I am a part of the fellowship of the Unashamed. I have the Holy Spirit
Power. The die has been cast. I have stepped over the line. The decision has
been made. I am a disciple of Jesus Christ. I won't look back, let up, slow
down, back away, or be still.

And when He comes to get His own, He will have no problem recognizing me. My
colors will be clear for "I am not ashamed of the Gospel, because it is the
power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes.." (Romans 1:16)

Bob Moorhead

I have signed up, have you?

By Dr. Bob Moorehead

Today I watched the movie "Walk The Line"What a brilliant film. It starred Joaquin Phoenix who plays a highly convincing Johnny Cash and Reece Witherspoon in the oscar winning role of June Carter Cash. Johnny Cash was raised by Christian parents, brought up in the church and started his career singing gospel songs. His faith never left him. His Christian life was the line he walked. During his life he waiverd from that line many times, sometimes quite spectacularly. He had problems with alcohol, drugs, spent time in prison, had extra marital affairs and much more.

We all walk the line and truth to tell we all waiver, I know I do! Whilst I can honestly say that drugs, drink, extra marital affairs and prison terms have not featured highly in my list of issues, there are times when I blow it. I do things that I would not want put up on a cinema screen or feature on a dvd. We all walk the line and I guess the secret is to ensure as we walk along the tightrope we need to keep our eyes upon Jesus.

(By the way I watched half of Romance and Cigarettes, it was rubbish!

The fantastic thing about having cable TV is that it has a great feature on BBC digital that allows you to catch up with programmes you have missed. The two programmes that I always watch using this method are Spooks and Extras. . They are both very different programmes. Spooks is a fictional account about MI5. The stories are very topical and often highly believeable. There is normally a major conspiracy and some nail-biting drama. Extras is a completely different "kettle of fish". It stars, is written and is directed by Ricky Gervais and Steven Merchant. There is always a handful of other major stars who play themselves and a number of incredibly excruciatingly situations that tackle just about every major comedy taboo possible.

This has lead me to a personal challenge. If I am committed to watching these programmes, then it must not be at the expense of my time with God. I don't know what your way into His word is but I try all sorts to keep my times with Him fresh. At the moment I have been reading "Every Day with Jesus" by Selwyn Hughes. His direct simplicity is wonderful. His spiritual footprint is massive. The number of people who came to faith through his ministry will only surpassed by those who have a greater understanding of the God of the bible because of his writings. A great man of God who will be sadly missed.

One of the things that has been a bit of a discovery for me in the last year is that I love cooking. To be honest the day to day stuff is of little interest but when I have people over for meal, I love planning the menu, buying the ingredients, preparing and then cooking the meal. I also quite enjoy the shock on my guest's faces at their suprise in not to getting pizza and garlic bread.

One of the reasons the interest has arisen is because of the programmes by Jamie Oliver and Gordon Ramsay.

Their passion for food is, to me at least, totally infectious. A few years ago my best mate Nigel James www.nigeljames.typepad.co.uk wrote an article about Jamie Oliver. In it he talked about him being a great evangelist for food. Truth to tell if more of us where as evangelistic for the gospel as Jamie and Gordon are about food then the Kingdom of God would be growing at an even quicker rate. Now that is food for thought!

In the Smith household Monday night is DVD night. Tonight was no exception. We watched the movie "Last Holiday" starring Queen Latifah and LL Cool J. A real feel good movie. The story centres on a woman who is told she has 3 weeks to live. She suddenly considers all the things she wanted to do, some of the possibilities that had not came to pass. So taking her life savings she flies 1st class to Prague, stays at a 5 star hotel in the Presidential Suite, meets her favourite chef and says to people exactly what she thinks of them. A typical sentimental, American comedy but fun all the same!

