Bar Diving.

A favourite pass time on a Saturday evenings at Felixstowe Rugby Club is a game we like to call Bar Diving.

Now the idea of the game is for someone to climb onto the bar (or any high place within the bar area) and jump into the arms of a waiting group waiting to catch the diver.

Ive seen many a mad diver jumping of bars, loft cupboards, balcony's and low roofs and also done a few dives (from a low height) myself.

So whats the point?....... I guess its a good way of rugby players to pass the time, show bravery and Strength. Maybe its also a way to let of steam after a hard game.

But is there another reason why bar diving is so popular in rugby clubs around the world?

To Be a successful Bar Diver you need to jump with a straight body. You need to launch off at and angle that means you ll land parallel to the landing area so that the catchers can share the Load (and with me the load is a lot). You also have to TRUST!

Trust is something that is learnt by ''trusting''. A child learns to trust by trusting that a parent will always keep them safe and those children that don't have that caring parental situation often learn not to trust adults.

Moses had to learn to trust as he was walking along with his staff (big stick) in hand. he was talking to God asking how he could trust God and do what god had asked.

Suddenly the staff turned into a snake, dangerous and one of those snakes you just don't want to be within a mile of.

Scared Moses went to run, but God said ''Moses, pick up the snake''. Yer right, I'm sure Moses was gonna do that, if he is as scared of snakes as I am.

God said again ''Moses pick it up, Trust me''.

So Moses picked up the snake slowly and suddenly as he touched it the snake turned back into a staff.

What we see here is moses learning to trust God, and in the same way we have to learn to trust him too. Which isn't easy, and I guess the pain and stress in the mean time is gonna be tuff to get through, but God promises that those that trust and seek him will be full of happiness and good.

Try taking that ''Leap of Faith''. Try and learning to start trusting God. Try talking to God and asking him to help you learn to Trust in him.

Good From Bad.

At times we can all feel like the worlds against us, and trying to find a way out of the downward spiral just seems impossible. A bit like a slide on a playground.

My 3 year old can climb the ladder to the top of the slide, but it seems to take him forever to reach the top. Once at the top it takes about 2 seconds to slide down. But he goes back to the bottom of the steps and once again climbs up.

He will do this many times with a grin on his face, and the challenge of getting to the top doesn't stop him from doing it again and again. But for him the slide down is the fun bit and that's why he keeps going.

Many things in our life can be that same thing. We seem to climb a long steep ladder only to get to a place where we can be proud of, and admire the view. Then we seem to slide down so quickly and hit the bottom with a thud.

So how can we make this bad slide down into something good?. I guess that's a question we all want an answer to.

Maybe we need to step back from the slide and take time to think of a way we can climb up the ladder better. Maybe we could STOP and look at what caused the slide down.


Jesus will always come to you if you ask him, and at the bottom of the slide (or in the low times) he can work with you to turn those bad things into good. He has done it time and time again because his plan is always better than we think.

London 2012

I'm not sure if I'm allowed to use the title London 2012 for this blog, I think that maybe it might be copyrighted or something. Oh well I guess I chance it (might even include the logo too for good measure.

As the Olympic torch travels round the country I cant help feel that we are missing the point of what its about.

From Wikipedia.
The Olympic Flame is a symbol of the Olympic Games. Commemorating the theft of fire from the Greek god Zeus by Prometheus, its origins lie in ancient Greece, where a fire was kept burning throughout the celebration of the ancient Olympics.^. The fire was reintroduced at the 1928 Summer Olympics in Amsterdam and it has been part of the modern Olympic Games ever since.
In contrast to the Olympic flame proper, the torch relay of modern times which transports the flame from Greece to the various designated sites of the games had no ancient precedent and was introduced by Carl Diem at the controversial 1936 Berlin Olympics.

So its lite from a flame in Greece and brought to the UK by plane. The is carried round the UK through villages and towns to finally end up at the Olympic stadium where it will be used to light the 2012 Olympic torch.

