the best house/life can be built.

Conclusions
So, the RE lesson went very well, & I was happy with the results.

I owe a great debt of gratitude to Katherine Ruonala, who really explained the concept of shifting our focus (our eyes) off of our problems (or in my case my projected difficulties!) & focussing instead on Jesus. Thank you Katherine!

Perfect love does indeed drive out fear!


[1]
Numbers 6:24-27 (NKJV)
24 "The Lord bless you and keep you;
25 The Lord make His face shine upon you, And be gracious to you;
26 The Lord lift up His countenance upon you, And give you peace." '
27 "So they shall put My name on the children of Israel, and I will bless them."

[2]
1 John 4:19 (NKJV)
19 We love Him because He first loved us.

[3]
1 John 4:18 (NKJV)
18 There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves torment. But he who fears has not been made perfect in love.

[4]
The Seven ‘I am’ sayings of Jesus from the Gospel of John
Jesus said ‘I am’ on seven occasions. Each ‘I am’ is a description Jesus gave of Himself and is recorded in John’s Gospel. The Seven ‘I am’ sayings help us better understand the divinity of Jesus Christ.

1. Bread
“I am the bread of life; he who comes to Me shall not hunger.” John 6:35

2. Light
“I am the light of the world; he who fallows Me shall not walk in the darkness, but shall have the light of life.” John 8:12

3. Gate
“I am the gate; if anyone enters through Me, he shall be saved, and shall go in and out, and find pasture.” John 10:9

4. Good Shepherd
“I am the good shepherd; the good shepherd lays down His life for His sheep.” John 10:11

5. Resurrection and Life
“I am the resurrection and the life; he who believes in Me shall live even if he dies.” John 11:25

6. Way, Truth, Life
“I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father, but through Me.” John 14:6

7. True vine
“I am the true vine, and My Father is the vinedresser.” John 15:1

Why do our “roots” matter?

Ephesians 3:17 (ANIV)
And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, ...

Why do our “roots” matter? Think about a plant that has shallow roots, how easy is it to pull it up? Pretty easy! Now think about a plant with deep roots that go way down into the soil. That is a LOT more difficult to pull up! Even a small sapling tree is next to impossible to uproot, & as for a full grown tree... you ever tried to man-handle that out of the ground!?

In Ephesians chapter 3, Paul was praying for us specifically that we would be ‘rooted and established IN LOVE’. It is the love of Jesus the Christ that keeps us safe & sound.

If our “roots” are shallow, then we can be uprooted, given sufficient “pull”. What might that “pull” be? Perhaps an incident of some kind, an accident, redundancy, financial difficulties, health scare, etc. If we only have shallow roots into love (for Jesus) then we can be uprooted & “blown about” by the incidents & events of our lives. I am not saying that we can ever be pulled completely out of the love of God - the Bible tells us that this is impossible. But we can stunt our own root growth, & therefore be “blown about” by winds of adversity, if our roots remain shallow. Deeper roots won’t prevent adversity coming our way, but they will certainly help us to remain rooted & grounded in love (of Jesus) & to thrive EVEN in adverse conditions, if they are deep.

Distractions, difficulties, too much TV, being fascinated by what the world has to offer, these are the things that vie for our attention. What’s behind the distractions? The Devil tries to get our attention focussed on anything other than the love of Jesus, because he knows that once we are focussed on anything else, we won’t be developing roots that go any deeper into the love of Christ. That’s the Devil’s goal, to distract us from the love of God, & to uproot us from the love of God, just like in Jesus example of the first 3 types of seeds in the parable of the Farmer sowing seeds [1].

If we deliberately pour our time & efforts into getting to know God & the love of God, then our roots will grow deeper & deeper down into that love, & we will become like the tree, impossible to uproot. If we ignore the distractions of the world, the flesh & the devil, then we are making a deliberate decision to focus instead on the love of God. When we are overflowing with the love of God, then we can share that love with those people we encounter who really need it. Out of the love stored up inside us, & replenished daily, God will be able to show His love for other people, through us.
BUT WE CAN ONLY SHARE WHAT WE OURSELVES KNOW. So again, if our love for Jesus is small (like our roots) then no wonder we achieve so little in advancing the kingdom of God. (I write this to myself, rather than anyone else!)

