Cassette Recordings and iPod Downloads

I can remember when I was about 10 years old and went to church every week, there was a very old man who used to regularly tape the services using a very modern cassette recorder. Now, nearly 30 years on (I'm definately not 40 yet!) services in the church I go to and churches all over the world are recorded and available via the internet. I know, who'd have thought in the future I'd still be going to church!



As a child I went to Church every week, 3 times a Sunday with my family. This wasn't a grand Church of England church with stained glass windows, pews and carved memorials in the walls, that might have entertained my wandering mind. 

It was a purpose built, for want of a better word 'hut'. And it wasn't called a Church, it was a Gospel Hall, and we didn't go to 'church' we went to 'the meeting'. So when I refer to going to church, I'm actually talking about a small group of about 30-40 people who all met on a Sunday, at the same times and sat in the same seats to hear the same story, which to me at the time seemed pointless.

I used to look up at the tiles on the ceiling, they were polystyrene with an indented pattern and depending on how I squinted I could make the cubes jump in or out, and if I got particularly bored of that, I would count them and multiply them - I really should be a lot better at maths than I am, given the amount of 'revision' I put in on a Sunday!

But it was the regular recording of the service by Uncle Percy, (who was almost 100 at the time) that I have been thinking about a lot lately. As far as I was concerned, we were sitting through excruciating boredom first time around, why would anyone record this to listen to it again?! His stubby old man fingers, carefully waiting to press record and play simultaneously as the speaker began his message just baffled me, nowadays such recordings are a matter of course, and available for download by whoever wants them.

So nearly 30 years on, I often wonder what surprises me more, that I now regularly go to a church and very much enjoy it, or that I scour the internet looking for services I might've missed, or think I'll find interesting to download to my iPod!

Boy do I wish the internet and iPods had been invented when I was a kid, there was just no discreet way of smuggling a bright red Sony Walkman into a meeting to listen to Thin Lizzy instead of the boring speaker! And if you'd got caught there was no excuse, no quick touch of a screen and 'look, I'm not on facebook, it's my online Bible app! What did you think it would be?'

                 
                 

I'm sure Uncle Percy and the likes of that time would be overwhelmed with the resources available to us today through which to hear Gods word spoken and taught! Here are some of my favourite links:

Unbelievable Radio Show Each week this show pits a believer against a non-believer to discuss topical issues and occasionally has two believers coming from differing angles, always a good show!

Liquid Church An American Church, most sermons by Tim Lucas. Upbeat preaching but always with an excellent message!

Tim Keller is a Theologian who has done some thoughtful series on believing in God and how it makes sense to us.

Reasonable Faith Dr Willaim Lane Craig answers the apologetics questions of the time.

Thornbury Baptist Church Better plug my own Church! Paul Ferguson does most of the services but other favourites to look out for are Dave Day and David Lawrence!

I've been thinking about this because as I said, I love to look online for Bible sermons or commentaries that interest me, if I miss a service at the church I attend and it's a speaker I enjoy, I know I can go onto the website and download the talk, and almost every time I put my earphones in and slide my finger across the screen of my phone, I think of old Uncle Percy and his cassette recordings...........

Puzzling Questions What Happens After Death?

So what happens after death? There are no right or wrong answers because nobody can know exactly.  But I don't think 'a family gathering and a buffet' is the answer we're looking for.

I think it's pretty straight forward in so much as, if you are a true follower and believer in Christ, one day you will be with God in Heaven for eternity.

And if you have chosen not to follow Christ, well the alternative is a little hotter.


As to the timings of these events ie straight after death, when Jesus returns, after the 1000 year reign etc, I am not very good at retaining or studying academic information, so I can't really say when I think I'll be in Heaven, I just know it will be when I'm dead!

The dvd we're watching doesn't ever answer the questions, but then the questions are such that there isn't really a correct answer, it is to do with how you feel, what you believe, and whether or not you want to explore the topics even further and possibly come to have a faith in God, where hopefully some of the questions/answers might make sense!

It is difficult going through it as a Christian, because you're answers all hinge around that, so it would be interesting to hear a complete non-Christian perspective.  Some of the voxpops from the street are obviously non-Christian, but one stuck in my mind. They go around the street asking various people the question, "What do you think happens after you die?" A chap answered something along the lines of "probably nothing, but I hope there's something better."