This is quite an amazing thing when you think that the flame will continue to burn whilst making its way to London.

As I saw the Olympic flame arrive in the UK I realised that this Torch relay was going to be seen by thousand if not millions of people as they line the route to see it go past. what a great way to get the whole of the UK involved in what is promised to be a great Games.

So what can we do as Christians to get people involved? What can we do to Carry the flame? how far do we have to go to show people the light of the World?

Many people will have seen preachers on the streets, had people knocking at the door had things shoved in front of them. Lets look at ways to get involved not by force but by trying to prove it through our actions and taking the opportunities to tell others when they arrive.

Donkey Journey

My dad tells a story about an old man and his son walking along the road from they're village into town with they're donkey. Now it was quite a long road and they where getting very tired and came across a traveller going the other way.

''You fools'' the traveller said. ''You are both walking and getting tired, why doesn't one of you ride on the donkey?''

So the old man tells his son to sit on the donkey. and a little further another traveller comes by. ''I cant believe this'' said the traveller, ''A young lad like you sitting on the donkey while your old father struggles, surly you can see this old man needs a rest''

So the young boy gets of and the the old man climbs on and they continue on the road.

again a traveller comes by this time shock that the old man would force the young lad to walk ''the donkey can carry you both into town, so why do you make the boy walk?''

So this time they both mount the donkey and continue towards town.

A frail old lady sitting at the side of the road stops the two sitting on the donkey. ''you two should be assumed of your selves'' says the lady. ''that poor animal has been carrying you and is tied, you should carry the poor thing into town for a rest''

So Again they lift the donkey and struggle into town.

once in town they realise everyone was laughing at them. The site of these two villagers carrying a donkey was to much and they started mocking them. ''Why have a donkey if all your going to do is carry it'' and ''you guys are crazy, surely you know the donkey is strong enough to carry you''

So whats the point of this story. Well my dad would always tell at the end something about you cant please all the people all of the time, but you can please some of the people some of the time.

To be honest I didn't really listen to the whole point of the story as as soon as dad started it i would switch off.

I guess what dad was trying to say was that in life you may do things that annoy people, you may do things that please people, or your may say things that divides people, and I guess this cant be changed.

How about we try (its not easy) to look to doing things that please God. Maybe ask yourself if you think god would approve. your always going to have people telling you different and always going to have people disagree. But if we look to Jesus and ask ourselves, what would he do? We may just start to be better people and have people seeing us differently.

God Will Always Answer

BIBLE MEDITATION:
“Call unto me, and I will answer thee, and show thee great and mighty things, which thou knowest not.” Jeremiah 33:3

DEVOTIONAL THOUGHT:
I read about some children in a Sunday School class who wrote letters to a missionary to let him know they were praying for him. The teacher of the class said, “Now, children, the missionary is a very busy person, so don’t expect him to write you back.” One little girl’s letter read, “Dear Brother Brown, We’re praying for you. We don’t expect an answer.”

Sadly, this is how we pray! We don’t really expect an answer. But God has promised He will answer us when we call upon His name. Psalm 91:15 says, “He shall call upon Me, and I will answer him: I will be with him in trouble; I will deliver him, and honor him.”

ACTION POINT:
• What are you praying for today?
• Do you believe that God can answer?
• Do you believe that He will answer?
• Then thank Him now for answering.

 

By Clifford Harrison-Frazer (Facebook)

Prayer Works.

I need to blog today to get the ''Naked 7s of the top of the page..... So I thought I would blog about a discussion I had yesterday with a christian friend.

We where chatting about stuff we have going on in our lives and basically having a chat about general christian stuff. When he said something to me that has maybe change my view on a few things.

Ive never really 100% understood prayer, or how it works. but he explained to me this (and I'm not quite sure on all the details)..........

There was this City in the bible that god had planned to destroy. Now there where people in another place that decided to pray for this city and said to god "if you can find 10 good people within the city, will you not spare it".