Love is both the beginning & end: it was God’s love for us that saved us (Christians) in the first place, & it is God’s love that sustains us now.

In order to move out into mission & ministry we need to have experienced & to keep being “topped up by”, the love of God. Any type of mission & ministry is really any & all activity that involves giving out the love of God to other people. We need to be OVERFLOWING with the love of God, because any activity attempted without an overflow of God’s love will merely be done in our own strength: there won’t be enough of the love of God to “fuel” the ministry or mission activity. It’s at that (depleted) point that we may feel ourselves “running on empty” or else so concerned & distracted with the enormity of the task in sight, that we are unable to achieve it. However, if we keep ourselves so full of the love of God, that we overflow, THEN we will see God achieve great & wonderful things on our behalf, & operating though us, in the various ministry or mission activities we engage in. LOVE is the fuel for ministry or mission activities. Love is the key.
Top priority = our roots going deeper into the love offered to us every day by Jesus. From that ‘deeply rooted in love’ position, God’s love for other people will shine through us. It will be both natural & easy to love other people BECAUSE we first know Jesus’ love for ourselves. You can’t give out what you don’t have or know yourself.

The rest of the verse & next verse give us the context of Paul’s prayer:
‘And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge — that you may be filled to the measure of all the fulness of God.’
It is the our infinite delight to grasp the enormity of the love of Jesus for us. But if we don’t spend enough time soaking up the love of Christ, then we will have those small roots mentioned earlier. It’s only when we spend time contemplating the love of Christ; getting to know Him more; allowing Jesus to reveal His astonishing love FOR US, that our roots go deeper & deeper down into that love. Christ offers us His unique, monumental love every day, BUT WE HAVE TO AVAIL OURSELVES OF IT. He won’t force his love upon us, He’s far too much of a gentleman for that! So it has to be our deliberate choice to seek that love. Seek & you shall find.

How do we grow deeper roots? By praying to Jesus & asking Him for a better, bigger revelation of His amazing love or us. By nestling closer to Jesus. By reading the Bible, which is God’s great love letter to us. By spending time in prayer, pouring our hearts out to Jesus, & allowing Him to pour His love into our hearts in return.

It takes time to grow deeper roots, but I’m convinced that when we take the time to do it, we will become so solid in the love of Christ that we will not be able to be uprooted.

Personally...
I KNOW I need much deeper roots, in order to appreciate Jesus more; in order to move out into Bible Cartoons ministry & mission more fully. But above all, I KNOW I need the love of God to TRANSFORM me. I need a fresh revelation of Jesus’ love, daily, in order to shake off depression & sadness that has plagued me for years; in order to put behind me, once & for all, regrets; in order to move from the shadows of fear, out into the light of the love of God, & into more freedom & joy & peace, than I have ever known before.

I believe the love of Jesus the Christ is my “ticket” out of the shadows & into the light. I want to be at peace, in EVERY situation. I want to know TRUE JOY, in every situation. I want to be able to say what Paul says in Philippians 4:12-13, ‘I know how to live on almost nothing or with everything. I have learned the secret of living in every situation, whether it is with a full stomach or empty, with plenty or little. For I can do everything through Christ, who gives me strength.’

Lord, I want more of you in my life. Help me to daily appreciate the enormous love you have for me. Amen.

Do you want deeper roots, that go down into the love of Christ so far that NOTHING can uproot you? Then commit yourself to spending more time with Jesus, in prayer & reading the Bible. That’s what I’m going to do.

[1]
Matthew 13:3-9 (NLT)
3 He [Jesus] told many stories in the form of parables, such as this one: “Listen! A farmer went out to plant some seeds. As he scattered them across his field, some seeds fell on a footpath, and the birds came and ate them. Other seeds fell on shallow soil with underlying rock. The seeds sprouted quickly because the soil was shallow. But the plants soon wilted under the hot sun, and since they didn’t have deep roots, they died. Other seeds fell among thorns that grew up and choked out the tender plants. Still other seeds fell on fertile soil, and they produced a crop that was thirty, sixty, and even a hundred times as much as had been planted! Anyone with ears to hear should listen and understand.”