It made me think what are the things I would do if I had 3 weeks to live. Now this is not a depressive thought. We put off so many things for the future. Especially the things of God. The Bible says "Do not worry about tomorrow: tomorrow will take care of itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own." (Matt. 6:34) This is a call to "Carpe Diem" (Sieze the day!). If you are anything like me there is so much I want to sort out. I need to lose a couple of pounds, there's a standing order I keep forgetting to set up, my house needs re-wiring. I guess I could go on. Can this stuff wait? Is this wise? If I wait there is a chance that there will be even more stuff to sort out!

All this pales into insignificance at the side of some of the internal stuff that needs sorting. Matthew 23:27-28 says You are like whitewashed tombs that look beautiful on the outside but inside are full of the bones of the dead and of everything unclean. In the same way, on the outside you look righteous to people, but inside you are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness.

Do you sometimes live with the thought "what if people found out about the real me. The secret stuff that only I know about?" However, this is not really helpful thinking. There is no stuff that is secret from God. He knows exactly what is in our whitewashed tombs. As for me I am commiting to clear out some of the dead, decaying and dirty stuff out of my life, how about you?

Earlier this month a British Navy chaplain was awarded significant financial damages after leaving the navy due to "sexual intimidation." Briefly the facts of the case are that Rev Mark Sharpe claims he was forced to leave the navy after being constantly exposed to hardcore pornography on dvd in the mess room. Much of it would be classed as illegal, some of which involved animals. Apparantly he was told by his superiors to turn a "blind-eye" It appears that the officers thought it was acceptable. It is as if pornography is used as "bromide for the 21st Century"

So here is the dilemna....what would you have done in his situation?

On the surace it may seem obvious, of course he did the right thing. Why should any Christian, let alone a minister, be subjected to this filth. But is it as simple as that? Does it change your opinion if I tell you he was only 24 days at sea on HMS Manchester when he left?

My mate Dai Hankie
had an interesting perspective. "If you are a missionary into a different culture, you have to at first accept its norms before you can change them."
This in no way accepts the depravity but suggests that nothing will change if Christians do not infiltrate "the world." Does your opinion of the situation change if you realise that Rev Sharpe settled out of court for a rumoured £50,000? Surely if had wanted to really ensure the situation was highlighted he would have taken his case right throught the courts?

On a radio phone-in show by far the majority of those calling in could not see what the problem was. Surely the navy crew should be allowed to watch pornography after a tough shift when they could be months at sea? Does it affect your view of this if I tell you that ships are crewed 24 hours a day and as such if you are on the crew you could subjected to it at breakfast time?

So what would you have done, left the navy and highlighted the problem or stayed and tried to change it?

Today was the day that Tony Blair addressed his final labour conference as the Labour leader. Now to be honest I have been a Labour supporter all my life and therefore I am aware of how much he has acheived as leader and Prime Minister but everything must come to an end.

A definition of entropy is that nature tends from order to disorder..... Basically it suggests that as soon as things have finished starting, they start ending. That all things that rise must fall that all things that begin will end. Look at history choose any point and see kingdoms rise. Whether it is the Egyptians, Persians, Medes, Greeks or Romans. They all dominated the world and then lost power. In recent times "Brittania rules the Waves", oh really! Communism is the future, I don't think so! It is worth thinking about the fact that the USA is the only world super power.
Some would argue that the evidence of entropy is already there. Who will come next? China? The European Union? Time will tell.

The book of Ecclesiastes, chapter 3, verses 1-8 tells us that for all things there is a season. So whether that is Tony Blair or the USA this portion of scripture covers it. The challenge for us all is to ensure that entropy is not accelerated needlessly by our inappropriate activity or inactivity. We also need to mindful of the fact that when God brings people together for His purposes, satan is the one who comes to steal, kill or destroy (John 10:10). So if he can bring downfall to the work we seek to do for God, he will. A number of years ago I was often using a phrase that I believe God had given me and I am reminded of again it is to attend to the things he has given me. I think if we are mindful of this, we will be best placed to ensure the purposes of God come to pass and that they are not snatched from us by the enemy.

So there is my rambling blog on Tont Blair, the USA, entropy and the purposes of God!!