So God looked at the city and couldn't find 10 good people so he continued with the plans. The people again got together and prayed "God, if you can find 5 good people in the city, please spare it''

God couldn't find any good people in the city so the city was destroyed and Gods plan was done.

Now you are probably thinking this story betrays god in a bad way, and I guess it does but forget for now the part of god destroying the city. Think about the prayers that the people ask god for.

God had a solid plan to destroy the city, but god can change those plans if he feels fit and that is what prayer is. Asking god for healing, for help and for good will help to change Gods plans and to make things good.

this doesn't always work as God knows what it best, but he does always listens and does always answer. just maybe not the way we think.

I guess this is a very ruff out line of the story, but i don't think it matters that i don't know in detail the full event. As God doesn't need us to know the In's and outs he just needs to know we trust him and praying is always the key to knowing more.

I think Ive not got the prayer thing up until now because surely if God has a plan then weather we pray or not that God already knows what is going to happen.

This story Changes that and brings pray into a different prespective. If god hears our prayer (which he does) then this story is prof that god listens and looks at his plan and maybe decide to change it.

I hope readers of this understand the point Im trying to get across and not trying to make any other point apart from 'Prayer Works'

Naked 7's

Ive been asked a few times if Id blog about stuff to do with rugby bar issues. As many of my friends in the rugby world read all my blogs and send some great feed back. So this is for those guys.

Of course there is always going to be people that think my blogs are rubbish and always gonna be people that mock them. That's fine by me as it encourages me to try harder next time.

So what is the main request?.......

OK, well Ive had a few people ask me to try and say what I think the big man would say about past rugby antics Ive been involved in so here goes....

Ive seen many mad things happen at rugby clubs, and on tour (however, what goes on tour stays on tour) and to be honest I really look back, maybe not with pride but with fondness at many of the silly antics that have gone and pasted.

The sing songs in the club house, the bar diving and even a few games of naked 7s here and there.

I guess as we get older we see how shameful some things where but rightly or wrongly it was always done in great spirit. and no one was ever hurt (on purpose) or no one was singled out to be made a fool of (we all got made a fool of at some point)

I could say Ive been a bad lad and maybe could be accused of being unchristian when looking back on rugby antics, but to be honest again, I kind of think it was unharmful and boys being boys.

I'm not going to repeat anything that should be repeated on this blog but Ive already mentioned Naked 7s and this was a favourite game of many a rugby club. It does what it says on the tin. a bunch of rugby gents stripping of and playing rugby.

Its a contact game and I must admit during the rugby season in the UK it can be a bit chilly, but its never a bad time for some extra rugby. It also usually ends up with a few naked players in the bar for a while until all clothes are found after being hidden by some non playing, fully clothed spectators.

God gives us free will and although now I can say I would probably not get to much involve in these antics I don't see anything to wrong with them as long as they continue to be done in good spirit.

The concept of rugby is always sportsmanship and sociable and as members of a club we look to respect all members and look to keep all members even at all times. There is no one better or worse than anyone else and we will always look after anyone that needs help.

The church is very much the same and as a member of a church I have an extended family different to that at the rugby club but in many ways very similar (we don't play naked 7s at church) And in both I see god working within people to help others even if they don't realise it.

So if you're wondering where god is in all the rugby antics or all the bad stuff that goes on in the world then know that God doesn't have a place in making the bad stuff happen, but he makes thing right or better.

the bible says God knows the plans he has for you, plans for good not for evil. When bad things strike, He is there ready for you to ask him to set up his plan for good.

Writer's Block

I wanted to do a blog today, but really trying hard to think of anything to say. Looking for inspiration and praying for bloggers block to be 'unblocked'. but for some reason I cant think of anything useful to wright about.

I have said before that my blogs sometimes my blogs start of one way and end up completely different. So am wondering if I just type away my thoughts, will the blog end up a jumbled mess or will it end up a positive piece of blogging?