Esther cartoons

I have just uploaded 4 Bible Cartoons which I completed yesterday, telling part of the story of Esther. They are for a Bible-based sports ministry in America, called UW Sports Ministry, here’s their website address if you want to see their mission & work: http://www.unchartedwaters.org/

The 4 cartoons are part of a 17 cartoon contract. I will be producing cartoons from the books of 1 Samuel (David & Goliath), Acts (Paul & Barnabas, & Philip & the Ethiopian eunuch), Joshua, & Esther. UW Sports will be using the cartoons on flash cards, to teach their visiting children these bible stories. Of course I have arranged to retain copyright of the images & have negotiated to have these cartoons available on the BC website.

I am particularly pleased with the 4 Esther cartoons, see below:

Esther 00 - Esther in field
Although not mentioned in the Bible, the American company wanted this scene.

Esther 02 - Esther becomes queen - Scene 05 - Crowned queen
I enjoyed drawing the opulent clothing in this one.

Esther 04 - Mordecai requests Esther’s help - Scene 03 - Hathach

Esther 05 - Esther’s banquet - Scene 01 - Xerxes receives Esther

I am particularly pleased with the lighting effects in this one: the torch light & shadow of the guard on the right.

2012 Review

Lots of interesting things have happened in the world of Bible Cartoons last year, here’s my review...

1) Important Bible passages for me & BC this year:
Be Passionate About - '...I have...determined to do his will...' Isaiah 50:7
Purpose - 'My life is worth nothing...unless I use it for finishing the work assigned me by the Lord.' Acts 20:24
Lasting Success - 'He who abides in Me...bears much fruit.' John 15:5
You Need a 'Word'  -  'Your ears shall hear a word.' Isaiah 30:21
Stay focussed - ‘…Let us strip off every weight that slows us down.’ Hebrews 12:1
God can turn your failure into success - ‘…Because you say so, I will...’ Luke 5:5 NIV

2) Vision pictures I’ve received from the Lord God this year:
05/January - Had a vision-dream about a whirlpool. I produced a coloured digital painting of the scene I saw, which you can see in the BC blog.
03/June - God was sitting next to me on one of those horse-drawn wooden wagons that are featured in cowboy films! It was a dream about obedience & choosing to follow where God leads me.

3) Interesting facts & Statistics for 2012
8th January we received our 100th customer, & on 31/December/2012 we received our 200th customer!
16th January - Got our first customer from Germany.
15th February - “Jonah, no ordinary fish tale” book loaded onto Amazon! I drew the cover artwork... never had a book on amazon before! ( http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0076ZSO6Y )
13th April - Got our first ever Danish customer.
8th May -Got our first customer from Singapore.
10th May - Started emailing USA churches, in states where we have not had any customers yet.
7th June - Got our first ever Indonesian customer.
27th June - Started drawing the Olympics sketches.
20th September - Supplied my Bible Cartoons Jonah video to a lady in Eastern states of Australia, who used it on a mission trip.
26th October - Got our first ever customer from Norway.
7th November - Cartooning Development: First time I created a cartoon (Matthew 02 - The Nativity - Scene 09 - Gifts) with more than one version. Colour version, Starlight version, Blue version.
19th December - We got our first ever customer from the Czech Republic.
31st December - Got our 200th customer - Praise the Lord!
The BC website received over 29,000 visits from January to December in 2012.
There were over 24,000 Unique visitors & over 143,000 Page views - wow!

4) BC website improvements made this year:
I’ve done a lot of work on the BC website this year.

23rd January - Added Customer Comments & Testimonials page to BC website. Added all the comments from facebook, email & flickr! from 2009 to present.

6th March - Tried to install an upgraded version of Content Management System, but I messed it up...  the BC website was off-line for 3 days!

27th April - Major overhaul of the page on which visitors view the cartoons. New Gallery page template went live, with the Previous & Next arrow navigation.

11th May - Created new, slim buttons for the menu bar, to save some valuable space at the top of every page on the BC website.
21st May - Added a map showing the approximate location of our lovely customers. I make sure that we do not give the exact location away - as we value our customers privacy A LOT!

2nd July - My friend Dan fixed the Search function on BC website - hurray! It had been non-operational for several months.

25th Septemeber - Registered & bought: biblecartoons.net, biblecartoons.org, biblecartoons.biz, biblecartoons.info & biblecartoons.mobi

20th November - Added a slideshow to the BC website homepage.