This weeked was another busy one. Friday night I went to see Superhero along with Zach and Michelle from our Ignite Cymru team. It was part of their UK tour and took place at Briton Ferry Christian centre. It was a great show. Dave Lyle, JLO and Sam Boulton were the tech crew. What also impressed me was the passion of the young people from Briton Ferry Christian Centre. They were so on fire for Jesus and the lost, it was great to see.

Sunday was the latest in our Igniting a Passion event. Over 500 young people packed into the Great Hall of Cardiff University Students Union. In addition to the powerful worship we have come to expect, Paul Francis and the Going Public team presented a clear biblical, factual and entertaining presentation about sex. It was clearly well received by those present and some are already commenting on the bulletin boards of our website www.igniteme.org

A few years ago I was fortunate enough to meet a catholic priest called Christoph Haider. His passion to reach the young people the small village of Oberhofen in the Tyrol Austria, was such that he decided to organise a concert with Rebecca St James. This was quite an undertaking for this mozart fan. If you met him you would immediately warm to him, as I did. Since then I have returned with Rebecca St James on her last tour. However, the point of this blog is he is such an encouragement to me. He often sends me an email to keep in contact and in them he says "I remember you in my night-time prayers". Isn't that a great turn of phrase?

When I was on holiday, he called me to ask how I was and to have a chat. He then sent me the following, written by the catholic theologian, Cardinal John Henry Newman. See if you find it as encouraging as I did.

"God beholds you individually, whoever you are. He calls you by your name. He sees you and understands you, as He made you. He knows what is in you, all your own peculiar feelings and thoughts, your dispositions and likings, your strengthyou’re your weakness. He views you in your day of rejoicing, and your day of sorrow. He sympathises in your hopes and your temptations. He interests Himself in all your anxieties and remembrances, all the rising and failings of your spirit. He has numbered the very hairs of your head and the cubits of your stature. He compasses you round and bears you in His arms; He takes you up and sets you down. He notes your very countenance, whether smiling or in tears, whether healthful or sickly. He looks tenderly upon your hands and your feet; He hears your voice, the beating of your heart, and your very breathing. You do not love yourself better than He loves you.

You cannot shrink from pain more than He dislikes your bearing it; and if He puts it on you, it is as you would put it on yourself, if you would be wise, for a greater good afterwards. You are not only His creature (though for the very sparrows He has a care, and pitied the "much cattle" of Nineveh), you are redeemed and sanctified, His adopted child, favoured with a portion of that glory and blessedness which flows from Him everlastingly unto the Only-begotten. You are chosen to be His, even above your fellows who dwell in the East and South. You were one of those for whom Christ offered up His last prayer, and sealed it with His precious blood."

We are all back from the very hot island of Tenerife. It was such a good time. I am so fortunate, God has blessed me with two wonderful children. We spent lots of time laid by the pool. eating, swimming and walking...just hanging out being a family.

As usual I am reading about 4 books. 1 by Philip Yancey, one by Jeremy McQouid and a great book I bought the day before we left Cardiff, "Moondust" This is a book where a British writer seeks to interview the only 9 men living who have walked on the moon. I have not finished it yet but I am loving it. As a 44 year old man, I distinctly remember the Apollo programme. The book goes into the political and technological motivation that made men leave the gravitational pull of the earth and head off to the lunar surface. However, what it stirred in me was the sense of adventure that the astronautshad and that all of us as kids shared when they headed off to the moon. What is sad is it is unlikely that in the near future that rockets will go to the Moon or Mars for that matter. So in leiu of any other adult being there I tried to share some of the excitement with kids....I failed! They were not in the slightest bit interested and the whole thing, please excuse the pun seemed alien to them.

One suprising success was "West Wing" As a late convert to this Emmy winning series having only watched series 1 in May (to my shame I have since watched right through to series 6!) I took the first series took watch again late night in the apartment. So night one, the kids wanted to stay up and the kids wanted to stay up so they decided to watch the dvd with me. They loved it . So each night we watched 2 episodes before going to bed. I love the drama, characters and politics. I am not sure what they liked about it but am sure glad they did!