Ever be in a situation like this where no matter how hard you try. No matter how hard you listen, you just don't seem to find the correct path to take.

Recently Ive been trying to listen and trying to look for positive things. Trying to see the way forward and trying to find the way that's easiest to walk along. But still struggling to see that way.

I can see God walking with me but I just cant see where he is leading me. So ill I can seem to do is follow my gut feeling and do what I think he is telling me.

A bit like this blog, and even now I don't know what the point is to it.

Maybe we all need to open up and try and follow our gut instinct and not follow the crowd. As we know, sometimes following the crowd and worrying about what people think isn't always the best thing to do.

Try and find a way to be the person you want to be. Try and find the person god wants you to be. Not the person others think you should be, not the person people expect you to be.

Turn it around and keep going. Work towards that goal of being you, or being how God designed you. Of course that's not the easy path, and its gonna be full of rocks and hills.

Take that step today as the first step is always the hardest. Keep walking. just like Ive kept doing this blog.

Not enough faith

Someone said to me that god didn't exist. I don't think I have enough faith to believe that.
The argument was that the world was created by some collision between the earth and moon. And gases formed ad created life.

I guess science has a lot of influence in how many of us view the world. And however many things keep being discovered it makes us look at everything differently.
But isn't the world just so organised. Isn't it a miracle how thing tend to work perfectly. That sort of organisation can only be hand made and not made from a "big bang".

Look at a watch. There are so many parts that make it work. And when it's wound up all it's parts work perfectly together and In time.

If I take a watch and put it in a bag and smash it, then shake the bag for millions of years, would that watch put it self back together? I think not. Or I don't have enough faith to think it would.

I don't have faith that a big crash formed a gas that created life. Or that it created the moon and sun the move perfectly round the earth. And I don't think that by accident life was formed that makes us individuals each with our own unique finger print.

And that birds fly and fish swim and rain is formed again and again. Surly this is work of hands and not a lucky accident.

It says in the bible god knew each and everyone of us before we where born. He knew everything and knew the plans he had for us. He just want the best for us and will give the best if we trust in him.

I don't have enough faith in it all being a complete coincidence or a lucky hit. But I do have faith in god and what he can do.

Walls.

Walls are made from all sorts of material, some are perfect for the job, others just don't work (Ask the three Little pigs)

They also do many jobs, like part of a house, or to enclose a garden. But they all are built to do one thing and that is to separate or divide.

The good thing about all walls is that they can be knocked down. Some easier than others I admit, but there is all ways a way to remove them.

The Wall around Jericho where built pretty solid. And the Idea was to stop people getting in or out. But God had a plan and called on Joshua to get men with trumpets and touches and instruct them to march around the city walls for a week.

This must have bee a bit of a joke for many but Joshua did what God asked and on the seventh day the walls crumbled to the floor and freed the people of Jericho.

So why am I going on about walls...... well I saw this on the web.

We sure can put up walls and try and hide behind them, We can but up walls to stop people from helping. We can build walls to stop the truth being herd or to try and force people through. We can build wall..... but we can also knock them down.

God Instructed Joshua to knock down the walls and with his help those barriers where gone forever.

Have you got walls doing a job that could be stopping you from moving on or getting to a good place. do you have walls that stop people from getting close to you.

Maybe its time to break those walls,

Is there a wall between you and god? stopping you getting to him and him to you? Well that is the easiest of walls to crumble as good says Those who seek shall find.

It maybe brick by brick or smacked down flat. but those walls can be removed.



The right Choice.

We are all face with choices in life and some are small choices like what to wear that day or what to eat. Some choices can be big like a career change or a choice to move home.
This video hit my heart stings, as seems to make some choices in life pretty unimportant.

Please watch... I decide for yourself if the mother made the right choice... I think she did.

Look for Good

Today a Facebook Friend put this on his status......