10th December - Changed the landing page that has been used ever since the BC website went live. The old version showed 4 randomly selected cartoons. Now the landing page is identical to the homepage.

5) BC Merchandise designed & sold this year:
Easter Activity Book
Exodus Activity Book
7 different designs in the “...And you think you’re having a Bad Day!” series of mugs. Also created a one off “True Light” Christmas mug.
Created 3 new Christmas card designs.

6) Viewing figures
Most viewed Old Testament cartoon = Nehemiah 03 - Rebuilding Jerusalem's walls (3779 viewings to 31/12/2012)
32 cartoons of the 98 OT cartoons currently drawn have been viewed over 1000 times.
of those, 11 cartoons of the 98 OT cartoons currently drawn have been viewed over 2000 times.
of those, 6 cartoons of the 98 OT cartoons currently drawn have been viewed over 3000 times.

Most viewed New Testament cartoon & most viewed Bible Cartoon ever! = Luke 15 - The Prodigal son - Scene 03 - With the pigs (6879 viewings to 31/12/2012)
56 cartoons of the 148 NT cartoons currently drawn have been viewed over 1000 times.
of those, 18 cartoons of the 148 NT cartoons currently drawn have been viewed over 2000 times.
of those, 6 cartoons of the 148 NT cartoons currently drawn have been viewed over 3000 times.
of those, 4 cartoons of the 148 NT cartoons currently drawn have been viewed over 4000 times.
of those, 3 cartoons of the 148 NT cartoons currently drawn have been viewed over 5000 times.
of those, 1 cartoon of the 148 NT cartoons currently drawn have been viewed over 6000 times.

7) Gospel Illustrations drawn this year:
I have only managed to draw 1 Gospel Illustration this year = Communion - Bread & Wine, drawn on 23/May/2012

8) Cartoons drawn this year:
I set out to draw 50 new Bible Cartoons in 2012. I actually managed to draw 59, finishing the last one with a dramatic screech of tyres & plume of smoke... a mere 7 hours before the end of 2012!
Here’s my breakdown of what cartoons I drew in each of the 4 quarters I divide my year up into:

First Quarter
16/01/2012   Exodus 14 - Parting of the Red Sea - Scene 07 - Move on
18/01/2012   Exodus 14 - Parting of the Red Sea - Scene 08 - Cloud
20/01/2012   Exodus 14 - Parting of the Red Sea - Scene 09 - Sea parts
24/01/2012   Exodus 14 - Parting of the Red Sea - Scene 11 - Confusion
26/01/2012   Exodus 14 - Parting of the Red Sea - Scene 12 - Sea returns
31/01/2012   Exodus 14 - Parting of the Red Sea - Scene 13 - Drowned
03/02/2012   Exodus 14 - Parting of the Red Sea - Scene 14 - Trust
10/02/2012   Matthew 03 - Jesus' baptism - Scene 07 - Dove
29/02/2012   Matthew 04 - Temptation of Jesus - Scene 04 - Temple
02/03/2012   Matthew 04 - Temptation of Jesus - Scene 05 - Mountain
05/03/2012   Matthew 04 - Temptation of Jesus - Scene 06 - Angels
05/03/2012   Mark 15 - The Crucifixion - Scene 02 - Simon of Cyrene
08/03/2012   Matthew 04 - Temptation of Jesus - Scene 01 -Wilderness
09/03/2012   Matthew 04 - Temptation of Jesus - Scene 02 - Fasting
13/03/2012   Matthew 01 - The Nativity - Scene 04 - Jesus’ birth
13/03/2012   Matthew 01 - The Nativity - Scene 0a - Just a stable?
20/03/2012   Mark 15 - Trial of Jesus - Scene 06 - Barabbas released
21/02/2012   Matthew 04 - Temptation of Jesus - Scene 03 - Stones
26/03/2012   Mark 15 - Trial of Jesus - Scene 07 - Jesus flogged
27/03/2012   Mark 15 - Trial of Jesus - Scene 08 - Thorns & abuse
30/03/2012   Mark 15 - The Crucifixion - Scene 05 - Sign board

