A Great King

I am sure you have all heard of King Arthur and the knights of the round table, a great and tremendous story showing us a hero from ancient times who stood for all the right things.

 

This past week I have been away on a holiday with a group of wonderful people, and one of the places we visited together was some ruins, supposedly those of King Arthurs castle!

 

 

 

But now the question might come, is King Arthur really real?

 

From my understanding Arthur is a mythical king created from a poem, made into a hero, set in history. It is a story and legend which has grown more and more over time. Most myths however normally come from at least a fragment of truth and it seems that in this case the fragment of truth which created the legend was the hope of the people.

 

So, what is the hope of the people which started this myth and the hope of the people which keeps it a legend still today?!?

 

It is a hope for something better. A hope for a King who knows them, and will protect them. For a man who will protect not only themselves but also what is right. One who will fight evil no matter how it comes. A hope that there is something more than just what they know.

 

The bad news is that despite this hope, King Arthur, the legend we know, is still just a myth. Even if it weren't a myth, the time did not remain but history shows us that more powers came and the world changed. There is however some good news. The good news is that the peoples hope which created the legend and keeps it alive still today, is not in vain.

 

Today is Easter Saturday, and tomorrow Christians all over the world will be remembering and celebrating a King who really is all of those things which the people hoped for. And not only that but tomorrow the celebration is because He is alive, He has conquered death, and so is King forever. Not only do we have a King who has fought the worst kind of evil there is (our own sin) for us, but we need not worry for the time when He will die and a new King will come for He is Forever.

 

The hope which we have is in our King and Saviour, Jesus. A living and real hope that there is something better than what we know, than the world we live in, and that is being with Him, when He returns. The great thing is we do not need to create a legend so that we can cling on to this hope, but our hope really is from history (not just set in it) and so it is real!

 

• If you would like to read more about King Arthur, and the mythical legend click here.
• If you would like to read more about Jesus Christ, and the real King click here.
• If you would like to read more about what Christians remember at Easter click here.

Unique

Each and every person who is, who was, and is to be, is unique and somehow different from everyone else. Isn't this amazing?! That there are no two people exactly the same.

 

We see things differently, do things differently, learn things differently, understand things differently.

 

I'm the kind of person who often notices little things which are happening around me, and constantly liken one occurance with another (sometimes seemingly obviously different).



 

I would like to share with you a lesson I once learnt from a Banksia.

This is a type of Banksia which can be found near where I am from in Australia

Banksia's can be found amidst a quite dry landscape proudly supporting their unique flowers which also happen to be full of nectar attracting many native birds and insects. Growing up surrounded by beekeeping I was taught to pay careful attention to Banksia plants. (They often look like shrubs but are actually more like small trees).

 

It will appear to be a good strong plant and then gradually year after year it will begin to produce less flowers, attract less wildlife, it's like it has become so comfortable in its current position that it is no longer as effective in its role as it was initially.

 

Then a fire comes and burns everything in its wake. Everything suffers. Many plants are destroyed never to grow again, however many recover also. The Banksia is nothing but a black skeleton of what used to be there.

 

After a fire it takes time for the landscape to recover, and to begin to grow again. It is quite a sight to pass by an area which has been ravaged by fire, charcoal trunks everywhere, but out of such a forlorn and darkened picture you see fresh new green growth in just as many places.

 

The Banksia looks no different to the rest of the plants in the way some of regrowing and some are not, however some time later when you look closer you notice all the fresh new growth from the soil, and where there were just one or two plants, now the area has many of these plants.

 

There is an interesting fact about some Banksia plants though (which is also true of some other plants) and that is that it cannot release it's seeds unless it is first burnt - swallowed up by fire.

A burn Banksia (with open seed pods)

 

Sometimes we too are like a Banksia, we get too comfortable with where we are and stop growing properly, doing what we're actually made to do. But then a fire comes along, or a trial or hard times, and we get burnt. It hurts and we're not the same as what we were before, and sometimes wonder why such a thing need happen. But then, the miraculous thing is that we do get past it, and we do begin to grow - more than what we could before, and in a way which affects more than just us but also those around us. The hurt, or the trial, or the hard times, it burns us, but in that it also opens us up.

 

This is the lesson I learnt from a Banksia.

 

God Bless

Control in the Hood

Some people (I believe) live under the impression that if you are 'grown up' or an 'adult' you should not be doing childish things. In my personal opinion this is not the case - we still need to have fun and sometimes the simplest things, things which we might call 'childish' are the best! The difference, I believe, is that when you are 'grown up' you know when you are acting childish  and you also know when it is inappropriate to act in such a way (having control of our actions).

 

This is all well and good, however only really looks at one use of the term 'grown up' or 'adult'. So, for a comparison, lets also look at another way in which this term is used which does not fit with the above description. The first thing which comes to mind (due to a recent conversation) is the concern over children entering 'adulthood' or exiting 'childhood' at younger ages.

 

In this sense the term 'adulthood' is talking not about the persons maturity, reasoning, or overall unstanding but rather their change in behaviour from childhood as related to exposure to what is considered 'adult' things. Drugs, violence, sex, crime, relationships, work, pride, anger, death, sickness, etc... all in their more full or complete forms as opposed to the snippets which children normally receive and are built upon over time. In this sense adulthood is more of an alternate teenage-hood. Often when this is the case these children have a different type of control on their actions (which is sometimes simply no control).

 

While looking at a passage in Mark this evening, one of the verses we looked at was "Watch and pray, lest you enter into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak." Now when reading the Bible, it is always best to read everything in context understanding what else is happening, and not just taking a verse on its own - and I encourage you to do that (chapter 14) however just now I will briefly just mention one of the things we were talking about.

 

We are taught in this world of ours that to be an adult, to be a member of society often is about control. Self control is an admirable virtue. Some of us we think are pretty good at this, being a master of ourselves. However, here we read that we are weak! That no matter how hard we try we can never be so in control that our spirit and our actions match up (this is for followers of Christ).

 

I'm sorry if that doesn't make a lot of sense. I feel like I am not doing a very good job of articulating myself this evening. If something doesn't make sense, or needs clarification - please just ask, I'm sure others will have the same question as well and would appreciate it.

 

God Bless