Those who blurt out things, sometimes justifying it by boasting ‘I speak my mind’, are worse than fools, presumably because they can do more harm. How often are friendships broken, churches split, families divided by words hastily spoken? - David Winter

That struck a cord for me as those who know me will know I sometimes 'speak my mind' and though no harm intended I guess in some cases it can be harmful.

I'm guessing many of us say things or do things on the spir of the moment and I guess, like me the feeling is afterwards of regret and sadness.

So... what can we can to avoid these situations? What can we do to try and become more positive and to see past our blinkered thoughts? What can we do to put a point across in a more pleasant way?

I don't have all the answers but I do know that by talking to god and asking him to help would be a step in the right direction.

Someone once said if you can smile and see your faults then faults will seem smaller in others. I guess this is the same as what someone told me that if you point your fingers at people, there are always more fingers pointing back at you.

So maybe its time to see our faults and try and forget about other peoples fault, and look to whats good in those people.

Jesus did this regularly and on one occasion had dinner with a man that had many faults as he was a unmoral tax collector. People where shocked when Jesus when and shared time and food with this man. But Jesus saw good in him and looked past the faults.

Try looking past the faults in people and look for the good in all.

Ipswich V Norwich.

Where I live The Local Football Team is Ipswich Town. There Rivals ar Norwich.

Now I tend to swing onto the Blue side of this situation as Ipswich tend to be the better team and Yellow doesnt look good on me, but would never go so far as to say I am pasionate about Ipswich and am not the biggest of football fans.

When these two teams meet there always seems to be a ''buzz'' around the place. Norwich and Ipswich fans tend to almost hate each other on match days and call each other names (mainly unrepeatable).



I guess I see football as a game with little passion, not much Togetherness and Players that care more about the wage bill and how they look rather than passion for who they play for and the game its self.

Ofcourse there are going to be a lot of people messaging me about football being great and all that, but my passion is in Rugby. To go and watch Rugby is a pleasure as you the supporters are mixed and not segrigated. This makes for an awsome atmosphire and the friendly banter always ends up with making new friends.

Rugby to is a ruff game and yes there is quite often fights break out on the pitch, but thats always where it stays and after the game the players create a tunnel to clap the opponents off. This to me is a fital part of Rugby.

In football the players quite often pretend to be hurt, and yes some times fights break out on the pitch and very often spill over after the game. The Fans have to be segrigated to stop over exsited fans from mixing and probably fighting.

The Referee in football has little or no respect from players, dug out staff or supporters. and often youll see crouds of player gather round aguing about the disition he has made.

Rugby Referees are called Sir at all times and the othority they have is respected by all players, staff and spectators. if a player argues then straight away the disition will be reversed or yards will be lost.

So where am I going with this. Well I guess Im not trying to slate all football fans, Just football. Im also not trying to suggest Rugby is the perfect sport. I hav many friends that Love football and to me they are all football fans for the right reasons. I have many close friends that are rugby fans and they to love the game for the right reasons.

So Whats the Point? Well lets look at football being a Sin (I know it isnt) and lets look at rugby being Good (which it is) its not the people that make me think the way I do about football it the way it is in general.

''love the sinner, hate the sin ?''

We should all try and see the good in people, (Norwich fans or Ipswich Fans) and why could we not all enjoy sport or life together and share that bond. Life here is to short to hate, so lets all try and see the good in our enemys and lets not look down on the sinners but look down on the sin.

The Tunnel

I friend of mine ask on facebook for one of his prophetic friends to have a listen to Holy Spirit and let me know if you hear anything.

 

Now I don't know much about this stuff, but all I know is that God gives someone a vision and they tell you what that vision is.

 

I put on his status ''Can you ask the same for me rob'' and a friend of his (who I don't know, and he doesn't know me) replied to his request and also amazingly replied to mine too.

 

I asked him if I could add it here and he said I could. So this is what he sent me.