Second Quarter
09/05/2012   Mark 15 - The Crucifixion - Scene 04 - Soldiers gambling
14/05/2012   Leviticus 16 - The Scapegoat
17/05/2012   Ruth 01 - In Moab - Scene 05 - Ruth determined
29/05/2012   Deuteronomy 1 - Scene 05 - Spies in Eshcol (dappled lighting)
29/05/2012   Deuteronomy 1 - Scene 05 - Spies in Eshcol (simple lighting)
11/06/2012   2 Samuel 6 - The Ark brought to Jerusalem - Scene 05 - David dances
15/06/2012   2 Kings 2 - Elijah taken into heaven - Scene 06 - Chariot of fire
22/06/2012   Matthew 07 - Wise & foolish builders - Scene 01 - Digging foundations
22/06/2012   Matthew 07 - Wise & foolish builders - Scene 02 - Building
22/06/2012   Matthew 07 - Wise & foolish builders - Scene 03 - Foolish Builder finished
23/06/2012   Matthew 07 - Wise & foolish builders - Scene 04 - Storm approaching
26/06/2012   Matthew 07 - Wise & foolish builders - Scene 05 - Swept away
26/06/2012   Matthew 07 - Wise & foolish builders - Scene 06 - Standing on the rock

Third Quarter
05/07/2012   Hebrews 12 - Throw off sin entanglements in the race
13/07/2012   1 Chronicles 10 - King Saul takes his life - Scene 01 - Fierce fighting
18/07/2012   2 Chronicles 9 - Queen of Sheba - Scene 01 - Great caravan
27/07/2012   Ezra 3 - Rebuilding the Temple - Scene 04 - Foundation and tears
30/07/2012   Psalm 119 - Torch Bearer [Olympics]
02/08/2012   Romans 02 - God’s Righteous Judgement - Scene 01 - Passing judgement
10/09/2012   Philippians 2 - Imitating Christ’s Humility
17/09/2012   Matthew 19 - The rich young man - Scene 03 - Camel
20/09/2012   Matthew 18 - Lost sheep parable - Scene 01 - Sheep pen
24/09/2012   Matthew 18 - Lost sheep parable - Scene 02 - Searching
24/09/2012   Matthew 18 - Lost sheep parable - Scene 03 - Found
29/09/2012   Matthew 18 - Lost sheep parable - Scene 04 - Cherished
29/09/2012   Matthew 18 - Lost sheep parable - Scene 05 - Return home

Fourth Quarter
19/10/2012   Matthew 02 - The Nativity - Scene 06 - King Herod’s meeting
24/10/2012   Matthew 02 - The Nativity - Scene 08 - The star
07/11/2012   Matthew 02 - The Nativity - Scene 09 - Gifts (Colour  versions)
07/11/2012   Matthew 02 - The Nativity - Scene 09 - Gifts (Starlight versions)
07/11/2012   Matthew 02 - The Nativity - Scene 09 - Gifts (Blue  versions)
15/11/2012   Matthew 02 - The Nativity - Scene 10 - Wise men return home
19/11/2012   Matthew 02 - The Nativity - Scene 11 - Joseph's Dream
28/11/2012   Matthew 02 - The Nativity - Scene 12 - Flight to Egypt (Colour version)
28/11/2012   Matthew 02 - The Nativity - Scene 12 - Flight to Egypt (Night version)
10/12/2012   Matthew 02 - The Nativity - Scene 13 - Infants murdered
05/12/2012   Matthew 02 - The Nativity - Scene 14 - Return to Israel (Colour version)
05/12/2012   Matthew 02 - The Nativity - Scene 14 - Return to Israel (Gold version)
13/12/2012   Matthew 02 - The Nativity - Scene 15 - Nazareth in Galilee
17/12/2012   1 Samuel 17 - David & Goliath - Scene 05 - David and the lion
18/12/2012   1 Samuel 17 - David & Goliath - Scene 06 - David practising
19/12/2012   1 Samuel 17 - David & Goliath - Scene 03 - Goliath boasts [in the valley of Elah]

Conclusion
So there you have it, my review of 2012. It has been an interesting, trying, frustrating, amazing, humbling, brilliant year of my life. I still really love to be involved with the Bible Cartoons Project. I can’t think of anything else I’d rather be doing with my life. I love the creativity & the fact that I am serving both the Lord & people all over the world is excellent. I love hearing from customers who have used my cartoons for in their churches & ministries. That really helps me to realise that my work makes a different & positive contribution to so many people.