I pray that he follows that enquiring thought in his head, I can't think of anything more sad than somebody hoping to find something that they don't even really believe let alone understand.

I listened to these two podcasts this year Liquid Church Hell, Heaven & The Afterlife Mars Hill Church (Driscoll) Revelation which I really enjoyed and got a lot out of them, but frustratingly like I said, I just cannot retain information in my brain (unless it's lyrical, so if one day the Bible is made as a musical from start to finish, I'll be alright), so however well studied, I don't feel confident that what I'm saying is Biblicaly correct.  I shoot from the heart!

So, what's gonna happen after you die?

The Original Blog

I love going to blogs and podcasts as a source of teaching and faith building and encouragement, and they provide all that, but a couple of posts I read recently really reminded of the original source of our teaching and faith building and encouragement – The Bible.

God also revealed this to me recently when I decided I wanted to find out more about the women in the Bible, of course my first call was the internet, but when I actually just sat down and read Eve’s story for myself in the Bible (which of course I thought I was completely familiar with) it really spoke to me.

I really believe the Holy Spirit was guiding me to read that passage for myself and not just look at others views of it.

Eve gets a really bad wrap, but would any of us behaved any differently?  Do we sometimes not listen to the lies of the Evil one telling us if something seems good, surely God won’t mind us going after it?  After all we deserve it, right? Wrong.  We deserve nothing, but by God’s grace we are free to make right and wrong choices.

But look at what Eve achieved!  Without her you would not exist!  She was created by God to be a ‘suitable helper for Adam’ Genesis 2:18 She was his equal, She laid down the outlines for marital commitment, coming from Adam’s flesh to unite them as one being.  If man and woman in marriage become one person, that means man and woman must be equal.  You wouldn’t think your left side of your body was not as important as your right side would you?

God created a world that needed populating and Eve bore many children in pain to accomplish God’s plan.

If when the Serpent tempted Eve she had gone straight to God and said ”what should I do?”  God may well have said ”the choice is yours” or maybe he would have said “let me refer you back to our conversation where I said you could eat any fruit, but not from the tree in the middle of the garden or you will die” Genesis 3:3

What are you going to do?  God has already told us what to do in our lives, if we are not sure it’s ok to check with Him through his word.  Generations upon generations of people didn’t pass these scriptures down to be mass produced in every language conceivable for us to go, ‘hmmm, wonder what I should do, there’s got to be a blog or podcast on that somewhere’ Go to your Bible the answers are all there!

Don’t get me wrong, I am a massive fan of the #digidisciple and some of the blogs and podcasts I’ve come across have been phenomenally helpful, and I wouldn’t be writing this if I didn’t think someone somewhere would get something from it, just a warning that nothing can replace the Holy inspired word of God, The Bible.  The original blog.

Weekly Song Round Up

Music is a huge part of my life, there is always an ipod or a radio playing somewhere, and I have been known to attempt to play the guitar - I need a lot of practice with that.

Anyway, I thought it might be a fun idea to round up the end of each week with a song selection, because I will usually start singing any random song to accompany my daily activities or emotions.

Hope the links work!

A favourite worship song we sing at our Church This Is Our God  The thing I love about the Church we attend now is the worship is incredible, it is clearly directed towards God with happy and hungry hearts.  Unlike the Church I grew up in which used to sing 'Happy Day' without so much as cracking a smile.

Friends Will Be Friends I posted about friendship earlier in the week and they were really there for me yesterday, they gave me the space I needed, but kept checking in with me to make sure I was alright.

Hmm, marriage course communication She Said, She Said I'm thinking sometimes I think I prefer When You Say Nothing At All

Gotta love a bit of mid-week zumba Evacuate The Dance Floor I hasten to add this is not a clip from the group I attend........Our routine is much better!

Trust And Obey worship songs aren't just for Sunday you know!  My sister posted this on her facebook, with the reminder we sang the original hymn version at her baptism.  I am getting baptised in July, so need to start thinking of a couple of songs.

A difficult day yesterday, lots of tears Stop Your Sobbing feeling a lot better today!

Now a favourite to lead us into the weekend.  I have been listening all week to a podcast on Song Of Songs it has been incredible, and really revealed to me not only, the love that Christ has for us his Church, but also, the love God intended us to show to each other as husband and wife.  With that in mind there can only be one song really.....................Feel Like Making Love!

Have a good weekend everybody, and if Harold Camping is right.........hallelujah, I think.


































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