 

Gareth, I got a picture of you in an underground tunnel, really soily and dirty and moist and dark etc. U were crawling along on ur elbows and getting very mucky. I saw u then come to a part in the tunnel where there was a plank of wood vertically standing in the way if the tunnel blocking ur way. It was buried in the base and roof if the tunnel and u couldn't shift it. U also saw that it was rotting and decaying and you thought that if u moved it it may bring the tunnel and the soil down on you. I then saw u noticing the figure of Jesus approaching in the tunnel on the other side of the plank. He asks you if you're OK, then what u have done to try and move it, u say u can't move it because it's so tight in here u can't pull or push at it - he asks if u want help. He then attaches a rope around the wood and the back out of the tunnel leaving u there. U then see the rope tighten and then hear the wood snap and break and the whole tunnel in front if you collapses aid buried. As you look up u see light coming through and release the tunnel has collapsed on itself and before you know what to do you feel Jesus have grabbing yours and lifting u up into the sunshine and light and the smells and sounds of a beautiful forest teaming with life. U don't even take a second look at where you've come from, you just walk on with Him.

 

To me that has kind of made sense. the only thing is, Whats the plank of wood in my way? how do I move it? where should I be heading?

 

You may read these blogs with interest or you may just read them but think its all ''Nuts'' to me it doesn't matter. You may not even believe in all the stuff i write about again it doesn't matter.

 

The truth is there's a plank of wood in front of many of us (christian or non christian). So how we going to get that moved out of our way? can we do it alone? do we need help? I'm guessing we probably all need help to break it down.

 

So...... Who you gonna ask to help?

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Dentist Chair.

I'm of to the dentist today. I need 2 fillings and I'm not looking forward to it as I hate having to sit in that dentist chair. The fact is that dentists scare me and right now I am very worried and don't feel to good about it.

The whole situation is horrible. you sit there and get an injection into you gums that hurts and tastes terrible. Then as you sit with your mouth open waiting for the injection to take effect the dentist checks the rest of your mouth.

Then the drilling starts and although you shouldn't, you start feeling pain. On top of that is that horrendous noise of the drill rattling round in you head.

Then when its over you cant feel anything in your mouth and cant talk properly and dribble without knowing.

Although I'm not happy going to the dentist, I know in my head it may not be to bad and although I work myself up to expect the worse what I should do is expect the best.

Sure, you could say that expecting the worst is a good thing as then anything else is better. But why not expect the best? surely this makes more sense rather than stress and worry yourself sick about it.

You know God wants the best for us. he doesn't want us to stress and worry about what the future hold as with him the future brings goodness. Sure he doesn't promise no pain or no hardship, but what he does promise is that he will never leave you.

God will never put you in a situation you cant handle and the best way to handle it is with him.

Do it Together.

So you want God to do something? OK well whatever it is first of all PRAY. Then try working towards it.

You maybe about to do an exam. You could Pray to God and ask him to help you pass. So what next? forget revision? go out to enjoy yourself? or, do you set aside to study time and work towards your best?

You may have a job interview, so do you Pray and leave the rest to God? or do you look up the job description and find out a bit about it? do you go in jeans and t-shirt? or do you go in suit?

You want something really bad but cant afford it? do you Pray and hope God will send a nice fat cheque? or do you save up or do extra hours at work?

It so easy to think that leaving things in gods hands if enough (and sometimes it could be) but how about if we work with God?
Don't get it? OK... Lets say you want to go on a trip but you have no idea how to get there. You could Pray and leave it to God to get you there. Good idea? well you may as well just close you eyes and put you foot to the floor and hope. Mad right?

So I guess the better way to go is to plan ahead, look at a map, see which is the best way and plan any stops. Things that God gives us to make it better, easier and will get us to our goal.

God doesn't want to take over our lives, he wants to work in our lives. Remember When we seek him wholeheartedly. Its not always about asking him to do something, its sometimes about asking him to help, The skill then is to see his help.